Redeveloped Market Wing at City Hall to showcase Indigenous history and culture

The Market Wing at Kingston City Hall is scheduled to open to the public in November 2020, after undergoing redevelopment.

The newly accessible space, located within Kingston City Hall National Historic Site, has been designed to house exhibitions and programs that combine history and the arts to highlight Kingston, and to explore a diversity of histories, stories and ideas relevant to residents and visitors alike, read a release from the City, dated Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. The Market Wing will also include dedicated space to showcase Indigenous history and culture and the people who have lived in this area since time immemorial.  According to the release, the development of this content will begin in 2021 and will be led by an Indigenous curator and involve ongoing consultations with the community.

“The Market Wing is being redeveloped in response to the findings that have emerged from the ‘Your Stories, Our Histories’ project. Residents have asked that the City rethink how we interpret local history to reflect greater equity, diversity and inclusion by broadening the range of histories and stories that get shared, and with a particular focus on presenting Indigenous history and culture,” says Colin Wiginton, Cultural Director. “This new space will provide new opportunities to look at the past, present and future with a critical eye, and combine history and the arts in ways that bridge these two sectors to highlight Kingston’s diverse cultural heritage–natural, tangible and intangible– alongside the local arts ecology and creative industries. Achieving these ambitions will take time but it’s exciting to be able to start the process this fall.”

Inaugural Exhibitions

According to the release, the inaugural exhibitions will include the re-mounting of the popular exhibition Ontario Street: Brewers, Bakers and Boiler Makers, 1830-1970, previously seen at the PumpHouse Museum, along with Then & Now, a temporary exhibition that highlights the work of Kingston-based artists who are being asked to respond to a selection of historic images of Kingston.

Call For Submissions – Then & Now

The City is inviting Kingston-based emerging artists to submit two-dimensional works in a variety of media in response to a selection of historic images of Kingston. Artists are asked to create artworks that reflect how the community has evolved and changed over time in relation to its landscapes, landmarks, values and/or ideologies, according to the release. The City’s curators will select the works which will be featured as part of this exhibition with input from the Cultural Heritage Working Group connected to Heritage Kingston. Download the full Call for Submission.

The deadline to apply for consideration is Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020.