Welcome to the “Dundas West Public Open Air Museum” DWPOAM, a public collection of Street Art showcasing local and international artists.
Located in the heart of Toronto, the DWPOAM is articulated as a direct result of the Creative Economy that has revitalized the west end strip from Shaw St. over to Landsdowne Avenue.
It is an Artist driven initiative that tributes to many cultural expressions present on Dundas West Street area in downtown Toronto.
We recognize that the “Dish One Spoon Treaty” covers Toronto. This treaty bounds the Anishinaabeg, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee Confederacy to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and Peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of Peace, friendship and respect.
We invite you to explore, learn and enjoy our public circuit of Street Art Murals.
Feel free to request your own personal tour or information about the artists at: tours@dundaswest.museum
WE ARE NOW OPEN!
Street art is having a moment. Is it a pivotal one?
During the height of the Spanish flu pandemic, afflicted Norwegian artist Edvard Munch painted a pair of self-portraits. In the first, he sits alone in a chair beside his rumpled bed, bundled in a robe, blankets covering his legs. His face is drained of color and his mouth hangs open, as if gasping for breath. In the second, painted after his recovery, he lists, seemingly exhausted, toward the viewer.
Create HOPE – Collective Mural Initiative
In the context of the current state of isolation, recommended by public health officials across the globe due to COVID19, a new initiative has been launched through an alliance between local Canadian arts and health advocates, to create an arts-based health promotion initiative in response to the high demand for mental health support for families to cope during this difficult period that we face.
Créer l’espoir – une murale virtuelle pancanadienne se dessine à l’horizon
Malgré les distances qui séparent les Canadiens en ces temps de confinement, des initiatives pour les réunir virtuellement surgissent partout au pays. L’une d’entre elles est le projet de murale virtuelle numérique Create Hope | Créer l’espoir.
L’initiative consiste à compiler des interprétations visuelles du concept d’espoir. Elle s’adresse en premier lieu aux enfants qui, comme le reste du monde, sont en quarantaine pour une période indéterminée.
Le projet repose sur deux initiatives lancées par Rodrigo et Paola Ardiles Gamboa, frère et sœur, soit le Dundas West Public Museum de Toronto (géré principalement par l’ONG Creativo Arts) et la coopérative de promotion de la santé Bridge for Health basée à Vancouver. Le mot-clé avec lequel ils veulent faire résonner le projet au pays est #createhopemural.
1357 Dundas St W
Portuguese Fisherman
Pablo Gomez (2018)

1615 Dundas St. W
Violeta’s Garden
Tikay & Aner (2017)