Last night I had the unexpected chance to check out the University of Toronto’s two art galleries, which are open late on Wednesday evenings (and closed weekends).

I’d never been to the University of Toronto Art Centre at University College, which opened in 1996 in, uh, University College on the downtown campus.

The current exhibit in what appears to be a very flexible space is Qaggiq: Gathering Place, which “brings together a selection of video works by the internationally renowned Isuma artists’ collective” from Nunavut, Canada. When you enter, you can watch trailers on iPads from four intriguing Inuit films, which are showing in the exhibit: One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019), Edge of the Knife (2018), Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001), Tia and Piujuq (2018) (below).

As if that weren’t enough, I took a peek around a darkened corner, and the light turned on to show me my second wow of the day, the permanent Malcove Collection, focusing on Medieval art and Byzantine icons. Bequeathed to UofT in 1981 by Dr. Lillian Malcove (1902-1981), the collection of over 500 objects includes Lucas Cranach the Elder’s Adam and Eve of 1538. Wow.

University of Toronto Art Centre at University College is museum no. 43 in my #100museums challenge (see 100 Museums Challenge).