Executive Director
Gallery TPW, Toronto
Gary Hall is the founding Director of Gallery TPW, a leading artist-run centre devoted to lens and screen-based art located in Toronto. Gallery TPW initiated programming in 1980 to address the lack of support and recognition for photography as an art form in Canada. Gallery TPW has premiered the work of countless Canadian photographers, many of whom now rank among Canada’s most celebrated artists. Over the past thirty years Hall has worked with many Canadian artists, curators and writers in producing exhibitions, publications, national touring shows, international exchanges and online resources.
Throughout his career Hall has worked to improve the economic rights of professional artists and support for artist-run centres by taking an active role in provincial and national arts organizations. As National Spokesperson for ANNPAC/RACA representing artist-run centres in Canada on cultural policy issues. As president of Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Ontario he established ARCCO as an effective Provincial arts service organization. As a founding member of the CARFAC Copyright Collective he helped secure exhibition rights for visual artists within federal legislation. Hall was also a central figure in coordinating the activities of the Friends of Canadian Photography, a nation-wide coalition that prevented the dissolution of the National Film Board Stills Division and lead to the creation of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. Since 2004 he has been active in ArtsBuild Ontario working within a province-wide coalition of arts organization to address the capital infrastructure needs of small and mid-size arts organizations throughout the province of Ontario. Currently he is working with other artist-run organizations to establish a modern multi-disciplinary media-arts facility in Toronto.
Gary Hall studied painting at O.C.A.D. and the New School of Art prior to graduating from Ryerson University with a BFA in Photographic Arts in 1979. In the 1980’s he maintained an active career as an exhibiting artist as well as an educator through the Creative Artists In Schools Program, North York Board of Education and Centennial College. Hall has received grants from both the Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council. His work can be found in the public collections of the National Gallery of Canada and the Canada Council Art Bank.