Welcome to The SPORT Gallery
The SPORT Gallery is dedicated to shedding light on the developed but widely under-appreciated art of sports photography. The emphasis will be on sports photos that convey the rich history and tradition, as well as the elemental artistry, of sport. We believe that the gallery's physical location, in the storied Distillery Historic District located in downtown Toronto, is resonant with these objectives. It is also our intention that the gallery develop a vigorous online presence and following.
By bringing to life the great sports photos, moments and personalities of the past and present, in the context of regular exhibitions based on a theme or, on occasion, the work of a single photographer, the gallery will bridge the gap between the previously distinct worlds of high-end sports memorabilia and fine art photography. But it will also focus on the highly artistic quality of sports photography, celebrating the talent and vision of some of the world's finest shooters, who happen to have shot sports, either as vocation or merely avocation. Exhibitions will feature both original vintage photographs as well as giclee fine art prints. All exhibition pieces are created utilizing museum-quality archival materials.
The SPORT Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Stone Distillery Building, whose original construction was completed in 1864 and is the oldest of the 40-plus buildings that comprise the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian industrial architecture in North America. Access to the Distillery Historic District is off east of Parliament Street or west off Cherry, just north of Lakeshore Boulevard. Please see Distillery Historic District map.
Exhibitions at The SPORT Gallery will draw upon the extensive sports photos collection of The SPORT Collection, the celebrated photographic archive of SPORT magazine, as well as private collections and the work of prominent photographers who have chosen sports as one of their metiers. The gallery is also open to receiving proposals and submissions.
Submissions
The SPORT Gallery will accept proposals and submissions from photographers or collectors interested in exhibiting their sports photos or holdings. Initial contact should be by e-mail, outlining the photographer's background, the nature of the proposed exhibition and, if possible, accompanied by a half dozen or so jpeg images. The e-mail should be sent to submissions@thesportgallery.com.
Friends of The SPORT Gallery
We would like to commend the high-quality matting and framing work of Jamie and Alan at Bi-Plane, and the printing work of Franklin Lee at Portrait Life Studios. Also, the support and guidance of members of the Photographic Preservation & Collections Management program at Ryerson University's School of Image Arts -- Alana West, Ola Dlugosz, Stefanie Petrilli and Patricia Pena -- and the program's assistant director, Robert Burley, has been most valuable.
