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Qaumajuq is a 40,000-square-foot building that links to the WAG on all levels, giving you a new place to hang out, enjoy art, and learn. The mass of windows throughout the space allows you to see in and out of the building, connecting WAG-Qaumajuq and downtown, opening the Gallery like never before.

Watch the virtual celebration here.

Design

Selected through an international competition, Michael Maltzan Architecture‘s challenge was to increase public access to the WAG’s celebrated collection of contemporary Inuit art, while respecting the context and character of the Gallery’s iconic 1971 modernist building, designed by Gustavo da Roza. Maltzan was inspired by a trip to Nunavut where the team visited Inuit communities and artists’ studios. Working with associate Cibinel Architecture, Maltzan’s design echos the ephemeral qualities of the North. Qaumajuq’s undulating white stone façade, made of Bethel Granite, hovers above the ground as if floating over the glass-filled lobby. Its abstract quality recalls the scale and carved forms of the North as well as the artwork housed within its walls.

HEAR FROM THE ARCHITECT

Nutaaq Tummaqtuyuq

“big steps forward” Inuvialuktun >>> Outdoor Plaza

Come relax at the new community plaza on St. Mary Ave. You can peek inside to the Visible Vault and other spaces of Qaumajuq, and enjoy the patio in the summer months. You’ll also come face-to-face with two new outdoor sculptures: Tuniigusiia/The Gift by Goota Ashoona, commissioned by the Manitoba Teachers’ Society; and Time to Play by Abraham Anghik Ruben, commissioned by Tannis M. Richardson.

Ilavut

“our relatives” in Inuktitut >>> Entrance Hall

The first thing you’ll see, even before you enter Qaumajuq, is a three-story glass vault filled with thousands of carvings from the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art. The vault’s curved walls allow you to walk around the collection and also be immersed in it. You’ll see curators, conservators, and other Gallery staff working within the vault. It’s like a town square—you come from the outdoor plaza into the entrance hall with art, a main floor shop and café, and leading you to breathtaking new gallery and learning spaces.

LEARN MORE

The Visible Vault in Qaumajuq seen from the perspective of someone standing at the back of the Qaumajuq lobby in the middle of the day.
An image of the Qaumajuq Inuit art centre at night, lit from within by Lindsay Reid.

New Era of Accessibility

Qaumajuq’s new main entrance isn’t the only way the Gallery is opening up, the entire main floor is FREE. Membership to WAG-Qaumajuq is FREE if you’re 25 or under, and if you’re over 25 you can sign up for $35. Admission is also FREE for all Indigenous Peoples.

LEARN MORE

Ilipvik

“a place where you can go to learn” in Inuttitut >>> The Learning Steps

The Learning Steps is a 90-seat theatre where you can take in talks, performances, films, and more. It’s also a smart classroom expanding our distance learning programs, connecting classrooms, artists, elders, and educators locally, from North to South and worldwide. A massive curtain printed with an artwork by Elisapee Ishulutaq, titled Yesterday and Today, will envelop you during screenings and private events.

MORE ON TOURS

People sitting in the Ilipvik (The Learning Steps) in the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq.
Ilipvik (The Learning Steps) at the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq.

Niizhwaaso

“seven” in Ojibway, in honour of the Indigenous group of seven >>> Collaborative Learning Centre

Make your way up to the second floor and discover the reading room with access to the Clara Lander Library which includes artist files, periodicals, and archives totalling over 24,000 volumes. Learn more about the space here. This research area expands on the Clara Lander Library, established in 1971.

The non-circulating collections support research activities of WAG staff and are also available to the academic community and general public. It overlooks the Learning Steps and features an outdoor terrace where you can not only hang out, but where you’ll discover artist demonstrations, performances, and more. Stay tuned!

Three New Gallery Spaces

  • PIMÂTISIWIN “life and the act of living, to be alive” in Cree/Ojibway >>> Focus Gallery
  • GIIZHIG / KISIK “sky, heaven, day” in Cree/Michif/Ojibway >>> Fourth Floor Gallery
  • QILAK “sky” in Inuktitut >>> Main Inuit Gallery

On the third level, you will enter an intimate space called Pimâtisiwin that leads into Qilak, an 8,000-square-foot gallery dedicated to the display of Inuit art. Enormous skylights in the ceiling bring an amazing quality of light, illuminating the art and undulating walls. Keep ascending skyward to Giizhig, overlooking the main gallery.

A person looks over the edge of a white balcony in a Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq gallery.
WAG Studio facility that shows several pottery wheels, and large, floor-to-ceiling windows.

WAG Studio

Art-making has moved up to the rooftop level of WAG-Qaumajuq! No matter your age or skill level, this new space is sure to inspire you. Join artist instructors and channel your creativity in five indoor classrooms, and two outdoor studios. From painting and pottery to carving and new media, choose from five and 10-week classes, or casual, one-night workshops (including private virtual sessions for you and your family and friends!).

SEE UPCOMING CLASSES

Events

Plan Your Visit
WAG-Qaumajuq recognizes that land acknowledgements are part of an ongoing dialogue with Indigenous Nations, and we are grateful to live and work on these lands and waters. Institutionally, WAG-Qaumajuq is committed to acknowledging our colonial history and we are actively working to interrogate the Gallery’s colonial ways of being.

WAG-Qaumajuq is LEED certified.

WAG - Winnipeg Art Gallery Outline
Winnipeg Art Gallery—Qaumajuq
300 Memorial Blvd
Winnipeg, MB
204.786.6641 // Gallery
204.789.1769 // Shop
Email Us
Tue-Thu // 11am–5pm
Fri // 11am–9pm
Sat-Sun // 11am–5pm
Closed Mondays