Arts & Letters Club of Toronto

03/13/2026

03/13/2026

🌟 We’re thrilled to welcome Kitty Scott, Strategic Director, Fogo Island Arts, as the inaugural speaker of our new series of public talks, Connectors: International Speakers Series!

Scott will give an illuminating talk on the making of her acclaimed exhibition Does the Flower Hear the Bee? (November 8, 2025–March 31, 2026) at Shanghai’s Power Station of Art, part of the 15th Shanghai Biennale. Inspired by how flowers “hear” bees, the exhibition explores new forms of sensorial communication between artworks, visitors, and the environment.

🗣️ Connectors: International Speakers Series – Kitty Scott
🗓️ Friday, March 27 | 6 PM–8 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
📍 The Power Plant, 231 Queens Quay West
🎟️ The event is now sold out, and the waitlist has also reached capacity. We are grateful for the strong interest in this program. Should any spaces become available, we will contact those already on the waitlist.

Connectors: International Speakers Series continues The Power Plant’s tradition of presenting visionary thinkers from around the world, spotlighting artists, curators, and scholars shaping contemporary art today. Building on the legacy of our International Lecture Series (2006–2018), this series offers a space for conversation and exploration within contemporary art and ideas.

🔗 Don’t miss the first talk in our new series—register via the link: https://www.thepowerplant.org/whats-on/calendar/connectors-international-speakers-series-kitty-scott.

Image: Portrait of Kitty Scott.

03/12/2026

The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto is proud of its unique collection of Canadian art, all done by members of the club. This is a detailed view of “Early Morning Sun” by Frank (Franz) Johnston, a gem of a painting by a legendary club member who was part of the Group of Seven for its first two years.
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There are so many stories to tell about the people and history of the Arts and Letters. You are invited to meet club members and socialize in our main floor bar/reception area most Fridays at our Open House from 4-7 p.m. We’d love to tell you about the birthplace of Canadian design. More info at https://www.artsandlettersclub.ca/public-events
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artsandletters.club.ca

01/27/2026

It's Design Week in Toronto and The Arts and Letters Club is proud to welcome visitors.
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Later this week on Friday Jan. 30 the final big Design TO event for the Club is a public Open House from 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Come visit the Birthplace of Canadian Design at 14 Elm Street. We'd love to meet you.
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artsandlettersclub.ca

01/26/2026

Never mind the snow! It's the start of a great week at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto as part of Design TO week in the city. Open to the public.
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Club member Ron Wild's sensational installation opening is on Friday Jan. 30 from 4 p.m.- 8 p.m. "Cloudtree" is made of salvaged construction panels and cardboard tubes. Ron is prototyping methods and materials for upcoming sculpture projects.
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www.artsandlettersclub.ca - 14 Elm Street - The Birthplace of Canadian Design

01/19/2026

For more than a century, the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto has been a meeting place for creativity. Today it welcomes Weddings, Performances, and conversations that continue that legacy.

DM us or email [email protected] to plan your event!

01/07/2026

Did you know that Arts and Letters Club of Toronto member James Sutherland designed the monumental flower and plant murals in the Dupont subway stop? Club member Sandra Eadie writes that the first mural, made from tiny glass tiles, was completed in 1978 and is titled Spadina Summer Under All Seasons. It depicts two giant flowers surrounded by smaller flowers, and sits on the track and concourse levels. As we wait for the train we feel warm and sunny, as in a garden.
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A few decades later, the TTC commissioned James to create a mural on the concourse level. Completed in 2024, this second mural depicts the evolution of plants from algae to our infinitely diverse planet of today, courtesy of the photosynthesis by which plants created the oxygen that made our life possible. The Force that Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower takes its name from a poem by Dylan Thomas.
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James Sutherland studied Art History and English Literature at the University of British Columbia in the 1960s. A decade of mentorship from the late architect Raymond Moriyama followed. Following this, he established his own graphics, painting, design and photography practice and received commissions for large works from architects for schools, libraries, and governmental buildings. His work includes not only the Dupont station but, with the Indigenous artists of Mnjikaning, the Circle of Clans Mural at Casino Rama.
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To learn more about the Dupont subway murals, go to https://jamessutherlandstudio2.net/
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The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto, the Birthplace of Canadian Design. We'd love to meet you -- come for a visit - www.artsandletters.ca

01/05/2026

You are invited! Come visit a gem of Toronto, The Arts & Letters Club.

Friday Jan. 30, 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Take part in public tours of the Club as the birthplace of Canadian Design. All tickets through Eventbrite.
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/visit-the-birthplace-of-canadian-design-tickets-1979621278534?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1

01/05/2026

Come experience the press used by Group of Seven artist Franklin Carmichael being unveiled Jan. 29 to the public at The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. See how letters and designs were crafted before the digital age. This event is part of the DesignTO festival in the city.
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Tickets through Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/historic-frank-carmichael-letter-press-tickets-1979625817109?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tld=1
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The Arts & Letters Club: The Birthplace of Canadian Design. https://www.artsandlettersclub.ca/

12/02/2025

Did you know that Eden Smith, one of Toronto’s most famous architects, was a member of The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto?
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Club member Stephen Ader writes that Smith, an Arts & Letters founding member in 1908, was born in Birmingham, England, and immigrated to Toronto in 1888. He belonged to the Arts and Crafts movement which features the English Cottage style of home with steeply pitched roofs and tall chimneys, bands of small-paneled casement windows, and side-centre internal plans.
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His private houses include the famous Studio Building at 25 Severn Street, which was the home and studio of many of the Group of Seven artists who were members of the Arts & Letters Club and were his contemporaries; 241 Poplar Plains Road (which later became Thornton Hall school); the Caldecotte House at 64 Woodlawn Avenue West; and many homes in Wychwood Park. He is thought to have designed about 250 homes in Toronto.
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His public buildings include Grace Church-on-the Hill, St. Thomas’s Anglican Church on Huron Street where he was a parishioner, St. Hilda’s College (now John Gibson House), and the Devonshire House Residences at U of T. He also designed 3 library branches for the Toronto Public Library at Wychwood, High Park and the Beaches. EdenSmith Lane in Cabbagetown honours Eden Smith who lived in nearby Salisbury Street.
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As a distinguished member of the Club, Eden Smith’s coat of arms hangs in the club's Great Hall. Take a look at it to see how it mirrors his name.
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The birthplace of Canadian design. We'd love to meet you. artsandlettersclub.ca.
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11/22/2025

Did you know that an Arts & Letters Club of Toronto member created the Santa Claus Parade? Eugene Beaupre, an artist, printmaker and display designer, was the advertising and sales manager for the T. Eaton Company. He had the idea in 1905 to have horses pull Santa on a flag-bedecked wagon from Union Station to the Eaton’s department store at Yonge and Queen. A century later, the annual parade now features many more floats and a much longer route. Eugene Beaupre was an Arts & Letters Club member from 1911-1926.
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Learn more at artsandlettersclub.ca. The birthplace of Canadian design. We’d love to meet you.
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11/10/2025

Remembrance Day is a time to honour the memory of those who fought for our freedoms in two world wars and other conflicts, a time to reflect on peace and understanding. The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto is proud of its many members who have served including Thomas C. Pomphrey. An architect and veteran who was wounded in the First World War, Pomphrey co-designed the Cenotaph in front of Old City Hall which was unveiled 100 years ago. A lasting legacy for Pomphrey, the club and the city.
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Come find out more at artsandlettersclub.ca A special place in the heart of the city. We’d love to meet you.