Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2000-2009 (Creation)
Level of description
Collection
Extent and medium
165 posters
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Grant Munro was a Toronto-based visual artist, community builder, event organizer and entrepreneur. Munro spent his childhood and teenage years in Mississauga. He graduated in 2000 from the Ontario College of Art and Design, where he studied sculpture and installation. In 1999, he founded Vazaleen, a now legendary series of dance parties. In 2006, he and Lynn MacNeil purchased the Beaver Café, a hub of artistic, musical and social activity at Queen Street West and Gladstone Avenue in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. Munro worked as a DJ for events in the visual art community. He served on the Board of Directors of Art Metropole and York University. His artwork has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at numerous venues including Art in General, New York; and the Art Gallery of Ontario, Mercer Union, Art Gallery of York University, and Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto. His work is represented by Paul Petro Contemporary Art.
Archival history
The posters now constituting the Will Munro collection were willed to the AGO by the artist, and on his death were given to the gallery by his mother, Margaret Munro.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
AGO Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Will Munro, 2011
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Collection consists of posters designed by Will Munro for events organized by him at various venues in downtown Toronto. Posters employ a variety of media and processes, including silkscreen and photocopies. Some of these posters were featured in Will Munro: Total Eclipse, July 31-September 26, 2010, part of the Toronto Now series of exhibitions at the AGO. Silk-screening of many of the posters was carried out by Michael Comeau.
Contains series:
- Vaseline / Vazaleen / Vazoween posters
- Peroxide posters
- Moustache posters
- 7th Heaven posters
- Miserable Mondays posters
- NO T.O. posters
- Posters for various events at The Beaver Restaurant
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
Collection is organized according to event, as received from Margaret Munro. Events for which there are fewer than 10 posters have been grouped together in Series 7.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright has been transferred to the Art Gallery of Ontario. It is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain permission to publish any part of the collection.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Final
Level of detail
Partial
Dates of creation revision deletion
15-Aug-13 by Amy Marshall Furness
Uploaded and adapted by Nirvana Chainani, 2019
Language(s)
- English