Art Festival Returns to Ruins of St. Anne’s Anglican Church
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A new contemporary exhibition marks the first public event at the National Historic Site since a 2024 fire destroyed the landmark.
The ruins of St. Anne’s Anglican Church will host its first public event since a devastating 2024 fire, according to CBC Toronto. The free contemporary art exhibition, titled "Where Walls Meet Sky," runs from Aug. 22 to Sept. 13.
Curated by Rui Pimenta, the festival features site-specific installations by 12 Canadian artists within the remains of the Byzantine Revival-style structure. The event also includes concerts organized by programming partners, including Wavelength Music. Pimenta was brought into the project by Max Streicher, a parishioner and member of the St. Anne’s arts and music committee. Funding for the event was provided by the George and Esther Snell Trust.
St. Anne’s was designated a National Historic Site and was known for housing murals by Group of Seven painters J.E.H. MacDonald, Frank Carmichael, and Frederick Varley. While the building was gutted—an event Toronto police are investigating as suspected arson—CBC Toronto reports that three Group of Seven murals were salvaged and repaired by Toronto Art Restoration. These pieces are currently in storage pending the construction of a new church building.
Sarah Milroy, director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, previously described the church as one of Toronto's most important cultural sites. Streicher noted that the exhibition serves as a way to demonstrate that the parish community is still present, as the church had previously been a hub for monthly tours and Nuit Blanche festivities.