MacLaren Art Centre

What MacLaren Art Centre does

The MacLaren Art Centre is a non-profit regional public art gallery headquartered at 37 Mulcaster Street in downtown Barrie, Ontario, serving residents of Barrie, County of Simcoe and surrounding area. Operating from an award-winning building that combines a renovated 1917 Carnegie library with a contemporary addition designed by Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects (with the building owned by the City of Barrie), the gallery maintains a permanent collection of over 4,300 contemporary Canadian artworks and houses the Sovfoto archive of 20,000+ Soviet-era press photographs. With approximately 23 employees, it runs a year-round programme of world-class exhibitions, education activities and special events.

The organization's core products are exhibitions (rotating contemporary Canadian and international shows plus the permanent collection), education programs for all ages (workshops, classes, summer camps, family programs, and curriculum-aligned offerings for teachers), venue rentals for weddings, corporate events and photoshoots, memberships, and fundraising events including the OFF THE HOOK Silent Art Auction and MacLaren TV Bingo. Specialized offerings include the Creative Spark program for individuals living with dementia (in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County) and a BIPOC Open Call exhibition series. Pricing is anchored on voluntary pay-what-you-can admissions, while program fees range from about $40 to $330 per workshop.

The gallery operates a hybrid community-led GTM motion and a diversified revenue model combining voluntary donations, recurring memberships, transactional program fees, venue rental fees, transaction-based auction/bingo proceeds, and government grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of Barrie, and Ontario Trillium Foundation. Distribution is primarily walk-in visitation at the single Barrie facility, supplemented by direct sales for educational programs and venue rentals, while marketing spans a website, weekly eNews, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, opening receptions, and a deep network of community partnerships across education, healthcare, Indigenous, BIPOC, and cultural organizations.

Name

MacLaren Art Centre

Legal name

MacLaren Art Centre

Website

https://maclarenart.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The MacLaren Art Centre is a non-profit regional public art gallery serving Barrie, County of Simcoe and surrounding Ontario area, operating year-round contemporary Canadian exhibitions, a permanent collection of 4,300+ artworks, and education programs for all ages from an award-winning downtown facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art Gallery

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Public art gallery
• Contemporary Canadian art
• Art education programs
• Community cultural center
• Venue rental events

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrie

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Admissions & Donations: Voluntary pay-what-you-can donations at admission, providing accessible entry to the gallery.
2. Memberships: Annual membership programs offering free admission, discounts on programs, and other member benefits.
3. Educational Programs & Workshops: Fees for art classes, workshops, summer camps, and educational programs for children, youth, adults, and families ranging from $40 to $330.
4. Venue Rentals: Revenue from renting gallery spaces for weddings, corporate events, meetings, and photoshoots.
5. Sponsorships & Grants: Support from government agencies (Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of Barrie, Ontario Trillium Foundation) and private sponsors.
6. Silent Art Auction: OFF THE HOOK Silent Art Auction events generating revenue through artwork sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The MacLaren Art Centre operates as a regional public art gallery presenting year-round exhibitions of contemporary Canadian and international art, maintaining a permanent collection of over 4,300 works, and delivering fee-based and free art education programs including workshops, classes, summer camps, and family programs for all ages. It also generates revenue through venue rentals, annual memberships, donations, and fundraising events such as the OFF THE HOOK Silent Art Auction and MacLaren TV Bingo.

Product overview

MacLaren Art Centre is the regional public art gallery serving Barrie, Simcoe County, and surrounding Ontario areas, housed in an award-winning building combining a renovated 1917 Carnegie library with contemporary architecture. The institution operates a unified offering centered on rotating exhibitions of contemporary Canadian art, a permanent collection of over 4,300 works held in public trust, and comprehensive education programming for all ages including workshops, classes, summer camps, and family programs. Additional offerings include venue rentals, membership programs, and fundraising events such as the annual silent art auction and TV Bingo. The gallery operates on a pay-what-you-can admission model with adjacent parking and full wheelchair accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions Program Year-round program of world-class art exhibitions showcasing contemporary Canadian and international artists, including current exhibitions, upcoming exhibitions, publications, and an archive of past shows. Free with pay-what-you-can admission.
• Permanent Collection A collection of over 4,300 contemporary Canadian artworks held in trust for the public, available for viewing and research. Includes the Sovfoto collection of 20,000+ press photos from the Soviet Union's propaganda campaign.
• Adult Art Education Programs Art education programming for adults including workshops, classes, artist talks, and special events covering various mediums such as drawing, painting, mosaics, watercolour, and more. Prices range from $40 to $330.
• Children & Youth Art Programs Creative art programs for children and youth including summer camps, after-school classes, and workshops for ages 0-18.
• Family Sundays Weekly family art workshops held on Sunday afternoons where families create art projects together with local artists, featuring various mediums and creative activities. $5 per family or FREE for Members.
• Summer Camps
• Venue Rentals Rental of MacLaren's facilities for weddings, art parties, birthdays, meetings, corporate events, and photoshoots. Includes Carnegie Room, education spaces, and sculpture courtyard.
• Memberships Gallery membership programs offering benefits and access to exclusive events and programming, including free admission and discounts on programs.
• Donations & Support Programs Various giving programs including one-time donations, monthly giving, legacy giving, and patron circle support for the gallery.
• MacLaren TV Bingo Virtual bingo event broadcast online, combining entertainment with fundraising for the gallery.
• OFF THE HOOK Silent Art Auction Annual silent art auction event featuring works by local and regional artists as a fundraising initiative.
• Creative Spark Program Art program for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers, offering creative workshops in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County.
• Master Class in Painting with Sadko A special painting workshop led by exhibiting artist Sadko Hadžihasanović exploring figure painting techniques with water-soluble paints and a live model. $135.00 + HST for non-members, $121.50 + HST for Members.
• Figure Drawing: From Life Adult drawing class teaching classical structure, proportion, and anatomy while capturing the human form with expressive immediacy using a live model. $165.00 + HST for non-members, $150.00 + HST for Members (4 sessions).

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,300+ artworks in permanent collection
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alzheimer Society of Simcoe CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership delivering Creative Spark program for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers, combining art programming with healthcare support.
• Georgian CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partnership including joint exhibitions, student internships, Art Crawl events, and printmaking studio collaborations. Joint exhibitions with Museum and Gallery Studies program students.
• Barrie Native Friendship CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous community organization partner for cultural programming including drum-making workshops, Three Sisters Garden teachings, and Culture Days events.
• UPlift BlackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIPOC and 2SLGBTQI+-led non-profit focused on social justice. Partnership for IT LIVES HERE: The Afrofusion Diaspora exhibition and community events.
• New Path Youth & Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health organization collaborating on commUNITY art project promoting youth mental health awareness and wellbeing through collaborative art creation.
• Simcoe County MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibitions pairing museum artifacts with gallery artworks, such as Lost and Found: The Inner Child exhibition.
• McMichael Canadian Art CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational gallery partnership for organizing and circulating exhibitions including Homage by Jon Sasaki featuring Group of Seven historical artifacts.
• Southern Alberta Art GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-producing Structural Integrity exhibition with MacLaren Art Centre.
• Pollution Probe / Great Lakes Plastic CleanupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partnership for educational workshops combining art with environmental awareness.
• Barrie Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for joint programming and exhibitions including commUNITY workshop series.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Gallery of Canada: Canada's national art museum operating at the largest scale in the country with rotating exhibitions and educational programming; an industry incumbent that anchors the broader cultural ecosystem in which MacLaren operates.
• Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO): Major Canadian art museum with a large permanent collection, rotating exhibitions, and broad education programming; an incumbent overlap operating at much larger scale and serving a wider (provincial/national) audience than MacLaren's regional footprint.
• Royal Ontario Museum (ROM): Large Toronto-based museum with mixed natural history and art exhibitions, education programming, and venue rentals; broader incumbent that overlaps with MacLaren across programming categories at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Art Gallery of Hamilton: Ontario regional public art gallery operating a permanent collection, rotating exhibitions, and education programs; directly comparable in mandate, funding model, and regional scope to MacLaren.
• Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG): Western Canadian regional public art gallery operating a permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and education programs; directly comparable peer in mandate, scale, and community-led gallery model.
• Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG): Regional public art gallery focused on contemporary Canadian and international art with education programs and community engagement; co-produced the Structural Integrity exhibition with MacLaren, making it a near-direct peer in scale and programming mix.
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection: Canadian regional public art gallery with a permanent collection of Canadian art held in public trust; co-producing and circulating exhibitions with MacLaren (e.g. Homage by Jon Sasaki featuring Group of Seven artifacts), making it the closest direct peer in mandate and operating model.
• Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA): Toronto-based contemporary art institution focused on rotating exhibitions and public programming with strong educational outreach; directly comparable peer to MacLaren in contemporary art focus, although serving a larger urban audience.
• Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG): Ontario regional public art gallery in Oshawa with a permanent collection of Canadian art and active education programming; highly comparable to MacLaren in size, mandate, and regional gallery operating model.

Emerging players

• Justina M. Barnicke Gallery (Hart House, University of Toronto): University-affiliated contemporary art gallery presenting rotating exhibitions and supporting emerging artists; smaller-scope and education-anchored peer with overlapping contemporary art and exhibition programming mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MacLarenArt
• Facebookfacebook.com/maclarenart
• Instagraminstagram.com/maclarenartcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maclaren-art-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MacLaren Art Centre