The Goldfarb Gallery is York University’s first stand-alone art gallery, created to elevate the visibility and accessibility of the university’s significant collection of modern and contemporary art. Previously housed in a low-profile space with dispersed storage and limited public engagement, the gallery has been reimagined through a bold architectural gesture: a compact yet striking 12,000-square-foot building that occupies a central location on the Harry W. Arthurs Commons.
The gallery’s design responds to both site constraints and ambitious programmatic goals. The single-storey structure unfolds from a central lobby—its heart—like butterfly wings, with three unique gallery spaces radiating outward. Each exhibition room is geometrically distinct (triangular, rectangular, square), offering curatorial flexibility and a sense of spatial discovery. A fourth space, the Forum, is a multi-purpose room with a full-height glazed wall that opens to the plaza, visibly animating the campus through public events.
