Collection SC121 - Will Munro collection

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Will Munro collection

General material designation

  • Graphic material

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

Collection

Reference code

ON00012 SC121

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

Physical description area

Physical description

165 posters

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

William Grant Munro (1975-2010) 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.

Custodial 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.

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:

  1. Vaseline / Vazaleen / Vazoween posters
  2. Peroxide posters
  3. Moustache posters
  4. 7th Heaven posters
  5. Miserable Mondays posters
  6. NO T.O. posters
  7. Posters for various events at The Beaver Restaurant

Notes area

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

AGO Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Will Munro, 2011

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.

Language of material

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

Open. Access to Special Collections is by appointment only. Please contact the reference desk for more information.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

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.

Finding aids

Associated materials

Art Metropole and the Art Gallery of York University each hold a similar set of posters by Will Munro. The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives holds a selection of Will Munro’s collection of music recordings.

Related materials

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

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Name access points

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Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Art Gallery of Ontario

Rules or conventions

Status

Final

Level of detail

Partial

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

August 15, 2013

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

Sources

Accession area

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres