Apr 8, 2026

Heliconian Hall Turns 150

This Toronto Historic Site has been a gathering place for women artists since 1923

An image of an exhibition invite from the Heliconian Club. It depicts Heliconain Hall in red ink.

Exhibition invitation, “Women Living in the Arts: 1909-2009,” from the Heliconian Club Clipping file, Edward P. Taylor Library & Archives.

In 1876, a blue Carpenter’s Gothic-style church was built on the outskirts of Toronto in a rural village that would eventually become Yorkville. 47 years later, the space was transformed into a gathering place for women creatives across Toronto, a purpose it continues to serve.

Founded in 1909, the Heliconian Club is a meeting place for women in the arts. The club was created in response to the exclusion of women artists from the male-only Arts & Letters Club, which had only been established for a month before 59 women met at the Teapot Inn on Yonge St. to found the Heliconian Club. The club consisted of five branches – visual arts, music, dance and drama, literature, and humanities – and initially accepted professional members only.

The group named itself after Mount Helicon, believed to be the sanctuary of the Muses in Greek Mythology. The women of the Heliconian Club were determined to train and work as professional artists on an equal basis with men. They travelled to art academies that accepted women in Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, London, and Paris, and shared studios and apartments, offering each other support and mentorship.

In 1923, the club purchased the former Congregational Church at 35 Hazleton Avenue, renaming it Heliconian Hall and basing their logo on the church’s Victorian rose window. As one of the last remaining Carpenter’s Gothic-style buildings in Southern Ontario, Heliconian Hall was designated a Toronto Historic Site in 1990 and then a National Historic Site in 2008. The Heliconian Club continues to welcome women creatives while hosting events and classes for the wider community.

An image of Florence Helena McGillivray's painting Venice, which depicts a woman standing in a doorway on one of Venice's canals.

Florence Helena McGillivray. Venice, 1914. Watercolour with graphite on blue paper, Sheet: 17.8 × 22.9 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchase with assistance from Wintario, 1979. Photo © AGO. 79/217

With this year marking the 150th anniversary of Heliconian Hall’s construction, the AGO is highlighting the many influential artists who once gathered within its walls. Curated by Cecily Field, the AGO’s Acting Marvin Gelber Prints and Drawings Research & Collections Coordinator, The Heliconian Club: Women Living in Arts, is an installation of watercolours, drawings, and prints created by former Heliconian club members in the AGO’s Collection, including Kathleen Munn (1887-1974) and Laura Muntz Lyall (1860-1930).

Alongside their numerous contributions to Canadian art, many of the women artists featured in this installation were influential figures within the Heliconian Club and Toronto’s art and culture scene: Florence Helena McGillvray (1864-1938), who was mentored by French artist Henri Matisse while studying in Paris, was a founding member of the Heliconian club alongside Muntz Lyall. Dorthy Haines Hoover (1904-1995) was the first head Librarian at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD) and the Heliconian Club President from 1982-83. Heliconian Club member and nature enthusiast Sylvia Hahn (1911-2001) worked for the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for 40 years, retiring as the Director of Art in 1976 and left her mark on the museum through 11 murals that are still on view today. Alexandra Luke was a founding member of the Painters Eleven, a foundational group of abstract artists in Canada, and the chief benefactor of the Robert McLaughlin Collection in Oshawa.

An image of Alexandra Luke's abstract painting Composition

Alexandra Luke. Composition, 1964. Watercolour and crayon on paper, Overall: 75 × 95 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Purchased with funds donated by Greg Latremoille, 2012. Photo © AGO. 2012/31

In addition to this installation, the AGO’s Library & Archives will be hosting Unshelved: Artists of the Heliconian Club on Friday, April 10. The AGO’s Acting Special Collections Archivist Camille McDayter will highlight both the professional careers and personal lives of Heliconian Club members through an array of archival materials drawn from the AGO’s Special Collections holdings and Artist File Collection. A special focus will be spent on the archival collections of Munn and Hahn, as well as the AGO’s Biographical Questionnaires Collection from 1912 to 1984, which features questionnaire responses by Heliconian Club artists that document information about their practices and activities. A complementary selection of works on paper by Heliconian Club members will also be on view during the event, including Heliconian member Elizabeth McGillivray Knowles (1866-1928) drawings of her chickens, curated by Field from the AGO’s Prints & Drawings vault.

An image of Mary E. Wrinch's print The Wharf, which depicts women at a wharf at a lake.

Mary E. Wrinch. The Warf, 1936. Colour linocut on paper, Image: 14 × 17.1 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Mary Wrinch Reid, 1969. Photo © AGO. 69/228

Celebrate this Heliconian Club milestone by attending the free event Unshelved: Artists of the Heliconian Club on Friday, April 10, and by visiting The Heliconian Club: Women Living in Arts installation on Level 1 of the AGO in the Walter Grier Gallery (gallery 139), on view until August 2026. All archival materials shown at Unshelved are available to the public for research by appointment. To book an appointment, email [email protected]. Additional works on paper by Heliconian artists can also be viewed at the Marvin Gelber Print and Drawing Study Centre’s monthly Open Door Sessions. Learn more about the Heliconian Club here.