In 1997, Wedge Curatorial Projects’ Toronto-based founding director Kenneth Montague had a mission. He committed to the sharing and exhibiting of photographic works by local and international artists centering Black identity, representation, and culture.
Wedge Curatorial Projects was at the forefront of Toronto’s changing art scene, which in the 1990’s, championed artistic representation in relation to identity. These efforts were nationally and internationally influential as Wedge grew its reach among artists and arts professionals. Wedge’s mandate was, and remains, to create space–or wedge space–for Black artists, historically excluded from contemporary art.
Over the next 25 years, Wedge Curatorial Projects would take shape as a consistently dynamic non-profit organization, supporting local and international artists through major exhibitions and programs–from early shows such as James Van Der Zee Portraits and Jamel Shabazz Back in the Days, to the recent Jorian Charlton exhibition Out of Many, and presenting the international Black Portraiture[s] conference series. Join us, as we celebrate a milestone anniversary. The following timeline chronicles 25 years of Wedge.