Our Mission

Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) is a not-for-profit Charitable Organization that advances the appreciation, creation and exhibitions of the arts. WAAC’s charitable mandate supports development in the arts through its scholarship program and public education. WAAC is committed to an inclusive culture of diversity and equity.

ABOUT

Over its 134-year history WAAC has served as a haven for visual artists, musicians, writers and devotees of the arts — a place where like-minded people can meet in a welcoming environment.

In 1948 the WAAC launched the Scholarship Program for the purpose of supporting students in the arts. The first scholarship was granted to the Ontario College of Art and named after the Association’s founder Mary Ella Dignam. Over the past seven decades the Scholarship Program has steadily grown, and currently the Association presents seventeen scholarship awards to students at seven leading arts education institutions. These are OCADU, Sheridan College Art & Art History, Royal Conservatory of Music – Glenn Gould School, The University of Toronto Faculty of Music, Canada’s National Ballet School, George Brown Theatre School, and Ryerson University School of Image Arts. Scholarship recipients are selected by the institutional staff most familiar with student work and excellence.

Located in Toronto’s beautiful Annex neighbourhood, the heart of WAAC is a charming 19th century house that backs onto a lovely formal garden. The main entrance opens up into the Mary Dignam Gallery, a large, attractive room that hosts openings, receptions and, of course, members’ art exhibitions. It is also the venue for our lectures on the arts and concerts. Many of these events are open to the public.