A true gem of a gallery . Exceptional staff and amazing art…read moreby local Manitoba artists. Something for everyone! The Gallery is located in the Johnston Terminal adjacent to the Old Spaghetti Factory.

From the owner: Located in the historic Johnston Terminal at Winnipeg's renowned Forks development, Pulse Gallery…read moreshowcases the diversity of Manitoba's talented artists with a modern twist. Colour is the star here! From original acrylics, watercolours and mixed media paintings, to glass, photography, sculpture, jewellry, art cards, metal and fiber arts, Pulse Gallery offers some of Manitoba's most unique and beautiful creations at affordable prices. The Johnston Terminal is an historic landmark housing restaurants, shops and artisan boutiques for the enjoyment of visitors to Winnipeg as well as locals who look to the Forks for an exceptional shopping experience. Gallery owner Lesly Dawyduk has created an intimate and accessible art space, a destination for visitors to our city as well as residents looking for pieces by Manitoba artists and artisans.

The WAG was on my list to visit for years. I finally made it happen by driving the long drive from…read morethe US. Was it worth it? Oh, yeah! I geek out on Inuit sculpture and this museum has a treasure trove. The lobby of the modern white addition to this museum has a multi-story wavy glass vitrine filled with Inuit pieces. It's a delicious appetizer so I eagerly went up the stairway and into a massive gallery with rows of Inuit pieces, I felt like I was 5 years old and wanted to jump up and down. Every piece is beautifully displayed and illuminated in a white-walled room that, despite having no windows, is perfectly lighted. Art appreciation is so much easier and pleasant in a room like this. This 'Art by Inuit' exhibition is a survey from approximately 200 BCE to present day. It includes typical hunting and domestic scenes of which Inuit art is most well known. There are also many works that explore the human psyche. For me, this is the humble and sincere strength of Inuit art that can grab the viewer. The small exhibition titled 'Gasoline Rainbows' features the work of Tarralik Duffy. Her leather gas cans find the sculptural beauty in the everyday world. Her Spam-container-looking leather sculpture called 'Klik' is a biting reminder of how western foods replaced the traditional foods of these northern communities. There's more to the WAG in their ultra-cool Brutalist building. A surprising gallery of European Old Masters is one of the better small collections in Canada. Another gallery has Impressionist and mid-20th century paintings. (The harsh lighting in these galleries could use the magic touch from the Inuit galleries.) A cavernous exhibition featuring the meticulous works of Tim Gardner, an artist who I'm embarrassed to say that I'd never heard of, blew me away. That one person could churn out so many detailed paintings and watercolors seems impossible. His works include portraits, images of liquor bottles, hyper-realistic paintings copied from amateur photos, and images of Los Angeles so engaging that I felt as he had entered my mind and tagged along on bike rides through my old neighborhoods. The WAG is a joy, both architecturally and in the art on display. For dessert, the gift shop can't be missed. Several Canadian art museums do something that is more rare in the States: feature and sell compelling works by local and regional artists. This isn't the books, mass-produced art/souvenirs, and t-shirts often for sale in other museums. There is genuine one-of-a-kind art and shelves of superior quality artisan-created crafts for sale. It's like a little museum in itself. I happily walked out with an Inuit sculpture that could have been included in the exhibition upstairs.

When I was here, the galleries were full of flower arrangements inspired by the artworks they were…read morepresented with. I've never seen anything like it in a museum before and it was an interesting idea. I happened to show up during the opening for this event, so the gallery was pretty lively. While there are wall cards giving background on the curatorial direction and on individual pieces, I found they assumed a familiarity with Manitoba's history that I lacked. It was refreshing to see so many pieces of art by artists I'm unfamiliar with and to leave with a long list of things to look up later. It inspired me to pick up some books after my visit. That said, they also have a small, thoughtful selection of the sort of stuff you expect to see in an art museum in North America. So if you want to see representations of the standard European and Canadian art movements and pieces by familiar names, you'll find those, too.

This park is awesome! I wish we had a park like this near where I live. The kids area is amazing…read moreand through out the park you will find all kinds of great statues. The Pooh Gallery and Art Gallery are also not to be missed during your visit. There is a restaurant in the park that looks like it would be good but I didn't get the chance to eat there. This would also be a great location for a picnic. Watch out for the mosquitoes though in the wooded areas they are pretty nasty.