All Queen's campus, buildings, and grounds are open to the public. The university also hosts a number of museums, exhibits, and galleries that are free and open to the community.
Our largest art gallery, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre is a cultural hub for Kingston and surrounding communities. The museum’s collections number over 17,000 works, including cutting-edge contemporary art and fine examples of Canadian historical art, Indigenous art and historicized ancestors, as well as material culture, including the Collection of Canadian Dress and the Lang Collection of African Art. The Bader Collection focuses on 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painting, including works by Rembrandt.
The Agnes hosts a variety of community and youth programming aimed at promoting a love of art across all ages. Community members are invited to participate in an assortment of tours and workshops, as well as summer art camps for youth and teens.
36,000+ annual visitors
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre has 36,000+ annual visitors
40,000+ annual visitors
The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts has 40,000+ annual visitors
Queen’s University proudly hosts a collection of our city’s history, with the Official City of Kingston Archive housed in Queen’s University Archives Building. Currently, Queen’s University Archives is working with local partners to capture digital records that will help to teach future generations about the effects of COVID-19 on the university and Kingston community.
The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s and a hub of vibrant artistic study, performances, festivals, creation, and multi-platform arts sharing for our community. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario. The Isabel brings together exceptional spaces and inspiring programming with a
captivating sense of place to create a dynamic arts nexus for our students and community.
The City of Kingston Archive contains over 200 meters of records from 1838 to 1998, including City Council minutes, agenda and by-laws, administrative and financial records, census records, city planning records, maps, and photographs.
Queen’s University Archives partners with the City of Kingston, Kingston General Hospital, Frontenac County, and the International Hockey Hall of Fame.
Initiatives
Providing art and cultural experiences for art lovers of all ages.
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
A research-driven art museum, “The Agnes” features innovative exhibitions and programs and holds superb permanent and visiting installments of historical and contemporary art.
Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
Home of the creative arts at Queen’s and a hub of exhibition, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts provides local Kingston residents the opportunity to appreciate the arts with a variety of performances offered annually featuring Queen’s students, faculty, and external performers.
Sistema Kingston music program
An intensive after-school music program offered by paid musical teachers with support from Queen’s Faculty of Education students, providing free musical education and instrument lending to students grades 2-6. The program uses music as a vehicle to teach valuable life skills to students in North Kingston and inspire them to reach their full potential.
Miller Museum of Geology
Housed in Miller Hall, the museum is an attraction for all ages. Swing by for viewings of our beautiful collection of minerals and crystals from around the world and enjoy our interactive displays, such as digging for dinosaur fossils and playing in the Augmented Reality Sandbox.