Since 2003, The Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers has been a cultural hub dedicated to commemorating the first-wave immigrants who paved the way for today’s Portuguese community in Toronto. Originally located in the First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre, the gallery relocated to the St. Clair West neighbourhood in the summer of 2013 after the collection outgrew its previous space.
Andrea Carvalho is the gallery’s curator, who stepped in to represent the space for gallery co-founder, Manuel Da Costa. Andrea is typically on-hand to answer questions and give impromptu tours for curious walk-ins, members of the Portuguese community, and student groups.
“There’s a risk of losing culture over time. It just happens. Our goal is to engage a younger audience that would like to become involved and keep what our ancestors have worked so hard to build and maintain,” she says. Andrea herself was instilled with cultural pride at a young age (her mother created Portuguese programming for CHIN radio) and hopes to transfer that pride to future generations.
