Small Arms Inspection Building

1352 Lakeshore Road East
Mississauga ON
L5E 1E9

Tues – Sun | 10am – 6pm
Mon | Closed

Accessibility
Accessible entrance, washrooms, and parking
AODA compliant building
Getting There
Parking: Free, on-site parking
TTC: Near 501 Queen Streetcar
Other Transit: Short walk from Long Branch GO Station

About Small Arms Inspection Building

Inside view of Small Arms Inspection Building

Small Arms Inspection Building was originally part of a large munitions plant built in 1940 before it was acquired and renovated as an art centre by the City of Mississauga in 2018. With its female dominated workforce, Small Arms Limited manufactured thousands of rifles daily for the Canadian and Allied forces in WWII. In 1990, the TRCA conducted an environmental audit of the site, revealing the presence of polychlorinated biphenyl, volatile organic compounds, and combustible gases across nineteen acres. More than 70,000 tons of contaminated radioactive soil was removed to eventually transform the Arsenal Lands into a park.

Food and Drink:
La Crema Cafe & Newcomer Kitchen have partnered to serve healthy fair-trade products at SAIB during the Toronto Biennial of Art. Come by from now until June 5 from Tuesday to Sunday, open 10am to 2pm!

Audio Site Introduction:

Artworks at Small Arms Inspection Building

Image of works by Augustas Serapinas

Augustas Serapinas at Small Arms Inspection Building

Augustas Serapinas’s sculpture originated in Fogo Island, Newfoundland. Created from the material of an abandoned shed on the island, it references the island’s building history as well as the social…

Image of works by Camille Turner

Camille Turner at Small Arms Inspection Building

Nave (2022) is an immersive multimedia installation by Camille Turner that explores the entanglement of colonial Canada in the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans through links between the nave of…

Image of works by Dana Prieto

Dana Prieto at Small Arms Inspection Building

In October 1992, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) purchased the Arsenal Lands, a 15.7-hectare property located on the City of Mississauga’s waterfront and the site of the Small Arms…

Image of works by Denyse Thomasos

Denyse Thomasos at Small Arms Inspection Building

Denyse Thomasos is best known for her large-scale, semi-abstract paintings. Her work often references architecture and structural elements as a means of discussing themes as varied as slavery, mass incarceration,…

Image of works by Derya Akay

Derya Akay at Small Arms Inspection Building

Queer Dowry, as a commission for the Toronto Biennial in 2022, marks a significant shift in Derya Akay’s practice. While continuing to centre exchange and collaboration, this marks a deeply…

Image of works by Eric-Paul Riege

Eric-Paul Riege at Small Arms Inspection Building

Eric-Paul Riege creates woven sculptures, wearable art, and durational performances that directly link him to generations of makers and women weavers in his family. Inheritance and ideas of material faith…

Image of works by Jatiwangi art Factory

Jatiwangi art Factory at Small Arms Inspection Building

LAIR is a clay music ensemble with sound artists, Tedi Nurmanto, Pipin Muhammad Kaspin, Ika Yuliana, Andzar Agung Fauzan, Kiki Rasmadi Permana, Tamyiz Noor Ramadhan, and guest collaborator, who are part…

Image of works by Jeffrey Gibson.

Jeffrey Gibson at Small Arms Inspection Building

Jeffrey’s artworks make reference to various aesthetic and material histories rooted in Indigenous cultures of the Americas and in modern and contemporary subcultures. He is known for creating visually rich…

Image of works by Syrus Marcus Ware

Syrus Marcus Ware at Small Arms Inspection Building

In the 1960s, the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) was established to regulate international relations with respect to the continent. The central treaty went into force in 1961 and was the…

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