Established in 1999, AWOL Gallery and Studios is recognized as one of the pioneers of the Toronto Queen West Gallery District, being one of approximately thirty galleries to have since opened in the area.

AWOL has hosted over one hundred exhibitions, three open studio shows as well as six grand annuals that have established the collective as leaders in the promotion of emerging and mid-career artists/curators in the Greater Toronto Area.

AWOL provides a unique environment within the district acting as both an exhibiting space for artists, and a place to obtain affordable studios. This dynamic space is a center of mixed creative forces that perpetuates a continuous flow of innovative work.

AWOL Gallery and Studios continues to be run by its founding members Nurit Basin, Ross Bonfanti, edmund law, Pamela Rosales, Sandra Tarantino, Dale Thompson and Paul R. Turner.