Emily May Rose is an award-winning artist and illustrator based in Toronto, Canada. Her artwork is heavily inspired by her life in the city, and she is best known for her mischievous raccoon characters. Her work appears in a variety of formats, including murals, editorial illustrations, apparel design, installations, and gallery settings. You can find her work all over the city and even around the world, where she has painted murals in various street art festivals, artist residencies, and private commissions.

In February of 2016, Emily opened Northern Contemporary in Toronto. The space currently operates in the vibrant Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Northern Contemporary hosts all kinds of exhibitions, events, launches, and markets, with a heavy focus on illustration, urban, pop art, and experimental work. 

Find out more about Northern Contemporary here.


Contact: emilymayrose@gmail.com

Gallery Shows and Exhibitions


2013

  • "Windows and Doorways", Brockton Collective, Toronto
  • "222 Creative Collection", 222 McCaul, Toronto
  • "6 of One, Half Dozen of the Other", Gerrard Art Space, Toronto
  • "One of Ten Illustration Exhibition", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto

2014

  • "By The Pound 5", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Resolve/Recovery", Creatures Creating, Toronto
  • "Hip 2 B Square", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Instagratification", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Spring Into Parkdale", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Maybe Memories", Yellow House Gallery, Toronto
  • "The Final Development", Project Gallery, Toronto
  • "AGO First Thursdays", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
  • "Queen West Art Crawl", Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
  • "3rd Annual Small Wonders Show", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • "Deck The Walls", Project Gallery, Toronto

2015

  • "OCADU Wallspace", Curated by Gary Taxali, Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto
  • "Homework", Artscape Youngplace, Toronto
  • "By The Pound 6", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "OCADU 100th Annual GradEx", OCAD University, Toronto 
  • "Timeraiser", The Power Plant, Toronto
  • "NXNE: Creation Collision on Queen West, energized by Lululemon", curated by Hermann & Audrey, Toronto
  • "Dirty Soap", Project Gallery Studios, Toronto
  • "Delta: The Difference", Project Gallery, Toronto
  • "You've Got Mail", Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
  • "Digital Mirrors", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA 
  • "Until Exhibition", Goodfellas Gallery, Toronto
  • "Toronto Show", Liberty Village Lofts, Toronto
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Museo Del Juguete, Mexico City, MX
  • "Blank Boy Canvas", Lacuna2150, Chicago, IL

2016

  • "New Beginnings", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Guilty Pleasures", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Generally Abysmal", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Throwback Thursday", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Indoor Islands", Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
  • "Wish U Weren't Here: Solo Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Hyakki Yagyo: Night Parade of 100 Demons", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Small Wonders 5", Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "All Kinds Of Friendly 2", Faye's Video, San Francisco, CA

2017

  • "One Year Anniversary", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Women of Beer", The Craft, Toronto
  • "Names and Places Vol. 3", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "My Petite Bourgeois Revolution", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Timeraiser", Power Plant Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition", Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
  • "InterActivity: Presented by Bizarre Beyond Belief", #Hashtag Gallery, Toronto
  • "Friends That Never Met", Faye's Video, San Francisco, CA
  • "A Festivus For The Rest Of Us", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "American Illustration 36 - Canadian Winners Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2018

  • "Life's A Beach", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 2", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Coalition: Glass City", DCP Studios, Toronto
  • "Timeraiser", Power Plant Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Toronto Outdoor Art Fair", Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2019

  • "Side Street Studios: Artist Residency", Cape Town, South Africa
  • "Grand Re-Opening" Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Meeting of Styles", Bangkok, Thailand
  • "The Funhouse", Toronto
  • "Meeting of Styles", Pristina, Kosovo
  • "No Place Like (Not Being) Home: Solo Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 3", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2020

  • "Out Of Order", Crybaby Gallery, Toronto

2022

  • "Grand Re-Opening", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Terminal Showcase", Chef's Hall, Toronto
  • "In The City", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "The Pigeon Show", Faye's Video, San Francisco, CA
  • "House Of PainT" Ottawa, ON
  • "Launch Day", Bevy, Toronto
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2023

  • "Punch Up Your Mind", Bevy, Toronto
  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 4", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Friends", Bevy, Toronto
  • "Aspect", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "StreetArt Toronto 10 Year Anniversary", Bevy, Toronto
  • "6ixArtOutdoor at ICFF", Distillery District, Toronto
  • "Nice To See You: Solo Exhibition", Northern Contemporary, Toronto
  • "Under 100", Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2024

  • "Fix Up Look Sharp 5", Northern Contemporary, Toronto


Publications and Awards


American Illustration 32 - online archive
Broken Pencil - Issue 64
Ion Magazine - feature
Broken Pencil - Issue 67
Omit Limitation - feature
American Illustration 36 - online archive
3x3 2017 - honorable mention
Plundershock - Issue 3


Clients


NHL, Tim Horton's, Birkenstock, Asics, Guru Energy, Stackt Market, Collective Arts Brewery, Spacing Magazine, Macleans Magazine, Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Toronto Transit Commission, Guinness, Converse, Nike, Sony, Koodo, Budweiser, Taco Bell, Bobcaygeon Brewery, Lids, Up Cannabis, Leafly, Lift&Co., Knext Photo Studio, OCADU, Punk Rock Flea Market, Universal Music, Jagermeister, Grolsch, TIFF, Subway, Star Wars, Cinelli, City of Toronto, Canadian Wildlife, Today's Parent, She Does The City, BUNZ, Inkbox, Pan Am Path, Young Offenders, GE Reports, The Green Wood, Maisonneuve Magazine, Halo Brewery, Toronto Designers Market, Cici's Pizza, SoToronto, Waves Apparel, Lululemon, Medium, Aplus, Cleo Journal, The Village Tree, Foxing, Sago, Junior Academy, Shayne Armstrong Skate Foundation, & many more

Using Format