Finding art shows in Toronto is exceedingly difficult compared to finding, say, a concert or a food festival. Akimbo is a great tool for finding shows (and we do our best), but there's a real need in the city for more support for the huge array of gallery shows going on at any given time. So it's exciting to see a new contender has popped up online.

Simply titled Art Shows in Toronto (artshowstoronto.ca), the project is "just getting things underway," but you can get a good look now at what the listing site is all about: one tab lists upcoming exhibits including OCAD's GradEx (though MOCCA's Contact opening, for instance, is currently missing), while ongoing shows covers everything from Basquiat at the AGO to Hoda Zarbaf at Walnut.

Shows can be submitted for free via a form on the website, with an option to be featured for pay. The site hints that a full launch is coming later this spring.

While my sketchbag dream of a full index of every art show opening in the city offering free food and/or wine may not be in the works, this is a promising development for Toronto's diverse but often over-looked gallery scene.

Check out Art Shows Toronto's beta site here.