The museum, originally known as the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), was founded from the former Art Gallery of North York in 1999. In 2005, MOCCA relocated to a repurposed textile factory in the West Queen West Art + Design District in downtown Toronto. In September 2018, MOCA moved into a 55,000-square-foot purpose-designed home in a former industrial space at the heart of a new neighborhoods in the Lower Junction. MOCA has been celebrated for its incisive, artist-centric approach to programming, and hospitable visitor experience.