The art museum's primary building complex is located in downtown Halifax and takes up approximately 6,200 square metres (67,000 sq ft) of space.

[6] In 1988, the museum moved to the Dominion Building,[6] opened in 1867 and designed by architects David Stirling and William Hay.

[5][6] The two structures are separated by Ondaatje Court, a public space that, besides being used for temporary exhibitions, contains several large permanent sculptures.

[8] On the 28 May 2006, the institution opened a satellite branch of the museum in Yarmouth, a municipality in southwest Nova Scotia.

"[12] The museum's administration also noted that the building's lack of climate control and the region's weather have made it difficult to preserve works at the location.

[12] In March 2018, a feasibility study was completed that recommended that the museum, along with the post-secondary art school NSCAD University, move to a new "cultural hub.

[23] In 1996, the museum took possession of the home, moving the small building into its Maud Lewis exhibit, along with some restoration work.

[28] Miss Chief's Wet Dream, a 3.5 by 7 metres (11 by 23 ft) acrylic-on-canvas painting by Monkman, is among the largest works in the museum's permanent collection.

[28] It also includes a number of Nova Scotia artists such as Nancy Edell, Charlotte Lindgren and Carol Fraser.