If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere ... New York, New York... Well Sinatra's gone and Minnelli's voice is pretty well shot, but the famous song still has plenty of meaning for artists everywhere.

Canada's visual arts scene is more vital than ever, and there are hundreds of artists who make a good living just showing and selling within our own borders. But a New York showing is still a big deal for Canuck artists. At one point, the Canadian government and the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada teamed up to open a swanky gallery in the Big Apple. The 49th Parallel operated for about 10 years, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and hundreds of Canadian artists had their U.S. debuts there.

But N.Y. rents got too expensive, and having a gallery devoted to just Canadian artists finally turned into a bit of a ghetto. Instead, Foreign Affairs trade department and PADAC have gotten more aggressive in their efforts to get Canadian artists exhibited in established N.Y. galleries. It seems to be working, and this month there are a half-dozen fascinating shows in the works. Here's a rundown of some of the hottest shows for Canadians making the visual arts scene:

Fine Tuning: The Toronto String Quartet opens its third season with Music Toronto at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Tonight's concert features Stravinsky's Three Pieces, Mendelssohn's "Quartet in A minor, Op. 12," and Schubert's "Quartet No. 14 in D minor, Death and the Maiden. The quartet features a group of award-winning violinists, Martin Beaver, Annalee Patipatanakoon and David Harding, and cellist Roman Borys.