Summer 2024 Public Tours

Enjoy a guided walking tour of the McMichael’s scenic grounds and learn more about the outdoor art installations and sculptures on view. The tour will conclude with a special visit inside the historic Tom Thomson Shack, where visitors will explore new artwork by 2024 McMichael artist-in-residence Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka!

On this guided tour, visitors will learn about the colourful art of Norval Morrisseau, also known as Copper Thunderbird, who rose to fame in the 1960s when he developed the unique painting style known as the Woodland School. Continuing into People of the Watershed, the tour will contextualize settler John Macfie’s photographs of Anishinaabe, Cree, and Anisininew communities along the Hudson Bay Watershed through an explanation of exhibition curator Paul Seesequasis’ research.

This tour explores the work of painter Alexander Young (A.Y.) Jackson before he became a member of the Group of Seven. Jackson’s Wars: A.Y. Jackson before the Group of Seven explores the artist’s rarely seen paintings from his trips abroad to Europe, as well as his works painted during the First World War.

This tour will examine a selection of works by Anishinaabe/French artist Caroline Monnet, including a recent series of sculptures and embroidered artworks through which the artist has explored the ideas of time, oral histories, and knowledge sharing. Meaning “the one who listens” in Anishinaabemowin, Pizandawatc comes from the traditional name of Monnet’s maternal family before surnames were changed by Oblate missionaries. The title honours the artist’s great-grandmother, Mani Pizandawatc, who was the first in her family to have her territory divided into reserves. At the same time, the title references a receptive way of being in the world, reflected throughout Monnet’s artistic practice.

On this gallery tour, explore the Impressionist movement in Canada featuring Quebec artists and their works of rare beauty and sophistication. Follow along with a McMichael Docent and explore a choice collection of master works that trace a journey from the bustling streets of Montreal—then Canada’s financial capital—down the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City and through the beloved Charlevoix region. Catch a glimpse into the heart and soul of a culture, seen through the eyes of her most beloved and foundational artists.

This docent-led tour leads visitors through the Canadian art pantheon in Conversations exhibition, which features diverse works carefully curated from the Gallery’s extensive permanent collection. Designed to convey something of the collection’s current breadth and taking particular pleasure in placing apparently disparate works in creative conversation with one another. Conversations will explore works from The Group of Seven, Emily Carr, David Milne, Pudlo Pudlat, Rebecca Belmore, Edward Burtynsky, Gershon Iskowitz, and many others.