Public Tours
Join a McMichael Docent for this overview of the gallery’s permanent collection and special exhibitions. With a focus on key themes and artworks, this tour will introduce visitors to highlights of the art of Canada – both beloved favourites and new discoveries – including works by the of Group of Seven and their contemporaries, modern Inuit and Indigenous art, and outstanding contemporary art by rising talents.
In-person tours are approximately 45 minutes in length and are free with gallery admission.
Le mercredi
Visites guidées en français
10 h 30
Visite guidée :
« Pleins Feux sur la nature, l’art et l’histoire sur les terrains du McMichael »
Laissez-vous guider sur les terrains pittoresques du McMichael et apprenez-en davantage sur les œuvres d’art (installations et sculptures) exposées à l’extérieur du Musée. L’activité se termine par une visite spéciale de la Cabane de Tom Thomson, où vous pourrez admirer une œuvre réalisée en 2024 par l’artiste en résidence au McMichael Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka.
12 h
Visite guidée :
« Pleins Feux sur Le Fleuve des rêves : l’impressionnisme et le Saint-Laurent et sur Pizandawatc / The One Who Listens / Celui qui écoute »
Cette visite guidée interactive, offerte en français, vous fera parcourir l’exposition Le Fleuve des rêves : l’impressionnisme et le Saint-Laurent. Vous découvrirez les œuvres des impressionnistes québécois du 19e siècle, qui ont su capter la vie rurale et urbaine du Québec en adaptant le modernisme européen au style local. La visite se conclut par une discussion des œuvres de l’artiste d’ascendances anishinaabe et française Caroline Monnet, dont la série récente de sculptures met en évidence la revendication du langage et la transmission intergénérationnelle, la démarche de Monnet sous-tendant l’idée que la terre est un vecteur de la mémoire ancestrale.
Thursdays
10:30 am
Spotlight Tour:
Nature, Art, and History on the McMichael Grounds
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!
12 pm
Spotlight Tour:
Norval Morrisseau and People of the Watershed: Photographs by John Macfie
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.
Fridays
12:30 pm
Spotlight Tour:
Jackson’s Wars: A.Y. Jackson before the Group of Seven
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.
2 pm
Spotlight Tour:
Pizandawatc / The One Who Listens / Celui qui écoute
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.
Saturdays and Sundays
12:30 pm
Spotlight Tour:
River of Dreams: Impressionism on the St. Lawrence
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.
2 pm
Spotlight Tour:
Conversations: Masterworks from the McMichael
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.
Please note that on Family Sundays, the public tours may vary from the above schedule, and they will be outdoors.