Conversations Masterworks from the Collection
This selection of works from our permanent collection aims to convey something of its current breadth, taking particular pleasure in placing apparently disparate works in creative conversation with one another. Featuring works by Kenojuak Ashevak, Rebecca Belmore, Edward Burtynsky, Franklin Carmichael, Emily Carr, Kim Dorland, Sorel Etrog, Paterson Ewen, Lawren Harris, Prudence Heward, Gershon Iskowitz, A.Y. Jackson, Cornelius Krieghoff, Jean Paul Lemieux, Arthur Lismer, An Te Liu, Zachari Logan, Helen McNicoll, David Ruben Piqtoukun, David Milne, Michael Snow, Tom Thomson and others.
Living with Art Program-Group Booking
Living with Art - Group Booking Accessible Program for Adults Living with Exceptionalities Offered to organized and private groups, Living with Art is a series of interactive programs supporting experiential learning and skill development through guided art and nature explorations, hands-on workshops and enjoyable social activities. Each three-hour session features a distinctive [...]
Cobalt: A Mining Town and the Canadian Imagination
Cobalt: A Mining Town and the Canadian Imagination November 18 to April 21, 2024 About the Exhibition Cobalt, Ontario—some 500 kilometres north of Toronto—was established in 1904 following the discovery of rich silver, cobalt, ore, and nickel deposits. At peak production in 1911, Cobalt provided approximately one eighth of the world's [...]
Moridja Kitenge Banza: Topographies
Moridja Kitenge Banza: Topographies Nov 18, 2023 – April 21, 2024 About the Exhibition Using gestural brushwork, bold colour, and the contours observed in the palm of his own hand, the lush paintings of Montreal-based artist Moridja Kitenge Banza reveal the impacts of resource extraction in his home country of the Democratic [...]
Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama
Ghosts of Canoe Lake: New Work by Marcel Dzama December 9, 2023 – June 9, 2024 About the Exhibition Marcel Dzama's delicate and fantastical drawings made with ink, watercolour paint and root beer catapulted the Winnipeg-born artist to international fame in the late 1990s. Since then, [...]
Bertram Brooker: When We Awake!
This exhibition examines the career of Bertram Brooker (1888–1955), the first Canadian artist to exhibit abstract paintings, in 1927. Curated by Michael Parke-Taylor, the exhibition is the first comprehensive presentation of Brooker’s oeuvre in almost half a century, gathering his diverse work in painting, drawing, and sculpture and highlighting his activities as one of the country’s leading art critics and journalists. The exhibition emphasizes Brooker’s variety in style and subject matter, and includes lyrical abstractions, exacting realistic nudes, geometric cubist still-lifes, and surreal graphic illustrations. Bertram Brooker: When We Awake! offers a rare vantage point on a pivotal figure in Canadian cultural history.
The Subtle Body: Betty Goodwin and David Altmejd from the Collection of Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex
Highlighting an important recent gift from Salah Bachir and Jacob Yerex, this exhibition pairs the work of the late Montreal artist Betty Goodwin (1923–2008) with contemporary artist David Altmejd (b. 1974). Both artists express a deep humanism through their artwork, relying on inventive use of materials and imagery to reflect on memory, loss and the ephemerality of life. The exhibition includes works by Goodwin from the 1950s through to the 2000s and a major sculptural work by Altmejd produced in 2007, the year he represented Canada at the Venice Biennale.
McMichael Highlights In-Person Tours
McMichael Highlights In-Person Tours About the 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 [...]
Artful Yoga
Saturdays, ongoing. Unwind with a restorative morning yoga session at the McMichael with views over the Humber River Vallery. Registered Yoga Teacher Rina Morra will lead gentle sessions of Vinyasa flow yoga to awaken the mind and body.
Owning Yellow Virtual Artist’s Talk
Wednesday, March 20 at 7 pm join McMichael Executive Director and Chief Curator Sarah Milroy for a virtual artist’s talk with Toronto-based visual artist Sandra Brewster about her work Owning Yellow (2023), which was recently acquired by the gallery. Milroy and Brewster will discuss the artist’s unique photo-based practice and the importance of identity, cultural memory, and representation in contemporary art.
In-Person Acrylic Painting Studio with Andrew Cheddie Sookrah
Using live demonstrations and hands-on exercises, Sookrah will guide students through the painting process in a preferred degree of abstraction and subject matter. Students will learn about tools and materials used in acrylic artmaking and, through skill-building exercises, gain a solid understanding of effective use of brushstrokes, shading, and composition. Beginner artists are welcome to join this class! Basic drawing techniques, perspective, composition, colour, texture, use of material will be covered.
Saturday Art Classes
REGISTRATION COMING SOON Saturdays at the McMichael (SAM): Children's Art Classes In-person Ages: 5 to 12 Saturdays: 10 am to 12 pm, and 1 to 3 pm EST. Fee per 8-week session: Members Price: $256 Public Price: $320 AVAILABLE DATES Spring: March 23 to May 18, 2024 [...]
Sunday Sip and Create
Relax and unwind with a sociable Sunday afternoon of artmaking at the McMichael, sustained by warm coffee or tea served in heritage china, sweet treats and sparkling beverages. This informal artmaking class is designed for artists of all skill levels and is led by experienced instructors who specialize in different mediums and subject areas.
Online Oil Painting Studio with Judy Sherman
This virtual studio experience led by artist Judy Sherman will offer instruction to emerging artists on working with the challenging but rewarding medium of oil paint. Sherman will guide participants through basic techniques and demonstrate how to apply advanced finishing touches to take their work to the next level. Through live demonstrations in oils, painting exercises, and individual coaching on the works in progress, students will learn how to see the world as an artist and how to use build a toolkit of skills to work comfortably in oil. Sherman will cover a wide range of painting skills and topics, including how to understand value, composition, colour, shape, form, lighting, brush technique and much more.
Watercolour Explorations: Discovering the Polar Regions and Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest with David McEown
Join award-winning artist David McEown as he guides visitors through the landscapes of the Arctic, Antarctica and Canada’s West Coast wilderness on his travels as a working artist. In this multimedia presentation David will share stories of wildlife encounters, observations of climate change, and the artistic challenges of working on location. After the presentation, enjoy an hour-long watercolour demonstration and technical talk as David discusses the evolution of a sketch into Spirit of the Forest, his new watercolour mural.
In-Person Essential Watercolour Workshop with David McEown
This introduction to watercolour technique and colour perception will help participants develop the ability to paint directly from nature, from reference images or from the imagination. Participants will learn how to translate sketches and photo references into paintings with this spontaneous and travel-friendly medium. The theme for this two-day workshop is the water and shorelines of Lake Superior.
Forest Therapy Walk
Led by Emily Pleasance, an artist and certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, this program is designed to help you slow down, drop into the body, and better connect with yourself and the natural world. Inspired by the Japanese practice of ‘Shinrin-Yoku’, Forest Therapy draws on the interconnectedness humans have with our natural environment. Through embodiment and relaxation practices, it will teach you how to see nature as a supportive resource.
McMichael Slow Art Day
McMichael Slow Art Day On April 13th the McMichael will observe Slow Art Day, a day that encourages people to “discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art.” On Slow Art Day the galleries will be as quiet as possible with lots of extra seating. [...]
J.E.H. MacDonald: Up Close Gallery Talk
On Sunday, April 14 join Kate Helwig, Senior Conservation Scientist at the Canadian Conservation Institute, and Alison Douglas, Conservator at the McMichael, as they share findings from their research into the painting materials and techniques of J.E.H. MacDonald, a founding member of the Group of Seven, a tranche of whose recently 'rediscovered' works have sparked an authentication controversy. Helwig and Douglas's scientific research played a crucial role in unraveling the mystery behind the alleged MacDonald sketches currently on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery in the exhibition J.E.H. MacDonald? A Tangled Garden, and this talk will delve into the science and art of authentication within the context of their research.
Living with Art Program-Individual Registration
Living with Art Accessible Program for Adults Living with Exceptionalities Join us at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in an exploration of art, nature and artmaking activities which are interactive, accessible, and designed to promote enjoyable learning and social skills. These 3-hour long workshops will offer young adults (ages 18 and over) [...]