Come celebrate Canada Day at the McMichael! This family day engages the senses through various art workshops related to the exhibitions on view. Take part in the Family Printmaking Challenge happening throughout the day outside of Pine Cottage. Join a Family Tour at 1 pm in the gallery spaces animated by a McMichael docent, and watch a performance by the JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band.
The Toronto Children's Chorus Chamber Choir will return to the McMichael to perform a special repertoire ahead of their appearance at Choral Canada’s national Podium Conference and Festival in Newfoundland and Labrador. The concert will feature music from such countries as Russia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada—nations linked by the unpredictable geological forces of the 'Ring of Fire.’
In this special celebration, Quentin “Que Rock” Commanda and DJ Creeaisan a.k.a. Matthew Wood – both who have danced for A Tribe Called Red – will lead a performance that showcases hip hop and powwow dances side- by-side. The true fire keepers of hip hop, who dance to heal and restore, the performers and their two special guests, Bigurl Soupy and Wild Foxy, will encourage the audience to participate in this unique experience.
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection started out as a modest four-room home, built in 1954 for a young photographer and his wife – Robert and Signe McMichael. It was designed in a robust but stylish log cabin aesthetic by architect Leo Venchiarutti (1947-2007).
Le McMichael célèbre l’art et la science de J.E.H. MacDonald. La restauratrice Alison Douglas partage les résultats d’une analyse scientifique menée par l’Institut canadien de conservation visant à identifier les matériaux et documenter les techniques propres aux œuvres de MacDonald. Réunissant des photographies microscopiques, l’exposition explore la démarche de l’artiste, notamment sa prédilection pour les études de petites dimensions.
Works from the McMichael collection to celebrate the art and science of J.E.H. MacDonald’s artistic practice. McMichael conservator, Alison Douglas, will share the research results from a Canadian Conservation Institute study that created a base line for ‘what makes a MacDonald painting?’ Complete with microscopic photographs, the materials and methods of the artist will be explored in depth, especially in relation to the artist’s predilection for small studies.
Celebrate Mom in an Accessible Studio artmaking workshop that explores an Indigenous understanding of the spiritual and natural world. Moms, grandmas, aunts and sisters are all invited to take part in this multigenerational and collaborative workshop.
Join author Catherine Wilson in a reading from her newest children's book that offers a lyrical insight into the life of Tom Thomson as told from the perspective of his dog Eulalie. Focusing on the artist's last days in Algonquin Park, this book provides a wonderful introduction to one of the most fascinating and mysterious Canadian artists. A family tour of Tom Thomson's sketches and a drop-in art workshop, where illustrator Ruth MacLean will be present, complement this special afternoon.
Explore essential watercolour techniques and embark on perception exercises that will enhance one’s way of seeing. This Master Class encourages participants to paint directly from nature and interpret photographic references.
A display of works by Norval Morrisseau and the Woodland School from the McMichael’s permanent collection.
A display of works on paper by Robert Davidson from the McMichael’s permanent collection.
In this entertaining lecture/slideshow/concert, award-winning guitar maker, inlay artist, and performer William “Grit” Laskin will answer these questions and more. A not-to-miss event for those who want to learn about the artistry of guitar making, and listen to a performance by one of their favourite folk singers and songwriters.
Digital Photography 2-Day Mini Camp Ages 13 – 15 Join photographer Bryan Weiss for a breakdown in digital cameras and picture-taking techniques. Those enrolled in this session will learn how a camera works, and how to think more purposefully when taking photos. The class will cover exposure, focusing, composition, lighting, and how to use the different [...]
Start the March Break in flamenco style with visual art workshops, family exhibition tours, and a special performance by Roger Scannura and his talented family! The Scannuras are Canada’s pre-eminent flamenco family pursuing their art form with authenticity and excellence. Alongside Roger Scannura, his wife Valerie founded the Ritmo Flamenco Dance and Music Ensemble in 1995. They are also proud to have nurtured their daughter Anjelica’s love of dance. She’s an award-winning dancer and choreographer who has toured throughout the world, and has taken on lead roles in the film and television industry. The performance will be followed by a flamenco dance workshop.
To celebrate the opening of …Everything Remains Raw: Photographing Toronto’s Hip Hop Culture from Analogue to Digital, Beddo, a Toronto-based visual artist who uses a unique combination of graffiti, comic book and traditional fine art, will offer a live art demonstration within the exhibition spaces. Discovering his passion for art at a very young age, Beddo found inspiration in his city of Toronto. From the visuals of street art and neighbourhood comic book shops to the rhythms of hip hop and reggae culture, and the movement on the ball courts in the parks, his artistic vision was born. DJ Selector Ricks will provide a pulsating musical background for this unique event.
...Everything Remains Raw is a photographic exploration of the resilience of hip hop culture and asks why this supposed ‘fad’ has not faded away? Archival photographs, as visual representations of hip hop culture in Canada, guides this exhibition’s exploration on the evolution and longevity of this now global cultural phenomenon. Photographic works from Michael Chambers, Sheinina Raj, Demuth Flake, Nabil Shash, Patrick Nichols, and Stella Fakiyesi capture the growth of the hip hop scene, as well as the voice, creativity and influence of these artists.
Brrr! Escape the cold this Family Day Weekend with exciting children’s art and iPad workshops, storytelling family tours, and a delightful puppet performance of A Promise is a Promise that explore Canada’s spectacular North.
Join the McMichael and Ojibway Elder Garry Sault in the unveiling of a new Ceremonial Garden. Elder Sault will share his knowledge through ceremony and storytelling revolving around the Indigenous presence and use of the land on which the McMichael is situated. Warm up with a cup of hot cocoa and take part in artmaking activities celebrating our connection to the land.
En inuktitut, tukilik désigne « une chose ayant une signification ». Cette exposition explore les nombreuses significations et interprétations artistiques des inuksuit (le pluriel d’inukshuk) de l’île de Baffin, y compris des dessins, estampes, sculptures et plus de soixante photographies provenant du riche fonds des Archives Norman E. Hallendy conservées au McMichael. Les inuksuit comptent parmi les structures les plus anciennes et les plus importantes jamais érigées dans l’Arctique. Les Inuits ne les considèrent pas comme des œuvres d’art. Ce sont des points de repère et tous ne sont pas à l’image d’un humain. Leurs formes et leurs fonctions sont des plus diverses. Ils servent d’aides à la chasse, de repères ou de symboles, de monuments commémoratifs, ainsi que de lieux de pouvoir et de vénération. Étant donné la nature sacrée de nombreux inuksuit, ils sont rarement représentés dans l’art inuit. Au cours de la dernière décennie, l’inukshuk s’est imposé comme symbole des Inuits, de leur terre, voire du Canada.
Inuit artists work in distinctive, innovative styles and combine ivory, bone, antler and horn to great effect. Whale bone, caribou bone, and antler are frequently used for carving by Inuit. For centuries, Inuit have been carving utilitarian objects and decorating their tools with ivory, bone, antler and horn. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they began creating sculpture for sale outside the community as a source of income. The early works were usually small carvings from walrus ivory representing seals, caribou, polar bears, and birds, as well as small ivory genre scenes of hunting from kayaks, driving dog teams, or skinning seals. Appropriately, these small items are usually referred to as “trade sculptures.” The history of Inuit sculptures as a source of income, types of bone used for specific carvings, and the significance of this art form will be explored in this exhibition.