A Like Vision: The Group of Seven & Tom Thomson Receives 2021 Canadian Museums Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research
May 14, KLEINBURG, ON – The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is delighted to announce that its 2020 publication, A Like Vision: The Group of Seven & Tom Thomson, has been honoured with the Canadian Museums Association’s award for Outstanding Achievement in Research. In an announcement at the CMA’s National Conference on May 13, the McMichael was bestowed this prestigious award for the publication, an official companion to the exhibition “A Like Vision”: The Group of Seven at 100. The publication and exhibition celebrate the centenary of the Group of Seven’s debut exhibition in 1920 at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the Art Gallery of Ontario). Along with 300 high-resolution artwork images, the book, which is co-published by the McMichael and Goose Lane Editions, includes an introductory essay by McMichael Executive Director Ian Dejardin and contributions by several Canadian artists, curators and writers. Among them are Indigenous art historian and curator Gerald McMaster, filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal, novelists David Macfarlane and Jane Urquhart, painters John Hartman and Robert Houle, and Inuk writer Tarralik Duffy.
“I have been electrified by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson ever since stumbling on them in a book decades ago as a young curator,” says Dejardin. “I’m proud that the McMichael has so strong an association with them, and proud also that the Gallery has produced this book which is not only gorgeous to look at, but also gives dozens of diverse voices the opportunity to share what these artists mean to them – a reminder that every generation rediscovers great art with fresh eyes. Mission accomplished!”
“We are delighted to receive this award,” says McMichael Chief Curator, Sarah Milroy. “The McMichael’s collection of works by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson is truly outstanding, with remarkable depth and variety. We honour the task of reinterpreting their magnificent works for the audiences of today and tomorrow, and demonstrating their far-reaching impact on the Canadian imagination.”
Please note that the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is closed until further notice while Ontario is under a province-wide declaration of emergency and stay-at-home order. The McMichael’s grounds and trails remain open while the Gallery is closed. For more information about virtual offerings, programs and online shopping, please visit mcmichael.com.
Media wishing to request an interview with Executive Director Ian Dejardin or Chief Curator Sarah Milroy, or request a review copy of the publication A Like Vision: The Group of Seven & Tom Thomson, are asked to contact Sam Cheung at scheung@mcmichael.com or 905.893.1121 ext. 2210.
About the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. It is the only major museum in the country devoted exclusively to Canadian art. In addition to touring exhibitions, the McMichael houses a permanent collection that consists of more than 6,500 works by historic and present-day Canadian artists, including Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, Indigenous artists and artists from the many diasporic communities. The Gallery is located on 100 acres of northern landscape and hiking trails at 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of Vaughan. For more information, please visit mcmichael.com.
About the Canadian Museum Association
The Canadian Museum Association (CMA) is the voice for Canada’s vibrant museum community, from small, volunteer-driven organizations to cherished national institutions, and for the millions of Canadians whose lives are enriched by museums.
They advocate for public policies and support, build skills across the profession, and establish and inspire connections to strengthen and sustain museums.
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Media Contacts
Sam Cheung
Media Relations and Communications Coordinator
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
scheung@mcmichael.com
Shalini Saini
Acting Director, Marketing & Communications
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905-893-1121 x2294
ssaini@mcmichael.com