FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2015, KLEINBURG ON— During the weekend of October 23 to 25, 2015, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection welcomed over 2,000 visitors admiring the incredible artwork on display as part of the Volunteer Committee’s 25th Annual Autumn Art Sale. Two hundred and twenty five works were sold, totaling over $140,000 in sales – the second highest sales since the Art Sale began in 1991* – with net fundraising proceeds in excess of $44,000.
The sale provided the opportunity for fifty of the finest contemporary Canadian artists and sculptors to showcase and sell their works at the McMichael. Visitors who attended the Gala Opening on the evening of Friday, October 23 enjoyed a cocktail reception while mingling among the artists and their artwork.
Congratulations to the 2015 Top Ten Painters and Top Sculptor who have been invited back to participate in the 2016 Autumn Art Sale: Ryan A. Sobkovich (“Best-in-Show”), Mark Berens, Doris Pontieri, Lynne Schumacher, Sandra MacGillivray, John Shea, Kenneth Kirsch, Jay Bell Redbird, Catherine MacDonald and Jack Zhou, and Yvonne DeViller as Top Sculptor.
“The Autumn Art Sale has been our signature juried event for the last twenty-five years and is one of the many ways in which the McMichael Volunteer Committee contributes to the gallery,” said Loris Ortolan, Art Sale Co-Chair. “We thank our growing family of artists, sponsors, McMichael staff and visitors who made this year’s fundraiser an overwhelming success. This is a worthy cause and we are all proud to be a part of it.”
Since 1991, the Autumn Art Sale has been the primary fundraiser of the McMichael Volunteer Committee. A percentage of all art purchases goes to the Committee for volunteer-funded projects to enhance the visitor experience and support special gallery initiatives and valuable children’s educational programs. Over the years, the Volunteer Committee has contributed to a variety of important exhibitions and programs, from the Mary Pratt retrospective to the committee’s proudest achievement, the Visual Outreach Initiative Creating Empowered Students (V.O.I.C.E.S.) program. Most recently, in recognition of the Volunteer Committee’s thirty years of service at McMichael, the committee chose to support the gallery’s Outdoor Bench Project. These limited-edition tribute benches can be adopted by the public as a fundraising initiative to be enjoyed on the McMichael grounds for years to come.
The Volunteer Committee always welcomes new members. Members serve on event committees, assist with education and programs, provide public tours and support special projects. To learn more about volunteering at the McMichael, visit mcmichael.com, call 905.893.1121 ext. 2269 or email
membership2015@mcmichaelvolunteers.com.
*highest sales to-date was in 2010 with approximately $145,000.
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 Tourism, Culture and Sport, and the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of almost 6,000 artworks by Canadian artists, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, as well as First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists. 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:mcmichael.com.
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Media Contacts:
Daniela Travierso-Galati
Media Relations and Communications Coordinator
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
dtravierso-galati@mcmichael.com
Nick Foglia
Director, Communications, Marketing and Sales
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2265
nfoglia@mcmichael.com