FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2014, KLEINBURG ON – On Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6, 2014, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Killarney Provincial Park, one of the Group of Seven’s most beloved sketching grounds. Its rugged landscape has inspired Canadian masterworks by A.Y. Jackson, Franklin Carmichael, Arthur Lismer, and A.J. Casson.
Together with Friends of Killarney Park, the McMichael will commemorate this milestone event with a weekend of drop-in art workshops, tours, and lectures. Friends of Killarney Park members will receive half-price gallery admission throughout the weekend.
“Our organization is excited to partner with the McMichael to launch Killarney’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said Kris Puhvel, Executive Director, Friends of Killarney Park. “This will be a wonderful opportunity to share the Park’s story and showcase its natural beauty through the arts.”
The event will highlight the important role played by A.Y. Jackson in the Park’s creation, namely his successful letter writing campaign to prevent logging along the shores of Trout Lake, renamed O.S.A Lake in 1933 in recognition of the pivotal role played by the Ontario Society of Artists in its preservation.
Jackson’s Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake) (c. 1933), one of the gallery’s most iconic works, captures the white quartzite ridges and clear blue lakes for which Killarney is famous.
“The McMichael seeks to explore the intersection between art and nature, a relationship that is embodied by Killarney Park and its history as a source of inspiration to generations of Canadian artists,” said Executive Director and CEO, Victoria Dickenson. “The gallery is thrilled to be hosting this celebration and to be shedding light on the cultural and environmental importance of Ontario’s provincial parks.”
On Saturday, April 5 from 11 am to 12:30 pm, Jim and Sue Waddington—who have spent four decades locating and photographing the settings of hundreds of drawings, paintings, and sketches—will hold a lecture on the Group of Seven’s activities in Killarney Park. They will also take part in a public book signing from 1 to 1:30 pm. in the Grand Hall. Tickets to the talk can be purchased by calling 905.893.1121, ext. 2209 or by visiting mcmichael.com. Fee: $25 general public; $20 McMichael members; Free for students. Fee includes gallery admission.
On Sunday, April 6 from 11:30 am to 3 pm, the McMichael will offer tours of the Collection and drop-in family art workshops. At 1:30 pm, Jeremy Pawson, Killarney Provincial Park Superintendent, will deliver a presentation on the area’s history and natural wonders.
“Thanks to A.Y. Jackson and Franklin Carmichael, we now have what is commonly referred to as the Crown Jewel of Ontario’s Provincial Parks system,” said Pawson. “I am extremely excited to share this history with McMichael visitors and to show the ways in which Killarney Provincial Park still inspires traditional recreation and the arts today.”
On Sunday, June 8, the McMichael will host Ontario: Yours to Discover, a family event organized in partnership with Ontario Parks and included with gallery admission. Visitors will be introduced to Ontario’s wilderness parks through the paintings of Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, and Woodland artists. The gallery will offer tours and an outdoor camping workshop led by the Ontario Parks Learn to Camp team. Visit mcmichael.com for more information.
For more information about Friends of Killarney Park visit: friendsofkillarneypark.ca
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. 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.
Media Contacts:
Wendy Campbell
Manager, Media Relations and Online Presence
905.893.1121 ext. 2201
wcampbell@mcmichael.com
Rachel Weiner
Media Relations and Communications Coordinator
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
rweiner@mcmichael.com
March 10, 2014