August 15, 2013, KLEINBURG ON – Less than two months after the close of his highly successful show at the Mike Weiss Gallery in New York City, Canadian artist Kim Dorland has taken up the mantle of artist-in-residence at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

The collaboration between Dorland and the renowned Canadian art gallery is a laudable pairing. Dorland’s work re-interprets the tradition of early twentieth-century Canadian landscape painting, drawing inspiration from Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, and their contemporaries. The McMichael is home to a distinguished collection of works by these iconic painters, which Dorland will have access to throughout his residency, as well as to the gallery’s extensive archives and grounds.

“As a kid in Alberta just getting interested in art, all I wanted was to someday visit the McMichael and see the paintings I was obsessively reading about,” said Dorland. “Now I get to work at the McMichael with full access to the work of some of my earliest influences and my painting hero: Tom Thomson. It’s a pretty full-circle moment for me.”

While he typically paints in his Toronto studio, Dorland has been on-site taking Polaroids of the McMichael’s surrounding wilderness. As the film reaches its expiration date, the images take on a sepia quality that complements Dorland’s unique aesthetic, described by McMichael Chief Curator Katerina Atanassova as a “reverent yet fresh and modernized approach to painting nature.”

The Artist-in-Residence program allows the McMichael to forge meaningful connections with the art community and promote exceptional homegrown talent. Kim Dorland’s participation embodies the McMichael’s commitment to showcasing the work of contemporary artists who are making a meaningful contribution to the development of Canadian art.

While the McMichael has hosted distinguished artists in the past, including Napoleon Brousseau, Harold Klunder and Norval Morrisseau, Dorland’s residency is unique in its scope. In addition to having access to the McMichael’s collection and facilities, he is working closely with Atanassova to conceptualize and curate the exhibition that will be the culmination of his residency.

You Are Here: Kim Dorland and the Return to Painting will be on display at the McMichael from October 26, 2013 to January 5, 2014. The exhibition will place Dorland’s work alongside paintings by Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, and David Milne among others, and explore both the Canadian landscape tradition and the resurgence of painting as an artistic medium.

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: www.mcmichael.com.

 

Media Contacts:

Wendy Campbell

Manager, Media Relations and Online Presence

905.893.1121 ext. 2201

wcampbell@mcmichael.com

Rachel Weiner

Communications Coordinator

905.893.1121 ext. 2210

rweiner@mcmichael.com