Help us raise funds to acquire the Tom Thomson Guitar and complete the Group of Seven Guitar Project collection!
Your donation will contribute to completing a very special part of the McMichael’s collection that brings together art and music. Proceeds will also be used to develop inspiring programming for all!
Raised: $50,170
Goal: $100,000
Help us raise funds to acquire the Tom Thomson Guitar and complete the Group of Seven Guitar Project collection!
Your donation will contribute to completing a very special part of the McMichael’s collection that brings together art and music.
Proceeds will also be used to develop inspiring programming for all!
Tom Thomson Guitar
During the summer of 2017 the McMichael proudly presented The Group of Seven Guitar Project, transforming the gallery spaces into an acoustic journey through the art of Canada. This special exhibition put the spotlight on seven handmade guitars commissioned by the McMichael from great Canadian luthiers Jean Larrivée, Tony Duggan-Smith, George Gray, Sergei de Jonge, William “Grit” Laskin, Linda Manzer and David Wren. Each of these masterwork guitars were inspired by and in homage to a particular Group of Seven member. But there was a surprise eighth guitar, dedicated to Tom Thomson, that the seven luthiers independently decided to collaborate on.
Why donate?
At the conclusion of The Group of Seven Guitar Project, the original seven guitars duly entered the McMichael’s permanent collection. The eighth guitar returned to its makers. This holiday season, the McMichael is reaching out for your help to unite the Tom Thomson guitar with the rest of the Guitar Project collection. By making a donation to the McMichael you can help us raise the $100,000 needed to acquire the Thomson guitar and create inspiring performance programming with the full set of guitars, played by leading Canadian musicians.
Help us bring an iconic piece of Canadian history home to the McMichael.
Thank you for your support!
Details of the Tom Thomson Guitar is a collaborative effort by all seven luthiers working together: Jean Larrivée, Tony Duggan-Smith, George Gray, Sergei de Jonge, William “Grit” Laskin, Linda Manzer and David Wren.
More on the Group of Seven Guitar Project
An idea conceived by luthier Linda Manzer in 2012, The Group of Seven Guitar Project was a tribute to the canonical artists of the Group of Seven, while demonstrating the global influence of a new group of seven that has, since the early 1970s, shaped the sound and form of the guitar under the tutelage of Jean Larrivée in Toronto. The camaraderie of this new “group of seven” is palpable, and their handmade guitars invited visitors to see the artists they’ve always loved in an innovative new way.
The luthiers and the respective artists who inspired the guitars they each created are as follows: Jean Larrivée (A.Y. Jackson), Tony Duggan-Smith (Arthur Lismer), George Gray (Frank Johnston), Sergei de Jonge (J.E.H. MacDonald), William “Grit” Laskin (Frederick H. Varley), Linda Manzer (Lawren Harris) and David Wren (Franklin Carmichael). The eighth guitar, in a tribute to Tom Thomson (who died before the Group of Seven formed in 1920) and the role he played in the evolution of the Group, was a collaborative effort by all seven luthiers working together.
To further commemorate this groundbreaking project, the McMichael commissioned a feature-length documentary on the making of each guitar by Gemini Award-winning production company Riddle Films. The Group of Seven Guitar project included jam sessions with the original masterwork guitars by award-winning musicians Bruce Cockburn, Jesse Cook, Don Ross and more.
Video credit:
Tumble Home composed by Terry Tufts
Performed by The Algonquin Ensemble
Recorded by Ken Friesen (SignalPath Studio)
Footage by Beth and Terry Tufts
Edited and created by Terry Tufts