Diana Thorneycroft facts for kids

Diana Thorneycroft, born in 1956, is a talented Canadian artist. She lives and works in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her art has been shown in many places, both in Canada and around the world.

Diana mainly works with photography, drawing, and sculpture or installation art. She often creates photographs of small, staged scenes called dioramas. Through her art, she explores ideas about Canadian identity and even famous Canadian symbols like the Group of Seven. She also used to teach art at the University of Manitoba for 25 years.

Learning and Art Journey

Diana Thorneycroft studied art at two universities. She earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1980. Before that, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba in 1979.

Early in her career, she was inspired by artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Hieronymus Bosch. In the mid-1980s, her art style changed. A friend showed her a book of photographs, which made her want to start using a camera in her own art.

Art Shows Around the World

Diana Thorneycroft's artwork has been displayed in many countries. You could find her art in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Her work has also traveled to cities like Moscow, Tokyo, and Sydney.

In 2022, she presented a special art piece called Herd. This installation included a 40-foot ramp and more than 150 toy horses. About half of these toy horses had been changed or altered by Diana. She also gave a talk about her art. In her talk, she explained how she uses stand-ins or "surrogates" in her work. This helps her explore what it means to be human.

Featured Art Projects

Canadians and Americans (best friends forever … it's complicated)

This is a series of digital photographs. In Canadians and Americans (best friends forever … it's complicated), Diana looks at important moments and figures from American and Canadian history. She uses these to show the sometimes uneven relationship between the two neighboring countries. This collection was shown at the Michael Gibson Gallery in London, Ontario in October 2013.

A People's History

A People's History is a series of photographs. These photos are based on dioramas that Diana created. The series explores difficult events from Canada's past, focusing on challenges faced by people.

Group of Seven Awkward Moments

This photographic series was made between 2007 and 2010. Group of Seven Awkward Moments uses humor to examine how the idea of the Canadian landscape affects Canadian identity. The series features dioramas of historical scenes or Canadian symbols. These are placed against backgrounds that are copies of paintings by The Group of Seven.

The Canadiana Series

The photographs in this series use items related to Canadian tourism, identity, and culture. Diana uses these items to discuss how people react to difficult situations and human challenges.

Where Her Art Is Kept

Many public art collections, both in Canada and internationally, own Diana Thorneycroft's artwork. Some of these include:

• Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston, Ontario
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
• National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
• Nickle Galleries, Calgary, Alberta
• Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Awards and Recognition

Diana Thorneycroft has received several important awards for her art. In 2001, she was given a Fleck Fellowship from the Banff Centre for the Arts. In 2012, she received a Major Arts Grant from the Manitoba Arts Council. She also got an Individual Artist Grant from the Winnipeg Arts Council that same year.

In 2016, Diana was honored with the Manitoba Arts Award of Distinction by the Manitoba Arts Council. This is the highest award given to outstanding artists in Manitoba. It recognizes artists who have achieved a lot over a long time. As part of this award, Diana received $30,000.