McMichael Canadian Art Collection facts for kids
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Entrance to McMichael Canadian Art Collection's main building
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| Established | 8 July 1965 |
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| Location | 10365 Islington Avenue, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada |
| Type | Art museum |
| Visitors | 105,208 |
| Architect | Leo Venchiarutti |
| Owner | Government of Ontario |
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection (MCAC) is an art museum located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It sits on a 100-acre (40-hectare) property in Kleinburg, a small village in Vaughan. The property includes the museum's main building, a sculpture garden, walking trails, and a special cemetery. Six members of the famous Group of Seven are buried there.
The museum's story began in 1955. Robert and Signe McMichael started collecting art from the Group of Seven. They showed these artworks in their home in Kleinburg. In 1965, the McMichaels gave their art collection and property to the Government of Ontario. This was done to create a public art museum. The museum first opened in 1966 as the McMichael Conservation Collection of Art. In 1972, it officially became the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
At first, the museum mainly focused on the Group of Seven. Later, its purpose grew to include modern Canadian art. It also began to feature art from Indigenous Canadians. The museum's permanent collection now has over 6,500 artworks by Canadian artists. It also keeps the archives of paper works by Inuit artists from Kinngait. The museum often hosts special art shows, usually about Canadian art.
Contents
History of the McMichael Art Collection
In 1951, Robert and Signe McMichael bought a 10-acre (4-hectare) piece of land in Kleinburg, Ontario. They built a home there in 1954. The McMichaels started collecting paintings by artists from the Group of Seven. Their first painting was by Tom Thomson, bought in 1955. In 1962, they moved Tom Thomson's old studio to their property. They then began to fix it up. By 1965, their collection had 194 paintings.
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The McMichaels started showing their art at their home on weekends. More and more people came to visit. This made them think about creating a public "shrine" for the Group of Seven. On November 18, 1965, the McMichaels and the Government of Ontario made an agreement. The McMichaels would donate their collection and property to the government. In return, the government would care for the grounds and keep the "spirit of the collection." The McMichaels continued to live on the property for a while. They also had a say in how the museum was run.
After the agreement, work began to turn the property into an art museum. The museum officially opened to the public on July 8, 1966. It was called the McMichael Conservation Collection of Art. Robert McMichael was the first director until 1981.
In 1968, A. Y. Jackson, a Group of Seven member, suggested the museum property could be a burial place for the group. The museum agreed, and a cemetery was made. Jackson himself spent time painting there before he passed away. He was also the museum's artist-in-residence.
In 1969, the museum's purpose was changed. It could now collect art that showed the "cultural heritage of Canada." This included more types of Canadian art. The museum became an official crown corporation of Ontario in 1972. This meant it was run by the government. Over the years, there were some disagreements about the museum's focus. In 2000, the museum's purpose was changed back to mainly focus on Canadian landscape art. This included works by the Group of Seven.
However, in 2011, the museum's purpose was changed again. It now includes modern Canadian artists and Indigenous Canadian artists. This change also removed some old rules about what the museum could show.
Exploring the Museum Grounds
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The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is in Kleinburg, a village in Vaughan, Ontario. The museum grounds cover 100 acres (40 hectares) in the Humber River Valley. This area is also a floodplain. The landscape was partly shaped by the McMichaels and the government. They planted over 500 cedar trees. This was done to look like the landscapes often painted by the Group of Seven.
On the grounds, you can find the main museum building, the Meeting House, Pine Cottage, and Tom Thomson's studio. Pine Cottage is used as an art studio. There are also walking trails and a sculpture garden. The Ivan Eyre Sculpture Garden shows sculptures from the museum's collection.
The McMichael cemetery is also on the grounds. Six members of the Group of Seven are buried there. They include A. J. Casson, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, and Frederick Varley.
The Main Museum Building
The museum's main building was designed by Leo Venchiarutti. It was finished in 1954. The building was made bigger several times between 1963 and 1972. From 1981 to 1983, the main building was closed for a big renovation. The building is about 85,000 square feet (7,900 square meters). It was first called Tapawingo, which means "place of joy" in some Indigenous languages.
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The building has walls made of logs and barn-boards. It also has stone fireplaces. This design helps create the feeling of Canadian landscape art. Large windows offer views of the Humber River Valley. The main building has 14 viewing halls, a gift shop, and a restaurant. The Western Canada Gallery has a 40-foot-long cedar bench. It also has red cedar arches with carvings by Doug Cranmer.
The Permanent Art Collection
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is special because it only collects art by Canadian artists. The collection started with Robert and Signe McMichael's personal art in 1955. They gave it to the province of Ontario in 1965. At that time, it had 187 artworks. By December 2017, the collection had grown to 6,500 works. The museum's art is divided into four main areas: contemporary art, First Nations art, the Group of Seven, and Inuit art.
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Even though the museum first focused on Canadian landscape art, it now includes other Canadian artists. This includes Indigenous Canadians. Since 2011, the museum aims to collect art from artists who have helped shape Canadian art. It still focuses on the Group of Seven and their friends. But it also highlights Indigenous Canadians. Besides the Group of Seven, the collection has works by Cornelius Krieghoff, David Milne, and Robert Pilot. In 2014, the museum received 50 paintings from artists in Quebec. These include works by Paul-Émile Borduas, Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, and Jean Paul Lemieux.
The museum officially started its modern art collection in 2011. However, some modern artworks were bought before then. Canadian artists in the modern art collection include Jack Bush, Colleen Heslin, and Mary Pratt. The museum also shows sculptures in its outdoor garden. This includes nine sculptures by Ivan Eyre.
Indigenous Canadian Art
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The McMichael museum was one of the first art museums to include art by Indigenous Canadians. In 1957, the McMichaels bought their first artwork by a Haida artist, Bill Reid. The McMichaels' collection of Inuit stone carvings and West Coast First Nations wood carvings, masks, and totem poles were given to the province in 1965. By 1981, about 42% of the museum's collection was by Indigenous Canadian artists.
Many Indigenous artworks were added to the collection between 1982 and 2000. During this time, the museum's purpose included Indigenous Canadian art. The collection of Indigenous Canadian works grew to include modern artworks in the 1990s. The museum even had its first First Nations curator in 1994.
In 2000, the museum's focus changed again. It went back to mainly showing the Group of Seven. This meant most Indigenous Canadian works were put into storage. They stayed in storage until 2004, when they were shown again. Indigenous Canadian art was fully brought back into the museum's purpose in 2011.
Library and Archives
The museum also has a library and archives. These hold artist files, books, exhibition catalogs, letters, and photographs. The collection focuses on the Group of Seven and Indigenous Canadian art.
The archives have several special collections. The Arthur Lismer Collection was given to the museum by Lismer himself. It has many documents and artworks from the 1890s to the 1960s. This includes over 900 drawings and 1300 original photos. The Norman Hallendy Archives were finished in 2015. They contain over 12,000 photos by Hallendy. They also have audio and video recordings, maps, and research on Inuit culture.
The archives also keep over 100,000 drawings, prints, and sculptures. These are from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative Ltd.. This is an artist collective from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. Their works were moved to the McMichael's archive in 1992 after a fire destroyed their studio. The museum has made digital copies of many works from 1959 to 1988.
Selected Works
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Homer Watson, Herding Sheep, 1910
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Tom Thomson, In Algonquin Park, Winter 1914–15
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Franklin Carmichael, A Muskoka Road, 1915
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A. Y. Jackson. Cathedral at Ypres, Belgium, 1917
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Frank Johnston. Sunset in the Bush, 1918
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J. E. H. MacDonald, Forest Wilderness, 1921
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David Milne, Painting Place: Brown and Black, c. 1926
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Emily Carr, Shoreline, 1936
