Art excites memories at the McMichael

“Memory is a great artist. For every man and for every woman it makes the recollection of his or her life a work of art and an unfaithful record.” – Andre Maurois

Courtesy of Chris Helgren/REUTERS, The Globe and Mail.

On Saturday, July 20, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is offering its first accessible program for seniors.

Summertime Down Memory Lane Walking Tour is designed for seniors living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of memory loss. This interactive program excercises the brain to inspire emotion, creativity and expression in every brush stroke and drop of acrylic paint. By experiencing Canadian works of art from the Group of Seven, Inuit pieces and today’s contemporary visionaries, participants will reconnect with their past through interpretation and nostalgia.

A McMichael program leader will engage participants in guided conversation throughout select galleries. Participants requiring assistance must be accompanied by an attendant.

Registration is required.
Fore more details, visit the McMichael website.

Mother Nature Family Art Tour – Register Now!

Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with the family by exploring our special relationship with Mother Nature. This family art-viewing tour blends the McMichael‘s fully accessible outdoor environment with nature-inspired art inside the gallery. Discover Aboriginal legends that influenced artworks currently on view at the McMichael, including the new exhibition, Changing Hands. Explore handling objects and join in a gentle but lively and
multi-sensory storytelling session that will engage participants’ imaginations.

Mother Nature Accessible Art Tour is a great way to spend the day with mom or the whole family!  

For more details, visit the McMichael website.
Registration is required.

World Autism Awareness Day in Canada

Tuesday April 2 was World Autism Awareness Day! Canada celebrated for the first time. Last October, a bill was passed by members of the House of Commons to officially recognize this date in our glorious country, honoring Autism Spectrum Disorder all every individual affected.

Toronto celebrated World Autism Awareness Day by lighting it up blue at the CN Tower!

In 2007, The United Nations General Assembly declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day, bringing awareness to Autism Spectrum Disorder and all of those affected. But Autism awareness shouldn’t be scheduled to spread on one select day. We should be advocating every day, every where, all the time. Engage friends, families, neighbours and colleagues to get involved in their community with organizaitons like Autism Ontario or Autism Speaks.

Two years ago, Autism Speaks launched Light It Up Blue, a bright campaign to honor autism awareness. Major buildings, stadiums and monuments around the world light up to celebrate this unique disorder.

Land Connections Exhibition A Success!

What if you never knew your child could create such beautiful art? What if you have never seen your kids participate in painting, sculpting and designing? What if your first time witnessing their talent in the raw was at a nationally-renowned art gallery in the heart of historic Kleinburg?

  

Some masterpieces were displayed in a glass case.

That’s what many parents experienced at our special exhibition opening of Land Connections. On Sunday, February 17, artists from Connect, our City of Vaughan partnership program, viewed their pieces on display inside Founder’s Lounge. The paintings inspired by A.Y. Jackson’s Bent Pine glowed underneath spotlights that shone on every stroke of acrylic paint, piece of clay and leaf applique.

(from left to right) art instructor Anna Pallotta with City of Vaughan staff Vanessa L. and Vanessa A. with artist Alexander Miceli

 Family members, friends and support workers were astonished at the works, moving around every corner of the room until every multimedia piece was viewed. Some stopped to look at the artworks, pondering and examining every earthy colour and intricate technique – just like they would at our previous exhibition, Painting Canada.

A digital media team from the Ministry of Community and Social Services were also present, as they filmed a very special segment for the AccessON YouTube series, Accessibility in Ontario.

Keep your eyes and ears out for the McMichael on the AccessON channel, where Connect artists Hazel and Sabrina will share some insight on their masterpieces and the power of accessible art.

McMichael adventures with the maple leaf

March break is always a special time at the McMichael, and a busy one, too.
That’s why they call it “March Break Madness,” after all!

This year, we offered our very first accessible art program, Canadian Maple Leaf Adventure, to conclude a busy week with some creatively quiet family time. On Saturday, March 16th, art instructor Anna Pallotta led five families on an adventure inspired by Canadian landscape and the lush greenery within it.

The program began with pencil sketches at Pine Cottage, where Anna showed the group how to do shading techniques overtop images of birch and maple trees. Following the warm-up activity, the group went on an exciting walk throughout the front entrance of the grounds. Anna distributed photographs she took of the McMichael landscape to each participant to scout out the exact location of each image. The scavenger hunt was a great way to explore the grounds and witness their reflection on the definitive Canadian work inside the gallery – the next destination.

Inside gallery one exploring the Group of Seven

As families gathered inside the Grand Hall, took of their coats, hats and mitts, Anna guided them throughout the gallery’s many Group of Seven exhibits. She engaged each participant with insightful questions, and everyone was able to make strong correlations between the works and personal experiences.

Anna discussing the Group of Seven’s siganture painting techniques

 

 

Later, the group wound down with the viewing of The West Wind, a film montage depicting a “day-in-the-life” of artists like Tom Thomson and A.Y. Jackson.

Anna accompanied the film with an even
more natural soundtrack
- a music compilation from National Parks of Canada,
entitled the National Parks Project.  

It is a beautifully organic album comprised of 39 musicians dispered across 13 national parks. The groups spent five days in destinations that include the Bruce Peninsula, Cape Breton and Kluane. It’s a wonderful way to “capture the majesty of landcape through music and image.”

The best part about the McMichael is that we don’t need to travel to any of those three parks – we have majestic art and nature at our fingertips! And it’s all accessible, too.

Hope to see you at our next family art program!

Maple leaves on March break

Handing in that final assignment. Waiting for that last school bell. Picking up junk food from the grocery store. Jumping for joy at the start of March break.

The McMichael knows how much your kids love a little rest and fun as the seasons change, so we are offering an accessible program to honour it with art and a special gallery tour on Saturday, March 16 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Canadian Maple Leaf Adventure is a multi-sensory exploration of the Canadian landscape and how it is captured in the paintings of the Group of Seven. Through hands-on activities, both inside the gallery and outdoors, you will experience the various shapes, textures, colours and compositions of landscape, and discover how paintings can depict this natural world.

This special needs family program begins outdoors with activities that engage us with the landscape around the gallery grounds and into the exhibition spaces. Inside, you’ll discover Group of Seven landscape paintings through fun tactile activities, including handling art objects, and textured reproductions. Participants may also choose to assemble a felt landscape picture or experience a short audio-visual film montage, which beautifully captures the spirit of the Canadian landscape.

Reservation is required.
Please visit our website for more details.

Hope to see you there!

Inspiring landscape of the Humber River Trail

Arctic Adventure: sun and snow with family and friends

All photographs by Jenny Donnell

On Saturday, February 16, eight participants and their parents embraced the soft, white snow on the McMichael grounds. A bright afternoon walk in the outdoor sculpture garden was a breath of fresh air for adults and kids alike, and a perfect way to begin the weekend. Patting the sculptures to feel textures of stone and carvings was a hands-on happy activity for all.

Participants discovering the wolf sculptures that line the path to the gallery.

Later, families moved inside Pine Cottage for a fun art activity, making animal sculptures out of clay and soap. The participants also completed nature tracings, covering their interpretations with plasticine.

Families making sculptures out of clay and soap.

“That’s the joy of family programs,” says Heidi Hitchmough, vice president of Autism Ontario’s York Region chapter. “We get to do the art, too.”

Participants were inspired by the outdoor sculpture garden to create magnificent works.

Liam Donnell and James Everest working on a tracing activity.

It was a busy day at the gallery, for the Kenojuak Ashevak memorial was full of locals and tourists honoring the great Inuit artist. But for participant Jenny Donnell and her son, Liam, being busy at the McMichael in the snow is a positive thing.

Snow, sun and smiles.

“It was a day filled with sun, snow and smiles,” she says. “We made friends, made art and had fun.”