July 13, 2020, KLEINBURG, ON
– The McMichael Canadian Art Collection announces today that it will
reopen to the public on Friday, July 31, 2020. It will open to members
one day earlier on July 30. Following the opening weekend, the Gallery
will be open from Thursdays through Sundays until further notice. The
Gallery has implemented a number of new sanitation and safety protocols
to help visitors reconnect with the art of Canada this summer.
Opening Weekend: July 30 – August 3, 2020
Thursday, July 30, 10 am – 5 pm: Members Only
Friday, July 31 – Monday, August 3, 10 am – 5 pm: Members and General Public
Gallery Hours:
Thursdays, 10 am – 5 pm: Members Only
Fridays – Sundays, 10 am – 5 pm: Members and General Public
Grounds Only:
Mondays – Wednesdays, 10 am – 5 pm
*includes parking and public restrooms
New Protocols
Visitors can expect the following practices and protocols to be in place:
- Timed ticketing for all visitors, including members
- Contactless payment and transactions
- Unidirectional travel through the Galleries
- 2m (6 ft) of social distancing required in the Galleries at all times
- Additional sanitation stations and increased cleaning frequency of public spaces
- All frontline staff will be wearing faceshields
- All visitors over 5 are required to wear a mask indoors (exempting medical conditions)
"The
health and safety of our visitors and staff is our top priority," said
Ian Dejardin, Executive Director of the McMichael. "We've enacted a full
suite of safety procedures and protocols to ensure that visitors’
return to the McMichael is as safe as it is fun and beautiful. Our staff
have been trained on the latest public health directives, and our
building is ready to accommodate our visitors with safety and comfort in
mind. We are eager to welcome everyone back to enjoy this special place
and experience the beautiful art, but rest assured that we have not
made any compromises to do so."
“Ontario
offers the world in one province, and the McMichael Gallery is one of
our iconic sites that provides Ontarians with the unique ability to
experience Canadian heritage and culture through art,” said Lisa
MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries.
“As we move forward with reopening our province, I encourage all
Ontarians to safely explore the works on display and immerse themselves
in Canada’s artistic talents that contribute over $75 billion for our
culture industry and support thousands of jobs.”
Throughout
the four-month closure, which began on March 13, 2020, the McMichael
offered a range of ways for visitors to stay engaged with the McMichael
online including #McMichaelfromHome videos, online studio visits, online
art classes, curatorial talks and family-friendly art activities through the ArtVenture Online program.
Virtual tours for
those who cannot yet visit in person will continue for the time being.
Those include an online tour of Indigenous art from the permanent
collection, as well as an online tour of the exhibition "A Like Vision": The Group of Seven at 100.
What's Open
The McMichael's grounds, outdoor restrooms and parking lot
will be open daily from 10 am - 5 pm. Please note that the parking
booth will not be accepting cash payments at this time. Credit and debit
touchless payment options are available.
The Gallery Shop
will be open with limited capacity, social distancing and touchless
payment in place. The online e-shop will reopen on or prior to July 30,
2020.
The McMichael Theater, cloakroom and lockers are temporarily closed. Please leave oversized baggage or coats in your vehicle. The McMichael Café is temporarily closed. Please stay tuned for more information about what dining options may be available when we reopen.
Virtual adult art programs and the ArtVenture Summer Club will continue uninterrupted.
Please
note that some of the seating surfaces will be removed from the gallery
spaces and grounds to ensure sanitation safety. Please contact the
McMichael by telephone or email in advance if you have accessibility
questions or concerns.
The
McMichael will not be accepting guest or reciprocal passes at this
time. All expiry dates will be extended for the amount of time that
these measures are in place.
What's On
"A Like Vision": The Group of Seven at 100
To
commemorate the centenary of the Group of Seven's first exhibition in
May 2020, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection presents a landmark
exhibition of the group’s finest pieces from the permanent collection.
The exhibition will run through 2021.
Tom Thomson
Often
wrongly assumed to have been a member of the Group of Seven, Thomson's
legacy in Canadian legend is forever enshrined as the individual who
ultimately influenced the formation of the Group of Seven. This
exhibition of his work, including a number of Thomson's dazzling oil
sketches, remains on view.
Walter J. Phillips: At the Lake
Originally
scheduled to close on October 4, this special presentation of works on
paper by Canadian painter and printmaker Walter J. Phillips will be
extended until October 12.
Brenda Draney
Brenda
Draney’s paintings, with their gestural mark making and wide expanses
of canvas, present fragmented narratives that stem from her personal
history as a Cree woman, living in northern Alberta. This exhibition
includes earlier paintings from as early as 2009 together with a new
body of work created in response to her childhood encounters with
settler landscape art, in particular the iconic work White Pine, 1957, by A.J. Casson. Brenda Draney closes October 25, 2020.
John Hartman: Many Lives Mark This Place
In
2014, Ontario-based painter and printmaker John Hartman (b. 1950)
embarked on a project to capture the intimate relationship between more
than thirty leading Canadian authors and the places that inspire them.
Hartman’s diverse roster of subjects included writers Esi Edugyan, Ruth
Ozeki, M.G. Vassanji, Thomas King, Lisa Moore, Neil Bissoondath, Susan
Swan and David Macfarlane. The result was a body of large-format
portrait paintings that celebrate the richness of Canada’s literary
fabric. This exhibition, which debuted at the McMichael in late
February, will remain on view until November 1, 2020.
Coming Soon
Early Days: Collecting Indigenous Art at the McMichael
November 21, 2020 – June 5, 2021
From
its beginnings, the McMichael has had a long and proud history of
collecting Indigenous art, now with more than 1,500 works ranging from
eighteenth-century ceremonial regalia, through to items made for trade
with settlers, to works by the vanguard of artists coming of age in the
’60s, ‘70s and ‘80s — among them Robert Houle, Carl Beam, Norval
Morrisseau, Alex Janvier, Greg Staats, Faye HeavyShield and Shelly Niro —
and onward to leading contemporary artists like Kent Monkman, Meryl
McMaster and Rebecca Belmore. Opening in November 2020, Early Days: Collecting Indigenous Art at the McMichael will gather these remarkable artworks, and the stories that go with them, together in a celebration of these powerful legacies.
For more details on current and upcoming exhibitions or to register for a virtual tour, please visit mcmichael.com
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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 Heritage, Sport,
Tourism and Culture Industries, and the McMichael Canadian Art
Foundation. 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 over 6,500 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 conservation land at 10365 Islington
Avenue, Kleinburg, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in the City of
Vaughan. For more information, please visit mcmichael.com.
*THE ART OF CANADA is an official mark of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
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