Dress-up Like Marilyn For Free Admission Sunday

Marilyn Monroe Opening Weekend Activities
Dress-up Like Marilyn For Free Admission Sunday
Peep Culture Author to Speak on Saturday 1pm in Kleinburg

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is expecting a large turnout for the weekend opening of two exhibitions about Marilyn Monroe. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (curated by Artoma, Hamburg, Germany; the tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) and Marilyn in Canada (organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and curated by Chris Finn, Assistant Curator) both open on February 19th and run to May 15th, 2011. Contemporary art and artists, celebrity, notoriety, fame and fortune are key ingredients to these two Marilyn Monroe exhibitions.

There are a number of free with admission programmes taking place all weekend including:

* All weekend long, enjoy movie theatre lobby décor and Marilyn movies playing in the gallery's theatre
* a special Marilyn prix-fixe menu served in the gallery's Seven Restaurant. All weekend
* McMichael educators and docents will give a series of twenty-minute-long tours of the Marilyn Monroe exhibitions, Saturday, Sunday and Monday
* Experience a 1950's theatre-style food concession stand featuring retro Coke, old-fashioned candy bars, ice cream, and popcorn! All Weekend
* DJ Goin'Steady playing Marilyn's Mix, a selection of 1950's music. Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
* Lecture by Hal Niedzviecki, Celebrity to Cewebrity: How Marilyn Ushered in the Age of Peep Culture Saturday, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.
* Hal Niedzviecki book signing. Hal's Niedzviecki's book, The Peep Diaries, as well as other books by this author, on sale in Gallery Shop. 2:00 p.m.
* Get in the spirit and dress up like Marilyn for FREE admission all day! Sunday only Guests dressed like Marilyn Monroe are invited to walk the Red Carpet. Sunday 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
* Family Day kids programming on Monday.

“Although it has been fifty years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, worldwide interest in her life and career has sustained,” says McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova. “Our two exhibitions examine how the art world has been motivated by the myth and legend of this iconic star. Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe is an internationally touring exhibition (over 180 paintings and photographs) which has been enhanced by McMichael curators for our visitors.”
Curated especially for the McMichael by the gallery’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, Marilyn in Canada provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada, as well as her popularity among Canadian artists. Works by artists such as Shelley Niro, John Vachon, and George S. Zimbel are some of the highlights of this unique Canadian content-based exhibition.

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 Tourism and Culture. 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 more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.