Late artist no longer obscure and forgotten

New Book about Peter Clapham Sheppard is launched in Toronto - Facebook postings

Collector Louis Gagilardi

By Stephen Weir 

Canadian curator and art author Tom Smart has written the long overdue first book about the late Toronto artist Sheppard. Peter Clapham Sheppard: His Life and Work, launched Friday, fittingly at Toronto's Arts & Letters Club on Elm Street.

Tom Smart at podium

Pictured Tom talks about Sheppard’s ability to arrest moments in the built world! The Firefly book is available in bookstore and on-line (I do know that Ben McNally's on Bay Street has copies).
Artist would have faded into obscurity if it wasn't for Woodbridge retired teacher and avid Sheppard collector, Louis Gagliardi (pictured at launch)
As well the Weekend Globe and Mail is always a good read but his weekend's paper is worth picking up for a major feature by Gregory Humenick about the undiscovered Peter Clapham Sheppard. Group of Seven contemporary died unknown and broke. 

Elizabeth Street by Sheppard. Painting was used in Globe story

Sikh Heritage Month About To End In Ontario - Brampton Art Gallery the place to be - Media Alert

MEDIA ALERT

Attention Assignment Desks, Arts & Entertainment Editors

Sikh Heritage Month Closing Night Celebration.

Saturday April 30 from 6 – 10 p.m.

WHO:	Singh Street Style. Tom Smart exhibition curator.  Marty Brent PAMA manager.  Members of the Sikh Heritage Month Committee. Artists. Performers. Politicians
WHAT:	Sikh Entertainment filled closure to Sikh Heritage Month. Closing Night Celebration Singh Twins Retrospective Art Show, Dhole drumming, performances in the courtroom, Gatka demonstrations in the parking lot (weather permitting) Kirtan music and workshops, art showdown and more. FREE
WHERE:	PAMA
	9 Wellington St East
	Brampton, ON K2T 0K5
WHEN:	Saturday, April 30. 6pm  – 10pm
WHO:	Accredited journalists, videographers, photographs, bloggers and social media practitioners.  Press interviews  in English and Punjabi.

ABOUT PAMA

PAMA is a place to explore and learn about Peel Region’s culture and heritage, as well as use conversation, questions and stories to help make new and fascinating connections to the surrounding community. Throughout the year, PAMA offers a variety of workshops and programs for all ages, families and adults. With so many different programs to choose from, PAMA has something for everyone. Operated by the Region of Peel, PAMA is located at 9 Wellington St. E. in Brampton. Visit pama.peelregion.ca to learn more.

FURTHER INFO:

Erin Fernandes

Marketing Co-ordinator

Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives

905-791-4055, ext. 7596

Erin.fernandes@peelregion.ca

 or 

stephen@stephenweir.com

McMichael Canadian Art Collection Host to Sorbara Press Announcement

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June 9th - Greg Sorbara announces $4.42 million in funding to Tourism Region at Gallery Press Conference

Vaughan MPP Greg Sorbara was at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection this morning to make a major funding announcement on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Culture. Speaking to a small crowd Sorbara announced that the Government of Ontario is "boosting support for tourism in York Region to help attract more visitors, investment and economic activity."
According to the former Finance Minister, Ontario is "providing $4.42 million over the next two years to help tourism partners develop a new regional tourism organization and enhance destination marketing and management."
"This new regional tourism organization," he continued, "which will serve Dufferin, Caledon, Durham Region and York Region, will help the tourism industry across the regioncontinue to grow and support local jobs and businesses."
The half-hour press event was held in the McMichael's historic Founder's Lounge. Mr. Sorbara was introduced by Tom Smart the CEO of the McMichael.
The announcement was a timely one. Tourism Week in Canada runs June 7th to 13th this year.
Cutlines: Top. Greg Sorbara announces provincial support to Tourism in York Region, Durham Region and the Hills of the Headwaters.
Right. Greg Sorbara MPP, Vaughan Riding is getting miked up for interview with Fil Martino, Rogers Cable 10.

Flag this: Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for the closing day (April 25) of his 50-year retrospective

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Rare opportunity to meet acclaimed magic realist artist!
Nova Scotia artist Tom Forrestall at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for the closing day of his 50-year retrospective

April 16, 2010 Kleinburg, ON — Acclaimed magic realist artist Tom Forrestall will be at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection on Sunday, April 25 to help close the retrospective exhibition of his work, Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings. The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia painter will meet with visitors and sign copies of the exhibition publication.
Tom Forrestall will be at the McMichael gallery beginning at 1:30 p.m. to meet visitors and talk about the 50-year retrospective that has been on display at the gallery since January 30. There will be a docent-guided tour of the exhibition at 2:00 p.m. and Mr. Forrestall will then be available to sign copies of the exhibition publication, which was written by McMichael Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart, and traces the development of Forrestall’s art and the depth of his long artistic career.
The exhibition, Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings, organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and curated by Tom Smart, is a retrospective exhibition which chronicles the artist’s curious observations and exploration of his surroundings, the nature of his creativity, and the source of his visions, through his works. Forrestall’s art has been classified as Magic Realism—a term used to describe the work of a coterie of East Coast Canadian painters who emerged after the Second World War (Forrestall, Alex Colville, Christopher Pratt, and Mary Pratt). Although their geographic roots, styles and vocabularies were similar, these artists applied themselves differently, each adapting naturalism in a personal way.
Tom Forrestall is one of the leading figures associated with the visual arts in the Maritime region. His work has been exhibited and is represented in every major public collection in the region and beyond, including numerous solo exhibitions in prominent galleries worldwide.
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About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of 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.

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Media Contact:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com
stephen@stephenweir.com
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CUTLINES: Top: Tom Forrestall backed into a corner! Photo taken during the set up of his retrospective at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Forrestall, a Nova Scotia artist, is know for his magic realism style of painting.
Bottom: Tom Forrestall and his daughter stand in front of the historic fireplace in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection's Founder's Lounge. The Canoe Lake sign is a railroad sign from Alqonquin Park - where Tom Thomson used to get off the train

McMichael Gallery recieves 7,500 Hallendy slide photographs on Cape Dorset

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The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is given the
Norman Hallendy Collection of Arctic images,
a significant donation that will enhance the public gallery’s Inuit holdings.

April 12, 2010 Kleinburg, ON—The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is proud to announce that it is the recipient of the Norman Hallendy Collection of Canadian Arctic images. The extensive collection of almost 7,500 colour images is the fifth significant donation made to the gallery over the past twenty years by internationally recognized ethnographer, author and photographer Norman E. Hallendy.
The images in the Norman Hallendy Collection are original 35-mm Kodachrome colour slides photographed by Mr. Hallendy over the past fifty years. He has made many expeditions to the Canadian Arctic to interact with and observe traditional Inuit communities and document their world. The images range in subject from inuksuit (stone figures), ancient and sacred sites, landscapes, seascapes, icebergs, natural environment and campsites, to the people of the Arctic, including artists—many of whom are represented in the art collection of the McMichael. As a respected and trusted friend to the Inuit elders, Mr. Hallendy has been granted the privilege of seeing and photographing inuksuit and ancient sites that others do not have access to.
“In terms of understanding the art and people of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), this is a defining moment for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection,” said Thomas Smart, Executive Director and CEO of the gallery. “It is the largest single donation of photographs, both in size and value, to come to this public institution. The slides brilliantly capture the essence of the people, the land, and the history of Kinngait.”
Since 1989, Mr. Hallendy has been donating his photographic work to the McMichael. Earlier donations include a smaller representation of colour slides taken in the Eastern Arctic, and a collection of rare black and white 35-mm negatives and photographs of Kinngait artists from 1968. He has also donated Inuit art including drawings, prints and sculpture. Norman Hallendy has transferred copyright for the images in this collection, and the earlier black & white photograph collections, to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection which will oversee the use and licensing of the Hallendy images in the future. This comprehensive photographic resource has significant research, documentary and educational potential, as well as spectacular aesthetic value.
“The acquisition of these images greatly enhances and supports our existing holdings of Inuit art, including the historic Cape Dorset archival collection on loan from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative,” continued Mr. Smart.
According to Mr. Smart, the Norman Hallendy Collection is a perfect complement for the approximately 100,000-object Cape Dorset collection of drawings, prints and sculpture. For the past twenty years the McMichael has been the custodian of this national treasure. Kinngait is a hamlet located on Dorset Island off the southwest tip of Baffin Island in Nunavut. Named after the mountains which make up the region (Kinngait means “high mountains”), Cape Dorset has become a centre for Inuit drawing, printmaking, and carving since the 1950s.

About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of 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 at 10365 Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For directions and information, visit www.mcmichael.com.

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Media Contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com / stephen@stephenweir.com

Cutline: Inuksuit at Inuksugalalait, Southwest Baffin, 1990
Norman Hallendy Collection
Gift of Norman E. Hallendy
McMichael Canadian Art Collection Archives

BLOGGERS INVITED TO MEET EAST COAST ARTIST TOM FORRESTALL AND TOUR HIS NEW EXHIBITION

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PUBLIC GALLERY SENDS OUT INVITE TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO MEET EAST COAST ARTIST TOM FORRESTALL AND TOUR HIS NEW EXHIBITION

Renowned Canadian realist painter Thomas DeVany Forrestall will be at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Sunday January 31st. SOCIAL MEDIA / BLOGGERS are invited to attend the Member’s Opening of Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings


When Sunday, January 28, 2010, noon. – 1:30 p.m.
Where McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg (just north of the Major Mackenzie Drive, Islington Avenue intersection)
Why Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and curated by McMichael Canadian Art Collection Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart, is a retrospective exhibition which chronicles the artist’s curious observation and exploration of his surroundings, the nature of his creativity, and the source of his visions, through his works. Forrestall’s art has been classified as Magic Realism – an imprecise term often used to describe the work of a coterie of East Coast Canadian painters who emerged after the Second World War (Alex Colville, Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt). Although their geographic roots, styles and vocabularies were similar, these artists applied themselves differently, each adapting naturalism in a personal way.
Who Meet artist Tom Forrestall and exhibition curator and author, Tom Smart, McMichael Executive Director and CEO.
What A rare opportunity to meet East Coast artist Tom Forrestall. Mr. Forrestall will tour the exhibit with visiting media. Tom Smart has written a book, which traces the development of Forrestall's art and the depth of his long artistic career and will be attending the Sunday event. The exhibition opens Saturday January 30th and runs to April 25th. Mr. Forrestall with speak and sign books at the Member’s Opening on Sunday January 31st.
Free admission for invited Bloggers and their guests (one free guest ticket per blogger) Sunday only.
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About the Gallery
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of 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.

MEDIA PREVIEW WITH EAST COAST ARTIST TOM FORRESTALL AT THE McMICHAEL

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McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s Tom Smart curates exhibition and writes the book about renowned Canadian realist painter, Thomas DeVany Forrestall.
Artist to attend Thursday media preview and Sunday opening for
Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings

When Thursday, January 28, 2010, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg (just north of the Major Mackenzie Drive, Islington Avenue intersection)
Why Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings organized and circulated by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and curated by McMichael Canadian Art Collection Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart, is a retrospective exhibition which chronicles the artist’s curious observation and exploration of his surroundings, the nature of his creativity, and the source of his visions, through his works. Forrestall’s art has been classified as Magic Realism – an imprecise term often used to describe the work of a coterie of East Coast Canadian painters who emerged after the Second World War (Alex Colville, Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt). Although their geographic roots, styles and vocabularies were similar, these artists applied themselves differently, each adapting naturalism in a personal way.
Who Meet artist Tom Forrestall and exhibition curator and author, Tom Smart, McMichael Executive Director and CEO.
What A rare opportunity to meet East Coast artist Tom Forrestall. Mr. Forrestall will tour the exhibition with visiting media. Tom Smart has written a book which traces the development of Forrestall’s art and the depth of his long artistic career, and will be attending the Media Preview. The exhibition opens Saturday, January 30 and runs to April 25, 2010. Mr. Forrestall will speak and sign books at the exhibition opening on Sunday, January 31 at 1:00 p.m.
About the Gallery
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of 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.

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To RSVP, for further information or to receive high resolution photographs, contact:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com
Cathy Lepiane, Communications Coordinator
McMichael Canadian Art Collection
905.893.1121 ext. 2210
clepiane@mcmichael.com

Media Preview: June 25th, see the Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast exhibition before it opens

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MEDIA PREVIEW

A McMichael Exclusive! Exhibition of Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast will be on display this summer.

When: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg (just north of the Major Mackenzie Drive, Islington Avenue intersection)

Why: Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and guest-curated by Vancouver-born Ian M. Thom – the resident expert on British Columbia’s art and artists – will be exclusively shown at the McMichael this summer before it goes on tour. The McMichael and Douglas & McIntyre have co-published a landmark book by the same name, written by Thom. The forty artists included in the exhibition have been selected by Ian Thom and each artist has built a substantial and important career. They address, in their own ways, an important visual and cultural tradition in a unique, personal voice. Lastly, and perhaps most controversially, each artist produces work of remarkable depth, beauty and quality. Moreover, the curator has attempted, wherever possible, to select recent, newly created work in direct consultation with the artists themselves.

Who: Meet exhibition curator and author, Ian M. Thom; meet McMichael Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart.

What: This summer, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, renowned for exclusively showcasing Canadian art, will feature an extraordinary exhibition of Northwest Coast contemporary art. Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast explores the re-emergence of the art of the Northwest Coast. View over seventy works by 21st-century contemporary First Nations artists who have taken traditional Northwest Coast artistic practices and infused them with modern cultural influences.

Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation. The publication and accompanying curatorial research has been generously funded by the Audain Foundation.

About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of 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.

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Image credit: Bill Henderson (Kwakwaka’wakw, b.1950), Sun Mask,2007–2008, yellow cedar, cedar bark rope, acrylic, 147.3 x 147.3 x 9.1 cm, Private Collection, Courtesy of Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Ltd. Photograph by Kenji Nagai

To RSVP, for further information or to receive high resolution photographs, contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com, stephen@stephenweir.com