Frank Carmichael. Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson. Frank Johnston. Arthur Lismer. J. E. H. MacDonald. Frank Varley.
In addition to being the original members of the group of seven, these brilliant Canadian landscape painters have another thing in common.
One exhibition helped change their lives.
The group of seven鈥檚 founding members exhibited together for the first time on May 7, 1920, at what is now the Art Gallery of Ontario. Although they had been meeting for almost a decade to discuss landscape painting and the need for a uniquely Canadian approach to it, none were famous at the time. All of them 鈥� except for Harris, who was born wealthy 鈥� were commercial artists of modest means toiling in relative obscurity.
Yet that first exhibit helped launch the careers of seven men now recognized as Canada鈥檚 greatest landscape painters. Could a similar event 104 years later do the same for an unknown artist in 亚洲天堂 Lake?
The Lakes District Museum is currently looking for sketchers, painters, photographers, sculptors, and other creatives interested in exhibiting their work here this summer. The museum鈥檚 gallery will reopen in May after a one-year hiatus 鈥� likely in a bigger and better venue 鈥� and museum curator Michael Riis-Christianson hopes to host at least five one-month exhibits in 2024.
鈥淥ur gallery has showcased the work of more than a dozen local and regional artists since it opened in 2021,鈥� Riis-Christianson said. 鈥淲e want to build on that success this year, but to do so, we need people willing to exhibit their work.鈥�
The museum is currently accepting exhibition proposals from artists interested in sharing their creations with a wider audience. Riis-Christianson says the application process is quick and easy, and the exhibitions aren鈥檛 a lot of extra work for featured artists.
鈥淭he museum society does most of the heavy lifting,鈥� he said. 鈥淧articipating artists don鈥檛 have to address crowds or give lectures, and although we encourage them to attend an opening reception at the gallery, it鈥檚 not compulsory. As for the application form, well, it takes about fifteen minutes to fill out. After that, it鈥檚 just a matter of sending us digital or hard copies of the works proposed for exhibition.鈥�
Riis-Christianson said that last year鈥檚 Search for 亚洲天堂 Lake鈥檚 Centennial Artist proved this community has a wealth of undiscovered talent. The summer-long competition gave many fledgling artists newfound confidence, and he believes exhibiting at the museum鈥檚 gallery in 2024 can have the same effect.
鈥淲e know there are dozens of artists in the region who do amazing work but are hesitant to share it with the public,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o many creatives lack confidence because they are their worst critics. They look at what they鈥檝e done and see only its flaws, while those of us who can鈥檛 sketch, paint, throw a pot, or make a quilt to save our lives are blown away by what we see them doodle on a napkin, stitch on a scrap of fabric, or splash across a five-and-dime store canvas. Admittedly, creating art in any form is often a very personal experience, but what the self-doubters don鈥檛 realize is that exhibiting their work can be incredibly validating.鈥�
Thousands of Canadian artists have been influenced by the Group of Seven鈥檚 work in the past century 鈥� all because a bunch of unknown painters with a shared vision were brave enough to make their work public in the second decade of the twentieth century.
鈥淲here would we be if Carmichael, Harris, and the others had said, 鈥楴o, we鈥檙e not ready, not good enough鈥� in 1920?鈥� Riis-Christianson says. 鈥淲ell, the National Gallery of Canada might not have Carmichael鈥檚 Lake Superior 1929 and Harris鈥� Greenland Mountains, to name just two amazing works by Canadians that are on display in Ottawa, and we might not have Emily Carr, Jack Bush, or Scottish painter Peter Doig, all of whom were influenced by the group of seven. Then there鈥檚 a whole generation of Canadian artists who have taken landscape painting in a different direction because they didn鈥檛 want to be like the group of seven. Either way, Canadian culture would be poorer if not for one exhibition in Toronto 104 years ago. So if you鈥檙e an artist, be courageous and show your work at our gallery this year. Doing it won鈥檛 guarantee you fame and fortune, but it will give the rest of us great joy. And who knows? You might inspire the next Tom Thomson.鈥�
To learn more about this year鈥檚 2024 exhibition schedule or obtain an exhibition proposal form, contact the Lakes District Museum by telephone (250-692-7450) or email (ldmuseumsociety@gmail.com). But don鈥檛 wait too long: the application deadline is March 31.
