As I have made my travels around Ontario I am always struck by its beauty and peacefulness. If it is in an early morning sunrise or a quiet hike in a forest, Ontario is full of wonder. I first became aware of the Group of Seven when I visited Alquonquin Provincial Park years ago. Growing up I never heard about the artists from Ontario that have made an impact in the world. As I have seen more of this group's work I really think it should be in the curriculum.
I had this Adventure planned from the beginning of summer. As my Son and I made our travels through Ontario I tried to point out the beauty we were seeing. I did this on purpose. For one because I wanted my son to stop and take it in. Two knowing we were going to see art that depicted this scenery later in the summer I wanted him to have a reference point. This plan did not fail.
With the Pandemic, planning started earlier than normal. I bought tickets for my Son and Father and myself on their website https://mcmichael.com/ and booked our arrival time slot. They make it easy to get tickets ahead of your arrival.
Knowing my son wasn't going to love being in an art gallery for hours I planned a later in the day timeslot that gave us time to do other things in Vaughn after. The gallery was not busy which was nice not to feel rushed while seeing art that was inspiring.
McMichael has more than just the Group of Seven. They have several other Canadian artists showing captivating art. There is a whole section on different Indigenous artists that showed humor, beauty and were awe-inspiring. My favorite was photography from Meryl McMaster, her Deep into the Darkness Waiting had me captivated. http://merylmcmaster.com/
The Gallery has many forms of art, from beadwork to photography, word work huge pieces and small. For younger children, this is a great Gallery for them to see all the forms art can come in.
Another Artist that stood out was Carl Beam. His photo etching was bold and made me lose track of time. I could have stayed in front of his pieces for hours and took in all they had to give. With a young child that was not possible, unfortunately, he was not as transfixed!
When we got to the Group of Seven section my son was nearing his end. This is where my plan for the summer paid off. As we looked at the paintings I pointed out how the pieces looked like places we had seen through the summer. From the painting that looked like Blueberry Island, to the tree that bent in the wind at Charleston Lake Provincial Park. I was able to get him to pull from his memory and attach a moment to the pieces.
My favorite member of the Group is Lawren S. Harris. As much as I loved what I have seen in Ontario depicted in paintings Lawren's work takes a soft abstract look at the beauty. His work is bold in colour and shape. My favorite is Pic Island.
This is a Gallery you could spend hours at. They have beautiful grounds that attract visitors from all around. While we were there they had several wedding parties taking photos around the property. There is also paths and sculptures through the property to make a fuller visit.
Since my Son did such a great job and tried really hard to focus on something new I rewarded him with a trip to LegoLand at Vaughn Mills https://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com/toronto only 15 minutes away!!! I got to be the best Mom ever!!!
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