….not the best day to visit the McMichael Art Gallery
You might think that visiting an art gallery when it’s raining ‘cats and dogs’ is the best time to visit an art gallery. Not so, at least not when you go to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. The gallery is situated on 100 acres of beautiful conservation land which you can explore through a network of paths and trails. One of the first things we noticed, even in the pouring rain, was the intoxicating scent of the trees that surround the gallery and line the pathways throughout the grounds.
After we had made plans to go to the gallery with A and J, my husband realized that this was also the weekend of the Binder Twine Festival in Kleinburg. Normally you can’t get near the place during the festival but because of the rain we were able to drive straight onto the McMichael property.
The gallery was featuring two of my favourite photographers, Ansel Adams and Edward Burtynsky.
As in most galleries, I couldn’t photograph the actual works of these great photographers so I found a couple of pictures from the internet to share with you. Both these examples were at the show.
The gallery itself looks like a chalet set among the trees and as you walk in you are greeted by a large, high ceiling and very open lobby. On the far wall, large glass windows that go from the floor to the ceiling look over the thickly wooded conservation area. Tables and chairs welcome visitors to sit and relax while they contemplate whether to start their tour on the upper level where the featured artists are or stay on the main level to view the large permanent collection of the Group of Seven.
The gallery also houses beautiful Aboriginal and Inuit art on both levels.
On our way out and back to the parking lot we passed a couple of the sculptures that line the paths throughout the grounds
and we stopped briefly at Tom Thomson’s Cabin which had been relocated to Kleinburg. The building originally came from the grounds of the Studio Building in Rosedale, Toronto where the Group of Seven worked from. Tom Thomson couldn’t afford the rent in the main building so he rented the refurbished workmen’s shed for $1.00 a month.
For more information about the McMichael Canadian Art Collection you can click here.
Mama Cormier 
I’ve never heard of an art gallery like that where it’s outside. It sounds beautiful!
LikeLike
Only the shed and the sculpture garden are outside. The big windows in the lobby make you feel like you’re outside but all the paintings and photographs are indoors. There are other buildings on the grounds as well where they host weddings and special events and studios for school children. We’re hoping to take some of our classes there in the next month or so while the weather is still nice.
LikeLike
I love galleries that are situated within their own grounds which become an extension of the gallery. And sometime you are not quite sure whether you are inside or outside as the outside contributes so much. Much sculpture I think is best seen outside where the take on a different aspect with changing light.
LikeLike