Culture vulture report: Canadian edition. Well, ok. Not obsessive but I definitely love the arts. I feel an affinity and belonging to the arts.
Over the summer, there were some organized 'field day trips' from The Gladstone Hotel. If memory serves me correct, I took the bus at 10am and boarded it back at 4pm at the McMichael.
The gallery is indeed focused on Canadiana: your Group of 7; Tom Thomson, whom I have mythologized as this handsome, strapping outdoors man who symbolizes all that is noble and good about Canadiana.
So, of course, I have the completely wrong idea of what The Group of 7 is all about because I've turned them into this fantastic escapism from reality.
The entrance resembles a gigantic wood cabin, because is has been expanded from an actual cabin. I saw the A.Y. Jackson. Tom Thomson - Wounds of War exhibition. It was an incredible juxtaposition of wartime art vs Canadian landscapes during the same time period. I loved it. The other exhibits paled in comparison.
I spent the rest of the day enjoying a small meal in their cafe and walking around the grounds. It is bordered by a nature trail, so it is very easy to get lost on the trail!