Join curator John Geoghegan in conversation with artists Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Michelle Sound, and Sky Glabush for a panel on landscape in contemporary Canadian art.
Drawing from their distinct practices, the artists reflect on how landscape shapes their work today—exploring environment, identity, materiality, and lived experience.
May 24, 2026
2–3 pm
Register now → link in bio 🔗
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the @jarislowskyinstitute
Sky Glabush, 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 (detail), 2018, oil and sand on canvas, 243.8 × 182.9 cm
Michelle Sound, 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 (detail), 2023, embroidery thread, seed beads and mink fur pompoms on inkjet print on paper, 64.8 x 51.4 cm
Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, 𝘕𝘶𝘯𝘢/𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 (𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢) (detail), 2018-2019, linocut using oil ink with the addition of powdered iron ore (from the Baffin Island iron mine) on Haini Kozo paper from the Kashiki Seishi paper mill, Japan, 179.1 x 100.3 cm
Portrait of Alexa Kumiko Hatanka: Photo by Maru Arai
Portrait of Michelle Sound: Photo by Sweetmoon Photography
Portrait of Sky Glabush: Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York
Complete the picture… get your tickets to the Moonlight Gala ✨
An unforgettable evening under the stars in support of the art of Canada. Enjoy good food, delicious wines, live music and dancing—and an inspiring look at exhibitions drawing from our spectacular core collections.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities going fast!
For full details and to purchase tickets visit the link in bio 🔗
Presenting sponsor: @cibpatoronto
𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 is now open!🌿
See the McMichael’s recent acquisitions in dialogue with collection favourites, creating fresh perspectives on Canadian art. From Tim Whiten, Ben Reeves, and Dana Claxton to Frederick Varley, J.E.H. MacDonald, and A.J. Casson, the exhibition explores themes of landscape, belonging, and cultivation through diverse and unexpected voices.
Learn more at mcmichael.com
For Sky Glabush, the sensation of being in nature is more influential on his artmaking than direct observation of the landscape.
In 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, he renders abstracted yellow flower blooms with angular stalks and stems that guide the viewer’s eye across the canvas. Oil paint is mixed with sand, roughening the paint surface and imbuing the work with a rich, earthy texture.
On May 24, Glabush joins Michelle Sound and Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka at the McMichael for 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘳𝘵. Together, they’ll explore how landscape, identity, and lived experience intersect in contemporary practice.
🎟️ Register for the event → link in bio!
🎨 Plan your visit to see 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳, on view now.
🖼️ Sky Glabush, b. 1970, 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 2018, oil and sand on canvas, Promised gift from a private collection
Spend your May long weekend surrounded by art, nature, and great food at the McMichael. We’re open all weekend including Monday, May 18.
Wander the galleries, explore the woodland trails, join a guided tour, and unwind with a meal at CABIN—your perfect long weekend escape, all in one place. 🍃🎨
𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 is now open at the @artsudbury
Curated by Paul Seesequasis, this powerful exhibition brings together photographs by trapline manager John Macfie documenting life in Indigenous communities across Northern Ontario during the 1950s and 1960s.
The exhibition is accompanied by a stunning catalogue written by Seesequasis. Read an excerpt at magazine.mcmichael.com
John Macfie, 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦, Sandy Lake, c. 1952, photograph, John Macfie fonds, C330-14-0-0-103, Archives of Ontario
Is this the most beautiful gallery in Canada? 👀
Finally visited @mcmichaelgallery for their new exhibition, Fresh Air. It has a stunning “cabin in the woods” feel where the architecture frames the forest like living art 🖼️
The new exhibit creates a dynamic dialogue between the long-held works and the newest voices in Canadian art.
Their public workshops also offer a rare chance to connect with the collection and art world overall 🎨
It’s the best place to spend a day surrounded by art and nature as they have beautiful trails wrapping the gallery too 🌲
📍 McMichael Canadian Art Collection
#torontoart #artgallery #canadianart #exploreontario #artreview
“To paint from nature is to realize one’s sensations, not to copy what is before one.” — J.E.H. MacDonald
Happy birthday to J.E.H. MacDonald, born on this day in 1873 🎂
Between 1924 and 1930, MacDonald returned each year to the Rockies, drawn to a landscape—and a palette—distinct within his practice. Unlike the loose, rhythmic brushwork of his Algoma sketches, his Rocky Mountain works take on a more sculptural quality, built through bold structure and light.
Painted in the final year of his life, 𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 (1932) captures the peaks around Lake Oesa in Yoho National Park. The composition is defined by a striking contrast between deep shadow and dazzling sunlight, cutting across the canvas with dramatic force. MacDonald’s technically rigorous, vividly coloured Rockies remain among his most powerful contributions to Canadian art.
🖼️ See 𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 in 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩.
J.E.H. MacDonald (1873 - 1932), 𝘎𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘙𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 1932, oil on canvas, 53.8 x 66.2 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Gift of the Founders, Robert and Signe McMichael, 1979.35
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𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 and 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘰150 𝘌 are evocative mixed-media works by the Cree/Métis artist @michellesound.art , a member of Wapsewsipi Swan River First Nation in Northern Alberta.
Sound marks photographic prints with interventions using traditional Indigenous techniques and materials—embroidery, beadwork, and fur embellishments—applied to mend gaps where the paper has been torn and cut. Through these gestures of repair and care, the works speak to both the colonial violence enacted on the natural world and the longstanding Indigenous stewardship, care, and protection of the land.
On May 24, Sound joins Sky Glabush and Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka at the McMichael for a talk on 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘳𝘵. Together, they’ll explore how landscape, identity, and lived experience intersect in contemporary practice.
🎟️ Register for the event → link in bio!
🖼️ Plan your visit to see 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳, on view now
1/ Michelle Sound (b. 1977), 𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 2023, embroidery thread, seed beads, mink-fur pompoms on inkjet print on paper, Purchased with the generous support of The Dr. Michael Braudo Fund of the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation, 2023.41.3
2/ Michelle Sound (b. 1977), 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘕𝘰150 𝘌, 2023, embroidery thread, seed beads, mink-fur pompoms on inkjet print on paper, Purchased with the generous support of The Dr. Michael Braudo Fund of the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation, 2023.41.1
Happy Mother’s Day ♥️
A rosy sunset, a winding riverside path, and a quiet walk between mother and child — this tender scene by Canadian artist Homer Watson captures the beauty of time shared together.
🖼 Homer Watson, 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 (𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳), oil on board, 25.4 × 35.7 cm, Gift of the late Joseph B. McArthur
Five Canadian artists with close ties to the McMichael are participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale — one of the world's most significant international art exhibitions 🎉
Bonnie Devine, Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Rajni Perera, Manuel Mathieu, and Abbas Akhavan are contributing to vital global conversations through work that can also be experienced closer to home — across the McMichael's exhibitions, collection, publications, and collaborations.
Works by four of these artists are currently on view at the McMichael, offering visitors a rare chance to experience their practices here in Canada as they take centre stage in Venice.
Our latest article explores each artist's connection to the McMichael and where their work can be experienced in Venice and across Canada. 🔗 Read the full article → link in bio!
1/ Installation view of 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢 𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘢: 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2025.
2/ Manuel Mathieu, 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦, 2023, mixed media, 190.5 x 203.2 cm at Art Toronto, 2025.
3-4/ Installation view of Bonnie Devine's 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳: 𝘈 𝘞𝘢𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2022-2026.
5/ Installation view of 𝘙𝘢𝘫𝘯𝘪 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘢: 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2022.
6/ Abbas Akhavan (b. 1977), 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯, 2017, cast bronze, 50 unique pieces, 119.4 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm each, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, purchased with the assistance of Francis and Eleanor Shen, Jane Wells and Mark Bursey, 2023.39. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.
