McMichael Canadian Art Collection

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is a major public art gallery uniquely devoted to collecting the art of Canada from coast to coast to coast.

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

✨ Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Moonlight Gala 2026 ✨

It was a magical evening under the stars in celebration of the art of Canada. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended, donated, volunteered, sponsored, and supported the event. Your generosity helps ensure that the transformative power of art continues to enrich our community and inspire visitors from near and far.

Special thanks to our Honourary Co-Chairs, Hon. @StevenDelDuca, Mayor, City of Vaughan, and Hon. @Sflecce, MPP King—Vaughan and Minister of Energy and Mines; our Guest of Honour, Hon. @StanChoMPP Willowdale and Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming; and our Gala Co-Chairs, Debra Fenwick and Laura Mirabella.

Presenting Sponsors: @CIBPAtoronto | Generation Capital

Platinum Sponsor: @407ETR

Silver Sponsors: Bazil Developments | Burgundy Asset Management | The King Weekly Sentinel | The MacNamara Family | RPIA | Spirit of Generosity | TD Bank

Bronze Sponsors: Canadian Shield Capital | RBC | Scotia Wealth Management | SmartCentres
Copper Sponsors: Armland Group | CIBC | Cidel | Forum Asset Management | The McCleave Family Foundation | QuadReal | The Regional Municipality of York | Zzen Group/ Hollow Vision

Valet Sponsor: Zanchin Automotive Group

Community Sponsors: AMICA | DWPV Services Limited Partnership (Davies) | Deloitte | Dorsay Management Corporation | Forest Group | Garden Group | Hogg, Shain & Scheck | Kerbel Group | KPMG | LiUNA! | Elizabeth Margles and Dr. Stephen Halman | Masters Insurance | Mosaik Homes | National Bank Capital Markets | TACC/Fieldgate/Paradise | Tourism Vaughan

Media, Marketing and Agency Partners: Bruce Mau Design | Mekanism | The Globe and Mail | Pattison Outdoor Advertising | The Printing House | Dolce Media Group | Pure Luxury Magazine | TLN | The Voice | Elvira Caria | Suppa Media | Render Media

Lead Wine Sponsor: Stratus

📸 Special thanks to George Pimentel Photography, Valeria Mitsubata Photography and Design Rooster for capturing the evening so beautifully.

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

@StanChoMPP @laurasthornhill @MichaelTibollo @Sflecce Thank you for your ongoing advocacy for the arts in Ontario! It was a pleasure having you at the Moonlight Gala!

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Please note that CABIN will have modified service this weekend as we prepare for our annual Moonlight Gala 📢

Fri May 29 & Sun May 31 — Service on the lower level and patio only
Sat May 30 — Limited service with coffee and pastries only

Visiting this weekend? Ask our front desk for a curated list of wonderful local restaurants nearby.

We appreciate your patience and look forward to welcoming you back with our full menu and service on Tuesday, June 2!

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Poet and artist Zachari Logan comes to the McMichael on June 28 to celebrate 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 — his newly published collection of poetry and luminous green-toned sketches inspired by travel, the natural world, art, and architecture 🌿

Join us for a reading by Logan followed by a conversation with McMichael Deputy Chief Curator Jennifer Withrow, set against the backdrop of the McMichael's beautiful grounds in summer.

June 28, 2026 | 1–2 PM | Free with admission
🎟️ Book your tickets → https://t.co/cpBBj4o8jx

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Happy Birthday to Shary Boyle 🎈

Through fantastical figures, dreamlike narratives, and haunting visions of environmental change, Boyle’s work invites us to reflect on the beauty, fragility, and uncertainty of the world around us.

To mark the occasion, we’re revisiting our catalogue for 𝘜𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵: 𝘈𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 with a newly shared excerpt by writer Ruth Jones that explores Boyle’s apocalyptic imagery, environmental anxieties, and richly imaginative practice.

Read it here → https://t.co/Vyi43aBlyf

You can also experience Boyle’s works, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 2018–21 and 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘠 (𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴), 2007, currently on view in 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 → https://t.co/uBtKGHCSVa

Shary Boyle, 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘬𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘮, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘠 (𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴), 2007, oil on panel, 74.9 × 60.3 cm (29 1/2 × 23 3/4 in.), PG2024.1.25

Shary Boyle, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 2018 - 2021, terra cotta, stoneware, bronze, gold leaf, 54 × 30 × 24 cm (21 1/4 × 11 13/16 × 9 7/16
in., 2021.15.A-.B

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

The 2026 Moonlight Gala is sold out 🌙✨

Thank you to our generous sponsors, donors, and guests — we can't wait to celebrate with you under the moonlight!

Presenting Sponsor: @CIBPAtoronto & Generation Capital
Platinum Sponsor: @407ETR

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Born on this day in 1943, Carl Beam (1943–2005) played a seminal role in the unfolding story of Indigenous art in North America.

A formidable intellect and relentless innovator, Beam led a generation of artists away from the reiteration of traditional motifs toward explicitly political critiques of colonialism — forging a bold hybrid of artistic languages drawn from Pop art, photojournalism, archival imagery, and his own family albums.

In 𝘕𝘦𝘰-𝘎𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘩 𝘐𝘐, his austere profile confronts that of a chief from the early days of settler–Indigenous contact. Alongside them: the buffalo, millions of which were exterminated as settlers pushed west, and images of the 1981 assassination of Anwar Sadat. Compressed into a single composition, these images document our human capacity for brutality, and invite us to consider our place in the flow of history.

See 𝘕𝘦𝘰-𝘎𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘩 𝘐𝘐 on view in 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 → https://t.co/uGyp6PVj4i

Carl Beam (1943–2005), 𝘕𝘦𝘰-𝘎𝘭𝘺𝘱𝘩 𝘐𝘐, 1983, photo etching on paper, 122 x 80.3 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1985.29.2

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Experience two of Canada’s leading cultural institutions in one unforgettable afternoon. 🚌✨

Join the Textile Museum of Canada and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection for a special bus excursion connecting the bustle of downtown Toronto to the beauty of the McMichael grounds.

Explore six exhibitions spanning contemporary fashion, textiles, Indigenous art, and iconic Canadian landscapes — all with comfortable round-trip transportation included.

Jun 7
12 — 5 PM
Tickets available now → https://t.co/32luC9xH06

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

The Moonlight Gala is almost sold out! ✨

Join us under the stars on Saturday, May 30, for an unforgettable evening in support of the art of Canada. Enjoy good food, Ontario wine, live music, dancing, live auction and inspiring exhibitions drawn from the McMichael’s renowned permanent collection.

Celebrate the start of summer surrounded by art, nature and community at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

Get your tickets here → https://t.co/wY7e1Xjoa7

Presenting sponsor: @CIBPAtoronto
Platinum sponsor: @407ETR

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Join artists Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Michelle Sound, and Sky Glabush for a panel exploring contemporary approaches to landscape in Canadian art.

Working across painting, textiles, installation, and material-based practices, the artists will reflect on how land, memory, identity, and lived experience inform their work today.

Presented in connection with 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵, this conversation considers the many ways artists are reimagining relationships to place, environment, and belonging.

May 24, 2026
2–3 pm
Register now → https://t.co/O2leodiwQh

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art.

Portrait of Michelle Sound: Photo by Sweetmoon Photography
Portrait of Sky Glabush: Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York
Portrait of Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka: Photo by Maru Arai

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

In a new Director’s Choice essay, Sarah Milroy reflects on David Milne’s 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘢𝘳, a lively and brilliantly composed city scene recently added to the McMichael collection. Painted just months after the landmark 1913 Armory Show, the work captures the energy, heat, noise, and rapid pace of a changing urban world through Milne’s distinctive painterly language.

The article also explores Milne’s complicated relationship with city life—and why so few of these remarkable New York paintings survive today.

Read the full article → https://t.co/wBtHJwsGIH

David Milne (1882–1953), 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘢𝘳, 1913, oil on canvas, 40.8 x 51 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, gift of Margaret Patricia Fischer in loving memory of John Trumbull Band, KStJ, 1915–2005, 2021.11.2. Photo: Craig Boyko.

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

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 → https://t.co/BkWjvUYQJ8
🎨 Plan your visit to see 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳, on view now → https://t.co/jNIG4NCK8k

🖼️ Sky Glabush, b. 1970, 𝘎𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 2018, oil and sand on canvas, Promised gift from a private collection

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 is now open at the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

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 here → https://t.co/UX6lmoGLux

Plan your visit → https://t.co/XLgQPfb8Xl
On view through June 27, 2026.

John Macfie, 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦, c. 1952, photograph, John Macfie fonds, C330-14-0-0-103, Archives of Ontario

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

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

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Unwind with Sunday Sip & Create at the McMichael.

Spend a cozy afternoon artmaking alongside warm drinks, seasonal treats, and inspiring gallery spaces—an inviting way to slow down, reflect, and create.

This month’s theme: Acrylic Painting: Spring Colours
No experience required.

Your ticket includes:
• All art materials
• Refreshments and light treats
• Same-day gallery admission

Sunday, May 24
2–4:30 pm
🎨 Reserve your spot → https://t.co/oSgxdx5tE7

Can’t make it this month? Join us for upcoming watercolour en plein air sessions on June 7 and June 28.

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

"It is imperative that the artist reveal through the medium in which he is happiest, what he sees, thinks and feels about his surroundings." - Franklin Carmichael

Born on this day in 1890, Carmichael was the youngest founding member of the Group of Seven. Carmichael's path within the Group was distinct — he rarely took part in their painting sojourns, save for a few trips to the North Shore of Lake Superior with Lawren Harris and others in the mid-1920s. His relative isolation from the Group was generative, however, as it allowed him to find painting locations that suited his own interests.

In 1924, seeking to find mountains in Ontario, he camped in the La Cloche Mountains at Cranberry Lake, a place he would return to often, building a cabin there in 1935.

See this work in person in 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴—on view now.
→ https://t.co/GqlltsBTtv

🖼️ Franklin Carmichael (1890–1945), 𝘏𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴, 1936, oil on hardboard, Gift of Mr. R.G. Mastin, 1976.9

[Explore Ontario @ExploreON]

It’s Museum Month and Ontario has no shortage of cultural institutions. 🏛️

From the iconic galleries of @agotoronto to art-driven stories at @mcacgallery or collections at @ROMtoronto that span centuries, Ontario’s nearly 700 museums showcase creativity, history and community.

[McMichael Canadian Art Collection @mcacgallery]

Made from iron ore sourced in Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin Island), the ink in Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka’s 𝘕𝘶𝘯𝘢/𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 (𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢) (2018–19) carries the land with it. Printed on traditional Haini Kozo washi—a handmade mulberry paper long used by artists in Japan—Hatanaka’s process bridges place, material, and technique.

For this piece, Hatanaka drew on her years spent in Kinngait, Nunavut, where she led community artmaking projects with local youth. The large-scale linocut evokes the region's dramatic terrain — hills and rock formations shaped by glaciers, wind, and ice over millennia.

On May 24, Hatanaka joins Sky Glabush and Michelle Sound 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 → https://t.co/BkWjvUYQJ8
🖼️ Plan your visit to see 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳, on view now → https://t.co/jNIG4NCK8k

1/ Alexa Hatanaka, 𝘕𝘶𝘯𝘢/𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 (𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢), 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 × 100.3 cm, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2022.10
2/ Installation view of 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘈𝘪𝘳: 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘈𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 2026