More Canadian Art Coming to Ontario
McGuinty Government Moves To Help McMichael Attract New Visitors
Ontario is proposing changes that would help the McMichael Canadian Art Collection continue to grow, attract a broader, more diverse audience, and enjoy greater success. Changes would also give Ontarians and visitors a better experience of Canadian art.
Amendments to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Act would, if passed:
- provide the gallery with the flexibility to develop more diverse and innovative exhibitions to attract and engage more visitors and enhance interest in its collection;
- make it easier for the gallery to build its collection; and
- ensure the collection continues to focus on the Group of Seven, their contemporaries and the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.
Moving to preserve and modernize the McMichael collection is part of the plan laid out in Ontario’s 2011 Budget – Turning the Corner – to continue to work with the culture sector to strengthen economic growth and support jobs in Ontario.
QUICK FACTS
- Opened in 1966, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection was founded by a gift from Robert and Signe McMichael to the people of Ontario of almost 200 works of art, a log and fieldstone building, and 14 acres of land.
- The gallery welcomed almost 90,000 visitors in 2010-11.
- Tourism is an important part of Ontario’s economy, supporting 300,000 jobs. In 2008, tourism spending in Ontario reached $22 billion.
