The McMichael delivers rare masterwork guitars by top Canadian luthiers

digitaljournal.com
April 6, 2017

On May 6, 2017, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection invites visitors to experience the works of seven Canadian guitar makers renowned the world over. Curated by Sarah Stanners, the McMichael's Chief Curator, The Group of Seven Guitar Project puts the spotlight on eight handmade guitars commissioned by the McMichael from great Canadian luthiers Jean Larrivée, Tony Duggan-Smith, George Gray, Sergei de Jonge, William "Grit" Laskin, Linda Manzer and David Wren.

This special exhibition introduces acoustic instruments inspired by and honouring each member of the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. The show runs from May 6 until October 29, 2017, and is the first of its kind at the McMichael.

“Music lovers will fall in love with the visual arts, and art lovers will fall in love with the artistry attached to the music industry,” said exhibition curator Sarah Stanners. “This unprecedented project at the McMichael is so much more than a typical museum exhibition,” she added. 

Accompanying these extraordinary handcrafted guitars will be a display of the luthiers' drawings and materials used throughout their creative processes, and select paintings and drawings by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson.

In addition, the McMichael commissioned a feature-length documentary on the making of each guitar by Gemini Award-winning production company Riddle Films, which will screen within the innovative exhibition space. Scenes from the film include jam sessions with the original masterwork guitars by celebrated musicians Bruce Cockburn, Jesse Cook, Don Ross and more.

Exhibition-related programming will see award-winning guitarists such as Tony McManus and Emma Rush performing at the McMichael on select concert dates running from May to October. On May 7, the legendary Larrivee - whose P-O1 guitar made history when it was played in space by Chris Hadfield - will share the stage with the Canadian astronaut in an Acoustic Conversation at the McMichael.

An idea conceived by Manzer in 2012, The Group of Seven Guitar Project applauds a formidable group of Canadian artists from a century ago while demonstrating the global influence of a new group of seven that has, since the early 1970s, shaped the sound and form of the guitar under the tutelage of Jean Larrivee in Toronto.

The luthiers and their respective artists are as follows: Larrivee (A.Y. Jackson), Duggan-Smith (Arthur Lismer), Gray (Frank Johnston), de Jonge (J.E.H. MacDonald), Laskin (Frederick H. Varley), Manzer (Lawren Harris) and Wren (Franklin Carmichael). The eighth guitar, in a tribute to Tom Thomson, is a collaborative effort by all seven luthiers.

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection, located at 10365 Islington Ave. in Kleinburg, Ontario, is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information, visit www.mcmichael.com.

To arrange interviews, request images and RSVP to The Group of Seven Guitar Project Media Day (May 5, 2017), contact Simona Panetta at 905-893-1121 ext. 2210 / spanetta-kerr@mcmichael.com.