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We make Canadian art engaging, accessible, & multi-vocal through our open-access bilingual content. The ACI is a registered Canadian charity.

Read our social media policy here: https://www.aci-iac.ca/about/contact/social-media-policy/ The Art Canada Institute is a non-profit research organization based at Massey College, University of Toronto. Founded in 2012, the ACI is the only national institution whose mandate is to promote the study of an inclusive multi-vocal Canadian art history to as broad an audience as possible, in both English and French, within Canada and internationally. The ACI works with more than 50 of Canada’s leading art historians, curators, and visual culture experts who are dedicated to the creation of authoritative original content on the people, themes, and topics that have defined Canadian art history.

10/09/2026

“The Quiet Observer” by Grade 11 Newtonville student Clementine Sweet Pea Beaulieu is one of the many fantastic works that were submitted for the sixth annual Canadian Art Inspiration Student Challenge.

Using the theme “Canada through My Eyes,” students in grades 7 through 12 across the country created works responding to the art of William Kurelek (1927-1977), Zachari Logan (b.1980), Meryl McMaster (b.1988), Norval Morrisseau (1931-2007), Annie Pootoogook (1969-2016), and others.

The students’ works were adjudicated by a panel of esteemed judges, including curators Emma Hassencahl-Perley and Sarah Milroy, as well as artist Ken Lum.

This week’s newsletter offers a vivid portrait of Canada seen through the eyes of a new generation:
https://artcanada.com/magazine/newsletter

Image Credits:
1/ Clementine Sweet Pea Beaulieu, in front of her work “The Quiet Observer,” 2026.
2/ Left: Annie Pootoogook, “Family Camping on the Land,” 2001-2, coloured pencil and felt tip pen on paper, 50.8 x 66.2 cm. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario. Right: Farrow MacDougall, “Tombstone Mountains, 2026, watercolour and pencil crayon on paper, 60.9 x 45.7 cm.
3/ Left: Mary Pratt, “Another Province of Canada,” 1978, oil on Masonite, 91.4 x 69.8 cm. Memorial University of Newfoundland Collection, The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery, St. John’s. Courtesy of Mira Godard Gallery. Right: Sarah Mao, “The Taste of Canada,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 41 x 30 cm.
4/ Left: Helen McNicoll, “Sunny September,” 1913, oil on canvas, 92 x 107.5 cm. Pierre Lassonde Collection. Right: Jack Wang, “6 Days—Orange,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 45.7 x 61 cm.
5/ Left: Meryl McMaster, “Anima,” 2012, digital chromogenic print, 91.4 x 91.4 cm. Right: Clementine Sweet Pea Beaulieu, “The Quiet Observer,” 2026, acrylic and coloured pencils on wood panel, 50.8 x 50.8 cm.
6/ Left: Zachari Logan, “Leshy No. 2,” from Natural Drag Series, 2016, pastel on black paper, 149.8 x 190.5 cm. Private collection, California. Right: Qing Yang (Olivia) Cheng, “Water Ways,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 30.5 x 40.6 cm.
7/ Left: Norval Morrisseau, “Self-Portrait,” 1975, acrylic on hardboard, 100 x 80 cm. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg. Right: Memoria Fiddler, “Norval Morrisseau at Work,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 45.7 x 60.9 cm.
8/ Left: Jean Paul Lemieux, “Julie and the Universe (Julie et l’univers), 1965, oil on cavas, 104 x 142.5 cm. Pierre Lassonde Collection. Courtesy of Mira Godard Gallery. Right: Lamias Sharshar, “Driven Snow,” 2026, watercolour and pencil crayon on paper, 21.5 x 24 cm.
9/ Left: David Thauberger, “Harvest Sunrise,” 2014, acrylic on canvas, 91.4 x 191.9 cm. Private collection, courtesy of Slate Fine Art Gallery, Regina. Right: Wren Dreher, “Parasite on the Prairies,” 2026, acrylic on canvas, 40.6 x 48.3 cm.

10/07/2026

🎉 Congratulations Elizabeth Anne Cavaliere on the recent launch of her print book “Hannah Maynard: Life & Work,” which was held at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC – Maynard's hometown.

📸 This book offers the first comprehensive look at the remarkable career of one of Canada’s earliest women photographers. Hannah Maynard (1834-1918) made history with her boundless creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, becoming the first woman in British Columbia to establish a professional photography studio.

📖 Discover the creative legacy of this pioneering photographic artist in “Hannah Maynard: Life & Work,” now available for purchase:
https://artcanada.com/books/print-books/hannah-maynard-life-work

Image Credits:
1/ Cover of the print book “Hannah Maynard: Life & Work” by Elizabeth Anne Cavaliere.
2/ Hannah Maynard, “Hannah Maynard in a tableau vivant,” c.1893-97, collodion glass plate negative, 25 x 20 cm, BC Archives, Royal BC Museum, Victoria.
3/ Hannah Maynard, “Hannah Maynard multiple exposure self-portrait,” c.1890, gelatin dry glass plate negative, 12.5 x 18 cm, BC Archives, Royal BC Museum, Victoria.
4/ Hannah Maynard, “Hannah Maynard and her grandson, Maynard McDonald,” c.1893, glass plate negative, 20 x 25 cm, BC Archives, Royal BC Museum, Victoria.

10/06/2026

🦫 “The Colony” sees Kent Monkman (b.1965) spotlight the essential role of beavers as contributors to the natural, Indigenous, and colonial histories of Turtle Island.

The much-anticipated work—the Cree artist’s first ever public art commission—was recently unveiled to mark the finale of the Lassonde Art Trail’s launch season. Located in Toronto’s Biidaasige Park, the installation presents the “mistahi-amiskwak,” the giant beavers of traditional Cree stories and the “Castoroides” of the Pleistocene era (or “Ice Age”).

Such an installation is reminiscent of the artist’s “Study for the Beaver Bacchanal,” another nod to the positive impact of these larger-than-life shapers of ecosystems.

Read more about the internationally celebrated Cree artist in Kent Monkman: Life & Work by Shirley Madill:
https://artcanada.com/books/online-books/kent-monkman

Image Credits:
1/ Kent Monkman, “The Colony,” 2026, bronze, steel. Commissioned by Lassonde Art Trail. Photo: Michael Seleski.
2/ Kent Monkman with “The Colony,” 2026, bronze, steel. Commissioned by Lassonde Art Trail. Photo: Michael Seleski.
3/ Kent Monkman, “Study for the Beaver Bacchanal,” 2015. Watercolour on paper. Courtesy of the artist.

10/04/2026

📖 This week, the Art Canada Institute released "Art, Truth & Reconciliation: Indigenous Testimony in the Aftermath of Canada’s Residential Schools" by nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) curator and scholar and citizen of the Siksika Nation Gerald McMaster.

Spanning generations and exploring the experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children who attended residential schools, the book brings together the work of more than seventy Indigenous artists, including drawings made by children in the schools, works by artists who experienced the schools first-hand, and pieces by contemporary creators reckoning with this history today.

The groundbreaking publication reveals how art can bear witness to histories of dispossession. In the context of Canada’s ongoing work on this topic, "Art, Truth & Reconciliation" presents a powerful folio of creativity that speaks to one of the country’s most profound and pressing issues.

Read the book now:
https://artcanada.com/books/online-books/art-truth-and-reconciliation

Check out our newsletter:
https://artcanada.com/magazine/newsletter

Image Credits:
1/ Allen Sapp, "Recess at Onion Lake School," 1988, acrylic on canvas, 61 x 76.2 cm. Collection of MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina (2018-002). Courtesy of MacKenzie Art Gallery. © Estate of Allen Sapp. Photo credit: Don Hall.
2/ Left: Adrian Stimson, Sick and Tired, 2006, windows and infirmary bed from Old Sun Residential School, feathers, fluorescent lights, bison robe, dimensions variable. Installation view in the exhibition "Adrian Stimson: Maanipokaa’iini," 2022, Remai Modern, Saskatoon. Collection of MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina. Courtesy of Adrian Stimson. © Adrian Stimson. Photo credit: Blain Campbell.
Right: Girls praying on their beds at Old Sun Residential School, 1952. Photographer unknown. Collection of General Synod Archives, Toronto, Anglican Church of Canada (P8471-11). Courtesy of General Synod Archives.
3/ Carl Beam, "Forced Ideas in School Days," 1991, photo emulsion and ink on paper, 94 x 74 cm. Collection of Canada Council Art Bank / Banque d'art du Conseil des arts du Canada, Ottawa. Courtesy of Canada Council Art Bank. © Estate of Carl and Ann Beam / CARCC Ottawa 2026. Photo credit: Brandon Clarida Image Services.
4/ Faye HeavyShield, "Sisters," 1993, shoes altered with plaster, gesso, and acrylic paint, outside diameter installed: 105 cm. McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, purchase 1995 (1995.2.A-.L). Courtesy of McMichael Canadian Art Collection. © Faye HeavyShield.
5/ Rebecca Belmore, "Apparition, 2013, video installation on painted wall, 2 min. 50 sec. Collection of Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, gift of the artist, 2016. Courtesy of Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery. © Rebecca Belmore. Photo credit: Michael R. Barrick.
6/ Left: Dionne Paul, "His First Day of School," 2013, photograph on paper, 91.7 x 61 cm. Collection of Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (3043/1). Courtesy of Dionne Paul. © Dionne Paul.
Right: Dionne Paul, "Her First Day of School," 2013, photograph on paper, 91.7 x 61 cm. Collection of Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (3043/2). Courtesy of Dionne Paul. © Dionne Paul.
7/ Jim Logan, "National Pastimes," 1991, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 183.2 cm. Collection of Indigenous Art Centre, Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Gatineau. Courtesy of Indigenous Art Centre, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. © Jim Logan.
8/ Kent Monkman, "The Scream," 2017, acrylic on canvas, 213.4 x 335.3 cm. Collection of Denver Art Museum, Native Arts acquisition funds, purchased with funds from Loren G. Lipson, M.D. (2017.93). Courtesy of Kent Monkman Studio. © Kent Monkman. Photo credit: Kent Monkman Studio
9/ 7IDANsuu James Hart, Reconciliation Pole: Honouring a Time Before, During and After Canada’s Indian Residential Schools, 2015–17, red and yellow cedar, paint, copper, abalone, 1516 x 147 x 147 cm; (base) Kayám ̓Richard Campbell and 7IDANsuu James Hart, θəʔit (Truth), 2023, bronze, 485 x 485 cm. Collection of the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, commissioned with support from the Audain Foundation and UBC’s Infrastructure Impact Charges. Photo credit: Rachel Topham Photography.

10/03/2026

“The Enchanted Owl” is an awe-inspiring print from Inuk artist Kenojuak Ashevak (1927-2013) which commands its viewer to rest in the moment and engage with its warm presence.

Her goal was simply to “make something beautiful,” a sentiment present in her many artistic expressions. These pieces would give southerners insights into northern landscapes and the heart of its people.

Her graphic works allowed her to rise to prominence, with “The Enchanted Owl” even being reproduced on a Canada Post stamp.

🎂 Today we celebrate what would have been the artist’s 99th birthday.

Image Credit:
1/ Kenojuak Ashevak, "The Enchanted Owl," 1960, colour stonecut on laid paper, 55.8 x 65.7 cm. Gift of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1989. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Photo: NGC.
2/ Kenojuak Ashevak, "Luminous Char," 2008, stonecut and stencil, 50.8 x 63.5 cm. Printmaker: Qavavau Manumie.
3/ Kenojuak Ashevak, "Six-Part Harmony," 2012, stonecut and stencil, 62 x 99.5 cm. Printmaker: Qavavau Manumie.
4/ Kenojuak Ashevak. Photo by Mark Lipman. The Canadian Press.

10/02/2026

Kim Ondaatje (b.1928) showcased her talents as a painter through three major series in her career, each an illustration of her growth from 1965 progressing to 1974.

The Toronto painter’s Hill series focused on the wilderness of northern Ontario, while the House on Piccadilly Street series would spotlight the setting of a home rendered through hauntingly uninhabited interiors. A glimpse into Ondaatje’s connection with the environment and her feelings on big industry would be shown through her Factory series.

Beyond her works, she would also receive the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Art for Outstanding Contribution for being a crucial part in the establishing of the Canadian Artist’s Representation (CARFAC), a nonprofit association that promoted artists’ rights.

🎂 Today we celebrate Ondaatje’s 98th birthday.

Image Credits:
1/ Kim Ondaatje in studio, c.1973.
2/ Kim Ondaatje in studio, 1970.
3/ Kim Ondaatje, “Wales #1,” 1966, palette knife, oil on canvas.
4/ Kim Ondaatje, “Blue Bedroom,” 1970, screen print on paper, 75.5 x 61.5 cm.
5/ Kim Ondaatje, “Inco Slag Train,” 1973, photolithography/ serigraph on paper, 40.6 x 53.3 cm. Courtesy of Michael Gibson Gallery.

10/01/2026

The Wall Space Gallery + Framing's “Ottawa Blue Barn Group: Mid-Century Modern Art” brings attention to the story of the eponymous and informal association, which included the talents of Gerald Trottier, James Henderson Boyd, Georges Hector de Niverville, Victor Tolgesy, and Duncan de Kergommeaux, whose “My Rainbow #4” is shared here.

In the ACI book “Ottawa: Art & Artists,” author Jim Burant touches upon the Blue Barn Gallery, the city’s major contemporary art space in the 1960s that would see the creation of the Blue Barn Group, as well as the continued flourishing of Ottawa’s art scene.

Even after a move that would see the ceasing of The Blue Barn Group, these artists had continued to contribute toward the promotion of contemporary Canadian art regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Visit the Wall Space Gallery to learn about these catalysts in the evolution of the province’s contemporary art scene when the exhibition opens October 3rd and runs until October 13th.

Read “Ottawa: Art & Artists” for more information on The Blue Barn Group:
https://artcanada.com/books/online-books/ottawa-art-artists

Image Credits:
1/ Duncan de Kergommeaux, “My Rainbow #4,” 1967, acrylic on canvas (four panels), 152.40 x 152.40 cm. © 2026 by the Duncan Chassin de Kergommeaux Trust.
2/ Victor Tolgesy, “Moonflower,” 1963, cast bronze, 50.8 x 30.48 x 15.24 cm. © 2026 Victor Tolgesy Estate.
3/ Georges de Niverville, “Portrait of Mother as a Little Girl and Young Woman,” 1969, acrylic on canvas, 71.12 x 60.96 cm.

09/30/2026

For National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we reflect on “If Only We Could Have Our Stories Told,” a powerfully titled piece by Cree artist Jane Ash Poitras (b.1951).

On this commemorative occasion, take a moment to honour the survivors of residential schools, to remember the children who never made it home, and to acknowledge the ongoing impact of its painful history.

Image Credits:
Jane Ash Poitras, “If Only We Could Have Our Stories Told,” Library and Archives Canada archival reference number R13155-1, e010675581, © Jane Ash Poitras.

09/29/2026

📖 Introducing "Art, Truth, & Reconciliation" by leading curator and scholar Gerald McMaster, a groundbreaking new publication from the Art Canada Institute.

Launching on the eve of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this new book examines how Indigenous artists have responded to the history and lasting impact of Canada’s Indian Residential School system.

"Art, Truth & Reconciliation" brings together works by artists from across the country, including Carl Beam, Christi Belcourt, Rebecca Belmore, Robert Houle, Kent Monkman, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Allen Sapp, Adrian Stimson, and many more. Through their work, the book explores histories of dispossession, survival, and renewal.

Discover Art, Truth, & Reconciliation and the artists whose work confronts, remembers, and responds to this history:
https://artcanada.com/books/online-books/art-truth-and-reconciliation

09/28/2026

📣 We’re hiring!

The Art Canada Institute (ACI) is looking for a Senior Events Manager to take ownership of a busy and varied events portfolio.

If you are accustomed to managing as many as 10 events at different stages of planning at once and are able to manage up effectively, we would love to hear from you.

🖥️ Part-time (Location - Toronto, ON, with a combination of in-person and remote work)
💼 Hours and Compensation:
Peak months (March-May and September-November): 15-20 hrs/week at $700-$1,400 per week
Lighter months (December-February and June-August): 6-10 hrs/week at $360-$385 per week

Apply by emailing your CV and cover letter to jobs[at]aci-iac.ca

Help shape how Canadians see and learn about their art. Visit our jobs page to learn more:
https://artcanada.com/about/jobs

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