Celebrate Mother’s Day at the AGH

It is a well known fact that Mothers are inherently busy, therefore, as art imitates life, we are planning a flurry of activities at the Art Gallery of Hamilton for Mother’s Day!

In addition to being Mother’s Day, Sunday May 8 also falls on Doors Open Hamilton 2016 – a festival that invites visitors to get out and enjoy the unique spaces that make Hamilton a great city to live in.  Here at the AGH, in honour of Hamilton’s bi-centennial, co-curators Bill Manson and Devin Therien created the exhibition Saga of a City: Hamilton at 200 Years. On Sunday, May 8 they will be hosting a series of free talks and tours at the Gallery that will highlight the history of our storied city.  At 12:15 pm we are featuring Bill Manson’s talk entitled Hamilton’s Hamilton examining the intriguing life of city founder George Hamilton. Hamilton’s Hamilton will be followed by a tour of Saga of a City by curators Bill Manson and Devin Therien at 1:00 pm.  Also as part of Doors Open Hamilton, enjoy a complimentary tour of our permanent collection exhibition offerings at 3:00pm. All activities and admission to Gallery Level 2 are free for Doors Open Hamilton.

Prudence Heward (1896-1947), At the Theatre 1928, oil on canvas, 101.6 x 101.6 cm, MMFA, purchase, Horsley and Annie Townsend Bequest Photo MMFA, Christine Guest

On Gallery Level 1, Mother’s day is also your last chance to see the highly acclaimed exhibition, 1920s Modernism in Montreal:  The Beaver Hall Group.  This exhibition brings together works from Montreal’s Beaver Hall Group.  Made up of some of Canada’s most avant-garde artists of the 1920s, this is one of the first exhibitions to chronicle their contribution to art history and the cultural history of Canada. Ticketed admission to Gallery Level 1 applies.

If you need a break from the exhibitions, the Horse and Train Bistro, located in the lobby of the AGH, is hosting a special Mother’s Day High Tea with seating on the hour between 1:00-4:00pm (book ahead to ensure space).  With a booking of four or more, Mom is free for tea! *One free mom per booking.

For something really special, make Mother’s Day last all year long by purchasing an AGH Gift Membership for Mom.  Starting as low as $40, AGH Membership lets Mom enjoy everything the AGH has to offer from this Mother’s Day right through to the next!  Also, if you purchase a Gift Membership before May 8, you have the option of purchasing a Sunday High Tea at the Horse and Train Bistro at a $10 discount! (High Tea must be purchased at the same time as gift membership to enjoy this special offer.)

Whether you are enjoying our exhibitions or shopping for Mom, the AGH is the place to be this Mother’s Day!

Bringing 1920s Modernism in Montreal: The Beaver Hall Group to Hamilton

It is a rare privilege for us to present some of the most exciting paintings made in Canada in the first half of the 20^th century. Ontarians have long known about their beloved Group of Seven — the men, the mythology and windswept canvases — but those of us who grew up in Quebec had a very different artistic touchstone and that, in part, is what makes this exhibition such a landmark undertaking. 1920s Modernism in Montreal: The Beaver Hall Group is the first exhibition devoted to Montreal’s Beaver Hall Group and levels, so to speak, the art historical playing field. As contemporaries of the Group of Seven (A.Y. Jackson was actually a member of both Groups), these painters and sculptors turned their brushes to portraits, genre scenes and village and urban life in a vibrant counterpoint to the Group of Seven. And so, when the exhibition was offered to us several years ago, we jumped at the chance to present this landmark exhibition in Hamilton. But bringing over 100 art works doesn’t happen overnight – here are a few behind-the-scenes photos of how the paintings moved from galerie to gallery.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) sent the exhibition in four shipments with a total of 51 crates and 6 pallets of exhibition furniture! The crates came off the truck and directly into our newly painted exhibition spaces. We had to wait 24 hours before opening the crates in order to allow the paintings to adjust to the temperature in the space.

Art crates adjusting to the climate space before being unpacked.

Art crates adjusting to the climate space before being unpacked.

Uncrating the paintings took a few days as our team of preparators — Greg, Paula, Tina and Jay — and MMFA Head Technician Marcel Marcotte worked carefully and efficiently to get everything out of the crates and unwrapped.

There are procedures in place for unpacking artwork to reduce the possibility of damage.

Even the exhibition display cases had to be shipped and unpacked with care!

As paintings were unwrapped, our Collections Manager/Researcher Christine, began the painstaking task of examining each of the paintings and sculptures to ensure no damage or change to their condition had occurred while in transit.

With the works uncrated and laid out in a preliminary way, the curator of the exhibition Jacques Des Rochers, travelled to Hamilton to work on the installation. Exhibition layouts are always worked out in advance (you need to make sure the show will fit in the space!) but once you get the works in the gallery spaces, their placement often changes. Jacques and I worked together to finalize the layout.

There are many tiny details that need to be worked out, like the height at which the paintings will be hung. Every institution has its own standard and the AGH and MMFA have slightly different approaches. Jacques and I debated the merits of 58” inches versus 60” to centre. Guess who won?

By Friday afternoon the show is almost ready ….

Paula installs the exhibition title lettering.

Tobi and Tina discuss the placement of the labels

Please come celebrate with us tomorrow for our Opening or be sure to come and see this amazing exhibition while at the AGH (closing May 8). You won’t be disappointed!

– Tobi Bruce, Director of Exhibitions and Collections & Senior Curator

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1920s Modernism in Montreal: The Beaver Hall Group is organized by the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts