Archives of Ontario - A Celebration of Ontario Artists

In January of this year, artists from across the province were invited to participate in a juried exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Archives of Ontario. Over 250 entries were received from more than 150 artists.

From the submissions the jury selected thirty-four works for the exhibition: A Celebration of Ontario Artists which was displayed at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto from May 27 to June 21, 2003.

Click to see a larger image (78K)
Rowley Murphy painting at Hanlan's Point
Toronto Island,1900
Photographer unknown
Rowley Murphy collection.
Glass plate negative
Reference Code: C 59-1-0-22-2
Archives of Ontario, I0002463

At the exhibition's official opening on Thursday, May 29, 2003, the following winners of Purchase Awards were announced:

David Carlin (North Bay)
Lake Spirit, Paddle Spirit, 2002
mixed media painting

David Griffin (Pickering)
Fry, 2003
oil on wood panel

Piera Pugliese (Toronto)
Balsam Lake, 2002
oil, pastel, acrylic on canvas

These three pieces have been purchased by the Archives for the Government of Ontario Art Collection, renewing a tradition of collecting that spans almost 150 years.

The Government of Ontario Art Collection, started in 1856 by Egerton Ryerson, currently numbers almost 2,500 original works of historical and contemporary art, located in more than thirty government buildings throughout the province.

During the early days of the collection, new works were purchased from the annual exhibitions of the fledgling Ontario Society of Artists. Although this initiative ceased in the years around 1914, the collection continued to grow through the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the government commissioned works of official portraiture in recognition of its own history; a tradition which continues today. More recently, policies recognizing the benefits of art in government buildings have resulted in the acquisition of contemporary works through the Art in Architecture Programme (1966-1995). As well, significant donations to the collection have also added new images reflecting the province’s history and landscape.

The three-person jury for A Celebration of Ontario Artists was comprised of artist, Doris McCarthy, Dale Barrett, Director of the John B. Aird Gallery, and Gillian Reddyhoff, Curator of the Government of Ontario Art Collection.

Representing the artistic activity that flourishes throughout Ontario in places as diverse as North Bay, Peterborough, Oshawa, Kitchener, Parry Sound, Kingston, Stouffville, Penetanguishine, Toronto, Simcoe and Ottawa, etc., the artists and their media are:

Photography

Gill Alkin

Works on paper

Mixed media works

Oils and acrylics

Stone

Tiffany Dawn Waddleton

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Page Two:

About the Picture

The Image used to create the graphic above is from the Ontario Society of Artists fonds.

This group of records was acquired by the Archives of Ontario in two separate donations, one in March of 1965 and the second in August of 1972.

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First Exhibition, Fraser's Gallery, King St. West, 1873
Ontario Society of Artists fonds
Black and white print
Reference Code: F 1140-7-0-3-3
Archives of Ontario, I0010326

Black and White image The First Exhibition held at Frasers Gallery on King Street in Toronto, 1873

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Personal information provided to the Archives through this request will be used only to respond to requests. This information is collected under the authority of the Archives and Recordkeeping Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, chapter 34, Schedule A.
Questions about the collection of this information should be directed to: Team Leader, Strategic Business Solutions, Archives of Ontario, 77 Grenville St. Toronto, ON, M5S 1B3, 416-327-1527.