From June 10-15, 2024, six artists will join muralist Gerry Lantaigne to create original
murals inspired by and celebrating the work of Emily Carr. The murals will be painted
outdoors in Downtown Huntsville’s River Mill Park. Each one will be painted on the
underside of a canoe and will incorporate and take inspiration from a painting by Emily
Carr. The canoes will then be exhibited for free in the park until the fall of 2024. After
their exhibition, they will be included in future editions of the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle
Art Auction which raises thousands of dollars for Ontario arts & culture organizations.
Through these activities, the murals will be seen by tens of thousands, and will raise
funds for Ontario’s art & cultural community.
The deadline for submissions is May 17, 2024. Through the application process,
artists will be asked to identify which Emily Carr painting they would like to feature in
their mural. Selected artists will then work with Artist Gerry Lantaigne to choose a
painting by their preferred artist to work with. Each artist will be provided with a canoe,
paint (we use oil based marine paint) and a $1000 honorarium, and support as needed
on working with the paint and canoe medium.
Artists can submit their applications HERE.
The Huntsville Canoe Mural Project began in 2020 as a celebration of the 100th
anniversary of the Group of Seven’s first show. Huntsville artist Gerry Lantaigne, known
for his work on the Group of 7 Outdoor Gallery, was commissioned to create 7 murals,
each one celebrating one of the members of the Group of Seven Artists. Since then,
each year, six local artists have joined Gerry Lantaigne to create 7 new canoe murals
featuring the work of famed artist Tom Thomson and the members of the Group of
Seven. This year HFA is pleased to highlight the work of Emily Carr who, along with the
Group of Seven, spearheaded Canada’s modern art movement. A truly Canadian
project, the murals celebrate the roles of these pivotal Canadian artists, and of the
canoe in shaping Canada’s national identity. Over the past four years, the canoes
included in the Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Auction have helped to raise over
$45,000 for a number of local Arts & Cultural Organizations
