The Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HfA) is seeking submissions for the third annual Group of Seven Canoe Mural Project.
From June 21-26, 2022, six artists will join muralist Gerry Lantaigne to create original murals inspired by and celebrating the work of the Group of Seven Painters. The murals will be painted en plein air 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 one of the members of the group. The canoes will then be exhibited for free in the park until the fall of 2022 and will be included in the ECLIPSE Light Walk at Muskoka Heritage Place throughout the winter. After their exhibition, they will be included in the 2023 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 27, 2022. Through the application process, artists will be asked to identify which Group of Seven artist 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.
“This is a project that has evolved out of the pandemic.” says Dan Watson, Executive Director of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts. “With the shut down of live concerts and events in 2020, we got creative, imagining how we could continue bringing art and creativity into public spaces. The canoe murals were a response to a very dark time. We have been overwhelmed by the popularity with visitors and the stunning art that was created by our local artists.”
The Group of Seven 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. In 2021, six local artists joined Gerry Lantaigne to create 7 new canoe murals, this time featuring the work of famed artist Tom Thomson. A truly Canadian project, the murals celebrate the role of the Group of Seven & Tom Thomson and the canoe in shaping Canada’s national identity. The original canoes were included in the 2021 Algonquin Outfitters Paddle Art Auction helping to raise over $25,000 for a number of local Arts & Cultural Organizations.
This project is sponsored by Algonquin Outfitters and made possible through the generous support of the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association, the Downtown Huntsville BIA and community partner the Town of Huntsville. It is one of the thirty different projects and events that marks the Huntsville Festival of the Arts’ 30th anniversary summer season.
For more information, please contact 705-788-2787 or e-mail dan@huntsvillefestival.ca