When I was a child, I had a book about three characters that visited various sites around Ontario. These included places such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, Metro Toronto Zoo, Niagara Falls, etc. I always thought that it would be amazing to explore Ontario and visit these spots. One of the places that it mentioned was the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. An art museum of pieces by Canadian artists such as the famous Group of Seven. I recently had the pleasure of performing there for a private event by MPI Toronto Chapter. Although, I performed inside, I would love to visit it again as outside on the grounds there are several sculptures made out of various materials (bronze, steel, concrete, sandstone, limestone, and many more).
One of the best moments was when I was in the meeting house, a log cottage close to the gallery, I spotted a familiar image and said to myself, “This is Emily Carr’s work!”. I remember reading about her in grade four. Her work was inspired by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific North Coast.
What a full circle moment. I love how the steelpan is taking me to places I once read about as a child.
Special thanks to Entertainment Specialist Carol Priest for inviting me to be a part of this superb event.
