Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  What came first, the Chicken or the Dog? In the case of Canadian art expert Chris Finn and myself, it was the pigeon. It was 1970—way back in my second year at the University of Windsor. I picked up a gig to pose for a sculpture class for a whole semester. I needed the money. The class of about 12 undergraduate Fine Arts students had a choice: sculpt me or a live pigeon (I lied about the chicken). Everyone picked me. Only Chris Finn picked the bird. Probably a wise choice. The next year, my wife and I moved to Toronto. I got my degree in Journalism and didn’t see Chris again until I got some part-time work at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. It was 1999, and I kept the gig for 16 years. Small world—Chris was the resident expert there on Canadian Art. I promoted a number of shows he was involved in. No end of fun, no end of pigeon jokes. I moved on and took on some work with the Brampton Art Gallery after that. Chris eventually retired from the McMichael and moved back to hi...

Weir Facebook Posting: Sad News From Eastern Canada  - Artist Molly Bobak Has Died Canadian Press is reporting the death of East Coast artist, 95-year old, Molly Bobak.  Mrs. Bobak was the first female Canadian war artist and had a long successful career as an artist in New Brunswick.  There were 32 official war artists in World War II and she was the last surviving member of that group .  Born in British Columbia, she made a name for herself in Atlantic Canada. I took the above picture of Molly and her late husband, artist Bruno Bobak, in the Founders'Lounge a few years ago at the McMichael Canadian Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario.  The couple had travelled to Toronto to see Bruno's exhibition at the McMike.

Stephen Weir HUFFINGTON POST RAN THIS EDITED VERSION OF A BLOG POSTING ON JANUARY 14th . How Steve Jobs Transformed PR    Huffington Post 1.14.2012      See the full length blog at: http://20minutesoffame.blogspot.com/2011/09/was-it-only-year-ago-that-you-never-saw.html Last month when the Ontario Science Centre (OSC) held a media launch for an exhibition of miniature working models of some of Leonardo da Vinci's greatest inventions, Massimiliano Lisa, curator of the traveling show, dedicated the day to the memory of Steven Job. Lisa (no relation to Mona) compared the game changing genius of Da Vinci to the intellect of the recently deceased head of Apple. The room full of science geeks agreed with the visiting curator. Little did they know how much Jobs has changed how PR people like me stage media events -- including the event they were at. In the old days -- a year ago -- there was a certain never-stray-from blue print for the physical...

. THE McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION www.mcmichael.com NEW EXHIBITION LISTING INFORMATION  The McMichael Tree Project                 January 28 to April 22, 2012                                                                                                This winter and spring, the McMichael celebrates the artistic, cultural,and natural aspects of the tree with two breathtaking exhibitions, a variety of  programs, and special  installations.  As part of this project, the McMichael presents the exhibition,  The Tree: Form  and Substance,  which provides an exciting  opportunity for us to connect the gallery's  interior spaces with our  newl...

. NEW BOOK, NEW WILDLIFE EXHIBITION FOR ONTARIO WILDLIFE ARTIST GEORGE McLEAN Toronto Sun photographer Andy Donato (right) chats to artist George McLean (left) at the Toronto launch of George McLean: The Living Landscape . The book, written by Virginia Eichhorn, Tom Smart and Adam Duncan Harris , was launched at the Ben McNally Bookstore in downtown Toronto. . McLean is one of Canada’s finest wildlife artist. His technical prowess, his affinity for his subject matter, and his densely layered depictions of the natural world emerge directly from his intense interest in wildlife. Now in his seventies, his passion for the creatures and the habitat that surrounds him is as intense as it ever was, as is his desire to share his passion with others through his art. In this new book, Tom Thomson Gallery curator Virginia Eichhorn, examines the development of McLean’s art and trace his varied influences, casting his work in the light of early 20th-century artists Carl Rungius , Bruno Liljefor...

The McMichael unveiled its plans to enhance the gallery grounds and build an outdoor Sculpture Garden featuring works by a well known Canadian artist Ivan Eyres at a media event early in September. Two of the large nine pieces that Ayres is donating have been cast and will soon be installed in Kleinburg. The remaining pieces will be cast over the next 18-months. The McMichael previously received confirmation on March 12, 2010 that the Federal and Provincial governments will contribute $4.2 million through the Infrastructure Stimulus Funding program to complete this major project. This money will be used to enhance the grounds of the public gallery. A fund raising project has been launched to cover the costs of installing Mr. Ayres work. CUTLINE: Upkar Arora, chair of the McMichael board of trustees, with from left, Michael Johnston, chair of the McMichael Foundation, Tom Smart, outgoing gallery executive director and board member David Loch. Three of nine maquettes created by Winnip...

McMichael Canadian Art Collection curator, Anna Stanisz beside the "Lone Figure", a carving from the new Nunannguaq: In the Likeness of the Earth exhibition Anna Stanisz is the curator of the new exhibition Nunannguaq: In the Likeness of the Earth now showing at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. This exhibition marks the fiftieth anniversary of the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative and celebrates the remarkable achievement of the internationally acclaimed artistic community of Cape Dorset (Kinngait). The show features a large selection of prints, drawings, and sculptures spanning three generations of Cape Dorset artists. Ms. Stanisz stands beside a stone sculpture(The Lone Figure, 2006) carved by Jutai Toonoo. The new exhibition Nunannguaq: In the Likeness of the Earth will be on display at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario until January 17, 2010. The gallery is open 7-days a week from 10am until 4pm. The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is located at 10365 Is...

Photos provided to Toronto Daily Newspaper First West Coast Totem Pole Raised At An Ontario Public Institution in Decades Haida artist and carver Don Yeomans stands beside his totem pole outside the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The 1,000 lb red cedar carving was delivered today to the public gallery in Kleinburg and installed in the building's lobby. Don Yeomans is one of the most highly respected artists on the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Also pictured above is the20ft totem being raised inside the gallery. A gantry lifts Don Yeomans totem pole upright inside the McMichael Canadian Art Collection lobby in Kleinburg, Ontario. The west coast artist and carver oversaw the installation. The gallery, with funding provided by the McMichael Canadian Art Foundation, commissioned the full-scale totem pole by this artist to create a new, unique piece for the Collection that will remain on permanent view in the gallery’s Grand Hall. On the totem pole, Yeomans uses traditio...

. Early version of a piece written for Sunwings' inflight magazine, summer 2009 edition There is a myth about Canadians that just won’t go away. It says that we are a nation of hewers of wood and drawers of water. Truth is, most Canucks live in urban communities within 150kms of the American border, our trees are for shade and the water comes right out of the tap. A visit to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario (just north of the City of Toronto) shows, however, that the myth has done some good things for the country. The publicly owned gallery is the only major art gallery in the country that solely collects and exhibits Canadian Art, and its most prized works were created by the Group of Seven, painters who painted the myth! In 1920, seven artists – Lawren Harris, J.E.H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston, Franklin Carmichael and A.Y. Jackson – decided, for the first time, to exhibit as the Group of Seven. The Group’s first exhib...