Exhibition will look at work of area artist and author

Darlene Wroe

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

TEMISKAMING SHORES - A retrospective exhibition of the art works of the late Muriel E. Newton-White will be showing at the Temiskaming Art Gallery (TAG) in Haileybury from May 21 to July 5.

Newton-White is remembered by many as a prolific artist and author, creating many beloved children’s books that she illustrated and often lettered, as well as paintings and drawings depicting the Northern landscape that she loved.

Newton-White lived mainly in the Charlton and Englehart area from 1924 to 2011, and dedicated herself to her art and writing, as well as her church.

Now, her legacy of works will be the subject of a TAG exhibition curated by Felicity Buckell titled Muriel E. Newton-White - Quiet Living, Close Looking: the life and work of an unsung artist of the North | Une présence paisible: la vie et l'œuvre d'une artiste méconnue du Nord.

The exhibition will reflect on the works and life of Newton-White who "lived quietly, and always close to the natural world - observing and capturing the beauty of her surroundings in drawings, paintings and in books over the course of her life," Buckell stated in a media release.

The exhibition will feature a selection of works and artefacts from the permanent collection of the Temiskaming Art Gallery, as well as loans from private and public collections across Ontario.

BACKHOUSES OF THE NORTH

"Well-known for her children’s books and internationally renowned for her humorous Backhouses of the North which sold over 100,000 copies, Muriel E. Newton-White was also a skilled painter, trained at the Ontario College of Art (now OCAD University) by members and contemporaries of the Group of Seven. She worked in oil, watercolour, egg tempera, and India ink. Northern Ontario landscapes were by far her most common, and favourite, subject – with flowers a close second," Buckell continued.

"Muriel Newton-White exhibited at galleries across the region, including the Temiskaming Art Gallery, the Englehart and Area Museum, and the Timmins Museum and National Exhibition Centre. Her work now hangs in private, corporate, and government collections across North America, in New Zealand, Great Britain, and Europe," she concluded.

An opening reception will be held at TAG on Sunday, May 26, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Following the exhibition at the gallery, the show will travel in the fall to the Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre.

Buckell expressed thanks to the Englehart and Area Historical Museum, Laura’s Art Shoppe, the Haileybury Heritage Museum, the Cobalt Historical Society, White Mountain Publications, and friends, family, and collectors who have contributed artworks, books, photographs, and stories about the author and artist.

She noted that the project has been made possible through these contributions, with funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Museum Assistance Program, le Centre culturel ARTEM, and through broad community support.

The Temiskaming Art Gallery will be sharing exhibition highlights on its Facebook page in the weeks ahead.

For more information, contact Felicity Buckell at fbuckell@temiskamingartgallery.ca.

Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker