Early Days (Hardcover)

Winner of the 2023 Canadian Museum Association award for Outstanding Achievement in Research

A landmark publication bringing together more than seventy voices illuminating the rich array of Indigenous art held by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

Under the editorial direction of Anishinaabe artist and scholar Bonnie Devine, Early Days gathers the insights of myriad Indigenous cultural stakeholders, informing us on everything from goose hunting techniques, to the history of Northwest Coast mask making, to the emergence of the Woodland style of painting and printmaking, to the challenges of art making in the Arctic, to the latest developments in contemporary art by Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island.

Splendidly illustrated, Early Days not only tells the story of a leading collection but traces the emergence and increasing participation of many Indigenous artists in the contemporary art world. This publication will be the largest in the history of the McMichael, and represents a vital acknowledgment of the place of Indigenous art and ways of knowing in global art history.

Featured contributors: Barry Ace, Pierre Aupilardjuk, Leland Bell, Dempsey Bob, Violet Chum, Hannah Claus, Dana Claxton, Taa.uu ‘Tuuwans Nika Collison, Alan Ojiig Corbiere, Marcia Crosby, Ruth Cuthand, Mique'l Dangeli, Sarah Florence Davidson, Robert Davidson, Blake Debassige, Bonnie Devine, Tarralik Duffy, Norma Dunning, David Garneau, John Geoghegan, Janice Grey, Haay'uups (Ron Hamilton), Jim Hart, Emma Hassencahl-Perley, Emily Henderson, Lynn Hill, Richard William Hill, Maria Hupfield, Heather Igoliorte, Luis Jacob, Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, William Kingfisher, Jessica Kotierk, Robin Laurence, Duane Linklater, Ange Loft, Tanya Lukin Linklater, Jean Marshal, Michael Massie, Kaitlin McCormick, Gerald McMaster, Ossie Michelin, Sarah Milroy, Antoine Mountain, Nadia Myre, Wanda Nanibush, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Ruth B. Phillips, Jocelyn Piirainen, Ryan Rice, Carmen Robertson, Paul Seesequasis, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Wedlidi Speck, Michelle Sylliboy, Snxakila Clyde Tallio, Drew Hayden Taylor, Nakkita Trimble, Jesse Tungilik, Camille Georgeson-Usher, William Wasden Jr., Jordan Wilson, Jessica Winters.

Bonnie Devine is an installation artist, educator, and writer. An off-reserve member of the Genaabaajing Anishinaabek (Serpent River First Nation) on the north shore of Lake Huron, Devine explores issues of land, environment, treaty, history, and narrative. Though she holds degrees from both the Ontario College of Art and Design University and York University, Devine’s most enduring learning came from her grandparents, who were trappers on the Canadian Shield in Northern Ontario. In 2014 and 2015 she installed Battle for the Woodlands at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her recent exhibitions include the touring show La Rabida, Soul of Conquest: an Anishinaabe encounter curated by the Art Gallery of Peterborough (2018–22), The Gift at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (2022), and From Water to Water: A Way Through the Trees at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (2022–23). Recent public acknowledgements of Devine’s practice include a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award and OCAD U’s Award for Distinguished Research and Creative Activity in 2019, as well as a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2021.

Sarah Milroy is Chief Curator at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. The former editor and publisher of Canadian Art magazine, she served as lead art critic of the Globe and Mail from 2001 to 2011. In 2014, she and Ian A.C. Dejardin curated From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK, followed by Vanessa Bell (2017) and David Milne: Modern Painting (2018). Since coming to the McMichael in 2018, Milroy has curated over twenty exhibitions, including Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment (2021–22), Generations: The Sobey Family and Canadian Art (2022), Dempsey Bob: In His Own Voice (with Curtis Collins) (2022–24), Wanda Koop: Lightworks (2022), Gathie Falk: Revelations (2022–24) and Rajni Perera: Futures (2022-24). Milroy was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2020.

John Geoghegan is a curator and writer from Hamilton, Ontario, currently based in Toronto. John joined the McMichael as associate curator, collections and research, in 2022 and has contributed to several McMichael publications, including Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment (2021), Elisapee Ishulutaq: My World (2022), and Gathie Falk: Revelations (2022). He holds an MA in art history from York University and is a former senior editor of Inuit Art Quarterly.