Canoe
A Collection of Canadian Art
Will be published approx. on 22. September 2026
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-1-77327-294-8 (ISBN)
Description
A tribute to the iconic watercraft—an enduring symbol of national identity—as depicted through 200 years of Canadian art.
With its origins in commerce and Indigenous culture, and its status as a modern cultural emblem, the canoe serves as a link between Canada’s rugged history and its contemporary character. Its humble and elegant form has long inspired artists to illustrate its journeys through waterways past and present, building a rich visual archive of the role the canoe played in shaping our nation and defining our spirit.
The McCreath Canoe Collection, catalogued in this beautifully designed volume, spans 200 years of artistic output, encompassing 90 works from all provinces and territories (except the Yukon Territory) and covering all three Canadian coasts. Canoe showcases paintings, sculpture, prints, carvings, glass, ceramics, and birch bark canoes by 50 historical and contemporary artists, including such luminaries as Alex Colville, David Milne, Cornelius Krieghoff, Frances Anne Hopkins, Ernest Lindner, Illingworth Kerr, and Walter Phillips. Each full-colour image is accompanied by thoughtful commentary about the work and artist.
Canoe celebrates the vessel that has come to occupy a unique and shifting place in our national imagination, and that persists as a symbol of artistic inspiration and environmental connection.
Selected works from the McCreath collection will be exhibited at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario in 2026–27.
With its origins in commerce and Indigenous culture, and its status as a modern cultural emblem, the canoe serves as a link between Canada’s rugged history and its contemporary character. Its humble and elegant form has long inspired artists to illustrate its journeys through waterways past and present, building a rich visual archive of the role the canoe played in shaping our nation and defining our spirit.
The McCreath Canoe Collection, catalogued in this beautifully designed volume, spans 200 years of artistic output, encompassing 90 works from all provinces and territories (except the Yukon Territory) and covering all three Canadian coasts. Canoe showcases paintings, sculpture, prints, carvings, glass, ceramics, and birch bark canoes by 50 historical and contemporary artists, including such luminaries as Alex Colville, David Milne, Cornelius Krieghoff, Frances Anne Hopkins, Ernest Lindner, Illingworth Kerr, and Walter Phillips. Each full-colour image is accompanied by thoughtful commentary about the work and artist.
Canoe celebrates the vessel that has come to occupy a unique and shifting place in our national imagination, and that persists as a symbol of artistic inspiration and environmental connection.
Selected works from the McCreath collection will be exhibited at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario in 2026–27.
More details
Persons
Anne Ewen is a curator, consultant, and author of numerous catalogues, books, and articles. She has curated numerous exhibitions for a host of institutions including the Glenbow Museum, the Art Gallery of Calgary, and the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. She has also taught museum courses at the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge. She is the recipient of many awards and honours including Honorary Member of the Alberta Society of Artists, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the Government of Alberta Centennial Medal, and the Alberta Museums Association’s Award of Merit and Outstanding Service Award. She lives Banff, Alberta.