Emily Carr on Haida Gwaii

Course description

Emily Carr travelled to Haida Gwaii twice: first in 1912 and then again in 1928. Both trips resulted in a large and distinct body of work: watercolours and oils of individual poles, people and villages of Haida Gwaii. The changes and development in Carr's style and the context for the creation of her work will be a focus of this course. Many of Carr's stories, some of which were published in her award-winning book, Klee Wyck, will also be part of the course.

In our study of Emily Carr's work on and about Haida Gwaii we will also consider Haida Gwaii culture, historically and in Emily Carr's lifetime. Why did she travel where and when she did? What meaining is contained in the visual records of her sketching trips and the resulting finished works? Who did she meet and what were her experiences? These are some of the themes of this 6-week course. Each lecture will incorporate many examples of Carr's work in public and private collections.