Doris McCarthy: New Light
This exhibition explores the life and work of Doris McCarthy, an iconic landscape artist from Scarborough.
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Doris McCarthy: New Light, Public History nominee, 2025 Heritage Toronto Awards, June 3, 2024. Image by Toni Hafkenscheid.
Doris McCarthy: New Light, Public History nominee, 2025 Heritage Toronto Awards, June 15, 2024. Image by Peppercorn Imagine.
Project Lead: Carly Wolowich
Date of Release: May 11, 2024
‘New Light’ was an exhibition focused on the life and work of the late, Scarborough-based artist and writer Doris McCarthy (1910–2010). It was presented at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, the professional, contemporary art gallery located on the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, from May – July 2024. Uniting artwork and archival material, the exhibition lauded McCarthy’s artistic capabilities and asserted the enduring relevance of her work.
Comprising more than 50 works by McCarthy, the exhibition provided insights into Fool’s Paradise, her beloved home on the Scarborough Bluffs, and the land around her in Scarborough. From there, the journey expanded to McCarthy’s travels across Canada and to destinations as far as New Zealand and China. Central here was McCarthy’s emotive and eminently humanistic approach to capturing place, over time. Often against considerable odds, McCarthy broke new ground in the longstanding tradition of landscaping painting, both in her stance as compassionate protector of the natural world and in her creation of art that is personal and original. McCarthy’s curiosity and dedication to learning were revealed through glimpses into her studio process, where she experimented with new styles and techniques. Throughout her career of more than 80 years, McCarthy ardently shared her wonder in the world, and was steadfastly committed to rendering it in a new light.
‘New Light’ was part of The Doris McCarthy Gallery’s 20th anniversary programming, a celebration of the gallery’s two decades of exhibitions, programs, and community-building in Scarborough.
Additional Project Members:
‘New Light’ was made possible with the support of the Doris McCarthy Gallery team:
Ann MacDonald (Executive Director/Chief Curator)
Tammy Law (Interim Collections Coordinator)
Erin Peck (Exhibitions & Programming Coordinator)
Erin Szikora (Interim Curator)
Helen Su (Finance and Operations Coordinator)
The project’s Educator-in-Residence was Myuri Srikugan. The exhibition was skillfully installed by preparators Sam Cotter and Darren Rigo, and documented by Toni Hafkenscheid.