About Footprints: The Legacy of The Group of Seven 

In the late 1970s, Jim and Sue Waddington saw A.Y. Jackson’s painting Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake) at the McMichael. The experience launched a thirty-year odyssey they never imagined.

Impressed by the artwork, they decided to visit the real Nellie Lake, in Killarney Provincial Park, to find Jackson’s inspiration.

One afternoon, while hiking and picking blueberries, they found the exact spot, with the exact view, that Jackson had captured in his famous canvas.

Pleased with their success, the Waddingtons decided to look for other views captured by Jackson and his friends. To date, they’ve located 160 Group of Seven sketching sites.

FootPrints: The Legacy of the Group of Seven, inspired by Jim and Sue’s story of cultural discovery, is a documentary and historical resource, an interactive social networking site, and an educational tool.

Here you can explore six different Adventures to experience the Waddingtons’ extraordinary quest and read the story of the Group of Seven. Get involved by checking out the teaching resources and learning about new ideas in Education, or research the McMichael’s extensive Collection Database. Make history by sharing your own stories about art and creativity using the Community message board.

Explore FootPrints. Get involved. Make history.

Credits

  • Video Interviewees

    • Jim and Sue Waddington

      Jim and Sue Waddington

  • Audio Interviewees

    • Chuck Miller

      Chuck Miller, Superintendant, Killarney Provincial Park

    • David Sproule

      David Sproule, Natural Heritage Education Specialist, Ontario Parks

    • Esther Osche

      Esther Osche, Historian and storyteller, White Fish River First Nation, Birch Island, Ontario

    • Jon Butler

      Jon Butler, Photographer

    • Kris Puhvel

      Kris Puhvel, Executive Director, Friends of Killarney Provincial Park

    • Paul Gauthier

      Paul Gauthier, Artist

  • Executive Producer

    • Tom Smart, Executive Director, McMichael Canadian Art Collection

  • Presenting Sponsor

    • We acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy

  • Writer and Director

    • Scott McDonald, Director, Education and Programs

  • McMichael Canadian Art Collection Staff

    • Alex Meadu, Director, Operations
    • Connie Febbraro, Associate Director, Marketing and Communications
    • Cris Gheorghiu, Technical Support Analyst
    • Jane Cathers, Coordinator, eShop and Wholesale Sales
    • Janine Butler, Registrar
    • Linda Morita, Librarian/Archivist
    • Lorena Jurdana, Associate Preparator
    • Mary Benvenuto, Director, Finance and Human Resources
    • Peter Ross, Director, Development, Marketing and Communications
    • Rachel Brodie, Registrar, Special Projects
    • Scott McDonald, Director, Education and Programs
    • Sharona Adamowicz-Clements, Assistant Curator, Collections
    • Tim Savary, Guide Supervisor
    • Tom Smart, Executive Director

  • Video - Audio Production

    • David Tarnow, Documentary and Multimedia Producer
    • Barbara Arsenault, Videographer
    • Danny Winchester, Cameraman
    • Doug Wright, Audio Mixer
    • J. Joseph Weadick, Video Editor
    • Krystyna Henke, Photographer

  • Multimedia Production

    • Ecentricarts
    • Michel Blondeau, Creative Director
    • Amber Lin, Producer
    • Leslie Horan, Art Director
    • Fisseha Mengistu, Lead Developer
    • Mark Staplehurst, Developer
    • Antonio Deluca, Developer
    • Shawn Andrews, Developer
    • Jarlen Caden, Production Support
    • Kim Collins, Production Support

  • Copy Editing & Translation

    • Alain Thomas, Associate Professeur of French Studies, University of Guelph
    • Laurel Boone, English language copy editor

  • Contractors

    • Corrinne Fairbanks
    • David Milne, Milne Studios
    • Gallery Systems
    • Larry Ostrom, Ostrom Photography
    • Toronto Image Works
    • Ward Walters, Donway Graphics Ltd.

  • Production Consultants

    • Malcolm Stanley, Strategic Solutions: Web strategy and concept development
    • Tom Smart, Executive Director and CEO, McMichael: Curatorial content

  • Acknowledgements

    • Clark Hooton, Archival photos
    • John Bull
    • Kerry Butler
    • Killarney Mountain Lodge
    • Art Gallery of Hamilton
    • National film board of canada
      • Art McGregor, Elder, White Fish River First Nation, Birch Island, Ontario
      • Estate of A. Y. Jackson
      • Estate of Arthur Lismer
      • Shelley Falconer
      • Varley Art Gallery of Markham
      • National Film Board of Canada
      • National Gallery of Canada

  • Reference Material

    • Jean Blodgett et al., “Arthur Lismer: 1885-1969,” in The McMichael Canadian Art Collection. Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection; Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1989.
    • Terry Fenton and Karen Wilkin, Modern Painting in Canada: A Survey of Major Movements in Twentieth Century Canadian Art. Edmonton: Edmonton Art Gallery, 1978.
    • J. Russell Harper, Painting in Canada: A History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.
    • Charles Hill, The Group of Seven: Art for a Nation. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada, 1995.
    • A.Y. Jackson, A Painter’s Country: The Autobiography of A.Y. Jackson. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1958; rpt 1967.
    • Dennis Reid, ed., Tom Thomson. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario; Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada; Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 2002.
    • National Film Board, Canadian Landscape. 1941.