Maritime art association canada

Founded in 1935 by Walter Abell a professor at Acadia University (Wolfville, Nova Scotia) and the MAA???s first President and by Harry McCurry assistant director of the National Gallery of Canada, it had funding by the Carnegie Corporation. The Maritime Art Association's stated intentions were: (1) to carry out promotional and educational activities in the Canadian maritime provinces (east coast), (2) to increase the general public's knowledge and appreciation of art, and (3) to encourage art activities by uniting all interested groups and individuals. Throughout its existence the primary activity of the MAA involved the organization and circulation of exhibitions. It organized an annual traveling exhibition of its members' works, as well as bringing in exhibitions from galleries and associations outside the region ??? such as the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Society of Painter-Etchers & Engravers. Additional activities included the publication of the magazine "Maritime Arts" in the early 1940's (it became ???Canadian Art Magazine in 1943, artscanada in 1967 and ceased publishing in 1983), and the book "Maritime Artists Vol.1" in 1967 (a proposed second volume never made it past the planning stage). By the 1960's, with a number of artists and gallery administrators critical of the quality of some of the work in MAA exhibitions, the debate arose as to what facet of the artistic community the Association should represent. In 1980 the executive stated its intention to represent the interests of working professional artists throughout the entire Atlantic region. The Association appears to have folded at that point. Its artist members included: Miller Gore Brittain, Elizabeth Styring Nutt, Dorothy Oxborough, and Leroy Judson Zwicker. Sources: Archives Canada; National Gallery of Canada; Denis Longchamps, Administrator at The Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Institute for Studies in Canadian Art, Concordia University; and ???The History of Painting in Canada??? (1974), by Barry Lord (see AskART book references). Prepared and contributed by M.D. Silverbrooke.