Undocumented Studies, Evelyn McBryan, Sketches from The Permanent Collection.
Co-curated by Manar Abo Touk and Jamie-Lee Cormier
June 30, 2022 - February 26, 2023.
The works in this exhibition showcase a series of these explorations from an undocumented collection of studies by the great, Evy Hook Newton/McBryan.
The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie’s Permanent Collection is home to many artworks in various mediums. Throughout their creative process, artists often spend time on studies in the form of drawings and sketches before creating their masterpieces. The works in this exhibition will showcase a collection of these explorations from an undocumented collection of studies by the great, Evy Hook Newton/McBryan.
Evelyn (Evy) McBryan settled in Grande Prairie after she moved to Alberta with her family in 1918. At the start of her career, she studied art from and with Euphemia McNaught, and later continued her education at the Vancouver School of Art in 1936. Alongside Euphemia McNaught, the two were commissioned in 1942 to document the building of the Alaska Highway through their art, marking an important time for the region through art history. Evelyn spent her life focusing on making the arts visible in the country of the Peace and continued to advocate for the industry through serving on the Provincial Board of Culture and the Visual Arts Board in 1960. For Grande Prairie she became the Arts and Crafts Coordinator for the City of Grande Prairie. She continued advocating for the arts in the region as she was appointed to the Alberta Art Foundation Board in 1973, where she established a school exhibition program and was responsible for organizing the Peace Regions Arts Council.
In 1976 Mrs McBryan received the prestigious Alberta Achievement Award for her contributions to the province and on her death in 1985, the Prairie Art Gallery dedicated a room in her honour. After re-tiring from all the boards and committee work, Evy continued with her own artwork. Her last one-woman show was at the Prairie Art Gallery in October 1982; and her last exhibit was held in Beaverlodge, where she had studied with Euphemia McNaught, in the spring of 1983. Evelyn McBryan died in Grande Prairie at age 74 on October 19, 1985. In …. The estate donated a collection of her amazing works to the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, which through this exhibition we are proud to share her exploration story through her artworks as she spent her time studying and creating and documenting landscapes, nature and wildlife, figures, and still life.
