Dear Editor
Thank you so much for bringing attention to the upcoming exhibit about a long-forgotten
Meaford icon in the article "Celebrating a Meaford Gem"....Frederick Stanley Haines (1879-1960), artist, mentor and compatriot of the Group of Seven....a young man from Meaford!! His art can truly be said to be the epitome of his rural roots. His mentorship to fellow artists, students and the public ranks high in the annals of the history of the Canadian art world. But who knows Fred today?
If anyone takes a look at the current issue of Arabella magazine (available at Chapters and Indigo in Canada and Barnes & Noble in the USA), one can get a glimpse of the man and his life. The next issue will contain Part 2 of his story, one in a series of artists forgotten by time. The series is titled "Genius Overlooked" by Christopher George.
Mr. George writes that the series is "dedicated to artists such as Haines because some redress needs to be made for artist of their calibre. These are artists who have been buried historically and largely ignored monetarily by the buying public". Part 2 will look at "the possible reasons for the huge, and in my mind, unjust discrepancies in the way some artists are celebrated and others, such as Haines, have fallen through the cracks"
Last year some folks in the Meaford community thought the same, so endeavoured to mount this upcoming commerative exhibition in order to celebrate Haines' art and work. A volunteer group was formed and the culminating exhibit will take place at the local high school, the museum and Meaford Hall Galleries in September.
The volunteer group has been very happy to be working with major cultural institutions that will be loaning works of Fred S. Haines: The Tom Thomson Gallery, The Ontario College of Art & Design, Peel Heritage Complex, Orillia Museum of Art & History, the Dufferin County Museum. Local private collectors have also come forth with pieces.
As well, a special collaberation with the John A. Libby Gallery of Toronto will enable the public to not only view some additional thirty works but these will also be offered for sale, releasing them from the Libby family's private collection.
The dedication and hopes of the volunteer group putting on this exhibition could not have come to fruition without the financial and in-kind contributions from The Meaford Apple Harvest Craft Show, The Rotary Club of Meaford, The Municipality of Meaford, The Woman's Art Association of Canada and the John A. Libby Gallery.
Hope everyone will join us in September to celebrate the life and times of Meaford's own Fred S. Haines.
Kerry Riley
Heritage Meaford ACO
Fred S. Haines Commerative Exhibition Volunteer Committee
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