Thunder Bay Art Gallery brings Virginia McCoy’s art home in retrospective exhibition

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay Art Gallery held the opening reception for the Holding Up Our Sky: Virginia McCoy, A Retrospective and Homecoming | Gaa’ishpinung giizhikong: Virginia McCoy, ga’giiwe ganawabanjigadeg ego gabigiiwej exhibition on October 10. The Holding Up Our Sky | Gaa’ishpinung giizhikong retrospective exhibition, which runs from October 10 to January 3, features more than 50 of McCoy’s original paintings.

“It’s such a legacy that she’s left to her family and to the community of Fort William First Nation and really telling that story of our history at Fort William First Nation,” says Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon. “It really speaks to the story of a lot of Indigenous people at that time and being disconnected from their families and communities, so the history of colonialism if you will in paintings.”

Elysia Lone Elk, whose mother, Celina McCoy Reitberger, was a cousin of McCoy’s, says they had family who attended the exhibition opening from across the country.

“As Frank, her husband, mentioned, this was Virginia’s dream come true,” Lone Elk says. “She left Fort William First Nation, and she was living in Inverness, Nova Scotia and she always had the dream of bringing her art here to a gallery, so we did that for her here today.”

Margaret Briden, a cousin of McCoy’s, says the exhibition opening was amazing, noting that she wanted to thank the Thunder Bay Art Gallery and her cousins McCoy Reitberger and Lone Elk for organizing the exhibition.

“Not only have they brought all her paintings here [for] the showcase where she wanted it to be back home, but by doing this and organizing it they have brought their cousins and all their relations from across Canada together, which is a gift,” Briden says.

Stacey McEachern, a niece of McCoy’s, says there were a lot of family stories depicted in the exhibition.

“There’s a lot of family stories here and I feel her presence,” McEachern says. “It’s kind of emotional, so full-bodied experience and connection — auntie did a lot of work and touched a lot of people with her stories.”

Susan Reitberger Vercouteren, a niece of McCoy Reitberger’s, says the exhibition opening was fabulous.

“I think the artwork is stunning,” Vercouteren says. “Dad has a piece or two, and we’ve seen it and known about it forever, so it’s wonderful to see it all together.”

Matthew Hills, Executive Director at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, says they were thrilled to be presenting McCoy’s work in the exhibition.

“This was an artist who, for a long time, had their work overlooked and under examined,” Hills says. “It’s kind of amazing to look at her career achievements over a lifetime and see all this incredible work, so I hope members of the public can come out and see it. It’s on until the new year and it’s a fantastic exhibition.”

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery also has a large-scale mural painting by Norval Morrisseau, which measures 22 feet long by 9.4 feet high, and is on exhibition until January 3. The painting, which had not been viewed by the public since 1986 and is on loan from EA Studios Calgary, was unveiled on September 18.

“Norval Morrisseau is widely regarded as the Mishomis or grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada,” Hills says. “The impact he left on Canadian and international art is tremendous. This masterwork reflects that significance, in both scale and history. The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is grateful to serve our community in presenting this epic work for the first time in over 40 years. Thank you to Joseph Helmy for presenting us with the opportunity to showcase this masterpiece in the region Morrisseau called home.”