Emily Carr House

Our thoughts and hearts are with our friends at Barkerville Historic Town & Park and Wells B.C.

Ross Bay Villa- meticulously cared for and interpreted to the highest heritage conservation standard. And still one of the most entertaining cultural places to visit.

Kilby Historic Site rocks the Emily Carr House vibe!

For two days only we will be having a live 50-minute performance about Emily Carr's life! This Friday and Saturday, come find out why she was beloved for more than just her art!

(This is included with regular admission!!! Don't miss out!)

This series of three books by author Laurie Carter still ranks in my top picks of well researched, well written and well illustrated works on Emily Carr. So fortunate that Laurie became a friend as well as a colleague. If you are interested in Emily Carr these books are must haves.

Throwback Thursday: Nine years since the debut of Emily Carr’s BC: Vancouver Island. In its second printing, I’m now at the point of having to decide on a third printing — or a new edition for next year — 10th Anniversary. I would love to be able to go back and revisit all the locations, but that’s not in the cards. Tough decisions. Thoughts? —

Emily continues her legacy of inspiration!

We're heading to Victoria for day #4 of Historic Places Days. Emily Carr paid $900 for a plot of land on Victoria Avenue in 1913, and according to a story built the cottage “nail by nail” with the help of “one old carpenter.” After a bit of digging it turns out the carpenter was Thomas Cattarall, who built Craigdarroch for the Dunsmuir family and worked on Hatley Castle. In 1995, new owners wanted to build a house on the property but didn’t want to destroy the little cottage. Terry Tallentire stepped in, paid the city $1.00, spent another $4,000 to move it to her house, and it now lives behind a Samuel Maclure designed house on Foul Bay Road. Story from Sensational Victoria: https://evelazarus.com/book/sensational-victoria/

All right Emily Carr fans check this out at the wonderful Kilby Farm Historic Site!!!

Contrary to Emily's expression, rehearsals are looking fantastic!!!
Join us this Friday and Saturday (July 19-20th) at 1PM for "Emily Carr: An Artist on the Edge" a 50-minute theatrical (and musical) telling of Emily's life. You are in for a treat!

Regular admission rates apply. There is no additional cost to attend the show!

The original Ivy carried Emily Carr’s books. A great supporter of the arts, great literature and a community cultural hub. Ivy’s current owners carry on these traditions!

Explore the art of British Columbia Emily Carr, Sunshine and Tumult, 1938-39

Emily would love these Victoria artists!

Artist Pat Martin Bates shines bright.
Her deep connections ,artist to artist ,with Emily Carr run deep.

Mark your calendars: we're hosting our signature spring Inspiration event at 7pm Wed, April 10 once again at Norway House! Please join us to share in food & drinks, hear a keynote address by art historian & longtime VVALS supporter Martin Segger & —most importantly—witness the presentation of our annul award bursaries.

>> Thanks to the committed efforts of our generous donors & sponsors, eight $1,000 student bursaries will be presented!!

A shout out to our friend’s & colleagues at the splendid Craigdarroch Castle!

This we look closely at who lived in Reed House. This picture is of Margaret Joan Harvey and is believed to have been taken in 1894. Margaret was the daughter of Agnes Dunsmuir - Robert and Joan's second eldest daughter. She was born and raised in Nanaimo BC, and married Berkeley Holme-Sumner in the Winter of 1896. It was said through a letter that Margaret never returned to Vancouver Island after her marriage.

The brilliant Emily Carr String Quartet!!!

Emily Carr String Quartet: Album Launch Concert! The Emily Carr String Quartet celebrates the release of their latest album, featuring works by Stravinsky, Stokes, and Shostakovich.

Wonderful, knowledgeable folk giving very special tours.

Guided Tours of the Ross Bay Villa Historic House and Garden Guided Tours of the Ross Bay Villa Historic House and Garden by Ross Bay Villa Society - Saturday, January 6, 2024 02:00 PM at 1490 Fairfield Rd in . Buy tickets and find information on Universe.

The brilliant Luke Marston.

A must see!

This October, we're celebrating in Canada with a look at Emily Carr's prolific career.

Today, her name and distinct style can be immediately recognized, however Emily Carr didn't achieve commercial and critical success until the concluding years of her career when she was 57 years of age. Carr is best known for the work she produced in the last decade of her life—dark and rhythmic forests, vast spiritual skies and monumental totemic structures—in a style that was entirely her own.

Despite obstacles and criticism, Carr spent years travelling, studying and devoting herself to art during a time when domesticity was expected for women.

Learn more about Carr's early beginnings and the hurdles she overcame to build an enduring legacy, all while experiencing her work in person. Plan a visit to the Gallery and head to the fourth floor to see Emily Carr: A Room of Her Own on view now, featuring 24 notable works drawn from the Gallery's Carr Collection.

Learn more: https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions/emily-carr-a-room-of-her-own

*Please note that elevator access to 1931 Gallery Bistro will be unavailable until November 9. During this period, visitors can access the Bistro via the stairs leading up from the Lobby or Robson Square.

Hey Victoria folk!

Like Emily Carr, the inspired and inspiring Susan L. Feller, Artwools

Photo shoot. Finally framed the triptych “Our Mountains: Past, Present and Future?”, Susan Feller 2023
I found an exhibit to submit to. Will hear results mid July.

Find beauty and fun at Butchart Gardens one of the National Historic Site family.

10 Garden gnomes have escaped from The Seed & Gift Store and are hiding throughout The Gardens.

Join us Friday, June 16 – Sunday, June 18, to take part in our Children’s Garden Gnome Hunt. Bring your family and friends for a day of outdoor fun and discoveries.

Visit butchartgardens.com/events/childrens-garden-gnome-hunt/ for event details

Brava Kilby!

This is one of our favourite walls in the museum. We endeavor to tell many stories at the Kilby Historic Site but we love these snapshots of childhood in Harrison Mills. In some ways it looks so very different from childhood today and in others, these photos are so relatable.

While a wall of photos may not impact our children the same way it does us, we have so many fun opportunities for making memories with your kiddos from feeding the animals, to exploring the museum and learning old games. Someday, today will be your history, so make the most of it with those you love!

Ken Horn- one of our artist alumnists!

I forget the original title of this. It hung in a coffee shop for a while and someone crossed out the title and renamed it. "James Bay Revisited". I liked that better. It lives with Diana Walkden Farrell.

The brilliant Susan L Feller!

The best historic family home in town!

This summer, the Villa is delighted to announce extended hours for our historic house tour!

Journey back in time at Ross Bay Villa Historic House Museum, a volunteer-led museum and restoration project located in Fairfield. On Thursdays and Fridays at 11AM and 1PM, or Saturdays at 2PM, walk down the path past heritage apple trees and beautiful gardens, and step into one of only a few 1860s houses still standing in Victoria.

From the bright and airy drawing room to the charming children’s bedroom, the house has been restored with extraordinary care to appear as it did when the Roscoe family called it home.

Admission is $7.50 per person. Tours must be booked ahead of time at https://tinyurl.com/2ex2sa9j. All funds support the volunteer-based Ross Bay Villa Society, which owns and operates Ross Bay Villa.

Drop in on Saturdays 10-2 for our Gift Shop in the Garden, a unique vintage store with unexpected treasures. Please note this outdoor shop is weather-dependent.

Fairfield Gonzales Community Association Capital Daily Victoria News Monday Magazine Times Colonist Victoria Buzz Destination Greater Victoria CBC Victoria Attractions Victoria, BC Canada Visit - Victoria BC

Whimsy!

THEY'RE BACK!
Our famous 'critter in your pocket' shirts have returned and just in time for 'Paternal Appreciation Day' (aka Father's Day 😉)

These are upcycled cotton, linen and cotton blend shirts guaranteed to outrage the office, mesmerize meetings, and absolutely perk up parties!

Come and snag one while they are roaming free!
We also have a plethora of other cool gift ideas for this Sunday: cards, games, nice smelling stuff, barware and more!

***Father's Day is June 18

John Di Castri was consulted on restoration work at Emily Carr House.
Check out this fascinating architect who had such influence in Victoria’s mid century and beyond architecture.

John Di Castri, Architect: A Retrospective is now open! The exhibit can be viewed during our regular hours, 11-4 Thurs-Sat, until September 9th.

The brilliant and uplifting Emily Carr String Quartet!

A very special panel indeed!

John Di Castri - Panel Discussion June 15th, a panel discussion with the curatorial team for our upcoming exhibit, John Di Castri, Architect: A Retrospective (1924-2005).

To share is to heal. Gallery visitors are encouraged to express their emotional response to Francis Dick’s “I Was Five” on this communal chalkboard, allowing for a shared response to tragedy and a contribution to reconciliation. You’re invited to interact with the installation and share your thoughts all summer.

[ID]: A chalkboard covered in writing hangs on a white wall

One of the top flight architects whose advice was sought during the restoration of Emily Carr House.

We are very excited to announce our next feature exhibit: a retrospective of the life and work of Victoria's mid-century architect, John Di Castri! The exhibit will open to the public on June 16th and will be preceded by a panel discussion involving our guest curatorial team - Martin Segger, Allan Collier and Chris Gower. Registration for this event will be open via our website soon.

And we sing the praises of the marvellous team at Kilby!

At the Kilby Historic Site our vision is to be stewards of the past, connecting people, history, and land through experiences that are educational and engaging—all while sustainably working toward an inclusive and meaningful future.

We so strongly believe in this work. Our passion drives us to strive for the very best and it propells us through the challenges of running a historic site.

We truly cannot count the extra hours our staff and volunteers put in to deliver excellent programming, to maintain a beautiful site, to care for the collection, to create opportunities for connnection, and to facilitate the boring everyday necessities of operation. (Here's to the unsung glories of corralling escaped farm animals, testing water samples, laying sandbags, picking up groceries, washing dishes, and so very much more.)

This BC Museums Week we would like to sing the praises of our team because we—each and every one of us—believe that and that

That is why we do what we do.
Tourism Mission Tourism Harrison

A poignant moment in time. Dear, sweet, shy John Wyndham O’Reilly became a good friend, as did his incomparable wife, Inez O’Reilly. Thank you for posting this short film.

"Victoria: One Hundred" (1962) Mary O'Reilly Interview Excerpt This CBC documentary from 1962 provides glimpses of the history and social life of Victoria, BC on the occasion of its one hundredth anniversary. The film cr...