Beer, barbecue and … portraits
BY Lauren McKeon
Illustration by Sean Carrie
If the government of Canada won’t give us a portrait gallery, Toronto writer and illustrator Sarah Lazarovic will.
Until early June, her garage was standard-issue dank. Inside, two rooms were littered with the results of “Sarah, can you store my antique dresser/baby carriage/foosball table?” But by July, a transformation is complete—brocade covers the concrete walls—and the Montrose Portrait Gallery of Canada is open. With a variety of portraits and few restrictions, the gallery will finally answer the question: “What kind of people are Canadians drawn to paint?”
Since 2001, there have been plans to open a Portrait Gallery of Canada in Ottawa’s former U.S. embassy building. The federal government has amassed a large collection of portraits, spending millions on photos, paintings, drawings and prints for the gallery-to-be. But still no clear opening date. And it doesn’t look as if Stephen Harper will be moving forward with the plan.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda was invited to the Montrose opening, but Lazarovic says the gallery is more for fun than protest. It will be curated by a collective, which, unlike counterparts at other national institutions, will be able to drink beer and barbecue on the job. For more information, gallery hours or to book a viewing appointment, visit www.ThePortraitGallery.ca.
