Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay

This spring, Eltuek Arts Centre is honoured to present Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay by Group of Seven icon, Lawren Harris—on view in Gallery 203 from May 1 to June 28, 2025, in honour of the 100th Anniversary of Davis Day.

Painted during the turbulent spring of the 1925 coal miners’ strike, Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay is more than a depiction of place, it is a meditation on the lives forged within it and the forces that shaped them. Stark geometry and frozen ground convey the tension of industrial life, while Harris’s disciplined composition captures a community poised on the brink of resistance, hardship, and transformation.

This exhibition marks the painting’s return to the Island for the first time in a century.

Davis Day, observed every June 11, commemorates the death of William Davis, a coal miner killed by company police during the 1925 strike. His death became a rallying point for the labour movement and a defining moment in the history of workers’ rights in Canada.

Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay is on loan from the Art Gallery of Ontario. It represents Lawren Harris’s final depiction of an urban industrial scene before his shift to the northern landscapes that would define his later career. Harris was deeply attuned to the social realities of his time, and this painting remains one of the most poignant examples of his engagement with working-class life.

“This painting is more than an urban landscape,” says Melissa Kearney, Artistic Director at Eltuek.

“It’s a rare visual record of coal town life at a time of rising tension and change—an image of a community on the edge. Bringing this work to the island in the centennial year of Davis Day is both timely and deeply meaningful.”

A century later, Harris’s painting remains as urgent as ever. In an era still shaped by extractive industry, Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay speaks with quiet strength, calling us to remember, reflect, and envision renewal.

Resistance, eviction, and violent suppression marked the 1925 coal miners’ strike in Cape Breton. The centennial of Davis Day offers a moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by coal miners and their families and the continuing relevance of workers’ rights in Canada and beyond.

Exhibition Dates: May 1 – June 28, 2025
Exhibition Viewing Hours: Monday through Friday: 9am to 4pm; Saturday: 9am to 3pm; Closed Sundays, and Monday, May 19, 2025 (Victoria Day Holiday); by appointment with [email protected]

Eltuek Arts Centre recognizes the support of the Province of Nova Scotia. We are pleased to work in partnership with the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage to develop and promote our cultural resources for all Nova Scotians.