“As many people as possible should get the chance to experience this painting”

This spring, Eltuek Arts Centre presents an extraordinary exhibition in honour of the 100th anniversary of Davis Day—a day that marks a pivotal moment in Canada’s labour history.

The exhibition showcases Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay, a powerful painting by renowned Canadian artist, Lawren Harris, on loan from the Art Gallery of Ontario. Created during the 1925 coal miners’ strike in Cape Breton, it captures the spirit of a community caught in a struggle that still resonates today.

Melissa Kearney, the visionary Artistic Director at Eltuek Arts Centre, has been dreaming and working toward this timely and deeply meaningful return of Miners’ Houses, Glace Bay since she first saw the painting at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2016.

Melissa, from a coal mining family herself, was struck by its historical and cultural significance.

“My first instinct was, ‘Everybody at home has to see this painting,'” she told Information Morning Cape Breton host Steve Sutherland.

“That was the driving force — as many people as possible should get the chance to experience this painting.”

Harris’s painting is not just a stunning landscape, but a meditation on the hardships and resilience of the community during a time of great tension and serves as a powerful reminder of the spirit of the miners’ fight for justice in a way that resonates deeply even today.

Listen to the Information Morning Cape Breton segment here.

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]