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Where to view Canadian art
By Shelley Falconer

Baby, it's cold outside, so take some advice from one of Canada's foremost art curators and head indoors for a little dose of homegrown culture

FROM HER EARLY YEARS in Canada to her graduate studies and work in England and France, Shelley Falconer has spent most of her life surrounded by art and museums. We asked the senior curator and director of exhibitions and programs at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ont., for her must-see stops for Canadian art. Here are her 10 best:

Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver
The museum's vibrant art program and permanent collection regularly exhibits First Nations artists, such as Mungo Martin, Robert Davidson and Bill Reid. Its soaring glass walls and stunning setting on the cliffs of Point Grey provide a spectacular environment for the extraordinary collection.

Vancouver Art Gallery
The gallery's Emily Carr collection provides a magical vision of Canada's West Coast, and its contemporary photo-based work is unparalleled in Canada. The Vancouver School, a group of conceptual artists based in the city, is particularly robust, with works by Roy Arden, Stan Douglas, Ian Wallace and others.

Glenbow Museum, Calgary
Primarily focused on the art of northwestern North America, the collection features the work of Sybil Andrews, Laurence Hyde, Walter J. Phillips, Carl Rungius, Margaret Shelton and many artists whose trips to the West were promoted and sponsored by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ont.
The only public art museum dedicated to collecting Canadian art is well known for its Tom Thomson and Group of Seven focus. It also exhibits a range of other Canadian artists, including David Milne, Jean Paul Lemieux and Norval Morrisseau. A network of forested trails on the facility grounds offers a true Canadian experience.

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
With more than 40,000 works, the collection includes a survey of Western art. The gallery will close occasionally through the year for renovations, but look for a new Frank Gehrydesigned building and the recent donation of the Thomson Collection, the most significant private art collection in Canada.

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Aboriginal, Canadian and modern collections and prints, drawings and photography reflect the gallery's comprehensive view of our rich collecting history. Artwork is exquisitely displayed in a stunning glassand- granite building, which overlooks Parliament Hill and the Ottawa River.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1860, the museum has acquired an encyclopedic collection of more than 33,000 objects, including an impressive selection of paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings and photographs. With a combination of neo-classical architecture and elegant urban design, the museum itself is a work of art.

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Located on a lovely expanse of gardens and greenery on the Plains of Abraham, the museum houses Canada's largest collection of Quebec art — 27,000 works dating from the 17th century and representing 3,000 artists.

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax
Boasts a collection of more than 13,000 works by artists such as John O'Brien, Alex Colville and Mary Pratt. It is also renowned for its folk art collection, including Maud Lewis's whimsical depictions of Maritime life.

Confederation Centre Art Gallery, Charlottetown
The gallery, a relative newcomer (founded in 1964), showcases works by historical, modern and contemporary Canadian artists and is home to the largest collection of works by portraitist Robert Harris.

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