Wednesday 29 July 2015

Scrapbook stories continue to roll in from the blue...

Hello, I was recently gifted your Collage entitled Womens Institute. 

My grandmother bought it from Beckett Gallery in Hamilton in 1986.  

My Mum gave it to me for a couple of reasons - we purchased a house in PEI in 2012 that looks like the house in the collage, and this past summer I joined the WI there, and most recently, I moved to Paris,ON (for the winters) and joined the newly formed New Brant County WI...!  I'd be interested in any additional information you might be able to share about this piece.  Thank You!  R.


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Hi R. - pardon my delay in writing back.

The Womens Institute has always been an important part of the Island community.

The collage is of no specific place, but is based on the classic Manitoulin two-storey homestead. Because the door on the second floor had no balcony the house was considered unfinished and therefore was not taxable

The ladies here are waist high in the snow, but when I was young I was told that the snow was so high they needed a second door to get in and out of the building - to my mind this was questionable. 

Thanks again for your interest - If you would like to know more about the history of my paper collages I recently launched a free-to-read memoir located at - http://scrapbook.whytesonline.com 

May we have your permission to repost (anonymously) your photo of this collage and story as part of the Kickstarter campaign for the hardcover edition?

Regards,

Jack

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Thank you and certainly.   Are you located anywhere near the School House restaurant on the Island?   A former co-worker of mine owns it with her husband.

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Thank you R!

I am actually in Gore Bay, about 30 minutes north of the School House, where my son and daughter-in-law manage our gallery and shop - Whytes - on the second floor of the Gore Bay Harbour Centre.

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