How N.W.T.'s Legislature building became home to a collection of A.Y. Jackson works

Windows stretch overhead in a circular meeting room of the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife, casting a natural light on a collection of works by one of Canada's most renowned and celebrated painters, A.Y. Jackson. 

Jackson was a member of the Group of Seven, a collective of Canadian painters that formed in the 1920s and became famous for their unique depictions of Canadian scenes.

Members of the Group — Jackson in particular — frequently visited the North during the mid-1900s to paint the landscapes and also its mining industry.

Ten of Jackson's oil pieces are on permanent display in the Muskox Room of the N.W.T. Legislative Assembly building and they continue to inspire people. 

The Group's influence has undoubtedly stood the test of time. To put it into perspective, consider that an exhibition a few years ago in Ontario consisted of works made from the bacteria found on some of the Group's painting tools. 

John Geoghegan is an associate curator for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and has worked on numerous Group of Seven exhibits. He says the works that reside in the N.W.T.'s Legislative Assembly were from Jackson's second trip to the territory in the late 1940s.

"A.Y. Jackson painted every province and territory in Canada and was really showing the Canadian public places that many of them had never seen before, through his paintings," said Geoghegan.

He believes Jackson was inspired by the North with the expressive colours in his works being a testament to that.

N.W.T.-based artist Darrell Chocolate says the colours seen in Jackson's works resonate for him as well.

"To see all the landscapes, especially the fall scenery when all the tundra leaves start to turn red and orange, it brings a sense of warmth," said Chocolate.

"The sunsets, the orange sky with the clouds. You see the purple, You see the blue. This is the uniqueness of being Dene. We have a lot of history here and I like to capture what I see."

Chocolate grew up in Gamètì, N.W.T., and he said he remembers seeing Jackson's pieces during visits to Yellowknife when he was younger.

"Even looking at them now, it reminds me, it's the inspiration that I've seen growing up," said Chocolate.

Chocolate wonders whether Jackson's paintings might be better suited for an art gallery or other public space where more people might see them.