Modern Literature & Culture Research Centre & Gallery

I Can Only PaintI Can Only Paint: The Story of Battlefield Artist Mary Riter Hamilton by Irene Gammel

How is trauma translated through art, and what does one artist’s empathic engagement with the First World War battlefields teach us about navigating through grief and loss?

After ten years of research, writing, and dedication to her legacy, the MLC Research Centre is thrilled announce the virtual book launch for director Dr. Irene Gammel’s publication, I Can Only Paint: The Story of Battlefield Artist Mary Riter Hamilton (MQUP), a ground-breaking study of Hamilton’s vast, underexplored body of war work. The book features 400 pages and 160nbsp;images of paintings and rare photographs of the artist’s expedition, and theorizes how the act of witnessing atrocity comes to facilitate the processes of art-making and recovery. 

During the launch, Gammel will detail her journey of researching and writing the book, which included archival and field research across Canada, France, and Belgium, followed by an audience Q&A and book giveaway. The event also includes remarks by Andrew Riter representing the Mary Riter Hamilton estate, as well as international authors and scholars Catherine Speck (University of Adelaide, Australia), Dominiek Dendooven (In Flanders Fields Museum, Belgium), Marguerite Helmers (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, USA), Sarah McKinnon (NSCAD University, Canada), and McGill-Queen’s editor-in-chief Jonathan Crago. Moderated by Caitlin Bailey (Executive Director, Vimy Foundation) and Jason Wang (Executive Member, MLC Research Centre).

We look forward to celebrating with you in the near future!

Invitation

Download the event invitation

 

Book Launch


Thursday, December 10, 5 - 6 PM EST, 11 PM - 12 AM CET
Free of charge and open to the general public

To confirm your RSVP, click the green Register button to gain access to the Zoom room details. After filling in your contact information, you will receive an e-mail with the Zoom room details confirming your attendance.

If you do not receive an e-mail or have any difficulties confirming your RSVP, please e-mail Research Coordinator Cameron MacDonald at adminmlc@ryerson.ca.

 

Ryerson University; McGill Queen's University Press; SSHRC/CRSH; Innovation.ca

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