BEST OF CANADA AND CULTURE ON DISPLAY

Museums and galleries are in full swing celebrating Canada in honour of its 150th birthday. Here are some highlights:

The Lovely Bones The astonishing skeleton of a blue whale and its preserved heart are the centrepieces of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Out of the Depths: The Blue Whale Story (to Sept. 4). Anishinaabeg: Art & Power (to Nov. 19) illustrates the culture of an important Indigenous people. rom.on.ca Art Party Until July 30, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) hosts a powerful collection of more than 80 pieces by American painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Then on June 29 it unveils Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood, which explores Canada’s ongoing cultural evolution, in honour of Canada 150 and Ontario 150. ago.net Star Attractions For the rest of 2017, the Bata Shoe Museum wears its Canadian pride with Shining Stars: Celebrating Canada’s Walk of Fame, an exhibit of shoes worn but such national notables as Olympic medallist Clara Hughes, fashion maven Jeanne Beker, folk legend Gordon Lightfoot and literary luminary Margaret Atwood. batashoemuseum.ca Canadian Landmarks Until Sept. 4, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection presents Higher States: Lawren Harris and His American Contemporaries, a show about one of Canada’s most highly valued painters. Also on view: The Group of

Seven Guitar Project, masterwork guitars created to honour Group of Seven artists and Tom Thomson. mcmichael.com Islamic Imagery At the Aga Khan Museum, Syrian Symphony: New Compositions in Sight and Sound (running until Aug. 13) is a multimedia response to the strife in Syria. Then, from July 22 to Jan. 1, 2018, the exhibit Here: Locating Contemporary Canadian Artists explores the relationship of geography and identity. agakhanmuseum.org Sarah Hood, Special to the Star