Dora Helen Mackie (1926-2018) RCA
(1926-2018)
Helen Mackie (1926 – [date of death]) was a Canadian artist and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art (RCA). Born in Tavistock, Ontario, she initially pursued a scientific career. In 1943, Mackie earned a B.Sc. Honours degree in Biology and Chemistry from Queen’s University, followed by an M.Sc. in Physiology and Biochemistry from the University of Toronto in 1949.
After deciding to shift her focus toward the world of art, Mackie received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the University of Calgary in 1973, specializing in Printmaking and Drawing. During her studies, she worked with notable artists John Esler and Noboru Sawai. For Mackie, printmaking was a transformative experience. She described how it “opened my eyes to a new world of images and new opportunities to create.” She appreciated how the block of wood and etcher’s plate kept her “contact with idea, hand, and image very close.”
Mackie also studied at the Banff School of Fine Art, the Alberta College of Art, and participated in the Emma Lake Painting Workshop. While she is best known for her woodblock prints and etchings, Mackie also worked with charcoal and watercolor, contributing to a versatile and impactful artistic career.
EXHIBITIONS
Helen had many solo exhibitions: her work was featured in a travelling exhibition through the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (Dora Helen Mackie, A Print Retrospective, 2008-9);
she exhibited
- at the Muttart Art Gallery, Calgary;
- Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Banff;
and the Kanagawa International Association, Kanagawa, Japan, amongst many others.
She participated in numerous group exhibitions as well, including the
- Taejon Expo International Exhibition of Graphic Arts, Taejon, Korea (1993);
- The Alberta Society of Artists 65th Anniversary Exhibition (1996);
- The 5th International Biennial Print Exhibit: 1991 ROC, Taipei, Taiwan (1991);
- 1st Kochi International Triennial Exhibition of Prints, Kochi-shi, Japan (1990);
and International Exhibition Small Forms of Graphic Art, Lodz, Poland (1985-1989).
COLLECTIONS
Mackie’s work is found in the collections
- of the City of Calgary Civic Collection;
- Glenbow Museum, H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II Permanent Collection (Windsor Castle Library, England);
- Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa);
- University of Calgary
- Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, as well as others.
- Her work is in private collections around the world.
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