Media Release: The Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre Launches Call for Artists for “If Chairs Could Talk” Project

Lincoln, ON – (March 6, 2026) – The Town of Lincoln’s Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre is inviting artists to apply for a new project called If Chairs Could Talk. This initiative will support the creation of three new artworks inspired by objects in the Museum’s permanent collection and will form part of the upcoming exhibition Keep in Touch, opening Fall 2026.

The project is inspired by A Yard Scene from the Porch, a Chair in the Foreground, a 1953 painting by Group of Seven member A.J. Casson, which is held in the Museum’s permanent collection. Casson created the painting as part of a program inviting artists to interpret historic objects through art, choosing to depict a c. 1860 Mennonite springer chair that is also preserved in the Museum’s collection. This project revisits that tradition by inviting contemporary artists to create new works in response to objects from the Museum’s collection.

Through If Chairs Could Talk, selected artists will be invited to explore the collection and create original two-dimensional artworks inspired by an artifact. The completed works will be displayed alongside the objects that inspired them and professionally reproduced as postcards. The artworks, along with the Casson painting and original chair, will be featured in Keep in Touch, an exhibition exploring the history of communication in Lincoln through mail, postcards, symbolism, and visual storytelling.

“History lives not only in our buildings and collections, but in the stories we continue to tell, and projects like If Chairs Could Talk ensure that Lincoln’s history remains alive by adding new layers to it through the work of contemporary artists,” said Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton.

“We are fortunate to hold both the Casson painting and the original chair in our collection,” said Adam Montgomery, Curator of Exhibitions and Collections. “The painting was created in 1953, the same year the Museum first opened. This project revisits that moment, inviting artists to interpret the collection just as Casson did, and continuing a tradition that has been part of this Museum since its earliest days.”

Selected artists will receive a fee of $1,500, based on the CARFAC fee schedule, which establishes national standards for professional artist compensation in Canada.

How to Apply

The Call for Artists opens March 1, 2026, with a submission deadline of
March 31, 2026. Emerging and established artists working in two-dimensional media, including painting, drawing, and printmaking, are encouraged to apply.

Artists must submit the following as a single PDF:

• Statement of interest (maximum 250 words)
• 3–5 images of recent work
• Artist bio or CV
• Contact information

Submissions should be sent to:
Adam Montgomery
Curator of Exhibitions and Collections
Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre
Email: amontgomery@lincoln.ca

Selected artists will be notified in April 2026, with completed artwork due
August 1, 2026.

For more information, visit the Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre's website or contact the Museum as noted above.

Image

                                                                            - 30 -

For media inquiries, please contact:

Liliana Busnello
Manager of Corporate Communications
Town of Lincoln
905-563-2799 ext. 230