Emily Carr Chronicles Walk, Talk & Tour in the Morning

Join us for a three-hour leisurely walking tour (with a rest stop at the midway point) that explores the life and legacy of Emily Carr, Victoria’s most beloved artist. We visit 12 historic sites in James Bay, the neighborhood where she spent much of her life and form a backdrop to the telling of her life story. Few artists are as deeply connected to their birthplace as Emily Carr is to Victoria, BC.
When she wasn’t traveling to remote locations like Ucluelet, Alaska, or Haida Gwaii, studying art in San Francisco, England, and France, or teaching in Vancouver, Emily lived in James Bay, Victoria’s oldest neighborhood and her birthplace.
We’ll begin at 9:30 am. with introductions to Emily Carr and to each other at the outdoor patio of For Good Measure. After introductions, we'll walk a block to participate in a guided tour of Carr House, a National Heritage site, at 10 am. There will be time at the end of the tour to check out their bookstore/gift shop, the gardens, the informative signage surrounding the heritage house and the full sized replica of the Elephant, Emily's one time painting caravan.
After the guided tour of Carr House, we’ll explore the residences of three of Emily’s sisters, all who lived within blocks of each other their entire lives, and learn about the significant impact these important relationships had on her life and art.
Our journey continues with a visit to the apartment house that Emily designed, built, managed and lived in for 23 years on a plot of land she inherited when her parents died. She wrote about her hard-working days and the parade of tenants — young couples, widows, sad bachelors and rent evaders in The House of All Sorts, her second collection of award-winning short stories which made the house famous.
From the House of All Sorts, we’ll then stroll through Beacon Hill Park, where Emily often sketched, and view the stone foot bridge built in her memory by her sister Alice in 1953.
After a short rest stop at the Royal BC Museum, we’ll visit Helmcken House, home to Victoria’s first doctor and the Carr family physician. It's the oldest building in BC still standing in its original location.
We’ll then head to Crystal Gardens, where Emily delivered her famous "Fresh Seeing" speech in 1930 and held her first solo exhibition in her own hometown (there's many interesting stories to tell about this important event that include her monkey Woo!).
Next on the tour is the Empress Hotel to check out the Emily Carr statue and learn about its very famous sculptor from Edmonton as well as another Emily Carr statue made by another very famous sculptor from Saskatchewan the year before the one in front of the Empress. (Hint, hint...he was a big fan of Emily Carr and really liked cows.)
From the Empress Hotel, we'll walk three blocks to her father’s store on Wharf Street, a location she often visited and wrote about. This location is the furthest point on the tour from where we started.
Our final stop on the tour is the place where Emily died and reportedly still haunts. We’ll conclude the tour back at For Good Measure around 12:30 pm with a renewed appreciation for the life and art of the remarkable Emily Carr.
Emily wrote short stories about many of the locations we visit on the tour. Upon registration, you'll receive a link to a selection of stories that include these locations so you can read them before the tour and enjoy an even more memorable experience.

Upon registration, you will receive:

• a timeline of significant events in Emily Carr's life
• an Emily Carr backgrounder with some of her autobiographical stories and key moments
• access to the text of six books of autobiographical short stories she wrote during her lifetime (including Klee Wyck, The Book of Small, The House of All Sorts, Pause: A Sketchbook, The Heart of the Peacock and Growing Pains: An Autobiography)

Pictured below is where we will meet up at For Good Measure at 579 Niagara Street and introduce ourselves before we walk a block to the Carr House to arrive for a guided tour by their expert staff at noon, and where we will return to about 4:30pm with even more appreciation for this truly remarkable person and artist.

Feedback on the Emily Carr Chronicles Walk, Talk & Tour on May 23. 2024

"Marilyn at Emily Carr Chronicles was excellent to deal with in booking a private tour and also as our informative & fun tour guide. I organize Heritage tours for the Newcomer's Club of Greater Victoria and I was able to fill up two walking tours of 15 each. There was huge interest and positive feedback from the club members. I don't hesitate to recommend Marilyn. She brought Emily Carr back to life and was a joy to work with."
~ Kim McVeigh
Newcomer's Club of Greater Victoria

"It was fascinating, especially because of the materials sent ahead of time providing a good base for understanding her as a determined, indépendant minded painter and writer. It definitely deepened my knowledge and understanding of her."
"It was really great! Thanks for all the effort (and Emily-love!) you put into it Marilyn"
"Thank you, Marilyn for providing such a thorough overview."
"Perhaps add a bit more show & tell on her artistic journey to her later paintings. I thought the focus was on her writing more than her painting. Although I now want to read House of All Sorts!"
"Marilyn, I loved your enthusiasm and knowledge, and bringing in other "experts" to share their knowledge.
"Marilyn was a great guide and really knows and respects Emily Carr. "
"The size of the group was good. Cost was reasonable. Thank you."

"Excellent knowledge and information. Thank you Marilyn. The tour [on August 15] was so great. I really appreciated you sending some of her short stories that related to many of the locations we visited in advance of the tour. They made her life come alive for me."

For more information on the tour, the tour guide and Emily Carr, please see:
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

For Good Measure Grocery & Coffee Shop, 579 Niagara Street, Victoria, Canada