Fonds Michael Gallagher consists of graphic material, textual records, sound recordings, video recordings and books documenting Michael Gallagher’s professional career. The majority of the materials are derived from Gallagher’s work for CANO musique, predominantly between the years 1975 to 1985, and reflect the breadth of the organization’s objectives, as well as Gallagher’s many roles within it. The fonds also contains some materials related to Gallagher’s time spent as a member of the Coopérative des artistes du Nouvel-Ontario (C.A.N.O.) in the years prior to CANO musique, as well as several graphic design projects undertaken after CANO musique dissolved.
The graphic materials in the fonds represent a significant body of work created by Michael Gallagher, mostly as photographer and artistic director of CANO musique. Photographic materials include images for CANO album covers, publicity photos of the band, shots of CANO in concert, as well as individual members of the band. Not only do these images show the change in members over time, they also document some of the recording studios and concert venues CANO played throughout the years. The fonds also contains numerous mock-ups for CANO albums, promotional materials, and posters, as well as original artwork of logos, reflecting the various steps in Gallagher’s creative process. Posters promoting CANO albums and specific concerts are also included. Additional visual concepts and designs created by Michael Gallagher for other Sudbury organizations are included in the fonds as well, such as posters, promotional material, and mock-ups for La nuit sur l’étang, Northern Lights Festival Boréal, and Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario (among others).
In addition to graphic materials, the fonds also contains a number of textual records primarily related to CANO musique including correspondence to and from Michael Gallagher about the band, as well as records documenting the band’s history and lyrics, available in both English and French, showing the pride they took in reaching out to their fans in both official languages. Also included are a selection of Gallagher’s day planners, and administrative documents related to his role in CANO such as contracts and financial reports, through which a sense of CANO’s cooperative roots can be gleaned, as they outline stipulations such as equal sharing among members. Complementing these records is a thorough collection of newspaper and magazine clippings which provide a wealth of information about the band, as well as their reception throughout Canada and the United States.
The fonds also contains several other types of records, including 14 books, many of which are limited editions and contain personal inscriptions, four CANO 45 rpm singles, an English version of the album Au nord de notre vie, and a VHS tape of the National Film Board of Canada’s documentary CANO, Notes sur une expérience collective. These records further serve to position Michael Gallagher within the extremely active network of Franco-Ontarian authors and artists in Northern Ontario during the 1970s and 80s, as well as highlight CANO’s prominent place within that community.
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