| Last updated at 12:45 PM on 15/12/07 |
Well-known P.E.I. artist, advocate dies at 73 
DOUG GALLANT
The Guardian
The Island arts community has lost one of its most vocal supporters.
Hilda Woolnough, an artist, teacher, advocate and champion of the rights of artists, died Tuesday in Charlottetown at the age of 73.
Woolnough spent more than 30 years of her life in this province.
She served on the boards of many professional provincial and federal arts organizations and was a catalytic presence in the development and operation of such Island organizations as the Great George Street Gallery, The Arts Guild and the Printmakers Council.
Woolnough's studio practice was in constant exploration, blending and hybridising printmaking, drawing and painting to installation and incorporating new media.
She was born into an artistic family in Northampton, England, in 1934.
Her mother, uncle and brother were all artists. Woolnough attended the Chelsea School of Art in London, studying with Henry Moore, and graduated with a master of fine arts degree.
She imigrated to Canada in 1957 and eventually made her way to P.E.I.
With her husband, Reshard Gool, a UPEI professor, writer and publisher, she formed part of the nucleus for a vibrant arts community.
In 1999, Woolnough received the Adrien Arsenault Senior Arts Award for contribution to the Arts in Prince Edward Island. That same year she was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy.
Woolnough had solo exhibitions across Canada, in Mexico and Jamaica, and was included in group exhibitions in Japan and Spain.
Solo exhibitions of her work were mounted at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in 1976, 1991, 2001 and 2005.
Her work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the Musee des beaux arts, Montreal, Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the New Brunswick Museum, Memorial University, St. John's, and the Canada Council Art Bank.
The Confederation Centre Art Gallery will present a selection of Woolnough works from its collection in January and February and continue to develop a full retrospective planned for summer 2009.
Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour Minister Carolyn Bertram has expressed condolences on behalf of the province to Woolnough's family.
"Hilda was a true leader and a model for the cultural community of Prince Edward Island," Bertram said. "Her dedication to her art and to the importance of art to the Island made her a tireless champion. She was an active participant in the P.E.I. Council of the Arts, the P.E.I. Printmaker Council, artist-run centres and projects and many other organizations and initiatives.
"Our province is richer because of Hilda's tireless enthusiasm in the engagement of the youth of the Island, particularly through the P.E.I. Art Expo. We will miss her inspiration and determination."
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