Fonds LA.SC183 - Frances Gage fonds

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Frances Gage (1924-2017) was a prolific Canadian sculptor based in Toronto and southern Ontario for most of her life. After graduating from high school in 1943, Gage served in the Women’s Royal Canadian Navy Service (WRCNS) until the end of WWII in 1945. She briefly worked at the House of Commons in Ottawa rendering designs proposed for a new Canadian flag, before attending the Ontario College of Art (OCA) to study sculpting in the late 1940s. Through a job with a veterinarian that she worked to support herself as a student, Gage was introduced to Frances Loring and Florence Wyle, two well-known Toronto sculptors who would profoundly impact Gage’s life and career. Following her OCA graduation in 1951, and thanks in part to connections made through Loring and Wyle, Gage received funding to study abroad at the Art Students League of New York and the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, further developing her technique and artistic style.

Upon her return to Toronto in 1956-57, Gage rented out Tom Thomson’s former studio, often colloquially referred to as “The Shack,” for about two years before moving into a newer studio. During this time Gage produced many works, remained close with Loring and Wyle, and continued to expand her network. She became acquainted with significant Canadian artists, such as Group of Seven members, Frederick Varley and A.Y. Jackson, both of whom she portrayed in portrait sculpture. Gage was based in Toronto for many years before relocating in the 1970s to Crosshill, Ontario and eventually settling in Cobourg, where she remained until her death.

Throughout her career, Gage worked with a variety of media, including plaster, bronze, stone, wood, and plastic (epoxy resin). She made her living predominantly through commission projects, as well as teaching and instruction. Her works can be found in public spaces, institutions, and private collections across Ontario and Canada, including "The Jenny" (1972), in Galt, ON, commemorating the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service, "Woman" (1970), installed at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, and other commissions for institutions such as the University of Guelph, Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. She participated in a number of group exhibitions, such as the International Congress of Medallic Arts in Florence, Italy in 1983, and was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Art Gallery of Northumberland in 1997. A biography of her life was published in 2009, written by friend and author Alan Butcher.