Maud Lewis - Canada ARS

ESCAPE ROOM

MUSEUM

Heist of the Century!

In the charming town of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a heist has shocked the community. The beloved paintings of renowned artists Emily Carr and Maud Lewis vanished from the local art museum during a gala event. The night was filled with laughter and excitement until the lights flickered and the crowd gasped—the masterpieces were gone! The only clues left behind were a trail of paint splatters and a mysterious note that read, "Art is meant to be free!" With the townsfolk buzzing with curiosity and suspicion, a group of clever kids decided to take matters into their own hands. Will they uncover the identity of the sneaky thief? Can they solve the mystery before the art disappears forever? Join the adventure and help them catch the culprit before it's too late!

What is Folk Art?

ROOM 2

ROOM 3

MAIN HALL

wc

Folk artists are typically highly trained artists.

1/5

Question 1

Heck yea, they are!

I believe you are mistaken.

Traits of Folk Art

What is Folk Art?

2/5

Question 2

Folk art is sometimes called:

Poor Man's TV

Art for the people, by the people

Basic Art

3/5

Question 3

A common characteristics of folk art is:

Photorealistic detail

The use of muted color

The use of bright colors

4/5

Another common characteristic of folk art is:

Question 4

Fun, whimsical tone

Dark and moody tone

Serious tone

5/5

Question 5

The subject matter in folk art is typically:

Mythical

Dreamlike in nature

Everyday life

CONTINUE

5/5

You have found all the works of art in this room!

You've broken a piece of the museum!

Here you can put a highlighted title

Room 1

Seems you have found the thief's trail. Keep it up!

What is Folk Art?

Who is Maud Lewis?

ROOM 3

MAIN HALL

wc

Who is Maud Lewis?

1/5

Question 1

Maud Lewis was born in:

Alberta

Nova Scotia

1/5

Question 1

Maud was born with a condition that:

led to an enlarged heart

limited her mobility

Maud's Childhood

2/5

Question 2

Maud's family was fairly well-off, but she:

she did not have access to art supplies

did not go to college

The Blacksmith Shop

3/5

Question 3

Maud starting earning money through her art in her late teenage years.

Yup, she's a boss

Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself

Christmas Cards

See the house!

4/5

Question 4

Maud lived in a tiny house of the side of the highway for:

less than a year before moving to the US

32 years

Maud's Tiny House

5/5

Question 5

Maud began selling paintings:

from her tiny house

at the Toronto art bazarre

Art for Sale!

5/5

CONTINUE

You have found all the artworks in this room!

You have broken a piece of the museum!

Here you can put a highlighted title

Room 2

That a way Sleuths!

What is Folk Art?

Who is Maud Lewis?

Maud's Fame & Fortune

MAIN HALL

wc

1/5

Question 1

Which piece most closely resembles Maud's work?

The Discovery of Maud

2/5

Question 2

Which peice do you think is a Maud Lewis?

3/5

Question 3

Which piece most closely resembles a Maud Lewis work?

4/5

Question 4

Which peice do you think is a Maud Lewis original?

5/5

Question 5

Which one do you think shows the inside of Maud's tiny house?

CONTINUE

5/5

You have found all the works of art in this room!

You've lost a piece of the museum!

Here you can put a highlighted title

Room 3

Oh no!

All the museum works have disappeared

Take advantage of this space to write a brief explanation that develops the theme of the escape room and enhances its understanding. Can you help us?

What is Folk Art?

Who is Maud Lewis?

Maud's Fame & Fortune

Maud's Legacy

wc

1/5

Question 1

Maud Lewis' art can be described as:

Joyful

Somber

2/5

Question 2

Maud Lewis' art can be described as:

Colorful

Bland

Drab

3/5

Question 3

Maud Lewis' art can be described as:

Disregarded

European influenced

Highly Valued

Main hall

5/5

Question 5

Maud Lewis' art can be described as:

Religious

Day in the Life

Fantastical

5/5

You have found all the artworks!

Main Hall

CONTINUE

Restart

The citizens of Nova Scotia and Canada thank you immensely for your time and effort. You are welcome to visit the Maud Lewis museum anytime!

You have recovered all the museum's works.

Congratulations!

You have lost a piece of the museum!

Maud Lewis

Maud was born with birth defects that severely limited her mobility, especially in her hands. Her condition went undiagnosed and untreated for her entire life, but today we beleive it was juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The condition gradually worsened over time and was extremely painful in her later years. Due to her physical limitations, her mother encouraged her interest in the arts and she learned to paint, sketch, sew, and play the piano.

You have lost a piece of the museum!

You have lost a piece of the museum!

• Vibrant colors
• Deliberate disregard for realistic perspective
• Portrayal of simple everyday life
• Fun, whimsical tone
• More simplistic than fine art, but not quite craft
• Relect local culture and life

Folk Art Traits

Common Characteristics of Folk Art include:

What is Folk Art?

Folk art is a genre of art where the artist is not formally trained in the arts. They have not gone through any type of art school or lessons - they simply create art that reflects their personal lives, observations, and culture. Folk art is sometimes called art "for the people, by the people". This piece is Three Black Cats by Maud Lewis, 1955.

You have lost a piece of the museum!

You have lost a piece of the museum!

You have lost a piece of the museum!

You have lost a piece of the museum!

The Blacksmith Shop

Maud's father was a blacksmith and harness maker. The family was fairly well off, as they owned both a piano and a phonograph. This painting depicts her father's workshop and is titled The Blacksmith Shop. Maud left school at age 14. We don't know exactly why she stopped going, but this was common at the time. It is also theorized that her pain made sitting in the classroom difficult and that she didn't have many friends.

Christmas Cards

The first pieces of work that Maud sold were handpainted Christmas cards. She sold them door-to-door with her mother for 5 cents each when she was a teenager, and then later in gift shops. We do not have a lot of her work from this time period. This card was made later in her life, and has a value today of over $5,000.

The OG Tiny House

After the death of both her parents, Maud got married to a reclusive fisherman. Together, the lived in this tiny house (13 ft. x 13 ft.) on the side of the highway. There was no electricity or running water and the toilet was an outhouse. Maud lived in this house for 32 years! By the time she died in 1970, she had covered nearly every surface of the house in colorful, joy-filled paintings. Clusters of tulips filled the windows, birds and butterflies fluttered across the door. Even the dustpan was covered with daisies.

Art for Sale!

Maud and her husband lived a very quiet, simple lifestyle mostly in poverty. In 1939, Maud began to sell paintings and cards from their tiny house. By the 1950s, she was having enough success that her husband started actively selling the paintings and cut boards for Maud to paint on. Her main subjects emerged: cats, oxen, and her black model T. A friend paid for his sandwich with this Model T painting and it hung in the diner owner's home for almost 50 years. It sold at auction in 2022 for $350,000!

The Discovery of Maud

Maud's work was discovered by a Canadian journalist in 1965. Radio and TV shows made her a household name in Canada and the requests for her paintings skyrocketed toward the end of her life. She remained in constant pain, but never stopped painting and never increased the prices of her art work. She died in 1970 at the age of 67. After her husband's death, their tiny house was sold to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia for restoration and exhibition. Today her work is widely recognized and hihgly valuable.