Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

Kerry Mason: Emily Carr Teacher, Author & Curator

Published: 22 January, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Art lovers of every generation eventually fall under the spell of Emily Carr. “Every generation discovers her anew,” said Kerry Mason—an art historian, curator, and educator who devoted 45 years to studying, teaching, and interpreting Carr’s life and work. Mason, who passed away in Victoria in 2023, was among the most influential figures in shaping public understanding of Emily Carr in British Columbia and beyond. Her legacy continues to resonate.

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Not Friends, Not Rivals: Emily Carr and Sophie Pemberton in Early Victoria

Published: 15 January, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Sophie Pemberton (1869-1959) and Emily Carr (1871-1945) are often mentioned together as early professional women artists from Victoria, yet their relationship is best understood not as a close friendship, but as a series of parallel trajectories shaped by the same place, the same small artistic community, and profoundly different temperaments and circumstances. Read more: Kerry Mason: Emily Carr Teacher, Author & Curator Their lives overlapped repeatedly—sometimes directly, sometimes…

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Order, Illness, Faith, and Kindness: Emily Carr on Her Four Sisters

Published: 6 January, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Emily Carr’s relationships with her four older sisters were central to her life and shaped both her personality and her art. They were bound tightly by loss, responsibility, and Victorian family expectations, but there was also deep strain. After the early deaths of both parents, the Carr daughters were left to manage the household together, at a time in history where women could not even hold a bank account. The family atmosphere became…

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