Did he ever play Hamlet? Has she worked in television? What was the
title of his first novel? Under whom did she study? How many children has he? Answers to
such questions about contemporary Canadian artists have often been difficult, even
impossible, to find. This series has been created to provide the answers; it covers
creative and performing artists who have contributed as individuals to the culture of
Canada in the twentieth century.

Each volume in the series presents a cross-section
of many different kinds of artists: authors of imaginative works, artists and sculptors,
musicians (performers, composers, conductors, and directors), and performing artists in
ballet, modern dance, radio, theatre, television, and motion pictures; directors,
designers, and producers in theatre, cinema, radio, television, and the dance;
choreographers and, for cinema, cartoonists and animators. Within each category of art is
included a selection of those who have achieved national and international recognition;
those who have been recognized locally, and some, now deceased, who markedly influenced
their contemporaries locally, nationally, or internationally.

This is not a
critical compilation; rather it is an objective and factual reference work for those
interested in contemporary Canadian culture. Information was collected by painstaking
research in a wide variety of sources, and wherever possible it has been verified by the
artist to make each entry as accurate and comprehensive as possible.

Reference Division, McPherson Library's profile page