Collection: Erica Rutherford

Erica Rutherford (1923-2008) was a pioneering creative and trans artist who worked in painting, printmaking, film, and writing. She was born in Scotland and lived across Europe and the US before moving to Canada in the 1970s. Her artwork and writing explore themes of gender and identity, home and landscape.

Rutherford created many prints at Open Studio in the late 1970s-1980s. Her screenprints from this time are bright and bold, featuring landscapes of PEI, vibrant scenes of domestic life, and illustrations from her publications, including the children’s book ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’. Rutherford’s impact on the print community included hosting printmaking workshops and artist retreats from her home in PEI, and setting up the Printmaker’s Council of PEI in Charlottetown. 

Rutherford’s work has recently been included in major group exhibitions including Women in Revolt! – Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 at Tate Britain, and as part of the Venice Biennale. A survey exhibition ‘Erica Rutherford: Her Lives and Works’ is currently showing at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown.