RESILIENCE — Toronto Launch of our New Book

Please Join us for the Toronto launch of RESILIENCE:
Thursday October 16th, 5-8pm
Contact Gallery / 80 Spadina Avenue Suite #205 Toronto, ON M5V 2J4

RSVP HERE.

After over a year and a half of work, we are excited for the arrival of our spectacular hardcover book with Figure 1 publishing. More than 200 photographs from the Ice Huts, Storm, Ice Villages, and Root Cellars series are complemented by texts from acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Edward Burtynsky and curator Tom Smart, and a personal text by Johnson’s long-time partner, Lucie Bergeron-Johnson.

Richard Johnson: Resilience—Ice Huts and Root Cellars (2007–2021) is a photographic collection that celebrates the tranquility of winter and the ingenuity of vernacular architecture.

From a clear, straight-on vantage point and with a pictorial formality, Richard Johnson (1957–2021) spent more than a decade recording and categorizing visual typologies of small, hand-built structures across Canada. His most celebrated collection of photographs documents ice huts used for fishing. Later in his life, Johnson began documenting Newfoundland’s ubiquitous, earthen-built root cellars. 

In stores October 2025.

Media Coverage of Richard’s Work

Richard’s winter-themed images continue to enjoy media coverage both near and far. Québec current affairs journal L’actualité included a fun little piece on the Ice Huts series in a recent issue. In Palma, a beautiful design-focused “lovestyle” magazine from the Spanish Island of Mallorca, published a feature of the Ice Huts and Ice Villages, along with a wonderful article, in their Issue 81.  “Cabañas Heladas” is a gorgeous 10-page homage to Richard’s work that introduces it to a new audience in Europe. More information is available here. Many thanks to the editors of these magazines!

Our Private Collectors — Who They Are and Why They Purchase

When it comes to the business side of the studio, what pleases Lucie, the studio’s director and Richard’s lifelong partner, more than anything is talking with people who are interested in learning about his photographs. Though we consider anyone who purchases a print to be a “collector” —including the many corporations and institutions that own Richard Johnson’s work— a significant percentage of our collectors are brand new to buying art. And we love that.

The wide appeal of Richard’s photography is rooted in its celebration of modest structures in the Canadian landscape, and Lucie has countless stories of people who connected immediately with an image’s colours or its representation of winter or the documentation of a specific place —or with all of those aspects.

Prints of Richard’s photographs are very often purchased as gifts. One collector bought an Ice Hut for a relative who had moved overseas, knowing that the iconic Canadian winter landscape would provide a comforting connection to home. Another collector gave a gift certificate from the studio as a wedding gift with the message: Choose the image you like best!

Whatever the reason for considering the purchase of a print, Lucie delights in suggesting images to consider, and the studio can even provide a realistic “mock up” of the framed print in the intended space. We do this because Lucie understands both the significance of the financial investment and that the collector will be living with the image for a long time, so it’s important to be certain the image speaks to you. She understands the need for time to consider the options, and to be certain the selected photograph is one you truly love.