Michael Snow is an internationally renowned visual artist, filmmaker and musician. As a visual artist, he works in many media, including drawing, painting, sculpture and photography. He has created a reputation as a "framer of vision" who, through his inventive and provocative work, has amazed and astounded audiences for more than forty years.

He was born December 10, 1929, in Toronto, Ontario. Aside from a brief stay in Montreal, he grew up and was educated in the established Toronto neighborhood of Rosedale. In recalling his early years, the artist said " I think the two most important things in my life ... were that my father went blind when I was 15, and, that my mother... is a very fine pianist. His father's blindness accounts for his life long interest in pursuing visual themes in his imagery, and his mother's musical influence accounts for his love of piano and Jazz. Michael became interested in art during his high school years and won the Art Prize upon graduation from Upper Canada College in 1948. He promptly entered the Ontario College of Art and specialized in design. He also began to play music with a group and developed his painting skills independently. He graduated from the O.C.A. in 1952, and after a brief stint as a commercial artist, spent 18 months travelling in Europe, visiting museums and drawing daily.

When he returned to Toronto, he established a studio and received his introduction to film by working as an animator. Michael Snow launched his amazing career in 1956 with his first solo exhibition. During the years 1962-1972 he lived in a loft in the Soho neighborhood of New York City. It was there that "Walking Women" came of age and his underground film "Wavelength" became recognized as a work that altered the history of film. Living in Toronto for the last 30 years, Michael Snow's prolific work in many mediums continues to be thought provoking and sometimes controversial. He remains one of Canada's foremost and important artists.

Michael Snow's art can be found in numerous private and public collections throughout Canada, the United States and in Europe; including the National Gallery to Canada in Ottawa, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and in the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris. In 1994 he was honoured with a forty year retrospective exhibition in Toronto: The Michael Snow Project. It was the largest exhibition ever afforded a living or dead artist in Canada. Other honours include being awarded first prize in the 1968 Belgian International Independent Film Festival. He was Canada's representative in the 1970 Venice International Biennale. He has received honorary doctorates from Yale and Brock Universities, and in 1983, received the prestigious Order of Canada for his contribution to culture.