From Ice to Art to Paris

Few athletes earn the chance to compete in either the Winter or Summer Olympics — and even fewer manage to do both. Brooklyn McDougall, BSc’21, has achieved this in her own way by trading skates for a paintbrush. 

The long-track speedskater represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and is a 2021 National and 2023 World Champion. But this year McDougall was able to flex her artistic talents when her exhibition, The Trailblazers, was chosen as a commission by the Olympic Museum for the Olympian Artists Programme at the Paris 2024 Arts and Culture exhibit.

The program, now in its fifth year, promotes the creative voices of Olympians and Paralympians and provides them with opportunities to produce and present new artworks during and between editions of the Games. 

“The experience was truly surreal; I witnessed the Olympic Games through a very different perspective,” says McDougall. “Plus, being in Paris made it that much more unbelievable.” 

McDougall was one of 84 Olympian-artists who applied to produce individual art projects and one of just six to be invited to present their work at Paris 2024. Athletes from sports as diverse as speedskating, skiing, rowing and fencing expressed themselves in art forms such as photography, painting and graphic design. They were invited to share their dual experiences (art and sport) through exhibitions, collaborative art projects and workshops, with their works inspired by the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

McDougall’s unique road to Paris as an athlete turned artist began in May 2023 when she received an email from the Olympian Artists Programme calling for applications. It didn’t take long for her to realize where she would draw her inspiration. 

“I knew I wanted to take a feminist approach, because the Paris 2024 Games was projected to be the first full gender-parity Games among athletes in history,” says McDougall. “In my research, I learned that the first Olympics women were allowed to compete in were in Paris 1900, and I thought that this couldn’t be more perfect for a project.”

McDougall is passionate about promoting inclusivity in sports, particularly as an elite female athlete herself. 

"It means a lot to me that we have achieved equal participation among male and female athletes in these Games; however, I do believe it should have come sooner than 2024," she says, adding she believes we are living in an exciting era for women's sports in which athletes are fighting for equality both on and off the field. 

"There are many female athletes at the forefront of this fight, whether that is for equal pay, more broadcasting coverage or supporting new mothers who are competing, and I am in awe of what these women are accomplishing on top of being world-class athletes. It is setting the stage for the next generation of female athletes and showing young girls what is possible."

McDougall produced three pieces dedicated to three of the first-ever female champions from the 1900 Olympiad — Hélène de Portalès: The First One; Charlotte Cooper: The Golden Racket; and Margaret Abbott: The Unknowing Champion. She presented the pieces at Club 24 Palais de Tokyo in the Musee d’art Moderne du Paris during the Games. McDougall also produced a behind-the-scenes look at her process on these three pieces on her YouTube channel, @srndpty_arts. 

WATCH: “Hélène de Portalès: The First One” | “Charlotte Cooper: The Golden Racket” | “Margaret Abbott: The Unknowing Champion”

“These women never received the recognition they deserved at the time of their accomplishment; they were also met with a lot of backlash, as you can imagine in 1900,” says McDougall. “As part of my project, I also wrote fictional, yet historically accurate articles at the time of their accomplishments to give them the headlines and stories they deserve.” 

Excerpt from The Trailblazers by Brooklyn McDougall:

Tuesday, May 22, 1900

Hélène de Portalès: The First One

THE FIRST FEMALE OLYMPIC CHAMPION HAS BEEN OFFICIALLY CROWNED

Hélène de Portalès of Switzerland made history today in the 1-2 ton sailing event, becoming the first female to compete in the Olympics, as well as the first ever female Olympic Champion. The 32-year-old was one of three crewmembers aboard the yacht Lerina, alongside her husband, Hermann de Portalès and their nephew.

The first of two regattas began on the River Seine in Meulan and the 19-kilometer course proved technically challenging. The Lerina persisted and crossed with a winning time of 2:15.22. Hélène de Portalès earned the title of “the fastest yachting lady”. Her love for sailing traces back to 1887, where Hélène remembers eagerly watching the America’s Cup regatta.

Despite the backlash women have received for participating in the Olympics Hélène de Portalès rose above this and accomplished the pinnacle of an athlete’s career, an Olympic gold medal. Her impact leaves a legacy for future generations of female Olympians. 

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Art has always been a large part of McDougall’s life. Her late grandfather was a woodcarver and her grandmother was a multimedia artist. Both encouraged her to pursue throughout high school and, after completing her bachelor’s in biology, art continued to play an integral part of her life and proved to be a great balance for the rigours of elite-level competition.

“I never could have imagined having my art on display in Paris, of all cities, with such a rich arts and culture history!” says McDougall. “I soaked in everything I could like visiting the Musée d’Orsay, which also had an exhibit dedicated to the Paris 1900 Olympics.”

Looking ahead, the 25-year-old McDougall is focused on furthering her art while still focusing her career on continued success in World Cup and World Championship events. With an eye on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, she continues to refine her technique both on and off the ice. Her dedication to sport, combined with her artistic and academic pursuits and community involvement, position her as a rising star in the world of speedskating and a great role model for aspiring young athletes.

“The Summer Olympic Games were spectacular to experience,” reflects McDougall. “I think it was the second greatest week of my life, only topped by my own Olympic debut in Beijing.”