Art Gallery Brings Tom Thomson Home to Owen Sound

On Friday, June 14, from 7 to 10 p.m., the Tom Thomson Art Gallery is hosting a special celebration of Tom Thomson’s homecoming to Owen Sound and the unveiling of the Art Gallery’s first donation of a Tom Thomson painting in more than 20 years. The Homecoming exhibition explores the role that Owen Sound played in Thomson’s artistic growth and his emergence as a national icon. This special evening will feature introductory remarks by Charles Hill, one of Canada’s pre-eminent art historians. Attendees will enjoy music by Max Clark, a special performance from the musical Tom Thomson's Wake by members of Shipyard Kitchen Party, a Tom Thomson monologue performed by Karina McKerroll, a Thomson-inspired cocktail, wine, beer, or cider, and indulge in some edible art by The Milk Maid. The cost to attend is $50.

On Saturday, June 15 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., there is a lunch and talk by Charles Hill, former Curator of Canadian Art at the National Gallery. Hill has presented the art of Canada to both Canadian and international audiences through organizing exhibitions, the development of the National Gallery’s permanent collection, and his writing of major catalogues, essays, and articles for more than 35 years. In 1995, his exhibition, The Group of Seven: Art for a Nation travelled to Mexico, Scandinavia, and China. Lunch will be provided by The Milk Maid with coffee/tea. The cost to attend is $35 or $75 for both the reception and talk. 

As one of Canada’s most recognized and celebrated artists, the Homecoming exhibition explores the role that Owen Sound and surrounding areas played in Tom Thomson’s artistic career.

Thomson grew up on a farm near Leith, just northeast of Owen Sound. After apprenticing at a foundry and machine shop in Owen Sound in 1899, he left the city to further his education and seek adventure in Seattle, Washington. A few years later in 1902, his parents sold the Leith family farm, moving to a home overlooking Owen Sound on the East Hill, near the present-day site of Georgian College. Three years later, Thomson would return to Ontario and work in Toronto as a graphic designer, but he regularly visited Owen Sound to see his family and friends.

In 1908, Thomson’s parents built a new house at 528 4th Avenue East, providing Thomson easy access to the Sydenham River and surrounding hills in what is now Harrison Park. The artworks he created during these visits act as key markers in tracing his artistic development. 

It is from the Owen Sound region that Thomson captured family members' likenesses in early sketchbooks, recorded local scenes in line drawings using pen and ink, experimented with recording the landscape through black-and-white photography, and most importantly, transitioned from watercolour to oil-painted landscapes, for which he would become famous. 

The exhibition is presented through the research of David Huff, former Curator of Collections, and sponsored by the Heffel Foundation.

Tickets can be purchased at the Gallery, by phone (519-376-1932), or online.

For more information, please contact Aidan Ware, Director and Chief Curator, at 519-376-1932 ext. 5001 or email aware@tomthomson.org 

Quotes:

“We look forward to the art gallery’s upcoming programming and celebration of Tom Thomson’s homecoming. We invite residents and visitors to attend these spectacular events and the Homecoming exhibition to delve deeper into the life of one of our region’s most famous artists.”

- Mayor Ian Boddy

“This exhibition has been in development for many years and through the efforts of former Curator of Collections, David Huff, we are able to not only celebrate Tom Thomson’s connection with Owen Sound, but also the addition of a new Thomson painting into the collection. It is a homecoming in the truest sense.”

- Aidan Ware, Director and Chief Curator – Art Gallery, Culture, Tourism

"Ann and I are delighted that Tom Thomson's painting is returning to Owen Sound after all these years.  It has been a joy for us to have had this painting for twenty years, but we have always believed that we are only 'custodians' when it comes to works of art, and that such works ultimately belong to the greater public. We are so happy that this painting has once again found its ancestral home."

- Fred & Ann Notehelfer, Donors of the newest Thomson acquisition

Quick Facts:

• On Friday, June 14, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery is hosting a special celebration of Tom Thomson’s homecoming to Owen Sound 
• On Saturday, June 15 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., there is a lunch and talk by Charles Hill, former Curator of Canadian Art at the National Gallery. 
• The cost to attend the reception is $50, the talk is $35 or $75 to attend both.
• The Homecoming exhibition explores the role that Owen Sound played in Thomson’s artistic growth and his emergence as a national icon.
• The Art Gallery is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sundays 12 p.m. – 4 p.m., admission by donation.

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