In a delightfully titled article about the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library (“Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card,” if you’re curious), Andy Elliott urges his reader to not only come and enjoy the library, but to also visit the adjoining Tom Thomson Art Gallery (TOM). He urges the reader: “you can see some of the best art Canada has ever produced, and it’s all right here in our little community.” Needless to say, I was intrigued.
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| The Owen Sound Public Library. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
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| The Tom Thomson Art Gallery. The piece atop the building reads: "I feel the thing is of too great an importance to miss." Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
The TOM was established to memorialize Canadian artist Tom Thomson – a significant inspiration for the Group of Seven – who grew up in Leith, a town situated on the shores of Georgian Bay just north of Owen Sound. The TOM features numerous works by not only Tom Thomson, but also several members of the Group of Seven. Currently, they keep works by Tom Thomson, as well as his oil sketches and other archival materials, on permanent display, but they also host several temporary exhibitions, one of which really resonated with me during my visit – Footprints in Time: Painting around Georgian Bay.
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| Mr. Thomson himself. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
I should first confess that I’m not from Owen Sound, but over the past few years, I’ve spent more and more time in Bruce and Grey Counties, neighbouring regions sandwiched between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. So, when I went to see Footprints in Time just after the new year, I was completely unaware of the rich backstory of this exhibition. Unbeknownst to me, this exhibition was the result of a moment of crisis for the TOM.
In 2017, the TOM experienced a significant financial deficit. According to city officials, the gallery had a large budgetary shortfall. Costs were cut, staff levels were reduced, and the chief object of leadership moving forward to devise less expensive ways to put on exhibitions.
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| The gallery catalogue for the exhibition, which contains essays from Katharine Lochnan and Louise Moore. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael |
As a result, Footprints in Time was the work of volunteer-based curatorship. Community curators were invited to create shows for the TOM from the gallery’s expansive permanent collection, which contained many pieces that had never been shown due to limitations in both space and funding. Among them were Katharine Lochnan – senior curator emeritus for the AGO and long-time resident of the region – Louise Moore and local art historian Judith Thomson. It was the latter who, with a deep familiarity with the collection, suggested that they create an imaginary tour around Georgian Bay through the curation of site-specific works or those they knew would represent the area.
Footprints in Time, therefore, draws inspiration and meaning from place. The art on display is inextricably tied to the Georgian Bay region, as are the artists as well, for most all of the artists featured in the exhibition called this region home at some point in their lives.
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| Sydenham River, Owen Sound (date unknown), by George Thomson. Elder brother of Tom Thomson, George painted several scenes from the region over the course of his career. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
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Water Spirits (1975), by Daphne Odjig. Odjig was born on Manitoulin Island in 1919 and is one of several Indigenous artists shown in this exhibition, including Blake Debassige, Joshim Kakegamic, and Norval Morrisseau. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael.
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More than that, the exhibition is grounded in the gallery itself. The exhibition contains 45 works from the gallery’s permanent collection, and the permanent collection alone, many of which they have never exhibited before. Footprints in Time is, then, not only an imaginary tour of Georgian Bay; it is a very real tour of the gallery’s expansive collection and of the rich artistic tradition in the region.
All of this is to say that this exhibition was incredibly relevant to its context. When we discuss interpretation and meaning-making in the GLAM sector, it is underlined by the belief that it is easier for us to make meaningful connections to something we can relate to. Relevant museums are therefore meaningful museums. Lon Dubinsky states that social relevance is tied to how the museum functions as a place. It has much to do with the proximity of museums to individuals – both physically and psychologically. Jane K. Nielson takes a similar tact by defining relevance in museological practices. She argues that relevance is centered on what is directly connected to practical aspects of a subject; crucially, she states that it can also be very individual. What is relevant to me might not be relevant to you.
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| A collection of paintings from the exhibition. Among them: George Thomson, Charles Finley, Tom Thomson, and Florence Campbell. Photograph courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
In her essay in the gallery catalogue, Louise Moore tells us that landscapes of places known provide comfort to their viewer, as well as sense of stability in their environment. Most critical to my reflection here – and to the title of this article – she remarks that “we recognize the landscape and we recognize ourselves.” The landscapes on display offer something familiar, and in doing so, they work to affirm a sense of home and of place for those who are versed in the imagery shown. For whom it is relevant.
At its core, Footprints in Time isn’t just about the place on display; it’s about how this place operates as a home for those who live within it. This may not be a ground-breaking theme, but I would argue that while it doesn’t break ground, per se, it certainly grounds you. And if we’re talking about relevancy within GLAM institutions, I’d say that in the case of the TOM, this was a powerful tact to take.
There is, then, significant strength to grounding an exhibition in its locality. In my opinion, the unique facet of local museums and galleries is that they are oftentimes inextricably tied to their locality; their chief object must be to remain relevant to those communities. The TOM certainly succeeded here, offering an exhibition in which visitors could see both themselves and their home. The exhibition was meant to have closed on January 5th, 2020, but it’s been extended through to the end of February due to its popularity.
"Relevant museums are therefore meaningful museums."
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| Another collection of paintings from the exhibition. Among them: A.Y. Jackson, Arthur Lismer, and Illingworth Kerr. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
As I mentioned, the Georgian Bay region is not home to me in the same way it was (and is) to the artists featured here. But it has certainly become familiar. When I left the gallery and made my way out from Owen Sound proper, I caught sight of 9th Street.
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| Roly Fenwick’s “9th Street West.” It depicts the northern entrance to Owen Sound, where he was born and grew up. Photo courtesy of Madison Carmichael. |
I thought immediately of this painting. I looked at it from the opposite angle, but I recognized the slope of the street, the rock rising on both sides, and the trees lining it. Moore was right. In my recognition of this landscape, I felt a sense of comfort; and I felt a sense of connection not only to Owen Sound but to the TOM itself.
That feeling stuck with me the whole way home.
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