In the early spring of 2017, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery teamed up with the Georgian Bay Folk Society, organizers of the renowned Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival, on an exciting Canadian Spirit 2017: Someday They'll Know What I Mean public art project. Canadian Spirit is a program of off-site projects to connect people to art outside of the gallery walls, and reinvigorate public art in the Owen Sound community.
The TOM is pleased to present the Northern Lights Mural, a site-specific public mural installed alongside Summerfolk's amphitheatrestage at Kelso Beach. The mural was inspired by Tom Thomson's 1915 painting Northern Lights (from the Gallery's permanent collection), an inspiring work that captures the true spirit of northern lights across a starlit sky. Lead artist on the mural this year was the TOM's current Cooperative Education student, Rosalynn Aiken-Hall. Following Summerfolk weekend, the TOM will find a permanent home for the Northern Lights Mural in a local community centre for all audiences of Owen Sound to enjoy.