Great Art for Great Lakes, in partnership with the Roxy Theatre, today unveiled The Ripple Project, a community art project celebrating the Great Lakes and Canada's 150 th anniversary.
The Ripple Project is a series of laser-cut steel sculptures created by Owen Sound artist, Julia White. White based the 
sculptures on drawings of water and stories of Lake Huron contributed by participants during a number of workshops.
"It has truly been an inspiring experience" says White, "to work with my community and gather and weave together diverse voices and perspectives about what water and our great Lake Huron means to us. I hope that our collaborative installation continues to be a source of inspiration, hope and vision for my community around all aspects of water and our Great Lake. It is such a treasure."
The Ripple Project was unveiled today at the Roxy Theatre in a ceremony presided over by Ian Boddy, the Mayor of Owen Sound Mayor, and Bill Walker, the MPP for Bruce-Grey- Owen Sound. Great Art for Great Lakes is sponsoring similar projects in seven other Great Lakes communities, including Toronto, Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Sarnia.
"We want to celebrate the grandeur and importance of the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth," says Karen Kun, one of the organizers of Great Art for Great Lakes. "It is crucial we connect with the Great Lakes so we can understand and safeguard them for our current and future quality of life. Local artists are collaboratively creating works of art with local residents to honour the Great Lakes, share their stories and mark Canada's 150th birthday."
Great Art for Great Lakes is sponsored by Greatness – The Great Lakes Project, with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Canada 150 Fund. Greatness – The Great Lakes Project is an initiative dedicated to making the Great Lakes a powerful symbol of "greatness" for the 40 million residents of the Great Lakes basin.
The initiative was born out of a 2015 roundtable convened by Ontario's Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell.
