Owen Sound Committee - Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Meeting Transcript — September 24, 2025

00:01:15 Speaker 02: Because I called meeting to order.

00:01:16 Speaker 02: It's now just at probably two o'clock.

00:01:21 Speaker 02: And first of all, is there any additional business we need to add to the agenda?

00:01:24 Speaker 02: I'm asking, is there anything we need?

00:01:25 Speaker 02: Anything's come up.

00:01:25 Speaker 02: Kim, are any's come up.

00:01:26 Speaker 02: Kim, are you aware of any additional business come up?

00:01:29 Speaker 02: Okay, we'll carry on.

00:01:31 Speaker 02: Declarations of interest, if anybody, or the public, or I'm looking at and shaking your heads on the screen.

00:01:37 Speaker 02: That's great, thank you.

00:01:40 Speaker 02: So, the confirmation minutes.

00:01:41 Speaker 02: I trust that everyone's had a chance to go through the previous minutes that were circulated.

00:01:47 Speaker 02: And are there any omissions or errors that people want corrected, or any kind of points?

00:01:52 Speaker 02: We'll get to issues within the reports.

00:01:57 Speaker 02: Otherwise, and I need a motion to approve, to accept or approve the minutes as they're presented.

00:02:05 Speaker 02: Can I have someone who will do that?

00:02:07 Speaker 02: Thank you, Jane.

00:02:08 Speaker 02: And a seconder, Lori.

00:02:10 Speaker 02: I'll second.

00:02:11 Speaker 02: Oh, Tyler, Tyler, thank you, thank you.

00:02:15 Speaker 02: Thanks, Tyler.

00:02:16 Speaker 02: Okay, all those in favour?

00:02:19 Speaker 02: Carried.

00:02:19 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:02:23 Speaker 02: Okay.

00:02:25 Speaker 02: Aidan, you're having giving us a presentation now.

00:02:38 Speaker 03: Thank you, and through you, Acting Chair Tavel,

00:02:41 Speaker 03: it's my pleasure to provide an overview of some of the highlights and the many successes of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery has had over the summer and since our last committee meeting.

00:02:52 Speaker 03: This presentation is really intended to provide you with some visuals and an overview, and a more detailed dive into some of these events and programmememes are contained in my update report for this meeting.

00:03:05 Speaker 03: And I just like to start by acknowledging the exceptional gallery staff and summer students that we have.

00:03:11 Speaker 03: Their dedication and creativity really is at the heart of the gallery's successes, from exhibitions to art camps to working with tourism services.

00:03:20 Speaker 03: You know, outwardly they make our programmememing and operations appear so effortless.

00:03:24 Speaker 03: But I'd like to acknowledge that there actually is a tremendous effort that goes on behind the scenes, and it's always with a lot of thought, care, creativity, adaptability, and really and truly professionalism.

00:03:37 Speaker 03: So thank you to the Tom team.

00:03:44 Speaker 03: I think we're not advancing here, Kim.

00:03:56 Speaker 03: So, looking back, we have a lot to celebrate.

00:03:58 Speaker 03: In June, we docked a large-scale Lego replica of the Chichimec, completed by Lego enthusiast Ken Reed in the gallery's atrium.

00:04:08 Speaker 03: This astonishing creation took over six hundred hours to complete and features over fifty vehicles, six hundred and twenty minifigures, and a stunning interior deck with gift shop and a captain's bridge.

00:04:22 Speaker 03: Like if you haven't seen this, it's absolutely a must, and it will be at the Tom until Saturday, October the fourth.

00:04:27 Speaker 03: So please come in and see it.

00:04:29 Speaker 03: It's been such a treat over the summer to see all the people coming in, admiring it, taking selfies and photos of their family with it,

00:04:36 Speaker 03: and then going on to see our exhibitions or buying something from the gift shop or tourism services.

00:04:44 Speaker 03: As you see, in June we had an artist panel discussion with Laura Moore and Jeffrey Pujan in conjunction with some of our summer exhibition opening, which attracted a good contingent of local and regional visitors.

00:04:55 Speaker 03: Their exhibition Control Alt Delete explored how digital systems and ecological networks increasingly mirror one another, examining the terrain between organic and synthetic.

00:05:07 Speaker 03: We also celebrated the opening of Owen Sound artist Ellie McKay's exhibition Only Human, which grappled with mounting ethical questions surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence and the challenges of preserving artistic autonomy.

00:05:22 Speaker 03: And in addition to that, we also unveiled a third exhibition titled "All the Calm and Calamity," which explores Tom Thomson's work in Algonquin Park from the period of 1914 to 1917,

00:05:34 Speaker 03: set against the backdrop of the First World War.

00:05:38 Speaker 03: This exhibition also includes works that we borrowed from the Canadian War Museum and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

00:05:45 Speaker 03: It continues on to January tenth of next year, and I'd really like to acknowledge our curator of exhibitions and collections, Shannon Bagaman, for her skillful and thoughtful curation of these shows,

00:05:57 Speaker 03: which really do speak to the moment and to the context that we're living in.

00:06:03 Speaker 03: Throughout the summer, we participated in several major events, including Canada Day at Kelso Beach, launching after that into Camp Tom with six weeks of art camps for children ages eight to twelve years old,

00:06:19 Speaker 03: and I'll just ask Kim to advance our slides a little further here.

00:06:23 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:06:23 Speaker 03: So some of these images are from Control Alt Delete.

00:06:27 Speaker 03: Sorry, we're just catching up here because my slide clicker isn't working.

00:06:31 Speaker 03: And from the opening of Ellie McKay.

00:06:35 Speaker 03: Thanks, Kim.

00:06:37 Speaker 03: We'll do a quick.

00:06:37 Speaker 03: There we are with Camp Tom.

00:06:39 Speaker 03: So throughout the summer, as I mentioned, we were at these various events, and then we launched Camp Tom for children ages eight to twelve years old.

00:06:47 Speaker 03: And based on the feedback that we had from the parents and from the kids, we know that they had an incredible experience with us.

00:06:54 Speaker 03: They went hiking to Harrison Park.

00:06:55 Speaker 03: They took inspiration from Tom's paintings.

00:06:58 Speaker 03: They were playing with clay, experimenting with murals and collage, and I mean, so much more.

00:07:03 Speaker 03: It was incredible.

00:07:04 Speaker 03: We had eighty-seven children in total attend these camps.

00:07:07 Speaker 03: Several of those spaces were reserved for Grey Bruce Child and Family Services, thanks to the support of the Quanis Club of Owen Sound.

00:07:14 Speaker 03: We could not have hoped, you know, for a more successful relaunch for these art camps.

00:07:20 Speaker 03: And a special thanks to Heather McLeese, our curator of public projects and education, for her leadership and the success of this programmememe.

00:07:29 Speaker 03: And just last Saturday, we welcomed Perry Tong, who is a senior international art specialist, and Patrick Staheli, Canadian art specialist from Cowley Abbott, for an appraisal day, and this was a very popular event.

00:07:43 Speaker 03: It historically has been so, and it does generate some proceeds in support of the gallery.

00:07:49 Speaker 03: For this event, people were able to book a time to bring up to three items, and these art specialists would have a look and evaluate them.

00:07:56 Speaker 03: And I understand that they saw many very interesting objects come their way over the weekend, so that was very cool for us.

00:08:04 Speaker 03: As you've read in my report, our call for submissions for the juried exhibition Convergence received an overwhelming response, with just under 300 submissions of art from 194 artists.

00:08:16 Speaker 03: This historically popular exhibition typically really attracts a strong regional representation, but it is open to any artists working in Ontario.

00:08:26 Speaker 03: We're pleased to say that the show will open on October the 18th from two to four at the Tom.

00:08:30 Speaker 03: We hope lots of people come out and celebrate these artists with us.

00:08:33 Speaker 03: Artist with us, and last week the gallery partnered with Boston Pizza to run a trivia night, which featured a special fishbowl Thompson-inspired drink, and this was hosted by Anthony Robinson.

00:08:45 Speaker 03: And participants really had a fun time.

00:08:47 Speaker 03: And plans are definitely in the works to try it again, do another trivia night, perhaps next time at the Tom.

00:08:55 Speaker 03: We're delighted to partner with Algonquin Outfitters again for their paddle art auction, which honours the legacy of Tom Thomson and his love of the outdoors.

00:09:03 Speaker 03: Anyone can take part in this by purchasing a paddle, designing it, and submitting it to the auction.

00:09:09 Speaker 03: The paddles are available at the gallery, and submissions can be accepted up to October the fourteenth.

00:09:15 Speaker 03: We will receive six thousand dollars from this initiative to support Convergence from Algonquin Outfitters.

00:09:21 Speaker 03: That is just a wonderful story for us.

00:09:25 Speaker 03: In 2025 and 2026, Gallery Night at the Movies season officially launched with Life of Chuck.

00:09:31 Speaker 03: It's a stunning movie.

00:09:32 Speaker 03: If you haven't seen it, try and find it.

00:09:34 Speaker 03: It was also a People's Choice Award winner.

00:09:37 Speaker 03: There will be nine fabulous films altogether this season, and passes are one hundred and fifty dollars.

00:09:42 Speaker 03: But if you're a supporter, Circle member, they're one hundred and thirty-five dollars.

00:09:45 Speaker 03: You get a fifty-dollar donation receipt as well.

00:09:48 Speaker 03: So mark your calendars.

00:09:49 Speaker 03: I know Kim's done an incredible lineup and selection of films for us this year to enjoy.

00:09:55 Speaker 03: And new for this year, we are launching Palette to Palette.

00:09:59 Speaker 03: It's a fundraising event at the Tom that will take place on Saturday, November the first, and it features all Canadian-themed food served from a group of seven tasting stations, live music, local wine, cider,

00:10:13 Speaker 03: and beer, art sale, and silent auction, and a special Northern Lights toast to Tom.

00:10:19 Speaker 03: The tickets are seventy-five dollars.

00:10:20 Speaker 03: They're on sale now.

00:10:22 Speaker 03: Available in person at the gallery or online through our website.

00:10:26 Speaker 03: So with that, that's basically a bit of a look back and a bit of a look ahead, and I look forward to going into a little bit more detail in my report.

00:10:35 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:10:37 Speaker 03: Thank you, Aidan.

00:10:37 Speaker 03: Are there any questions that you have?

00:10:39 Speaker 03: Anybody has right now for Aidan?

00:10:41 Speaker 02: And I can already see on the screen, and we've got Scott now is here.

00:10:44 Speaker 02: I see.

00:11:03 Speaker 02: Adjourn and reconvene after.

00:11:07 Speaker 02: Okay.

00:20:43 Speaker 02: Now we're back on.

00:20:45 Speaker 02: Thank you very much.

00:20:46 Speaker 02: I think I was asking if any questions for Aidan from your presentation.

00:20:49 Speaker 02: We had Tyler or Kelsey.

00:20:53 Speaker 02: Anybody questions?

00:20:54 Speaker 02: Like this?

00:20:54 Speaker 02: No. Wow.

00:20:56 Speaker 02: Okay.

00:20:57 Speaker 02: Peyton, what can I say?

00:20:59 Speaker 02: We carry on.

00:21:00 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:21:01 Speaker 02: Do you have a written report you want presented to that or accepted?

00:21:06 Speaker 02: It'll be the latter one.

00:21:07 Speaker 02: This is the first, the presentation.

00:21:08 Speaker 02: And then we have another presentation on our fundraising coordinator.

00:21:12 Speaker 02: Is that right?

00:21:14 Speaker 02: Okay.

00:21:25 Speaker 03: Thank you, and through the acting chair.

00:21:27 Speaker 03: Originally, our fundraising coordinator was intended to provide this presentation, but unfortunately, she couldn't be here today.

00:21:34 Speaker 03: So I'm going to give you a little bit of an update on our fundraising plans and strategies moving forward.

00:21:43 Speaker 03: So in May, we were thrilled to welcome Emily Coleman as a part-time fundraising coordinator for the Tom.

00:21:49 Speaker 03: Emily has extensive experience working in fundraising and came to us from Diversity Cornwall, Ontario, where she was the programmememe manager and lead on special projects, including donor events and community engagement.

00:22:01 Speaker 03: She also worked as the fundraising coordinator and campaign coordinator at Sherwood Park Manor in Brockville, the fundraising coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Cornwall,

00:22:10 Speaker 03: and as the fundraising office coordinator at My Friend's House Crisis Centre in Collingwood.

00:22:16 Speaker 03: She has a certificate in fundraising management, and Emily is passionate about the arts, and here's a fun fact: she was actually named after the famous artist Emily Carr.

00:22:27 Speaker 03: And so, since starting with the Tom, she's been busy supporting the development of several key projects, which I'll highlight now.

00:22:35 Speaker 03: But again, they are in a little bit more detail contained within my update report, which I'll be going over in just a moment.

00:22:42 Speaker 03: So, the first thing that she's been working on is our new event, Palette to Palette, and it really and truly is a celebration of all things Canadian: Canadian art, Canadian food, Canadian drinks,

00:22:53 Speaker 03: and Canadian spirit.

00:22:54 Speaker 03: So we're really hoping people will come to this event.

00:22:57 Speaker 03: I've mentioned it in the previous presentation as well.

00:23:00 Speaker 03: Tickets are seventy-five dollars, and they are on sale right now.

00:23:04 Speaker 03: The other thing that we're seeking is table sponsors for this event.

00:23:08 Speaker 03: It's five hundred dollars to become a table sponsor.

00:23:11 Speaker 03: You get your name on the table.

00:23:12 Speaker 03: You get some advertising in relation to this event, and you also get a free ticket to come to the event, so it's a great deal and a great way to get your name out there.

00:23:23 Speaker 03: The calendar campaign for 2026 is underway.

00:23:26 Speaker 03: We did an early launch back in the summer, and we are moving into the fall, which is our big push for the calendars.

00:23:33 Speaker 03: And they are getting out to all their various locations.

00:23:36 Speaker 03: And this is really the time when we see a lot of success selling calendars leading up to the Christmas run.

00:23:42 Speaker 03: So we're very excited to have them in lots of different locations this year.

00:23:46 Speaker 03: And Emily really has been instrumental in organising and supporting the fundraising team in their distribution.

00:23:54 Speaker 03: And here's a couple of photos of locations that have calendars currently.

00:24:01 Speaker 03: Supporter Circle membership.

00:24:03 Speaker 03: After taking a look at the way that we're cultivating donors and members, Emily had a chance to sort of think and rethink our membership circle, and so which membership circle,

00:24:14 Speaker 03: and so what she's done is come up with a new brochure that's really going to define the levels of our supporters circle a little bit more clearly.

00:24:23 Speaker 03: Like there's an individual, a family, and so you know you have different options for joining the Tom and becoming sort of part of the Tom family.

00:24:32 Speaker 03: I'll say essentially, and so there's lots of perks to membership, and we're going to be rolling this out very shortly and promoting it.

00:24:39 Speaker 03: So we anticipate a bit of a membership push in the fall, and she's also been working on a donor stewardship programmememe.

00:24:46 Speaker 03: So this is thinking about annual giving, things like that.

00:24:49 Speaker 03: So people that maybe are not members, but they want to give to us on an annual basis, and launching that as an opportunity for a tax receipt.

00:24:59 Speaker 03: And the other thing that we've been investigating is a donor software because it's so important that year over year we're able to track our donors and our members,

00:25:10 Speaker 03: and that we're able to build the stats.

00:25:10 Speaker 03: We're able to build this database as a resource for the Tom that extends into the future and attracts things like you know the things the type of things they like to give to:

00:25:18 Speaker 03: is it education?

00:25:19 Speaker 03: Is it exhibitions?

00:25:20 Speaker 03: Is it collection?

00:25:22 Speaker 03: And so it just becomes this incredible resource with contact information that can benefit us in the long run.

00:25:28 Speaker 03: And so Emily really has been spearheading the research into implementing that for the gallery as well, and that essentially is the main pillars of what she's been working on so far.

00:25:39 Speaker 03: As I mentioned, she's in three days a week, so she's accomplished a lot in the short time she's been with us.

00:25:44 Speaker 03: So we're quite proud of seeing our fundraising move ahead in this professional manner.

00:25:52 Speaker 02: Thank you, Aidan.

00:25:53 Speaker 02: One question: Do you think maybe an opportunity at one of our future meetings that Emily can join us, that other committee members can meet her?

00:26:01 Speaker 03: And thank you, and through you to acting chair.

00:26:05 Speaker 03: Yes, absolutely.

00:26:06 Speaker 03: She was intended to be here today, but unfortunately there was a family emergency, and she could not be here.

00:26:11 Speaker 03: But I can ask her back.

00:26:13 Speaker 02: I just need to be very helpful; just people get to see who she is and ask questions.

00:26:17 Speaker 02: Does anybody else have questions?

00:26:18 Speaker 02: Anybody here have questions for Emily through Aidan, Kelsey?

00:26:24 Speaker 02: Oh, Tyler does.

00:26:26 Speaker 02: I've got a question, and maybe we're going to come to it.

00:26:30 Speaker 02: Is there like?

00:26:32 Speaker 02: Do we know how much fundraising money has been brought in since May?

00:26:39 Speaker 02: Good Tom.

00:26:41 Speaker 02: Sorry, Aidan.

00:26:43 Speaker 02: Pam's going to answer that one.

00:26:46 Speaker 04: Through Chair Tubel, I would just note Tyler on the report under 8A, there is an attachment,

00:26:54 Speaker 04: and it does provide a detailed breakdown of all the grants and fundraising and money that the Toms raised this year.

00:27:03 Speaker 04: So, hopefully your questions answered there, and then the presentation sort of highlighted the things, and the chart does speak to you know, we have the event coming Palette to Palette, so that's not complete yet.

00:27:20 Speaker 04: The movies are just getting going, so some of those things aren't complete yet, but we'll be able to give you sort of a status under 8A if that works.

00:27:30 Speaker 04: Yeah, and sorry, I never received.

00:27:31 Speaker 04: I'd never received these like outline.

00:27:37 Speaker 04: It was part of the package that went out.

00:27:38 Speaker 04: I did not receive the package.

00:27:44 Speaker 02: Can we make sure that Kim is going to make sure you get it, and it's just sent on to you, okay?

00:27:50 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:27:50 Speaker 02: As soon as possible.

00:27:50 Speaker 02: Then you get all the information there, and more questions we can answer.

00:27:55 Speaker 02: Any other questions?

00:28:00 Speaker 02: Okay, and that's in that presentation.

00:28:01 Speaker 02: And that's the end of that presentation.

00:28:03 Speaker 02: We move into public forum.

00:28:06 Speaker 02: Do we receive any questions from the public?

00:28:08 Speaker 02: No. Okay.

00:28:11 Speaker 02: Correspondence received.

00:28:12 Speaker 02: From which directions required?

00:28:14 Speaker 02: No correspondence.

00:28:16 Speaker 02: Now we go into reports from city staff, and I think Aidan, you have to review your report.

00:28:24 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:28:24 Speaker 03: And through the acting chair, it's my pleasure to walk you through some highlights from my report.

00:28:29 Speaker 03: I won't go through everything because I covered a lot of territory in my presentation, but I will give you a bit of background again, just to remind everybody.

00:28:36 Speaker 03: The gallery was closed January 6 to April 4 for the replacement of two HVAC systems, and the exhibition spaces reopened on April 5.

00:28:47 Speaker 03: And the gallery and tourism services were subsequently opened seven days a week starting the May long weekend.

00:28:54 Speaker 03: And so, with the start of my report, I have a little bit of an analysis of our attendance, and so far in 2023 and so far in 2025,

00:29:00 Speaker 03: the gallery has seen a strong attendance and engagement, even with that earlier three-month closure for the HVAC renovations.

00:29:08 Speaker 03: And you'll also see later in my report under fundraising and revenue for the gallery that our donations are actually even a little bit higher than predicted year-to-date,

00:29:20 Speaker 03: which again shows a very strong engagement by our visitors, despite that three-month closure.

00:29:26 Speaker 03: Because of course, last year we didn't have that closure, so that's really great news for us.

00:29:32 Speaker 03: Visitors have been avidly attending our exhibitions and programmememes.

00:29:36 Speaker 03: There's been a healthy balance of local residents and out-of-town guests, and I think that really does reflect our role both as a community hub and a cultural destination.

00:29:45 Speaker 03: Tours and workshops have drawn enthusiastic participation from schools and families, community groups, and special events and partnerships have brought new audiences into the gallery.

00:29:54 Speaker 03: Our receptions, artist talks, Gallery Night at the Movies series—they continue to be well loved, contributing to that lively community involvement throughout the year.

00:30:03 Speaker 03: And the demographic trends truly show a broad mix of ages and an increase in visitors from beyond the immediate region, highlighting the gallery's expanding reach and impact.

00:30:13 Speaker 03: Our attendance patterns point to a positive trajectory of growth, engagement, and relevance, both within the local and the wider cultural landscape.

00:30:23 Speaker 03: So, I'll turn your attention to that year-to-date attendance summary report, and actually, you could just skip right over if you want to the chart.

00:30:34 Speaker 03: There's actually a chart in the report that shows year-to-date 2025 compared with 2024, 2023, and 2022.

00:30:42 Speaker 03: And the key things are looking at.

00:30:44 Speaker 03: So the facility visitors counted manually by staff in 2025 sit a little bit below last year, but again, the reason being likely is due to that three-month closure that the gallery had.

00:30:58 Speaker 03: But overall, you can see the trajectory of the attendance is going up each year, and that's really showing a really strong engagement by the community and beyond.

00:31:08 Speaker 03: The other number to really look at are our facility visitors counted by laser counters, and these are the laser counters right at the facility entrance.

00:31:43 Speaker 03: And again, they're analogous to those numbers sitting just a little bit below where we were at this time last year.

00:31:50 Speaker 03: And again, that's likely due to that closure time period.

00:31:54 Speaker 03: And I'd also just highlight, out of these other items, the school tours.

00:32:00 Speaker 03: Again, the closure may have affected some of the numbers there, but we have already had a number of bookings in fall,

00:32:08 Speaker 03: and we're going to be rolling out a much more impactful campaign with the schools to get them into the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

00:32:16 Speaker 03: So we expect to see that number rise significantly.

00:32:19 Speaker 03: The other thing that might be of interest is just looking at where people are coming from.

00:32:23 Speaker 03: So, our visitors from Owen Sound last year, year-to-date, 49 per cent.

00:32:27 Speaker 03: This year, 47 per cent.

00:32:29 Speaker 03: Grey, Bruce, and Simcoe, 12 and 10 per cent.

00:32:33 Speaker 03: Our seniors are a little bit higher there.

00:32:36 Speaker 03: Our adults are a little bit higher.

00:32:37 Speaker 03: So, it's just kind of interesting to see how these demographics change year over year.

00:32:43 Speaker 03: So, I guess with that, I would just ask if anyone had, at this point, any questions about the attendance?

00:32:49 Speaker 02: I just want to say thank you for these numbers.

00:32:51 Speaker 02: I think it's really interesting and good to have.

00:32:54 Speaker 02: It gives a really good full picture, I think, now in terms of what's happening with the gallery, and going up is even better to see.

00:33:00 Speaker 02: Thank you for these numbers, and also in the breakdown too, it also helps in terms of demographics percentages.

00:33:05 Speaker 02: It's really helpful.

00:33:06 Speaker 02: Thanks.

00:33:08 Speaker 02: Does anybody else have any questions?

00:33:11 Speaker 02: Kelsey, Tyler.

00:33:14 Speaker 02: No other questions.

00:33:14 Speaker 02: Do you want any?

00:33:15 Speaker 02: That was my bit.

00:33:15 Speaker 02: So.

00:33:15 Speaker 02: Thank you, and with that, I'll just continue with my report.

00:33:22 Speaker 03: I have touched on the current exhibitions already, so I'm going to jump ahead to our October 18 opening.

00:33:29 Speaker 03: We have two shows that will be opening on that day from 2 to 4 o'clock, and again, it's free for everyone to attend.

00:33:34 Speaker 03: We hope people will come out and celebrate with us.

00:33:37 Speaker 03: Bianca Nam, Where the Willows Weep and Orchids Dream.

00:33:41 Speaker 03: She's an emerging artist, and she'll be presenting an immersive installation that explores rebirth and transformation through mixed media practice, drawing both from analog and digital media.

00:33:53 Speaker 03: She combines collage, installation, and painting to illustrate metamorphosis.

00:33:58 Speaker 03: And so, I think this will be a really compelling exhibition to experience.

00:34:02 Speaker 03: And alongside that, we'll be opening Convergence, which I've talked pretty extensively about.

00:34:08 Speaker 03: And I just, out of that, I'd like to highlight the jurors who did an incredible job jurying that show, and they included Owen Sound artist Christine Moran, Jennifer Norman,

00:34:18 Speaker 03: who's the executive director at the Durham Art Gallery, and Martin Pierce, who's the associate professor of studio art at the University of Guelph.

00:34:26 Speaker 03: They had almost 300 submissions in total to look at, so it was pretty incredible.

00:34:32 Speaker 03: One hundred and ninety-four artists presented work to us, so that's absolutely fantastic.

00:34:38 Speaker 03: Some highlights from our summer programmememe: I've talked about the art camps, our exhibition opening, The Lego Chichiman.

00:34:45 Speaker 03: The two things that I didn't touch on were Doors Open and Art Walk, both of which happened on the same day on June 21.

00:34:52 Speaker 03: And the gallery was happy to participate, and we had a lot of people coming through our doors that day.

00:34:57 Speaker 03: So it was really a great opportunity to showcase the gallery.

00:35:01 Speaker 03: I'll touch on tourism at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

00:35:03 Speaker 03: This is the second year of a pilot project to incorporate tourism services at the gallery,

00:35:08 Speaker 03: and it was undertaken with five tourism and events students rotating through the visitor services desk and events to support throughout the summer.

00:35:17 Speaker 03: The students were such an incredible asset for us, and they worked with the gallery staff to create a great visitor experience for anyone coming to Owen Sound.

00:35:25 Speaker 03: So we thank them, and we certainly miss having them at the gallery.

00:35:30 Speaker 03: Escarpment Magazine.

00:35:32 Speaker 03: I was able to write a feature article on the art gallery and its history for Escarpment.

00:35:38 Speaker 03: Forest Carbon Magazine Summer Edition, and that is always such an honour to be able to contribute to that magazine.

00:35:43 Speaker 03: It's very prestigious; it gets distributed all over the region, especially through the Collingwood area.

00:35:49 Speaker 03: So, it was a great profile for the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, and I actually included a link so that you can read it.

00:35:55 Speaker 03: It takes you right to the online magazine if you want to take the time to read that.

00:36:01 Speaker 03: I have an update here from Kim on our Gallery Night at the Movies programmememing.

00:36:06 Speaker 03: So, it kicked off its 28th season on Monday with the film The Life of Chuck, as I mentioned, and that was the People's Choice winner.

00:36:15 Speaker 03: Two hundred and eighty-six local moviegoers attended over three screenings at the local cineplex.

00:36:20 Speaker 03: There are two hundred and thirty-four passes sold for the season, and of those, 58 per cent are gallery members.

00:36:27 Speaker 03: There were 62 single movie tickets purchased for the first film, and at the same time last year, there were one hundred and ninety-four passes sold for the season,

00:36:34 Speaker 03: and 49 per cent were from gallery members.

00:36:38 Speaker 03: So that's just kind of a bit of interesting statistical information there.

00:36:43 Speaker 03: This series is presented in conjunction with the Toronto International Film Festival.

00:36:48 Speaker 03: It's been a very successful series for us over the years, and one of our longest-running programmememes.

00:36:54 Speaker 03: And I'm just going to look further ahead in my report here because we do have a couple of confirmed dates that I want to get on everybody's agenda here.

00:37:01 Speaker 03: October 20 is DJ Amit.

00:37:04 Speaker 03: November 10 is Eleanor the Great, and December 8 is Blue Moon.

00:37:08 Speaker 03: So we have five more dates coming in winter, and those will be confirmed shortly.

00:37:12 Speaker 03: Another event that wasn't in my update presentation, but which was a tremendous success for us, was the Cobble Beach Concours Welcome Reception on Friday, September 12.

00:37:24 Speaker 03: We hosted a special welcoming reception, which included the guests of the Concours event, participants, and the judges who return to Owen Sound each year for this world-class celebration of automotive excellence.

00:37:36 Speaker 03: We had over 130 people come to that reception.

00:37:39 Speaker 03: It was really fantastic.

00:37:40 Speaker 03: And the next day, the Concours de Limousine was on First Ave, just outside the gallery.

00:37:45 Speaker 03: So lots of people coming in to check in, not only check out the cars but check out the exhibitions.

00:37:51 Speaker 03: I've touched on Trivia Night, Appraisal Day, and the Paddle Art Contest.

00:37:56 Speaker 03: So I've mentioned that you know our tours are starting to book for September and October.

00:38:02 Speaker 03: We're going to be strengthening our school engagement initiatives by actively promoting guided tours to local and regional educators.

00:38:09 Speaker 03: And outreach efforts include direct communication with teachers and school boards, distribution of updated educational programmememe materials, and the development of curriculum-linked tours that connect to current exhibitions and Tom Thomson's legacy.

00:38:24 Speaker 03: In terms of the collection, staff continue to actually work on the relocation of the collection back into the vault following the completion of that HVAC replacement project in April.

00:38:35 Speaker 03: As part of the project, staff reconfigured areas of the vault to create efficiency by reutilising the temporary art storage shelves, and we have an overall objective of having the collection be better stored.

00:38:50 Speaker 03: And the work on this project essentially had to be paused during the summer months to accommodate the summer art camps in the studio space because we couldn't move work between those two spaces.

00:39:01 Speaker 03: The three Tom Thomson paintings that were bequeathed by Gloria M. and James E. Smith of Toronto to the gallery in 2025 were on display as part of the safekeeping exhibition.

00:39:10 Speaker 03: And following that presentation, they are slated to undergo professional conservation work, including careful cleaning and reframing using archival materials, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

00:39:23 Speaker 03: And this work will essentially, you know, really protect these rare pieces and allow audiences to appreciate Thompson's legacy for years to come.

00:39:31 Speaker 03: Georgian Bay Art Conservation has generously agreed to support this work through contributing some of the costs in kind, and the gallery has raised $600 towards the total cost of this project,

00:39:43 Speaker 03: which is estimated to be $8,150, including the reframing.

00:39:48 Speaker 03: So we're on our way.

00:39:49 Speaker 03: If anyone wishes to create some additional donations, we would be most grateful.

00:39:54 Speaker 03: And interestingly enough, we are in talks with CIBC and CBC right now—not the bank, the actual media outlet.

00:40:03 Speaker 03: I mean, maybe CIBC would be good too.

00:40:05 Speaker 03: Maybe they can give us some money.

00:40:06 Speaker 03: But anyway, CBC, and they will be coming to do a little profile of the conservation of those works over at Georgian Bay Conservation.

00:40:15 Speaker 03: So that's pretty cool too.

00:40:17 Speaker 03: I see Peter has a question.

00:40:19 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:40:20 Speaker 02: And I'm going to go back to your point about Convergence.

00:40:22 Speaker 02: You said you're getting over 300 pieces are being donated or sent in.

00:40:27 Speaker 02: Where are you putting them all?

00:40:31 Speaker 03: Oh, thank you, and through you, acting chair.

00:40:36 Speaker 03: So we're not in receipt of the 300 works.

00:40:38 Speaker 03: We receive images of those works, and then they get sent out to the jury, who looks at each one of those works and then makes a selection of like maybe 35 or 40 pieces,

00:40:49 Speaker 03: and those are the pieces that then come to the gallery.

00:40:52 Speaker 05: So it's a much more limited scope.

00:40:54 Speaker 05: And then, where are those ones that are chosen?

00:40:57 Speaker 05: Where are they going to be exhibited?

00:41:00 Speaker 03: Through acting chair.

00:41:01 Speaker 03: So, the ones that are not selected for the exhibition will not be on display.

00:41:04 Speaker 03: The ones that are selected, where are they going to be exhibited?

00:41:09 Speaker 03: The ones that are selected.

00:41:12 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:41:13 Speaker 03: They will be exhibited in the North Gallery in the Convergence exhibition.

00:41:24 Speaker 03: Did you get any response from your article that you wrote?

00:41:29 Speaker 03: Thank you, and through you, Acting Chair.

00:41:31 Speaker 03: Yes, absolutely.

00:41:32 Speaker 03: It's interesting because the year prior, we actually had an image from our collection, a Tom Thomson work, on the cover of Escarpment magazine, and you know, we had someone come to the gallery and say,

00:41:43 Speaker 03: "You know, gosh, we didn't even know you were here.

00:41:45 Speaker 03: We're so excited," and so I, you know, the...

00:41:48 Speaker 03: So you know the reach of that magazine really is incredible, and yes, I have had feedback from people who've read the article and said, you know, it's such a tremendous asset that Owen Sound has.

00:41:58 Speaker 03: We can't believe that the Tom, that this legacy item exists here in our region.

00:42:03 Speaker 03: So yeah, really positive feedback.

00:42:06 Speaker 02: Great, thank you.

00:42:07 Speaker 02: Before we go on, is there anybody else who has any questions on what Aidan has presented so far?

00:42:14 Speaker 02: Nope.

00:42:15 Speaker 02: Hearing none.

00:42:16 Speaker 02: Do you want to continue on then?

00:42:20 Speaker 03: Okay, in terms of our operations, we had a loading dock door replacement project.

00:42:26 Speaker 03: It was replaced the week of August 25th.

00:42:29 Speaker 03: A part of this project was a part of the City of Owen Sound's capital projects.

00:42:32 Speaker 03: The door had reached an age where it was not operating properly, and it needed to be replaced for safety and for security reasons.

00:42:40 Speaker 03: And I just want to say that we're so grateful to Niall Johnston, whose mural "Thank You Thunderbird Spirit" was displayed on the door.

00:42:48 Speaker 03: The mural was created as part of the Canadian Spirit Festival from 2012 to 2017, and it was intended as a temporary installation.

00:42:55 Speaker 03: We were thrilled to be able to extend it for so many years beyond the festival during which it was created, and we were, you know,

00:43:03 Speaker 03: really thrilled to be able to communicate our appreciation to the artist for having the mural for so long.

00:43:10 Speaker 03: And he kindly supplied us with that wonderful quote that I had to include in my report here.

00:43:15 Speaker 03: I thought it was just so lovely.

00:43:17 Speaker 03: The Art Gallery and Library have also been working with Pollinate Owen Sound to establish a pollinator garden on the side of the building, starting this fall, through funding from Bruce Power and TD Canada Trust,

00:43:31 Speaker 03: Friends of the Environment, and our long-range plans include the establishment of native plants to encourage the development of a pollinator corridor in Owen Sound.

00:43:41 Speaker 03: And as part of this project, the team is considering an opportunity to create a pollinator-themed mural to activate that location and promote awareness about native plants and their importance to the environment.

00:43:54 Speaker 03: In terms of our fundraising, I'm just going to move on to that now.

00:43:57 Speaker 03: There is a report from the chair of the fundraising team attached to the agenda,

00:44:01 Speaker 03: so I don't think I have too much to add beyond what was stated in the presentation and essentially what is contained in that update report.

00:44:12 Speaker 03: And in a moment I will touch on our updated fundraising revenue and revenue for the Tom.

00:44:18 Speaker 03: And perhaps I have a section here just on grants, but I could probably actually at this point just skip to that fundraising and revenue sheet because it actually has a summary of that as well.

00:44:30 Speaker 03: So why don't we just take a little look at that?

00:44:33 Speaker 03: So it was an attachment to my report.

00:44:37 Speaker 03: I would just like to note that our grants—Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council grants—are in and on budget as expected.

00:44:45 Speaker 03: We also received nine thousand four hundred fifty dollars from Young Canada Works to support the two summer students that we had assisting us with our education programmememes throughout the summer.

00:44:56 Speaker 03: That's not yet our final payment, so that total will go up.

00:45:00 Speaker 03: Our donations sit at just over twenty-one thousand, with a predicted year-to-date budget of twenty thousand.

00:45:06 Speaker 03: And again, I referenced this earlier.

00:45:07 Speaker 03: This is tremendous success for us.

00:45:09 Speaker 03: Again, we were closed for three months, so this shows very strong numbers; people are giving to us, and I think that's just incredible.

00:45:18 Speaker 03: Sales desk is also significantly up, just under five thousand.

00:45:23 Speaker 03: Predicted year-to-date was just under fifteen hundred, and I think you know, for this year, we've implemented some new things.

00:45:30 Speaker 03: We have some ball caps, we have some jackets and T-shirts, and things seem to be moving along there, so that's great.

00:45:37 Speaker 03: Movies.

00:45:37 Speaker 03: This is probably a timing thing.

00:45:39 Speaker 03: We're around eight thousand; year-to-date is around fourteen five hundred, but that's really timing because the passes for the new season have just gone on sale,

00:45:50 Speaker 03: so that revenue line will go up as we process those passes and movie tickets into the fall.

00:45:56 Speaker 03: Our special events fundraising, you can see, sits at thirteen thirty-eight predicted, but then again, this is also very much a timing thing, where I would say, you know,

00:46:07 Speaker 03: our event is coming up on November 1st, and our calendar campaign is just sort of getting under way for the fall and winter.

00:46:14 Speaker 03: So, I think we'll also see that line come up with those items rolling out.

00:46:21 Speaker 03: Our endowment fund, surprisingly and happily, came in with just over four thousand more than expected this year.

00:46:28 Speaker 03: So that's always a positive.

00:46:30 Speaker 03: Our membership is at fifteen hundred, and we have five thousand budgeted, but we are rolling out our new membership programmememe this fall and our donor giving programmememe,

00:46:40 Speaker 03: so we expect that number to rise as well.

00:46:43 Speaker 03: Collection donations are up significantly through several key pivotal donations that we've received for this year.

00:46:50 Speaker 03: You'll see twenty-one thousand one hundred, where the year-to-date budget was six six thousand six hundred and change.

00:46:59 Speaker 03: Studio classes are such a success, as I said.

00:47:02 Speaker 03: I mean,

00:47:02 Speaker 03: not only were they a success in terms of reaching out to people and seeing kids bring their parents up into our exhibitions and just you know enjoying and experiencing the Tom and exploring everything that

00:47:15 Speaker 03: we have to offer in terms of our collection and space.

00:47:18 Speaker 03: You'll see here that it was also a financial success for us, with twenty-two thousand three hundred and change predicted, budgeted at three thousand six hundred and sixty-six.

00:47:29 Speaker 03: So that is a tremendous success story for us.

00:47:32 Speaker 03: As is convergence, because with 300 submissions, almost 300 submissions, you know our revenue line there is 9,543.

00:47:40 Speaker 03: So bringing us to, you can see the year current year-to-date total sitting at 244,820, which where we were hoping to be was around 219,000.

00:47:55 Speaker 03: So we are definitely showing strong revenue.

00:47:57 Speaker 03: We're doing very well.

00:47:58 Speaker 03: This has been a very successful year for us, and as Pam noted to me, sometimes we you know we look for revenue where we can get it,

00:48:07 Speaker 03: and I think the art camps and education programmememes have proved that that's a really strong source for us.

00:48:11 Speaker 03: Where fundraising continues to be a bit of a challenge because of the economic climate, and I think organisations across Ontario are experiencing challenges in terms of sponsorship and fundraising events.

00:48:25 Speaker 03: So we're looking at the areas that are doing very well, and I'm just so pleased to present this report and to see us in such great shape this year.

00:48:35 Speaker 03: Great, thank you, Aidan.

00:48:37 Speaker 03: Does anybody have any questions about Aidan's?

00:48:44 Speaker 03: I do, Peter.

00:48:49 Speaker 03: Go ahead.

00:48:51 Speaker 06: Um, I thank you for this report and the breakdowns of sort of money coming in, so obviously knowing that art camps are proving to be sort of a financial success for the gallery,

00:49:10 Speaker 06: is that something that sort of operationally and feasibly we would be able to expand on and grow?

00:49:24 Speaker 06: Like, is there sort of a ceiling in terms of growth for those types of programmememing?

00:49:32 Speaker 06: Do you want to respond?

00:49:35 Speaker 03: Thank you, and through the acting chair.

00:49:36 Speaker 03: Thanks for that question.

00:49:38 Speaker 03: That's a really great one because you're right, absolutely.

00:49:40 Speaker 03: So we've had some conversations about next year already, and we're going to be rolling out a March Break Art Camp.

00:49:48 Speaker 03: We're looking at our PD days as opportunities as well, and then also the time frame.

00:49:52 Speaker 03: Like we did six weeks of art camp this year.

00:49:55 Speaker 03: I mean, we could look at doing a seventh week, and we've talked about that as a staff yet, just to kind of see what might be possible.

00:50:02 Speaker 03: It really for the length of time that we run the camps depends a little bit on the summer student funding that we receive and the timeframe that they can work with us.

00:50:12 Speaker 03: But yeah, I definitely see room for expansion in terms of what we're offering.

00:50:16 Speaker 03: We can also even look at the age groups that we're offering.

00:50:19 Speaker 03: We might be able to expand that as well.

00:50:20 Speaker 03: So yes, lots of opportunity to look at here as we debrief from a very successful season.

00:50:28 Speaker 03: Thank you, Kelsey.

00:50:29 Speaker 03: Enough of an answer for you.

00:50:32 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:50:34 Speaker 03: Any other questions for Aidan?

00:50:37 Speaker 02: There be none.

00:50:37 Speaker 02: We will carry on.

00:50:38 Speaker 02: Can I ask then for a vote from the committee to recommend to council that we receive Aidan's report?

00:50:47 Speaker 02: All those in favour?

00:50:50 Speaker 02: Any opposed?

00:50:52 Speaker 02: Carried.

00:50:53 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:50:58 Speaker 02: Moving on.

00:51:00 Speaker 02: You mentioned there's the update from the fundraising committee that's attached to the report.

00:51:04 Speaker 02: Do people want to go through it, or have you read it?

00:51:09 Speaker 02: Questions on the fundraising report?

00:51:14 Speaker 02: None.

00:51:14 Speaker 02: I don't see any questions.

00:51:15 Speaker 02: Okay, we carry on.

00:51:17 Speaker 02: Then we're going to ask for a vote to recommend a motion.

00:51:20 Speaker 02: I didn't ask to get the vote for the last one.

00:51:21 Speaker 02: I did recommend your report.

00:51:23 Speaker 02: We did this.

00:51:25 Speaker 02: I asked for the motion to recommend that council receive the report for the fundraising team.

00:51:30 Speaker 02: All those in favour?

00:51:33 Speaker 02: Any opposed?

00:51:35 Speaker 02: Carried.

00:51:36 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:51:39 Speaker 02: Matters postponed.

00:51:40 Speaker 02: Were there any matters postponed that we know of, Kim?

00:51:42 Speaker 02: No. Motion for which notice was previously given?

00:51:47 Speaker 02: None.

00:51:47 Speaker 02: Okay.

00:51:49 Speaker 02: Correspondence provided for information.

00:51:51 Speaker 02: No. Discussion of additional business.

00:51:53 Speaker 02: Did we get?

00:51:54 Speaker 02: We didn't have any additional business, did we?

00:51:55 Speaker 02: No. Okay.

00:51:56 Speaker 02: So I guess we don't have additional business.

00:51:58 Speaker 02: But I was wondering if I could ask a kind of an operational question.

00:52:03 Speaker 02: Sure.

00:52:05 Speaker 06: Um, this will be my third meeting as part of the advisory committee, and we have never received a report from the art collection team or the expansion planning team, and I was wondering, sort of,

00:52:22 Speaker 06: why that might be.

00:52:24 Speaker 06: Like, if it's just the sort of work where there are fewer updates, or like if there's some sort of reason why we never have heard from either of those teams.

00:52:35 Speaker 02: I'm going to ask Aidan or Pam to respond to that question.

00:52:41 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:52:41 Speaker 03: Great question.

00:52:42 Speaker 03: Through the acting chair, I'll just answer that in two parts.

00:52:45 Speaker 03: Really, so the art collection team meets on an as-needed basis.

00:52:49 Speaker 03: So we currently have a pause on collecting right now because we had that large double HVAC replacement, the move of the collection,

00:52:57 Speaker 03: and we're just determining what kind of space we have and how we're going to be working with it.

00:53:03 Speaker 03: So there hasn't been a need for the art collection team to meet in this interim time period,

00:53:08 Speaker 03: and the facility expansion team is on a pause right now as we look to have the fundraising feasibility study completed next year.

00:53:20 Speaker 03: So there, again, there probably hasn't been a need for that team to meet.

00:53:26 Speaker 03: Perfect.

00:53:26 Speaker 03: Thank you.

00:53:26 Speaker 03: I knew there was an explanation.

00:53:27 Speaker 03: I think actually, do you want to talk about?

00:53:34 Speaker 03: the calendar?

00:53:36 Speaker 03: Pam, you had it up.

00:53:36 Speaker 03: So why don't you talk about it?

00:53:40 Speaker 03: They threw it over to me.

00:53:42 Speaker 03: So yes, I just want to say that our 2026 fundraising calendar is on the theme of Horizons.

00:53:52 Speaker 03: It raises money for the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

00:53:53 Speaker 03: As I mentioned, it'll be in shops all over the region.

00:53:57 Speaker 03: The fundraising team does an incredible job of getting this out into the community, and it's such an easy way for people to promote the gallery,

00:54:06 Speaker 03: become familiar with the collection because they're all works from our collection that are contained in this calendar, and there's one for every month.

00:54:13 Speaker 03: They make great stocking stuffers as you start to think about Christmas.

00:54:17 Speaker 03: I know it's a little too early for that, but anyway, you know, I just think this has been such a success for us.

00:54:23 Speaker 03: I hope everyone will look for these and grab one for a family member.

00:54:26 Speaker 03: You can also enjoy our collection right in your own home.

00:54:31 Speaker 02: I believe there's a list of the outlets where you can obtain the calendars.

00:54:37 Speaker 02: Where is it?

00:54:38 Speaker 02: It's in... yeah, Artifacts.

00:54:42 Speaker 02: Where actually where is a list of the locations?

00:54:44 Speaker 02: There is one somewhere.

00:54:45 Speaker 02: The location list on the website.

00:54:48 Speaker 02: Okay, but if they haven't got the website, okay, where else to check for them?

00:54:50 Speaker 02: Make sure you can see where to go to get one.

00:54:55 Speaker 02: They're nodding their heads.

00:54:56 Speaker 02: I'm assuming that's what it is.

00:55:00 Speaker 02: Yeah, listed on the website.

00:55:01 Speaker 02: Thank you very much.

00:55:04 Speaker 02: Is there any other business we have to consider at all?

00:55:09 Speaker 02: In that case, I'm going to ask for us to adjourn.

00:55:14 Speaker 02: Do we need a vote for adjourning?

00:55:17 Speaker 02: Anyway, Jane's going to make a vote for it.

00:55:20 Speaker 02: Okay, all those in favour of adjourning.

00:55:22 Speaker 02: There we are.

00:55:22 Speaker 02: Thank you very much, everybody.

00:55:24 Speaker 02: And our next meeting is when, Kim?

00:55:28 Speaker 02: Gotta look up your calendar now.

00:55:35 Speaker 02: December.

00:55:36 Speaker 02: December.

00:55:37 Speaker 02: See you in December.

00:55:38 Speaker 02: Thank you very much, everybody, for attending.

00:55:40 Speaker 02: And take care.

00:55:41 Speaker 02: Have a good time.

00:55:42 Speaker 02: Good weekend.

00:55:42 Speaker 02: Bye.