Owen Sound Committee - Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Meeting Transcript — May 6, 2026

00:00:19 Speaker 01: As it's now two p.m., I'm going to call the meeting of the Tom Thompson Advisory Committee on May the sixth to order.

00:00:31 Speaker 01: First call for any additional business that has been received. None received. Okay.

00:00:39 Speaker 01: And confirmation of the past minutes.

00:00:41 Speaker 01: I just want to make one comment.

00:00:43 Speaker 01: I think Tiffany, you weren't even you weren't there, and it doesn't say anything about you not being there. Okay, right. I was helpful. Thank for the clarification. I think.

00:00:53 Speaker 01: Oh my God, you forgot to put your name there. Okay. Thank.

00:00:55 Speaker 01: Anyway, and welcome by the way.

00:00:58 Speaker 01: Okay, so I need a motion.

00:01:02 Speaker 01: To everybody, had a chance to go through the minutes.

00:01:04 Speaker 01: Any comments, errors, or omissions to bring up?

00:01:08 Speaker 01: Okay, need a motion then to confirm the minutes of the meeting of when was that? April, February fourth.

00:01:18 Speaker 01: Can we move for that? Scott, second or Kathy? All those in favor? Carried. Thank you. I need seconds. I need seconds.

00:01:29 Speaker 01: I think some of you have it. Seconds.

00:01:31 Speaker 01: I was force of habit.

00:01:33 Speaker 01: Thank you very much, Mayor, for a broad mandate.

00:01:35 Speaker 01: So it's time to shake your head. Not now. Thanks. Deputation presentations. There are none. I see. Public forum.

00:01:50 Speaker 01: Just has a blank there. Okay.

00:01:53 Speaker 01: Corresponds received for which direction is required.

00:01:55 Speaker 01: See for which direction is required. Did we receive any? None at all. Received. Okay. Thank you.

00:01:59 Speaker 01: No reports of city staff, and I think we're going to go right into Aiden's report. Thank you.

00:02:11 Speaker 01: And through the chair, I'm very pleased to review the highlights of my May 2026 report with you.

00:02:18 Speaker 02: We'll just start out with a little review of our attendance statistics, and this is.

00:02:24 Speaker 02: I just want to make everyone aware that this is till March thirty first only.

00:02:28 Speaker 02: So since that time, obviously we've had a number of activities and tours and things like that contributing to additional attendance.

00:02:35 Speaker 02: So that is till March thirty first.

00:02:37 Speaker 02: Our visited visitors counted manually and engaged by gallery staff.

00:02:42 Speaker 02: So these are the people that are coming in and talking to the person at the front desk, and they're being manually manually recorded at the front desk.

00:02:50 Speaker 02: Is one thousand one hundred and seventy.

00:02:52 Speaker 02: One thousand one hundred and seventy-seven, and via our exhibition laser counter, which is at the doors to the exhibitions, it's one thousand six hundred and sixty-nine,

00:03:01 Speaker 02: and the total facility visitors via those laser door counters are just over two thousand there, and so just some interesting highlights from the attendance that we've gathered so far.

00:03:15 Speaker 02: Almost twenty percent, nineteen percent, have shown their open card when coming into the gallery.

00:03:19 Speaker 02: So this is really a testament. to that program being successful and running well.

00:03:24 Speaker 02: And in fact, anecdotally, the person that was on the front desk reported to me that they've had several high school students that were coming to the gallery to see Emergence,

00:03:34 Speaker 02: and they came in with their open card as well.

00:03:37 Speaker 02: So it's reaching a broad demographic there as well.

00:03:41 Speaker 02: So 19% were first-time visitors, which I think is excellent for this time of year.

00:03:46 Speaker 02: It's not a high tourism season for us.

00:03:48 Speaker 02: We tend to get a lot of people from Owen Sound, as you'll see from that 67% statistic up till March 31st is from Owen Sound.

00:03:56 Speaker 02: That statistic and all of these statistics tend to really shift once we get into the summer and fall seasons, where we're seeing a lot of tourism.

00:04:04 Speaker 02: And just an update from our April 25th opening, we had 116, or sorry, 160 attendees to that event, which is a really well-attended opening for us at the Tom.

00:04:18 Speaker 02: Opening for us at the time, and that's not included in in this attendance update.

00:04:24 Speaker 02: And also, you'll note here that we've broken down some of the different age categories there: with forty percent seniors, forty-five adults, and fifteen percent under the age of eighteen.

00:04:32 Speaker 02: But again, I'll point out to that shift with our spring tours, emergence, our high school exhibition being up, and then we will beginning be we'll be starting our summer art camps as well.

00:04:44 Speaker 02: So that totally shifts the. demographic statistics as we move into the spring and summer programming.

00:04:51 Speaker 02: But overall, I think we're showing a really strong engagement for the first quarter of the year.

00:04:56 Speaker 02: We aren't able to compare to last year because, of course, we were closed from January to April for that double HVAC replacement.

00:05:04 Speaker 02: But when I look to the year prior, we're on par with where we were,

00:05:08 Speaker 02: and I can say that we have a lot of tours scheduled throughout this month and June. so we're very booked up for those months, and we'll be running two PD days,

00:05:20 Speaker 02: and then launching into our summer art camps.

00:05:22 Speaker 02: So everything's pointing towards a strong attendance for this year as well. Sorry to interrupt, Edan.

00:05:28 Speaker 02: Can you just explain again the open card and how that works? Thank you.

00:05:35 Speaker 02: And through the chair, great question.

00:05:36 Speaker 02: The open card is a collaboration between the Tom Thompson Art Gallery, the library, the Billy Bishop, and the Marine and Rail.

00:05:43 Speaker 02: Museum, and essentially anyone who's qualified to get a library card from the library can access this open card,

00:05:52 Speaker 02: and it grants free admission to all of these institutions. and It's intended to sort of build our collaboration.

00:05:59 Speaker 02: We work together also as an open team.

00:06:03 Speaker 02: We were the ones that launched the first pollinator garden in the canoe, just outside the market as well.

00:06:08 Speaker 02: So there's the open card and the open team. the leaders of these institutions, continue to meet to see how we can work together.

00:06:17 Speaker 02: And so the card has been successful, really, for all of us and help promote our institutions.

00:06:24 Speaker 02: Sorry, just going on a bit further.

00:06:26 Speaker 02: And here you've said that there also was meaningful interaction between visitors and front desk staff.

00:06:30 Speaker 02: Can you give an example of what that was like? Absolutely, through the chair.

00:06:35 Speaker 02: I think that it opens up a conversation.

00:06:37 Speaker 02: You know, when staff are engaging with people that are walking. in through the front door, you know whether or not they have their open card.

00:06:44 Speaker 02: You know there's an opportunity for them to talk about the exhibitions, the upcoming educational programs that we have, and it just creates you know a context everything else that we're doing.

00:06:58 Speaker 02: Okay, and through the chair, I will just continue with my report, and I will stop for some questions so that's not sort of all one big report highlight.

00:07:09 Speaker 02: So I would just say overall, with our attendance, that we continue to attract a really balanced, multi generational audience.

00:07:16 Speaker 02: Particularly strong engagement among adults and seniors.

00:07:19 Speaker 02: But I would say that is primarily during the winter season and throughout the spring and summer.

00:07:24 Speaker 02: Once again, we're getting that younger demographic into the gallery.

00:07:28 Speaker 02: And I will add the fall season as well because that's another hot point for school tours as well.

00:07:35 Speaker 02: I'll move into our exhibitions. now.

00:07:37 Speaker 02: As I mentioned, we had a really phenomenal opening on April the twenty-five th, celebrating two exhibitions.

00:07:44 Speaker 02: And I've written what's in my report based on the exhibition texts.

00:07:48 Speaker 02: But I'd actually like to just share some of the comments that I had written for the opening because I just feel like they encapsulate the shows rather nicely.

00:07:57 Speaker 02: And so, like Tom Thompson, Liz Zetlin, she her exhibition is titled "More Than Human," and it's an immersive. four-channel video installation that was filmed over the course of a year in her garden.

00:08:11 Speaker 02: So I feel like Tom Thompson, Liz Atlin really begins with a close observation of a specific place, and in this case, it is her garden in Owen Sound.

00:08:20 Speaker 02: But really, what unfolds is something expansive, where she invites us into a world where human perception isn't central, and it reframes the garden as a vibrant network of relationships, plants, pollinators, weather, time itself,

00:08:34 Speaker 02: all. acting and interacting, and in this work, we're asked not to simply look, but to listen and to linger, and to recognize ourselves as participants within a more than human community.

00:08:44 Speaker 02: And it's the sense of connection across these species and systems and ways of knowing that resonate beyond this region.

00:08:52 Speaker 02: At a moment when global conversations are increasingly shaped by ecological urgency, Liz's work offers a quiet but powerful reorientation, a call to humility, a.

00:09:01 Speaker 02: To humility, attentiveness, and reciprocity within the living world, and I've had the pleasure to work with Liz on several amazing projects over the years as part of the Open Team,

00:09:11 Speaker 02: from planting Owen Sound's first pollinator garden in the canoe by the farmers' market, which I mentioned, to the larger projects including the upcoming library and gallery pollinator garden.

00:09:22 Speaker 02: Tim Nichols, Harrison, Liz, and I were even selected to present our work at the Canadian Museums Association conference a few years ago.

00:09:30 Speaker 02: But through all of this, you know. what's really impressed me most is Liz's sensitivity and her ability to truly listen to a place and understand that a garden, like an artwork, is not something imposed,

00:09:40 Speaker 02: but something entered into a relationship with.

00:09:43 Speaker 02: And it's this attentiveness that makes her work so compelling.

00:09:46 Speaker 02: It does doesn't show us the natural world; it actually reminds us that we are already a part of it.

00:09:52 Speaker 02: And so, alongside this emergence, brings us into another kind of ecosystem, and it's one that's defined by creativity and risk. and the unfolding voices of a new generation,

00:10:02 Speaker 02: the students represented here are not only responding to the world that they inherit, but actively reshaping how it's seen and understood.

00:10:10 Speaker 02: Their works reflect a wide range of concerns and curiosities, including environmental, social, and personal, and they do so with a boldness that feels both timely and necessary.

00:10:20 Speaker 02: So, if Thompson's legacy teaches us to see the land differently, and Liz's work asks us to reconsider our place within it, then emergence. really reminds us that ways of seeing are never fixed, and they evolve.

00:10:32 Speaker 02: They are tested and expanded, and sometimes challenged most profoundly by those just beginning to define their artistic paths.

00:10:40 Speaker 02: And together, these exhibitions invite us into a broader global conversation—one about interconnection, responsibility, and imagination.

00:10:48 Speaker 02: And they ask us to consider not only how we observe the world, but how we belong to it,

00:10:53 Speaker 02: and how the next generation will carry that understanding forward. and I'd also like to highlight that coming up this Saturday, Liz Zetlin will be giving a talk at the art gallery at eleven o'clock,

00:11:05 Speaker 02: which is free to attend.

00:11:07 Speaker 02: I'd encourage anyone who is interested in her work to come to this talk.

00:11:12 Speaker 02: I myself has been have been inspired by her exhibition. It's just it's amazing.

00:11:18 Speaker 02: Like the four channels, each are a different season, and they teach you about you know how pollinators and plants communicate.

00:11:26 Speaker 02: How they're so important to each other, made me think about my own garden.

00:11:29 Speaker 02: And so a few weeks ago, I took out my hostas and I planted some black chokeberry bushes.

00:11:36 Speaker 02: And I was so delighted when I saw a bumblebee.

00:11:39 Speaker 02: And I had to tell Liz right away I saw a bumblebee on my bushes.

00:11:42 Speaker 02: And she was just as thrilled as I was.

00:11:45 Speaker 02: So, you know, something like this, small changes, big impact.

00:11:49 Speaker 02: And I really feel her exhibition has had an amazing impact. so far.

00:11:55 Speaker 02: Has there been any other feedback you've got on her exhibition? Public feedback. Through the chair.

00:12:02 Speaker 02: Thank you for that question.

00:12:04 Speaker 02: I have observed that several people have been coming back and taking in the seasons on different days, so they're taking time to come and listen and watch winter.

00:12:14 Speaker 02: They're coming back next week to see summer, etc. And yes, definitely the feedback has been great.

00:12:22 Speaker 02: We had a family night for upcycling Tom, and the kids really enjoyed the exhibition space too.

00:12:28 Speaker 02: They maybe don't understand it the way we do, but they were, you know, just entranced by it and asking their parents what the different, you know,

00:12:35 Speaker 02: or or pointing out the different insects that were in the various different scenes.

00:12:39 Speaker 02: So it's been a lot of fun to watch.

00:12:42 Speaker 02: Sorry, can I ask a question on on the emergence show?

00:12:46 Speaker 02: Was there a selection process?

00:12:47 Speaker 02: Was it juried, and how how was that put together? Yeah.

00:12:52 Speaker 02: So, emergence was in this case we wanted to engage as many students as possible in the process.

00:13:01 Speaker 02: So we reached out broadly, and we wanted to be inclusive.

00:13:05 Speaker 02: So, if we had more works in the future, I think we could jury it.

00:13:09 Speaker 02: But it wasn't sort of large enough at this point in time to sort of take more of that approach.

00:13:15 Speaker 02: I think right now we just sort of want to be inclusive and and showcase. as many perspectives.

00:13:20 Speaker 02: And we did work with high school teachers to encourage students to submit their work as well.

00:13:24 Speaker 02: So, and forecast our exhibition January to June will continue.

00:13:33 Speaker 02: It's currently on, and then it will switch over, and it will be July to December.

00:13:39 Speaker 02: So it will feature works that reflect those seasons.

00:13:42 Speaker 02: So we'll be looking forward to launching that a little bit later this summer.

00:13:48 Speaker 02: If there are any other questions about our exhibitions, I can answer those.

00:13:53 Speaker 02: Just in terms of the forecast, is there any plan of giving a talk next about the exhibit for people, like we're doing the other exhibitions?

00:14:02 Speaker 02: Through the chair, thank you for that question as well.

00:14:05 Speaker 02: We don't have a plan at this time, but I think you've brought forward a great idea that we could possibly implement with the curator of that exhibition.

00:14:12 Speaker 02: I think because the same people are going to recognize pieces, it would be really helpful to hear.

00:14:16 Speaker 02: Isn't it be really helpful to hear about them and come back in their favorites to see again?

00:14:22 Speaker 02: Through the chair, I will just continue with my report. Here, we have.

00:14:26 Speaker 02: I'm going to touch on some of our education and youth programming as a core priority for the Tom.

00:14:31 Speaker 02: This is something that we continue to rebuild.

00:14:34 Speaker 02: As many of you know, I started in 2020, right when the pandemic hit, and it sort of changed the landscape a great deal.

00:14:40 Speaker 02: But it's so great to be able to bring people, families, youth back to the Tom, and we've been steadily working on ways to do that through March break programming, our summer art camps, tours, PD day programming.

00:14:53 Speaker 02: That's all been tremendous for us, and it continues to grow.

00:14:58 Speaker 02: So our March break open studio was a great success for us.

00:15:02 Speaker 02: We had five days of free drop-in programming, lots of families visiting the gallery spaces during that time, and it was an opportunity for us to also promote the upcoming. summer art camps to families,

00:15:14 Speaker 02: and I thought that went really well.

00:15:17 Speaker 02: The feedback from the front desk staff was that people were wanting to know more about what we're doing when they were visiting,

00:15:24 Speaker 02: and you can see a little list of activities that we included in that week as well.

00:15:29 Speaker 02: We have a number of things coming up.

00:15:32 Speaker 02: I've already mentioned Liz's talk, which is on Saturday from 11 to 12.

00:15:36 Speaker 02: We are also collaborating with the magic, the magic of children in the arts. and there is a major exhibition going to be installed in our studio space from May fifteenth to the twenty ninth,

00:15:48 Speaker 02: and there will be a special opening reception taking place on May twenty third from eleven to three, and it will showcase artwork from six local schools and over seven hundred students across Gray Bruce.

00:15:59 Speaker 02: So we anticipate a lot of people coming through our space during that time period to see that.

00:16:05 Speaker 02: The Magic of Children in Arts provides art workshops at local schools to enhance. their art class offerings, and through support from local organizations, government grants, and personal donations,

00:16:16 Speaker 02: they're able to provide these workshops for free, which is a really great partnership for us to be able to showcase at the Tom Camp.

00:16:25 Speaker 02: Tom currently, I asked Heather just before I came here where we at with registrations.

00:16:31 Speaker 02: We have 104 campers now registered.

00:16:35 Speaker 02: We are saving four spots through. the Kiwanis donation for those who are facing families that are facing financial challenges,

00:16:44 Speaker 02: and we have to reserve two spaces also for support workers for a couple of the children that will be attending the camp.

00:16:51 Speaker 02: But this is a phenomenal outcome for us, and we anticipate being probably sold out.

00:16:57 Speaker 02: It will run for seven weeks this year, as opposed to six weeks last year, and we do have two PD day camps, which are now.

00:17:05 Speaker 02: I asked her today, how are they going?

00:17:07 Speaker 02: And they've started to also fill up as well.

00:17:09 Speaker 02: We've been promoting them a bit more, so we've been getting more traction around those.

00:17:14 Speaker 02: I noticed I noted in my report that registration had been slower, but this week we've been getting quite a few.

00:17:20 Speaker 02: It's probably because we're getting closer to that date, and parents are thinking, "Oh, I want to get my kids in right now."

00:17:25 Speaker 02: Other things that are happening: we have three summer education and engagement students, which are funded through Young Canada Works, start. Canada works.

00:17:35 Speaker 02: Starting with us, two of them will start on May the nineteenth, and one will start on June the sixteenth,

00:17:41 Speaker 02: and they will essentially be running our summer art camp and PD day programming at the Tom Upcycling Tom.

00:17:49 Speaker 02: This year was a collaboration with Hillcrest, and what an amazing outcome we had!

00:17:55 Speaker 02: They used recycled, repurposed materials to recreate Tom Thompson's iconic work, wildflowers, and we had.

00:18:06 Speaker 02: Flowers, and we had them installed in the Tom atrium, and it was just incredible to see how bright, how lively, how creative they were,

00:18:16 Speaker 02: and we were very happy to celebrate that with them recently with a family night at the gallery.

00:18:18 Speaker 02: We had lots of families come, lots of kids.

00:18:19 Speaker 02: It was, it was a really special night to be able to celebrate that.

00:18:21 Speaker 02: And now all of those works have gone out into various businesses across the River District, as well as Upward Art Studio,

00:18:26 Speaker 02: and people will be able to go out and. people will be able to go out into our community and see these works.

00:18:33 Speaker 02: Additionally, we were able to create recyclable, reusable tote bags that promote the project and the art gallery.

00:18:43 Speaker 02: So people that are shopping can get a free bag while they're out there and learn a bit about the the project.

00:18:52 Speaker 02: Some additional programming and engagement.

00:19:13 Speaker 02: We had a talk with the Gray County Historical Society that focused on the history and development of the art gallery. and it really highlighted the community efforts to establish this gallery in in the building as of 1967.

00:19:22 Speaker 02: And the feedback from that was really that they had a tremendous time, and they were looking forward to coming back in the near future. I've listened.

00:19:24 Speaker 02: Sorry, it's when I ask you.

00:19:25 Speaker 02: Do you know the attendance at that? At that talk.

00:19:27 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the chair.

00:19:28 Speaker 02: I don't have that. figure right in front of me, but I can provide that to the committee at a later time.

00:19:33 Speaker 02: Another question is: Is that was recorded in any way that other people can see it or hear it? Through you, chair.

00:19:43 Speaker 02: This was this one was not recorded.

00:19:48 Speaker 02: Sounds unfortunate because it sounds like a good topic to have, even for us to have. Thank you.

00:19:55 Speaker 02: And through the chair, we've listed our upcoming. school tours and workshops, but this again, I prepare these reports well in advance.

00:20:03 Speaker 02: We have a number of more bookings coming in for May and June, so it's going to be quite a busy time for us as we lead those tours.

00:20:12 Speaker 02: We are also collaborating with One World Festival on June the seventeenth.

00:20:16 Speaker 02: We're doing a community art project in partnership with Heather Travis, and the last time we did this, it was incredible.

00:20:24 Speaker 02: I mean, we had hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people. come to the gallery, so we're very excited to do this again,

00:20:30 Speaker 02: and hopefully we get lots of people coming back to the Tom Baby Time programming continues in partnership with the library.

00:20:37 Speaker 02: We had a great number of babies in the gallery just last week.

00:20:41 Speaker 02: It's so great to see that they were in Liz Etlin's exhibition and just had a wonderful time there.

00:20:48 Speaker 02: And then we have some special summer artist workshops coming up with our exhibition artist Michelle. Peraza.

00:20:56 Speaker 02: In August, we'll have her here for those two workshops, and the themes of identity, ecology, pollinator plants, and collaborative art making.

00:21:07 Speaker 02: So they'll be using natural materials such as tree bark and paper, indigenous-made beam paints, and they'll be exploring color and connection to the natural world through the hands-on creations.

00:21:18 Speaker 02: And so there's two: one on August the fourteenth, which is just for the students of Camp Tom. and then one on August the fifteenth, which is actually a public workshop.

00:21:27 Speaker 02: So we're inviting anyone who's over the age of eight to come and participate in that and learn a bit about those natural materials and how to use them,

00:21:36 Speaker 02: and to have a great time with us.

00:21:39 Speaker 02: Gallery night at the movies this year concluded its twenty-eightth season this spring, and it was a really amazing series.

00:21:48 Speaker 02: And kudos to Kim Ski, our operations coordinator, who works. with her volunteers to create memorable movies that so many people have attended.

00:21:57 Speaker 02: You'll see in our financial revenues, the movies did exceptionally well over the fall and throughout the winter, and it's just one of those long-running series that continues to thrive and grow for us.

00:22:09 Speaker 02: And so it's it's been an amazing season.

00:22:14 Speaker 02: And this year, she actually implemented a formal and simple movie rating system for film patrons.

00:22:20 Speaker 02: They were given. a plastic chip where they could cast a vote following the film, and so it was basically thumbs up, not or thumbs up.

00:22:29 Speaker 02: You know that's good, not for me.

00:22:31 Speaker 02: Thumbs down, or it was just okay, and so they were asked to consider not just you know their first reaction to the film, but you know was it well made? Was it thought provoking? Was it well acted?

00:22:42 Speaker 02: Good production values, all those kinds of things, and so then they were asked to cast their votes, and the. attendees, by all accounts, were very engaged in that process, and the results were majority favorable.

00:22:56 Speaker 02: But I think also many patrons approach staff and volunteers, indicating that while results vary per film, the program offers world-class cinema with relevant topics that can't be seen at the theater otherwise,

00:23:09 Speaker 02: and they always look forward to what we're going to present.

00:23:13 Speaker 02: So that's really great feedback to have, and we will be following up with a more in-depth. survey to gauge audience feedback on that program.

00:23:21 Speaker 02: Right button, through the chair.

00:23:30 Speaker 03: I'm really interested in the series, and and and the numbers that attended are phenomenal. It's a captive audience.

00:23:40 Speaker 03: It's a wonderful opportunity to promote the gallery and its activities, but I'm wondering. how much input the audience is having just by putting chips in jars, and I'm wondering how the films are selected,

00:23:50 Speaker 03: and I'm wondering whether it's possible to form some sort of committee, which Kim could chair, to review the the options.

00:24:25 Speaker 03: I'm I've been attending all of them, and I know that there's quite a vary variation of opinion, depending often on on demographics, older people. younger people, expectations, and when the series began,

00:24:34 Speaker 03: which was decades ago, there was an emphasis on movies that tied in with the arts, and I'm not seeing that anymore, which rather sort of puzzles me.

00:24:36 Speaker 03: And it would seem that it would be a good thing to engage some group of community representatives in the final selection process.

00:24:38 Speaker 03: Plus, there's an opportunity to discuss the film content afterwards, too.

00:25:01 Speaker 03: In other words, make it the basis for a program that involves getting together after maybe for a drink and a talk, or for an analysis of the film.

00:25:11 Speaker 03: I know Kim makes a few remarks ahead of time, and there's a little bit in the newsletter.

00:25:13 Speaker 03: But these are works of art, and it would seem to me that we could do a good deal more around them than we're doing. than just viewing them, buying popcorn, viewing them, and getting out. Push the button again.

00:25:14 Speaker 03: Through the chair, thank you, Member Lockman, for your comments on our film series.

00:25:23 Speaker 02: And while it's not a formal process or a formal group right now, Kim does work with her volunteers around the movie selection.

00:25:49 Speaker 02: My understanding is that we are moving towards. establishing working groups in the new year, and that's possibly something we can look at for the the film series as well.

00:25:59 Speaker 02: And my understanding around the focus on the the arts alone integrating to the films was that by broadening the scope and content or the topics themes of the films that we were reaching a broader audience,

00:26:00 Speaker 02: and therefore the film was just the film series was a little more robust. in terms of supporting the fundraising portion there.

00:26:29 Speaker 02: So, but I can certainly circle back with Kim and find out more information about that, and bring that back to this committee for the next meeting. I had a concern.

00:26:39 Speaker 02: I guess MEFOR is actually is having or establishing a parallel program, but it won't be three times a day.

00:26:41 Speaker 02: It's going to be only at seven thirty at night.

00:26:42 Speaker 02: I think it was like that.

00:26:44 Speaker 02: And selection will be slightly different.

00:26:45 Speaker 02: And they're going to also have some of the ones we also see.

00:26:46 Speaker 02: We're going to also have some of the ones we also see.

00:26:48 Speaker 02: Is that going to be a problem for us?

00:26:50 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the chair.

00:26:51 Speaker 02: We've also discussed that, and we don't feel that it's an issue.

00:26:53 Speaker 02: They did reach out to us, and we're communicating with them, and we're actually agreeing to you know help each other.

00:26:54 Speaker 02: So we see it as a you know a positive thing more than you know anything that's going to be a hindrance towards us.

00:26:57 Speaker 02: We feel we have a really strong group of moviegoers here, so we're not concerned. Okay.

00:27:06 Speaker 02: Through the chair, the next topic in my report is something that I was hoping the committee might have some ideas around as well.

00:27:13 Speaker 02: In 2027, it's going to be a milestone year for not just the art gallery, which is turning 60; it's its 60th official year, but we're also celebrating 150 years of Tom Thompson.

00:27:26 Speaker 02: It's 150 years since he was born, and so I think this is just an incredible opportunity for us.

00:27:32 Speaker 02: And I have staff working on a. couple of different concepts right now.

00:27:37 Speaker 02: One of them is we're going to be working with Algonquin Outfitters and Ontario Parks to celebrate that milestone year, possibly with the concept of an installation at Canoe Lake, the location where Thompson died.

00:27:52 Speaker 02: And here in Owen Sound, our curator is planning an exhibition that celebrates the intertwined lives and artistic dialogues of Thompson, J.E.H. MacDonald, and Thurlow MacDonald.

00:28:01 Speaker 02: McDonald and Thurlow McDonald, which features a newly acquired piece from Thurlow McDonald's estate, and it really highlights the enduring resonance of their shared creative legacy.

00:28:13 Speaker 02: Tom Thompson and J E H McDonald had a really close relationship, and it's well known that he influenced his development, the development of his artistic style.

00:28:25 Speaker 02: They met in Toronto in the early days.

00:28:27 Speaker 02: They were both working at the design firm. for firm Grip Limited, and MacDonald, who was already an established artist, quickly recognized Thompson's talent.

00:28:37 Speaker 02: He encouraged him to pursue painting, and he was not only a mentor but a friend, introducing him to other artists, the artists who would later form the Group of Seven.

00:28:46 Speaker 02: And he was deeply affected by Thompson's death, and later helped to preserve and promote his legacy.

00:28:52 Speaker 02: So we feel this exhibition and bringing out those relationships will be really important, and it's quite compelling because the the gift that we received through the estate was actually more of an artifact,

00:29:01 Speaker 02: and it is it is a refurbished tool case that Thompson used and has been has a strong provenance associated with it and inscriptions on it.

00:29:32 Speaker 02: So, it's a pretty amazing object, and it caused us to think about how we can talk about this this amazing story around Thompson's career. how he became influenced, and then how after he became remembered.

00:29:41 Speaker 02: So, just around this whole piece, I you know I would invite the committee if they had other ideas.

00:29:43 Speaker 02: We're using our calendar to celebrate 150 years of Tom Thompson.

00:29:45 Speaker 02: We've almost got the final draft ready to go to the printers, and all of the works will be Tom Thompson works from the collection.

00:29:49 Speaker 02: We'll be also noting that it's our 60th anniversary as part of that calendar project.

00:30:10 Speaker 02: But if the committee does have some other ideas around this milestone year, you know, I'd really love to hear them.

00:30:19 Speaker 02: My first thought is there an opportunity around the exhibition to have a public talk or series of public talks?

00:30:21 Speaker 02: Because I think that the more that gets out, the people understand what they're about, what they're looking at.

00:30:23 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the chair.

00:30:24 Speaker 02: Yes, absolutely, I agree fully, and I know you've been involved with helping us to think about some public talks that we could have next year. that series.

00:30:26 Speaker 02: So I think that would be a wonderful way to celebrate those milestones and maybe explore them a bit more.

00:30:34 Speaker 03: Through the chair, my book on Florence McGilvery is now being—it's in the editing process—and in it, I talk quite a bit about her influence on Tom Thompson at the end of his life.

00:30:48 Speaker 03: I own one of her paintings, which is very close to a painting. in your collection, and the and the two will be reproduced in the book, which ACI is publishing.

00:31:01 Speaker 03: So, if you want, we could talk about maybe the role of a woman in his life at the end, as a mentor.

00:31:15 Speaker 02: Through the chair to Member Lockton. Thank you so much.

00:31:18 Speaker 02: That's that is a wonderful idea and something that I can certainly. bring back to our curatorial team to explore. I'm sorry again.

00:31:34 Speaker 02: Are we highlighting the the new acquisitions we got? You were donated. Thank you.

00:31:42 Speaker 02: And through the chair, yes, absolutely.

00:31:44 Speaker 02: Those donations will actually be featured in the calendar as well, and one of them is our cover. image this year.

00:31:52 Speaker 02: So, and we will take opportunity next year absolutely to highlight those recent acquisitions.

00:31:57 Speaker 02: We've had four Tom Thompsons come into our collection over the last few years after a hiatus of almost two decades. So, it's pretty remarkable.

00:32:06 Speaker 02: That seems like an obvious topic for a talk on those four. Absolutely, thank you.

00:32:14 Speaker 02: And if there are other ideas around this, I'm certainly.

00:32:19 Speaker 02: Would love to hear them.

00:32:20 Speaker 02: If not today, then certainly you can connect with me. Thank you.

00:32:31 Speaker 04: Through the chair, is there a specific date throughout 2027 that is specific to Thompson that you may be celebrating? Thank you.

00:32:44 Speaker 02: And through the chair, I think well, there's. his birthday, of course, but I think you know we don't have anything specific in mind at this time.

00:32:53 Speaker 02: We were thinking around our palette to palette event and how we can also build that sort of legacy around that event too.

00:33:00 Speaker 02: But at this point in time, we don't have a specific date in mind, but rather like a sort of year-long focus on how we can celebrate 150 years of Tom.

00:33:12 Speaker 04: How about the date of the gallery opening then?

00:33:18 Speaker 02: That is a great suggestion, and I have to probably look back and see what the exact opening day was.

00:33:23 Speaker 02: I'm sure we have that recorded somewhere.

00:33:25 Speaker 02: That could be a nice day to celebrate, or at least the year.

00:33:30 Speaker 02: We can't get the exact year or the month, whatever time, but I agree that'd be a good one to. I just another thought.

00:33:38 Speaker 02: Okay, thank you, and through the chair. Yes, absolutely.

00:33:46 Speaker 02: So, if you have more ideas, do get in in contact with me, and I'm happy to bring those forward to staff and see what we can do for next year.

00:33:54 Speaker 02: I'll just move on now to collections stewardship and conservation progress.

00:33:59 Speaker 02: There's just a bit of a small update there.

00:34:01 Speaker 02: We have a collections volunteer who's currently working on documenting our catalog collection.

00:34:08 Speaker 02: Hopefully, one day we can make them accessible to the public because we do have a really incredible. collection of exhibition catalogs over many years,

00:34:16 Speaker 02: and so just documenting what we have now and hopefully preparing for someday in the future when we'd be able to make those a better resource for people who want to come in and do research or learn more.

00:34:29 Speaker 02: An update on our three Thompson bequests: In February, Charlie Hill, who was the former curator of Canadian art at the National Gallery of Canada, visited the gallery to view the paintings in person,

00:34:40 Speaker 02: and he did provide. a statement of authenticity to support our application for certification through the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board.

00:34:49 Speaker 02: And I know that's a lot of words, but essentially what that means is it makes those works protected under federal law.

00:34:56 Speaker 02: They can't leave the country.

00:34:58 Speaker 02: So that's important to maintaining the assets that we consider most valuable, most integral to Canadian identity and culture in our country.

00:35:09 Speaker 02: And so that application. has been submitted to CPERB, and now we're just sort of waiting on the next the results, essentially. Fundraising, revenue, and development.

00:35:21 Speaker 02: So we've been successful in achieving a four-year grant through Canada Council for the Arts.

00:35:26 Speaker 02: I think, as I've already reported previously, it's seventy thousand dollars a year for four years.

00:35:32 Speaker 02: We've submitted our application to the Ontario Arts Council.

00:35:35 Speaker 02: We've received four thousand dollars from the community.

00:35:38 Speaker 02: Foundation Gray Bruce for the Upcycling Tom project, and we were successful in receiving funding for three summer students from Young Canada Works this year, and they'll be supporting those summer art camps.

00:35:49 Speaker 02: Planning is underway for Palette to Palette right now.

00:35:52 Speaker 02: We've got the Save the Date poster out there.

00:35:55 Speaker 02: We're looking forward to Saturday, November seventh.

00:35:57 Speaker 02: I mean, it seems so far away, doesn't it?

00:35:59 Speaker 02: But like, look, we're already in May.

00:36:00 Speaker 02: It's just kind of crazy how fast time goes, and so we're you know it's going to be themed. around this idea of let's go wild,

00:36:09 Speaker 02: and we really want to have fun with it this year with some wild food ideas, and just encourage people to come and have a great time with us.

00:36:17 Speaker 02: Sponsorship packages are out for that, and we are receiving, we are securing sponsors right at this time.

00:36:24 Speaker 02: So, overall, I just want to say that I think you know we've we've had a really successful year.

00:36:30 Speaker 02: Last year, you'll see that through the revenue attachment that I had to my report.

00:36:35 Speaker 02: I could probably flip to that right now.

00:36:38 Speaker 02: We came in overall in terms of the budget, just under budget, a hairline under budget.

00:36:45 Speaker 02: So we were right on the mark, which was fantastic.

00:36:49 Speaker 02: We had really strong revenue aside from, you can see the Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council, Young Canada Works.

00:36:55 Speaker 02: Our donations were a little bit over, which was fantastic.

00:37:00 Speaker 02: Sales desk—that's the gift shop.

00:37:02 Speaker 02: It did incredibly well. with over ten thousand dollars, almost eleven raised.

00:37:07 Speaker 02: Our movies raised fifty-four thousand dollars plus.

00:37:11 Speaker 02: Special events and fundraising was just over forty thousand dollars.

00:37:14 Speaker 02: But again, this is recognizing that we're in a really difficult period for fundraising, and even from businesses that I hear now this year, it's it's tight.

00:37:24 Speaker 02: It's hard because of the costs out in the world, the price of gas, everything else, consumer goods. It's just. affecting everyone.

00:37:33 Speaker 02: So refocusing away from like heavy emphasis on that special events fundraising piece and growing things like our studio classes, which you'll see in the line below.

00:37:45 Speaker 02: We raised twenty eight thousand dollars plus from that, and that was another huge success for us and made up a lot of ground.

00:37:53 Speaker 02: Memberships is something that we continued to grow because we revised our membership program at the end of last year and we separated it out from an. annual giving program,

00:38:02 Speaker 02: which we really want to engage this year and grow.

00:38:05 Speaker 02: Collection donations it tends to go up and down based on the year, but we had a fair amount last year, and then our educational revenues were also a little bit more than anticipated.

00:38:19 Speaker 02: So overall, we had a very successful two thousand and twenty-five in terms of raising revenue for the art gallery, and as I said,

00:38:26 Speaker 02: we came in just under budget. so it was a really phenomenal year for us.

00:38:34 Speaker 02: If you want to see how we're doing this year, yep. Sorry. Sorry, Aiden.

00:38:47 Speaker 02: I'm just curious about the five thousand dollars extras that the gift shop brought in. What are people buying?

00:38:55 Speaker 02: What's the the main support of that? Thank you. Thank you. And through the chair.

00:39:05 Speaker 02: Well, we actually diversified some of the things that we had in our gift shop last year.

00:39:07 Speaker 02: We ordered ball caps and tuxes.

00:39:08 Speaker 02: We had some jackets and t-shirts, and we found that the t-shirts, ball caps, and the the hats did fairly well. Things like mugs, cards.

00:39:11 Speaker 02: We have a really unique wooden puzzle that that seems to sell very well too.

00:39:18 Speaker 02: So just we we had what we'd had for a number of years, but we. thought it was time to add to that inventory and just create more selection for people.

00:39:27 Speaker 02: But I also think it's really helped having tourism at the Tom because more people are coming in to purchase things.

00:39:37 Speaker 02: They're looking for gifts, you know, that reflect Owen Sound, and so I think that's probably helped that bottom line as well. Kelsey. Okay.

00:39:50 Speaker 02: First of all, I just want to put a plug in for the toques. They're very cool. Very nice toques. Very nice, Dukes. I want one.

00:39:56 Speaker 02: I have a question regarding donations, like the donations line versus collection donations. Are collection donations?

00:40:07 Speaker 05: Am I to understand that that is like a targeted donation, specific to funding a particular exhibit, or like what's the difference between those two lines? That's my first question.

00:40:18 Speaker 06: Thank you, and for that question. and through the chair, that's a great question.

00:40:24 Speaker 02: Donations line that you see there, like the thirty one thousand plus, that's literally people coming in the door and putting money like into the box and donating to us.

00:40:33 Speaker 02: The donations for collections are specific, so that would include things like donating to the restoration of the toms.

00:40:40 Speaker 02: That includes donations to having appraisals done for specific artworks and collections care.

00:40:47 Speaker 02: So those are all. very specific donations rather than general people just contributing when they're coming in.

00:40:54 Speaker 02: Okay, so you answered one part of my two pronged follow up question.

00:41:02 Speaker 02: How can people donate if they would like to donate either generally or in support of particular collections or exhibits?

00:41:16 Speaker 02: How can people do that?

00:41:19 Speaker 02: Through the chair, great. another great question.

00:41:21 Speaker 02: Absolutely, people can come into the gallery, which is how we do often receive donations, and it can be directed towards a specific thing,

00:41:29 Speaker 02: like if they are wanting to donate towards the restoration or care of the collection, that can certainly happen.

00:41:36 Speaker 02: We're also trying to make it easier for people so they can make general donations online through our website, so that it could be a very convenient way.

00:41:44 Speaker 02: And it's great for campaigning around Christmas time.

00:41:46 Speaker 02: It's like go here to donate to the Tom. so we're working on having that implemented and promoted, so that we can have that available.

00:41:55 Speaker 02: We also have a tip tap pay at the gallery, so when people walk in, you don't have to have just have cash.

00:42:00 Speaker 02: If you're making a general donation for admission, tap your card, and away you go.

00:42:04 Speaker 02: How is that working out?

00:42:07 Speaker 02: How is the tap working out?

00:42:10 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the chair.

00:42:11 Speaker 02: Absolutely, the tap is working out.

00:42:12 Speaker 02: It does have fees associated with it, but we monitor that consistently to make sure that it's worth what. we're paying for it, and it has been.

00:42:19 Speaker 02: Lots of people now use plastic.

00:42:21 Speaker 02: It's just sort of the nature of our world.

00:42:23 Speaker 02: Not that many people are carrying cash anymore.

00:42:25 Speaker 02: So, yeah, that works really well.

00:42:27 Speaker 02: And Pam just pointed out as well that we do receive donations when people are taking out memberships as well.

00:42:33 Speaker 02: So that's another great way for us to to gain revenue.

00:42:42 Speaker 02: I would just note the tip tap pay is kind of pushed off a little bit to the side.

00:42:44 Speaker 07: We're going to wrap it. brand it to make it really clear that hey, if you're tapping, it's going to the Tom, and we're going to relocate it so that it's a bit more prominent.

00:42:56 Speaker 08: I think it's great because I know the fact that on two other boards I'm involved with, they have on their website is has a little button says "Donate Now."

00:43:02 Speaker 08: Any other questions right now before we proceed on, Kathy?

00:43:17 Speaker 03: I'm involved, as you know, with the Leith Church and the Summer Festival, the Music Festival,

00:43:21 Speaker 03: and it would seem to me that that would be a very good mailing list to to promote the the Tom activities.

00:43:23 Speaker 03: And I don't see any reason why we couldn't make that happen.

00:43:35 Speaker 03: And there are five concerts in July and August.

00:43:40 Speaker 03: If there was any material that could be picked. up by people coming, and they come from Waterloo and Collingwood as well as from you know close by,

00:43:49 Speaker 03: and it's it's it's every year it's gathering momentum, and of course Sweetwater is another overlapping audience.

00:43:59 Speaker 03: Do we actually have something colorful that we can leave in stacks?

00:44:06 Speaker 02: Through the chair, that's a very timely question because we just printed a bunch of colorful attract.

00:44:11 Speaker 02: Of colorful, attractive brochures that could be taken for those purposes. So, absolutely yes.

00:44:15 Speaker 02: And I can certainly, if you have a contact there, we can connect. Otherwise, I can. Okay, perfect. That sounds great.

00:44:25 Speaker 08: I want to first of all thank you—not first of all, ultimately—thank you for producing this this year's budget sheet, which we know we've been asking for for a while to know where we are. Any comments?

00:44:35 Speaker 08: Can I ask from you, Aiden, in terms of looking at the year-to-date numbers? what's working? What's not working?

00:44:38 Speaker 08: So we know ahead of time what to look out for.

00:44:41 Speaker 08: Thank you, through the chair.

00:44:43 Speaker 08: It's really difficult to tell this early in the season.

00:44:46 Speaker 02: To be quite honest, again, these are March thirty-one st year-to-date numbers, right?

00:44:49 Speaker 02: So, our first three months of the year tend to be a little bit quieter, as I've already noted, and you see that in our attendance figures as well.

00:45:02 Speaker 02: There's nothing outstanding at this point.

00:45:05 Speaker 02: We're heading into our really busy season.

00:45:07 Speaker 02: You'll see that I've made notes on. the side where I'm I'm saying like you know this is coming it's not here yet things like movies obviously we have our fall campaign when everybody buys their

00:45:18 Speaker 02: series pass and there's a really big bump during that time period our endowment funds tend to go up and down each year we've had a couple of really good years with it membership as I

00:45:29 Speaker 02: noted we've revised it so we hope to grow that number this year collections tend to go up and down in terms of what we need. for the collection and the donations that are coming in

00:45:39 Speaker 02: enable us to do the work,

00:45:41 Speaker 02: and then our education and studio classes are all dependent on timing because we've had a ton of people register for studio classes,

00:45:50 Speaker 02: but it hasn't hit the financial accounting yet because that accounting system is always behind.

00:45:55 Speaker 02: So we'll see a huge uptick in numbers around those as we process those registrations and have those activities occur.

00:46:03 Speaker 02: So it's really just at this point of.

00:46:05 Speaker 02: It's really just at this point a matter of timing.

00:46:07 Speaker 02: The first couple of months, you know, everything you know to me so far looks like it's on track.

00:46:13 Speaker 08: Is there any point in actually having another list of just what the operating costs are for some of the programs? Yes.

00:46:22 Speaker 02: So through the chair, there is a report.

00:46:24 Speaker 02: I think that our financial director brings to her committee on updates across all of the various different divisions. So. that is overseen.

00:46:36 Speaker 02: This is just to give you a capture of the amount of money that we need to raise and where we're at in terms of raising that.

00:46:42 Speaker 02: The gallery raises approximately forty percent of its budget.

00:46:46 Speaker 02: And, sir, I understand that.

00:46:48 Speaker 02: I just want to fact: is there?

00:46:50 Speaker 08: This also was the operating costs against what we actually making to see what the real picture is.

00:47:00 Speaker 02: Through the chair in future, I mean.

00:47:02 Speaker 02: I could include the net numbers for some of these.

00:47:04 Speaker 02: I did include include the gross revenue revenue only because that's what we did with our last report.

00:47:11 Speaker 02: But for things like movies and special events, some of those studio classes, I couldn't make those numbers a net number as opposed to a gross.

00:47:21 Speaker 02: If that's helpful, I think it'd be very helpful. Did anyone comment?

00:47:22 Speaker 02: I was just saying that I think that would be really helpful because it's one thing to know how much the program brought in, but how much did we really see of it? So thank you, Kathy.

00:47:50 Speaker 03: Through the chair, I know there are lots of adults that would like to take painting classes.

00:47:54 Speaker 03: Have you ever thought about doing anything for older people?

00:47:56 Speaker 03: Thank you, through the chair.

00:48:05 Speaker 02: My mic will let me talk if there's another mic on, so I have to wait my turn.

00:48:10 Speaker 02: Absolutely, we've thought about that.

00:48:12 Speaker 02: We've even thought about an adult summer art camp, so it's really about capacity for us.

00:48:17 Speaker 02: We've got we're adding an additional week this summer.

00:48:20 Speaker 02: We'll see how it goes, and I think that's a great idea to think about some more adult focused programming.

00:48:25 Speaker 02: We have Michelle Barazza's workshop coming.

00:48:27 Speaker 02: Michelle Peraza's workshop coming up, but not to say that we can't expand some of those offerings.

00:48:35 Speaker 03: I think a lot of these adults would be fine with winter, spring, and fall, and many of them are retired, and many of them, I guess, would have children in school during the day.

00:48:48 Speaker 03: So I don't think you need to compete with the summer art camps. Okay.

00:48:57 Speaker 03: Any other questions for the director curator?

00:49:00 Speaker 08: I need a motion then to receive your report. Motion.

00:49:04 Speaker 08: And does the movie, and we don't need a second, right? No second. Thank you. All those in favor? Thank you very much. Okay.

00:49:15 Speaker 08: Reports a working group, a fundraising team. Kelsey, that's you. All right.

00:49:25 Speaker 05: So I'll just kind of summarize what we've got here as an update.

00:49:30 Speaker 05: First and foremost, our previous fundraising team chair Marianne Alton has stepped down, and I just want to again extend sincere gratitude for all the dedication and work she's put in to fundraising for the gallery.

00:49:48 Speaker 05: She's been an integral member of the team, particularly around. the calendar campaign, and on a personal level, it has been such an honor to work with her.

00:49:58 Speaker 05: She's an amazing, amazing woman.

00:50:01 Speaker 05: So again, sincere, sincere gratitude to Marianne as she moves on.

00:50:07 Speaker 05: We have wrapped successfully wrapped up our 2026 calendar campaign entitled Horizons.

00:50:14 Speaker 05: We have highlighted our top five retailers of over four.

00:50:20 Speaker 05: Retailers of over forty locations.

00:50:23 Speaker 05: You can look to artifacts, I believe, the newsletter or social media for that information.

00:50:28 Speaker 05: And the total gross calendar proceeds for the twenty twenty six campaign were twenty four thousand three hundred and twenty five dollars, which I think is pretty darn good.

00:50:39 Speaker 05: As we wrapped up that campaign, we're moving on to our twenty twenty seven calendar, which we've kind of already highlighted. is a special year because it's a hundred.

00:50:49 Speaker 05: Year because it's the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of Tom Thompson's birth and it's also the sixtieth anniversary of the gallery.

00:50:58 Speaker 05: So we're really trying to expand our locations, work on getting even more bulk sales, and just amp everything up to a one hundred fiftieth degree.

00:51:08 Speaker 05: And then also we have this year's palette to palette.

00:51:13 Speaker 05: As Aiden said, it's the save the date is for Saturday, November seventh, and. we've had a couple of cool collaborative opportunities with Bayshore Broadcasting.

00:51:24 Speaker 05: So keep your ears to the radio for more Tom content.

00:51:32 Speaker 08: Kelsey, I know we had some discussions in the fundraising meeting, but also reaching out just beyond the local broadcasters, alike to Collingwood and to other I mean the whole Zoomer group,

00:51:43 Speaker 08: because I know the fact when I listen to the state station, I hear it all the time, and. all other museums at times with their work.

00:51:49 Speaker 08: I don't hear it with the Tom.

00:51:53 Speaker 05: Yeah, so that's part of another kind of highlight of looking at the two thousand and twenty-seven year is expanding beyond our region and expanding more into the Collingwood region, into other communities,

00:52:10 Speaker 05: and using leveraging some of the connections we have in those communities to kind of get Tom Thompson out there. Thank you very much. Excuse me. I'm just wondering.

00:52:24 Speaker 05: We were talking about trying to get the gross versus the net income,

00:52:28 Speaker 05: and this is a place right in this report that I would be interested in seeing what our our gross calendar proceeds for twenty four thousand. What were our net? Thank you.

00:52:41 Speaker 05: Aiden and through the chair.

00:52:43 Speaker 02: Thank you. for that feedback.

00:52:45 Speaker 02: We can absolutely provide that number, and I can probably circulate that back to this committee after this meeting, and I can include it in my next report too, if it's useful. So. That's it, Kelsey. It's good stuff. Scott, thank you.

00:53:06 Speaker 09: I just wanted to compliment you, Kelsey, and and your team for for the work and including the information. here, the five top retailers, even supporting the gallery—Markdale, King Carden, Collingwood, Mefford,

00:53:24 Speaker 09: and I think Heathcote—make it's fantastic to see that little bit of information there, and just in terms of how the reach of the gallery is kind of extending beyond the city limits.

00:53:35 Speaker 09: So, thanks for including that and the work that's been going on.

00:53:39 Speaker 09: Yeah, and if I can kind of lift the lid. on what goes on behind the scenes a little bit.

00:53:47 Speaker 05: This is very much like a volunteer-run campaign, and all of these 40-plus locations, volunteers are.

00:53:56 Speaker 05: We're literally getting our cars and driving and making these connections to these local businesses and delivering their calendars, and it is so much fun.

00:54:05 Speaker 05: And it is also just very cool to be. able to talk to people and engage with people about the Tom, about Owen Sound, about all of those things.

00:54:15 Speaker 05: So yeah, it's been great.

00:54:19 Speaker 08: Couldn't build on that, Kelsey, because I was one of those going around collecting, and I was impressed by also another vendors who sort of said the retailers rather, who said the fact they loved it, doing it.

00:54:27 Speaker 08: Can we do it again next year?

00:54:29 Speaker 08: Get us on the list, and engage their client, their customers at the same time. That's good. That's fundraising.

00:54:40 Speaker 08: What else do we have?

00:54:41 Speaker 08: Art collection is an update for the art collection committee. Nothing there, I think.

00:54:49 Speaker 08: Here's postponed motion for which notice was previously given. No motions. Okay. Correspondence for information. No correspondence. Discussion of additional business.

00:55:02 Speaker 08: We had no additional business and no discussion. Okay. Notices. Notice this motion. I get an adjournment.

00:55:09 Speaker 08: Can I call the adjournment at two fifty-five p.m.

00:55:16 Speaker 08: You to vote on that.