The Meaford Tree Trust art auction at Meaford Hall Arts and Culture Centre in July and August has morphed into a unique opportunity for area artists to pay homage to one of Canada’s most-renowned artists. The artwork of upwards of 30 area artists depicting the century-old white oak in the Leith Historical Church Cemetery will be on sale during the Meaford Tree Trust’s first-ever art auction and a curated exhibit of Tom Thomson’s photographs.
Tree Trust is a foundation program, whose mission is to help preserve legacy trees in communities across Southern Ontario by promoting professional arboreal care as a way to effectively extend the life of the trees. The Meaford Chapter of Tree Trust is one of eight chapters working to preserve these carbon-sequestering giants that are so critical in battling climate change. To date, the Meaford Chapter of Tree Trust has funded, through private and group donations, the arboreal care of eight legacy trees, including the white oak in the Leith Historical Church Cemetery.
Last fall, Meaford Tree Trust Coordinator Peter Russell proposed the idea of an art auction featuring artwork depicting the white oak in the medium of the artist’s choice. Unbeknownst to Pete, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound was, at that time, in discussion with the Meaford Hall Art and Culture Centre regarding a Tom Thomson: In Photographs exhibition in the summer of 2023. All parties agreed that the exhibit and art auction were a fit.
The Tree Trust art auction and the Tom Thomson: In Photographs exhibit open July 8 at the Meaford Hall Art and Cultural Centre. The photographs will be on display till August 25. The artwork includes paintings, photographs, mixed media, one stained glass and one metal sculpture, all centred around the century-old white oak. Meaford Tree Trust will accept silent bids on the artwork till August 23 unless the artwork is purchased at full value. Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to the artist and 50% to Meaford Tree Trust to finance the care of other legacy trees.
Tom Thomson: In Photographs is a curated exhibition by the Tom Thomson Art Gallery of Owen Sound. The exhibit includes black and white photography prints depicting the artist’s life at Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park, the Mississagi Provincial Forest Reserve, and in Owen Sound. The prints range in size from 16”x 20” to 36” x 60”. The majority of the photographs were taken by Tom Thomson, and a few by people close to him in the six years prior to his death in 1917 at Canoe Lake.
The Meaford Hall Art and Culture Centre galleries are open during the Hall’s box office hours, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and during performances unless the galleries are booked for private functions.
For more information, contact Pete Russell at meafordtreetrust.ca.
