The exhibition spaces at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery will be closed starting January 6, for a planned replacement of aging HVAC systems. Exhibition spaces are expected to re-open in late March or early April with three new shows.
During the closure, tourism at the TOM will remain open to the public Monday through Friday each week so that residents and visitors can continue to access services and purchase merchandise, movie tickets, and Supporter’s Circle memberships in person at the front desk.
As well, the Gallery will offer two exciting programs: March Break camps and a collaboration called Upcycling Tom in time for Earth Day. The March Break camps will be held at Harrison Park. Campers will explore the outdoors and experiment with painting, drawing, sculpture, using eco-friendly materials. Registration is open now.
Upcycling Tom brings Gallery staff together with the Owen Sound Waste Watchers and students from both Keppel-Sarawak Elementary and Owen Sound District Secondary Schools to feature art made from recycled materials. The project will be installed in the TOM atrium in March and showcased as part of Earth Day on April 26.
“We thank the community for their patience while we undergo this much-needed project to replace the Gallery’s heating and cooling systems. The HVAC units are critical to protecting the Gallery’s art collection which is held in trust for the public. I also want to thank our staff and team of volunteers for their hard work relocating most of the art collection so we can get this work done. We can’t wait to invite visitors back in April to explore all that’s coming to the TOM,” said Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy.
As the Gallery looks ahead, staff are excited to announce several other up and coming exhibits:
- The Gallery will reopen with an exhibition called Safekeeping. It’s about the importance of taking care of the environment and protecting it for the future. Youth from the Owen Sound Youth Climate Action group will choose artworks from the Gallery that connect with their work as climate activists. They will then share their own creative reflections however they choose, such as writing an open letter, making a poem, drawing, or taking a photo.
- Also opening, Soft Futures will feature an exhibition by three artists: Rihab Essayh from Montreal, Winnie Truong from Toronto, and Ashley Beerdat from Brampton. Their work examines important concerns in our world: climate change, social problems, and digital disconnection. The exhibition shares positive ideas and hope about how we can slow down, be kind, and heal together.
- October 2025 to January 2026: The return of the popular and longstanding juried art exhibition, Convergence, showcasing emerging and established Grey Bruce artists and their diverse approaches to visual expression.
