The Project

Artist Col Mitchell's Visual Response To:

A Sense of Place: The Town of Huntsville’s Call to Muskoka Artists for Post G8 2010 Exhibition

In this piece "Muskoka Tourism (A Birds' Eye View)," mitchell utilizes birds, their habits and migration patterns, a diverse element on its own within the diverse Muskokan universe, representationally and symbolically as both man and nature to connect with a broad age range and interest, and offer a perspective of one’s sense of place on a level perhaps not previously explored by the viewer.  

"I wanted to reach beyond the initial knee-jerk reaction to the exhibition title “A Sense of Place,” a landscape comprised of lakes, trees, rocks, and wildlife . . . the natural environs, yet not leave those very essential elements playing a secondary role. Residents and visitors are crucial to the equation; we flock to “get away from it all,” raise children in comparative safety, relax, retire . . . we arrive seeking pleasure, recreation, education & opportunity in whatever forms lay hidden or open."

Curated by Mary Rashleigh, former director of the Grimsby Public Art Gallery, the exhibition showcases the work of 10 artists from the Muskoka region and explores how the artists respond to this special region in their work.  “It should evoke a real sense of place to the viewers in each artist's own special vision,” explains Rashleigh.

The exhibition was organized through the Arts Placement Working Group (APWG) appointed by Mayor Claude Doughty (2010) for the purpose of looking at policies for the collection of public art for the Town of Huntsville. It will open on June 30th and continue through the summer.