Tom Thomson Art Gallery Education

School Tours & Activities

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery is currently restructuring our in-person Educational Program offerings to better serve our schools, students and community. We will be offering students from grades K to 12 engaging in-person tours of our Tom Thomson exhibition as well our contemporary exhibitions with options of an accompanying studio activity. We are focused on creating interactive, impactful, and memorable experiences for all of our school visitors.

All of our educational programs are developed to meet the Ontario Ministry of Education Curriculum standards with strong connections to Visual Arts, Language Arts, Environmental Education, Social Studies and more! 

Stay tuned for all redeveloped program offerings this fall. To inquire about booking your class, please contact Heather McLeese, Curator of Public Projects & Education at hmcleese@tomthomson.org.

Group Tours

As a dynamic place where artists and audiences can meet and flourish, the Tom Thomson Art Gallery provides enriching experiences through art for a range of visitors of all ages. Exhibitions are accompanied by informative materials and scheduled tours are conducted by trained docents — all designed to bring a new dimension to visitors’ enjoyment and appreciation of art and its creation.

To inquire about booking a group tour, please email Heather McLeese, Curator of Public Projects & Education at hmcleese@tomthomson.org.

High School Co-op Opportunities

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery is committed to providing a supportive environment for students, where they can grow, learn and achieve their goals. We take pride in educating future art gallery and museum professionals and watching our students evolve into active members of inter-professional creative teams. We welcome and encourage students to join The TOM team as they work towards completing their education.
The Gallery accepts a limited number of high school students for semester-long co-op placements. Contact the co-op facilitator at your high school if you are interested in a placement at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

Living Histories Photo Sharing Project

The Tom Thomson Art Gallery is organizing a community initiative called Living Histories Photo Sharing Project focused on historic photographs in Owen Sound and their related stories of the people in this community. This project will run in tandem with the exhibition of the same title co-developed by local historian, writer, and videographer, Richard J. Thomas.

Photography captures stories of our past, illuminating a visual narrative of how we once thought, lived, worked, and played. This project will collect and present a diverse range of historic photos, many of which will not have been seen by the public before, taken during the active years of renowned local Owen Sound photographer, John James (1905-1956).

We invite you to share your old photos along with a short story describing the images (captured between 1905 – 1956 in Owen Sound) on Saturday September 23, between 1-4pm at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery! Meet with local historian Richard J. Thomas to learn more about your photos of the City and how they could be featured in the Living Histories exhibition. This event will be free and open to all members of the public. If you can’t make this day work but are still interested in sharing photos and stories with us for this project, please contact Heather McLeese at hmcleese@tomthomson.org for more information on how to participate.