Roger Mooking

This was DELICIOUS. Them bagels from Round Hill Farms hit.

Whenever I do something in an institutional gallery I’m making sure you can touch the art in some way. This time I’m going one step further and you contribute to the art in real time. For the next month pop by Grey Roots Museum & Archives and add your marks, people have already begun, including me. I couldn’t resist the bathroom stall energy of a bygone era. 😝

Gently cooked Bacon. Crisp Romaine Lettuce. Tomato. Goat Cheese spread. Garden fresh Zucchini Flowers. Mustard. Lots of cracked pepper.

Fingers crossed that’s not that diarrhea lettuce. 😝

This dream is moving along nicely.

I spent days pouring over thousands of pages of textbooks, maps, letters, student exercise books, margin notes and magazines from the 1800’s. When you come close you will see archives from 1829 (the oldest dated one I found yet) reimagined to tell new stories from old stories. Then I passed the baton to Lonny Doherty.

Lonny is an acclaimed landscape artist and he has already contributed his part over a four day live install focusing on the significance of rocks to Grey County.

Next up is the people of Grey County, who are encouraged to add their own marks, messages and sketches over the course of the next month, starting today (July 19th).

The baton is finally passed to Sarah Rose Irwin, an incredible portrait artist who is locally known as “the mushroom lady” for her depiction of femininity and reverence for mushrooms. With Community Canvas she is bringing her portrait skills and dedicating 7 generations of family lineage and telling the story of the depth of the people who make up this beautiful place.

This is truly a COMMUNITY CANVAS. Stop by Grey Roots Museum & Archives during business hours to see all the live installs until we finally reveal the finished piece on August 26th.

See yall at the opening of the Precious Metals Exhibit tomorrow (July 17 @ 6 - 9pm)

Smokestack Gallery
270 Sherman Ave N
Hamilton ON