BETWIXT & BETWEEN: AN UNTOLD TOM THOMSON STORY

By Virginia MacDonnell Eichhorn 

Imagine, if you will, that two artists while exploring a second-hand bookstore in downtown Toronto, come upon an old battered and tattered copy of James Joyce’s A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man.  They pick it up and while idly leafing through it, discover a hand-drawn map of what looks like Algonquin Park. On the map there is a mysterious symbol with the initials “TT” drawn within it. Their curiosity is sparked and they purchase the book for a dollar.

After discussing their new purchase and the map, they decide to see if they can track down whatever the symbol indicates.  Five years later, and after several trips to Algonquin Park, they discover a small cairn almost completely covered by overgrowth.  They open up the cairn and, within it, find a tin box wrapped in a piece of burlap. Within that tin box is a leather journal with the initials G.N. embossed on its cover. The artists – excitedly but carefully – look through the journal and discover that it is about a never before known relationship between the journal’s author and Tom Thomson.  This journal – if authenticated – would change forever what we know about Tom Thomson and his life.

Imagine.

And that is exactly what we are doing with the exhibition Betwixt & Between: An Untold Tom Thomson Story. In Betwixt & Between, lead artists Joel Richardson, Germinio Pio Politi and Nyle Johnston, build upon what we know about Tom, investigating the contradictions and mysteries, in order to produce this project. There are some facts about Tom which are incontrovertible. Yet many aspects of his life remain within the realm of conjecture and (sometimes contrarian) supposition. In fact, it has been said that if Tom Thomson had not existed, Canada would have had to have invented him. This is based not only on his paintings, which have been described as being the visual equivalent of our national anthem, but also because of the romance and mystery around his life. Every year, more books are written about him, documentaries are made, exhibitions developed and projects undertaken that purport to be able to tell his story. But how authentic are they? We have fragments that remain about Tom’s life – some photos, a few letters written by him but no journals (at least none that have been discovered as of yet – although that may indeed happen!) Most of what we “know” about Tom is based on the recollections and words of others – and of course through his paintings, in particular his sketches which encapsulate all he was feeling and experiencing at the time that he painted them. They capture his spirit.

The heart of the project lies in the (85% authentic) story of a friendship between Tom Thomson and George Nadjiwon, a young man from Cape Croker reserve. Betwixt & Between is a multilevel platform project that incorporates new technologies such as Augmented Reality and virtual experience through a dedicated website and app development that is fully integrated with and reflective of the exhibition. This project is a prototype, providing an exceptional opportunity to engage with established audiences but also to engage meaningfully in the modes most relevant to millennials and non-traditional gallery audiences.  

Drawing on a combination of historic artworks and artefacts from the TOM’s collection, along with constructed “artefacts” (placed in several different locales in Ontario), the project also delves into the changing role of museological and historic “authority” in how “facts” are presented. This project will inspire people to dig deeper into what they assume are facts and truths, to consider the “what ifs….” and to gain a greater understanding of all the complexities about the maverick artist who changed how we understand and view our country.

The museum/public art gallery/knowledge environment has changed, and continues to change rapidly. Institutions like museums, universities and governments are being challenged in regards to how they present information and interpret historical and contemporary material. Information, dis-information, “alternative facts” and interpretations can spread quickly and widely through social media and online platforms. In this kind of environment, can anyone or any organization truly claim to have complete empirical authority? We know that our understanding of historical events is mutable and changes depending on one’s perspective. Organizations can entrench themselves or they can open up the discussion and actively engage audiences from the perspective of “we don’t know everything – this is what we do know – what do you think and what can you share with us?” At The TOM we welcome and encourage an environment that challenges assumption and which invites dialogue and debate.

The exhibition includes the creation of a game that can be played either online or physically, following the model set out through geocaching. The game is intended to be entertaining but also educational and we have been connecting aspects of it to a specific education curriculum so that it can be used by schools. In the book, Critical Play: Radical Game Design, author Mary Flanagan writes: 

For many game players, games exist for entertainment, for passing the time, for fun. They are a diversionary activity, meant for relaxation or distraction – a ‘not-work’ space where players are free to engage in fantasy narratives, amazing feats, and rewarding tasks. But what if certain games have become something more? What if some games, and the more general concept of ‘play,’ not only provide outlets for entertainment but also function as a means for creative expression, as instruments for conceptual thinking, or as tools to help examine our work through social issues?

The Betwixt & Between project aims to create that kind of platform and experience through our “game” and all of the components of our project – virtual and physical –tie into that.

The artists and curator have spent an extensive amount of time researching through primary documents and source materials to develop a narrative that could be considered 85% authentic. Tying the story to real events in Tom’s lifetime and in Canadian history, a story is presented that isn’t necessarily fiction – rather it is only unproven. 

The time period that we are covering includes key dates in Canadian history and looks at issues including treatment of First Nations peoples, women’s rights, independence and ideas around nationhood while addressing constructed historical narratives that ignore or obscure different voices.  The historical events being explored in this exhibition are still relevant, especially as we look seriously and honestly, at the injustices perpetuated against the First Nations people. The development of this exhibition has been guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations and with ongoing dialogue and guidance from the participating First Nations artists, advisors and historians to ensure that what is depicted in Betwixt & Between is historically authentic and culturally appropriate. This project will provide an opportunity for different generations and for settler and Indigenous communities to come together and to work together in friendship and trust to gain real understanding of each other’s experiences and to work together to build a stronger, better, unified community going forward.

The Gallery sits on unceded traditional territories of the Chippewas of Nawash and Saugeen Ojibwe Nation. In response, we reach out, consult with and collaborate with these and other First Nations communities to develop more inclusive programming. The City of Owen Sound has had a difficult relationship with the two neighbouring reserves. The tension in the relationship is epitomized with the 1857 expulsion of the Chippewas of Nawash from their traditional lands, which were then expropriated by Owen Sound when it became incorporated as a town in 1857. The Chippewas of Nawash were resettled at Cape Croker on traditional Ojibwe territory. Treaties 72 and 82 are still being disputed 160 years later.  The TOM has been working with representatives from Cape Croker and Saugeen Ojibwe Nation to establish a positive and respectful relationship between those communities and our organization. 

Canada has a complicated history that we are still struggling to understand and resolve. Noted historian Ramsay Cook has stated that English Canadians have a severely underdeveloped historical consciousness based on the fact that we do not have an agreed-upon national history.  And in Defiant Spirits, Ross King writes:

History is a nightmare from which Anglophone Canadians – troubled by the complex implications for nationhood of things such as the British Conquest of 1760, the spiriting away of indigenous land rights, the suppression of the Northwest Rebellion, the $500 head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants, the Komagata Maru incident – are trying to awake.[i]

The traditional functions of art museums—to collect, preserve, interpret and present works of art, and to inspire and educate the public—are constantly in flux. We believe, fundamentally, that art and art museums have a use—and a purpose—that is generative and relevant beyond art appreciation. By using the Betwixt & Between story as a framework, we encourage critical thinking and act as catalysts for profound thoughts and exchanges about complex subjects, including the history of this country. This exhibition provides a safe space for difficult conversations about issues that challenge us or even divide us.  These challenging conversations—moral, social, cultural and political—catalyzed by art, can prompt rich and thought-provoking exchanges that provide deeper reflection, expanding the Gallery’s relevance and reach well beyond its walls. This is ultimately the goal of Betwixt & Between.

The Betwixt & Between project provides a truly unique and engaging experience for visitors of all ages to learn about the past, engage in challenging discussions, and to dream about the future. In a recent essay in The New Inquiry, cultural studies theorist Sara Ahmed wrote: 

Safe spaces are another technique for dealing with the consequences of histories that are not over (a response to a history that is not over is necessarily inadequate because that history is not over). The real purpose of these mechanisms is to enable conversations about difficult issues to happen.

We are at a critical time in our country’s history. The only way that we can truly—and honestly—effect conciliation with this fractured past is to acknowledge the truths of those experiences and to set about doing what must be done to heal those wounds, to learn from the mistakes of the past and to choose what kind of society we want to build in the next 150 years. The artists and other contributors to this project call upon contemporary and historic teachings and understanding, creating work that envisions a powerful and positive future.  This exhibition provides an opportunity for a new narrative about who we are as a country to be created.

[i] King, Ross, Defiant Spirits. (Vancouver: D&M Publishers, 2010), 418.