Grey County has always been a place of layered stories. Going back thousands of years, multiple Anishinaabe peoples inhabited the land. More recently, the land also became home to European settlers and farmers. In this century, agriculture and other industries underpin a local culture that has come to embrace the arts.
This summer those layers will take on a physical form as part of Community Canvas: a Roger Mooking Experience at Grey Roots Museum & Archives.
Under the curatorial vision of Grey County’s Creative Director and artist Roger Mooking, the museum will play host to a collaborative and interactive art installation featuring multiple artists and an opportunity for the public to hands-on participate.
“Grey County has so many incredible stories to tell. The history is so connected to all that Canada is in all its great and not so great ways,” explains Mooking.
“Community Canvas is interactive and collaborative, and I believe it’s important that a community tells their own story, from as many angles as possible.”
Community Canvas is an installation that takes place over 8 weeks, with multiple artists building on a single six foot by six foot canvas to tell a Grey County story through layered applications.
Initially, Roger Mooking will create a historical collage featuring imagery pulled from the museum’s archives. Next, Williamsford artist Lonny Doherty will layer on a landscape painting inspired by Tom Thomson, Lawren Harris, and Claude Monet.
With the first two layers in place, the public will be invited to add their own marks, stories, and doodles directly over the canvas over between mid-July and mid-August.
Finally, in late August, Markdale-based multidisciplinary artist Sarah Rose Irwin will layer on a portrait with expressive figures that capture movement, emotion, and identity.
Explains Mooking: “I believe in collaboration and community. I’m in a unique position as an artist and creative entrepreneur to unlock opportunities for artists and I never want to be selfish about that. People opened doors for me and it’s my duty to return that energy. The artists I’m collaborating with deserve the light to shine on them.”
First up is Lonny Doherty, a Grey County-based landscape artist working from his studio in Williamsford. Known for his vibrant interpretations of the Canadian landscape, his work is inspired by the colours, textures, and rhythms of the natural environment.
Doherty will paint directly onto the installation on-site at Grey Roots, allowing visitors to observe as natural elements take shape in real time. His contribution will ground the piece in a strong sense of place, connecting the artwork to the landscapes that define Grey County.
Next up will be the people of Grey County themselves, with a month-long phase where visitors to Grey Roots can draw and write directly on the canvas, transforming the piece into a true community expression, capturing a diversity of voices and perspectives.
Last up is Sarah Rose Irwin, a Markdale-based multidisciplinary artist and workshop facilitator whose work explores the expressive nature of the human form. Drawing inspiration from the “wild nature” of humankind, her practice captures movement, emotion, and identity.
Within Community Canvas, Irwin will introduce and complete the central figure in motion, giving visitors the opportunity to witness the figure emerge and evolve as the focal point of the composition. Her work will bring a human element to the canvas by bridging the surrounding layers of history, landscape, and community expression.
“I’ve been going around the county for years exploring as much arts, culture, food and all the artisans I can come across,” says Mooking.
“I fell in love with the way that Lonny and Sarah express themselves and I know that it is something that they NEED to do in their lives. That combination of passion, talent, and kind heartedness is a no brainer for me. I hope that they bring their full selves, that is always the dream.”
The Community Canvas will take a literal forming of layers to tell a truly unique Grey County story. The project aims to reach something deeper than the daily travails of the people who live here. It aims to expand our stories through the visual arts and reach something richer and more community-based than a single piece of art can achieve.
Says Mooking: “Humans have been trying to process their environment through visual storytelling since writing on cave walls, or drawing in dirt with branches. It is truly primal. Before we had letters, we had drawings.”
Community Canvas: a Roger Mooking Experience offers the community a chance to be part of the art itself. It’s an opportunity to witness its creation, contribute to its meaning, and see themselves reflected back through the layers.
Roger Mooking is a globally recognized, Trinidadian-born, Canadian-raised artist known for creating immersive experiences across visual, culinary, and sonic media. A Juno Award–winning musician, celebrated chef, television host, and creative director, he has earned an international reputation as a multi-disciplinary visionary.
Through projects like SoundBites and the award-winning Awakenings exhibition series, Mooking has consistently explored ways to make art more interactive, accessible, and community-driven.
As Creative Director of Community Canvas, he guides a project that unfolds not just as an artwork, but as a shared experience.