The Tree Museum: Celebrating 30 Years of Art and Nature in Muskoka, 1997–2026

EJ. Lightman, Sky Shelter, 2004

The Tree Museum

Open until October 30, 2026, 10am – 6pm
Muskoka, Ontario

Back in 1997, EJ. Lightman mused about the possibility of inviting artists up north to Muskoka to create work in the woods, among the trees and the Precambrian Shield. The land, the site, would not be a backdrop or a prop for the sculptures, but a collaborator. A relationship between work and land that would draw our attention to the place, with one enhancing the other. The Tree Museum land and art.

Over the years, the works became a language and an active presence that shaped our perception of the space. Immersive installations, performances, mirrored surfaces, mechanical hybrids and architectural structures all engaged us in a multisensory experience of space and perception, a marriage of work and land. Everywhere you looked, the artists drew your attention to the land: the rock outcroppings, the erratics, the history of the place, and the oh-so-glorious moss.

Sky Shelter brings light into a large rock outcropping with a bright green wall of moss, sheltering it from the sun and encouraging its growth. Over 30 years, 82 works were installed, by an international collection of artists from Australia, Indigenous communities, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United States, Alberta and Montreal, with the majority from Ontario. Some works were performances or videos, a moment in time. Some remained for a year or two, until nature decided otherwise. Others became as enduring as the landscape itself.

Ed. Pien, Psycho, 2009

Catherine Widgery, Ed Pien, John Dickson, Trish Roan and other artists utilized mirrored surfaces to reflect nature back at us and draw us deeper into the land. Lam, Laam Jaffa and J. Lynn Campbell added to the landscape itself. Lam, transplanted from China to Hong Kong, referenced her own personal history of transplantation by moving 10- and 12-inch oak and cedar trees from other locations on the site into the meadow. Over time, these trees have grown into a dense grove, weaving together her history with the history of the site. J. Lynn Campbell’s marsh cedars, planted in a spiral, are now ten feet tall. They draw visitors toward the centre of a meditative space.

There are 18 works on site at this time, connected by clearly delineated pathways. The walk and climb, (yes, some works demand a climb to see them) is an intimate experience designed to foster personal connections with art and nature, inspiring conversations and transformative perspectives on both.

A major project like The Tree Museum is a dialogue and collaboration among many people: artists, writers, guest curators, photographers, web designers, installers, and the many people who have helped care for the land. A thank you to everyone who has contributed to The Tree Museum over these 30 years.

Darlene Naponse, Waiting for Ice to Melt, 2008

Artists:
Darlene Naponse, Walter Willems, LAM, Laam Jaffa, Mary Anne Barkhouse, Nancy Paterson, Francesca Vivenza, Lois Andison, Kelly Mark, Ryszard Litwiniuk, Bev Hogg, Trish Roan, Milly Chen, Eve Egoyan, Lorna Mills, Penelope Stewart, Lisa Neighbour, Jeannie Thib, Wen Chih Wang, Barry Prophet, Reinhard Reitzenstein, Lyla Rye, Robert Wiens, Sebastian Burdach, Alison S. M. Kobayashi, Carlo Cesta, David Rokeby, Kate Wilson, Brian Hobbs, Michael Davey, Ken Gregory, Anitra Hamilton, Mike Hansen, Lyla Rye, Romy Lightman and Yves Jarvi, Simone Jones, Ellen Dijkstra, Gareth Lichty, Alicia Marvan, Gordon Monahan, Sarah Peebles, Diane Borsato, E. C. Woodley, Wilson Chik, Janice Pomer, Dyan Marie, T. S. Anand, Anne-Marie Beneteau, Christy Thompson, Marguerite Larmand, Catherine Widgery, Simon Frank, Peter von Tiesenhausen, Rebecca Diederichs, Chantal Rousseau and Johannes Zits.

Artists whose works are still on the site:
Orest Tataryn, Ed Pien, Warren Quigley, Noel Harding, Jocelyne Belcourt Salem, Michael Belmore, John Dickson, EJ. Lightman, Anne O’Callaghan, Tim Whiten, Nancy Paterson, Badanna Zack, J. Lynn Campbell, Francis LeBouthillier and Deeter Hastenteufel.

Guest Curators:
Orest Tataryn, Earl Miller, Barbara McConchie (Australia) and David Liss.

Writers:
Carolyn Bell Farrell, Anne O’Callaghan, David Liss, Christy Thompson, Dot Tuer, Betty Chung (Hong Kong), Gil McElroy, John Grande, Daniel Baird, Tila Kellman, Margaret Rogers, Ivan Jurakic, Kim Simon, Terrance Heath, Earl Miller, Simone Jones and Gayle Young.

Photography:
Isaac Applebaum, Roger Henriques, EJ. Lightman, and Anne O’Callaghan.

Website Design:
Roger Henriques and Anne O’Callaghan.

A special thank you to Chad Grevette, The Tree Museum’s dedicated installer and caretaker of the land.

The Tree Museum
1634 Doe Lake Road / Muskoka Road 6
Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1R
www.TheTreeMusesum.ca

Accessibility:
The Tree Museum is not accessible. This is a Walk in the Woods. There is an outhouse on site. Please respect the land and the work. Do no damage and leave no garbage.

QR codes are located on all the works and provide more information.

Land Acknowledgement:
The Tree Museum acknowledges the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Anishinaabe and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we stand and create.

© The Tree Museum and the Artists.