Yours to Uncover: an Ontario Road Trip

Launched in 1980, the ‘Yours to Discover’ advertising blitz for the Province of Ontario came complete with slick commercials, a jingle and, of course, an enduring license plate slogan. Aimed at enticing visitors in a then-slumping tourism industry, it defined an image of Ontario’s people, landscape and history as colourful and ripe for exploration by road or plane. Yours to Uncover examines this image, unpacking and taking a tour of common objects of ‘cottage country’ and their dominant associations. This multi-disciplinary exhibition presents the simple objects and materials of holiday life, questioning established narratives pressed into them. It challenges the viewer to uncover alternative interpretations of the conventional representations of the people, history and landscape of Canada.