Tiny Voices Episode 5: Art for Water- OSA’s Vision for the Alliston Aquifer
The Ontario Society of Artists recently visited Tiny to create a body of work highlighting the fragility and importance of the Alliston Aquifer. We had the chance to sit down with Janet Hendershot — the creative lead behind the project — and our full conversation is linked in the article. Their efforts bring vital artistic attention to what scientists have called "the global benchmark for the purest water on Earth", and we’re grateful to the OSA for helping amplify the significance of protecting it.
Erik Schomann
11/25/20252 min read
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Janet Hendershot — the driving force behind a powerful new initiative from the Ontario Society of Artists. What began in May 2025 as a plein-air gathering of artists in forest and marshland near Tiny Township has blossomed into something much more: a profound artistic campaign to draw attention to one of the planet’s most precious gifts — its water. (ontariosocietyofartists.org)
Over a few days at the heart of Tiny, OSA members created paintings, photographs, and other pieces inspired by the aquifer, the woods, the marshes, and the silent purity of what’s been described as (scientifically!) the cleanest water yet discovered on Earth. (ontariosocietyofartists.org) Their goal was simple and urgent: to mobilize public awareness and concern for a water source that sustains so many, and yet remains fragile. (ontariosocietyofartists.org)
That fragility is real. As reported by journalists in 2021, Tiny — nestled along the shores of Georgian Bay — sits atop an aquifer whose unique geology naturally filters water to unparalleled purity. (The Guardian) But that purity is threatened by industrial gravel mining, particularly expansion of pits like Teedon Gravel Pit atop the recharge zone. (The Guardian)
That’s why OSA’s intervention matters. By translating water’s value into art — images and forms that evoke fragility, reflection, and reverence — the society helps shift public perception. Water becomes more than a resource; it becomes heritage. It becomes something sacred worth protecting.
As a local resident and campaigner, I thank OSA and Janet Hendershot for bringing this project to life. Their willingness to merge art with environmental stewardship gives us all a stronger voice.
The exhibit is at the Quest Gallery at the Midland Cultural Centre until December 3rd.
