One of Canada's major banks wants to see more students in Bruce and Grey counties get to the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound.
In recent years, tight school board budgets meant less money for school trips. Busing costs are quite high in Bruce and Grey, where students are spread across a large rural geographic region. But a new partnership with Scotiabank will enable more students to experience the TOM and its art workshops.
Through it's "Bright Futures" program, Scotiabank will provide support for the workshops as well as a program to help teachers introduce more Canadian art history into their curriculum.
In 2013, over 1,000 students visited the TOM Gallery through the school tours program. The same number of students took part in art workshops, which are in greater demand because many arts programs have been cut from school curriculums.