Garden of the Greek Gods Unveiled in New Permanent Location

November 2, 2022

Exhibition Place Unveils New Permanent Location for E.B. Cox’s Garden of the Greek Gods, Along With a ‘Digital Amphitheatre’ in partnership with HeART Lab and CAMH 

The Garden of the Greek Gods, a collection of 20 sculptures by renowned Canadian sculptor E.B. Cox (1914-2003), was officially unveiled at its new permanent location on the grounds of Exhibition Place. The limestone sculptures, created in the 1960s, depict figures from Greek mythology, including, Medusa, Orpheus, and Hercules. At yesterday’s grand unveiling, the artist’s family as well as members of the Exhibition Place Board of Governors, the local community, and arts organizations gathered to celebrate the return of the sculpture garden to the public realm, at its beautiful new setting just east of the Rose Garden, south of Bandshell Park.

In attendance was the artist’s family, including his daughter Kathy Sutton (née Cox), who said, “I am delighted that my father’s Garden of the Greek Gods has been returned to the public realm, in a beautiful new setting. This area of Exhibition Place is where he first envisioned the sculpture garden, back in 1979. The sculptures’ new home is perfectly suited to a family outing, perhaps with a picnic, where children can climb, play, and even learn a bit about art or Greek mythology.”

Her sister, Sally (Cox) Fogel, also commented: “Witnessing the long journey of the Greek Gods, from my father’s imagination and hard work to various temporary displays around Ontario to their perfect new home at Exhibition Place, has been an exercise in patience and hope. How delighted he would be to see the fruits of his labour in this beautiful spot for all to see!”

This unveiling comes at a time of transformation for Exhibition Place as it solidifies its position as Canada’s premier destination for conventions, exhibitions, events, and entertainment. At Tuesday’s event, Don Boyle, CEO of Exhibition Place, expressed the importance of community for the organization:  

“With 5.5 million annual visitors, Exhibition Place is engrained in our community as a destination for events, leisure and site activation, which is why we’re committed to delivering exceptional experiences on our grounds year-round. The new permanent location for the Garden of the Greek Gods is a welcome addition to our dynamic 192-acre site, and we know our community will enjoy this space for many generations to come. After a long journey, and successful collaboration, we’re excited to invite all to visit the space, explore and connect with E.B. Cox’s iconic sculptures in person.”  

The Garden of the Greek Gods will feature an interactive online platform titled Digital Amphitheatre, where the E.B. Cox sculptures will serve as inspiration for storytelling and reflection. Created by HeARTLab, this online platform invites visitors to share multimedia stories, either immediately on-site with their mobile phones or through digitalamphitheatre.com. As users enter the website, they are inspired by an AR image of Odysseus’ boat for modern times, to take a personal and community voyage through storytelling. Complimentary Wi-Fi will be available for visitors in the sculpture garden.  

Dr. Allison Crawford, Founding Director, HeART Lab; Chief Medical Officer, Talk Suicide Canada, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), said: “HeART Lab supports a fundamental link between the arts and health. We are excited to have this opportunity to enhance the Garden of the Greek Gods and build community with a unique digital experience. Through our Digital Amphitheatre platform, we hope that many more people will be able to access E.B. Cox’s work and interact and engage with the sculptures through storytelling and reflection.” 

The Garden of the Greek Gods will be open to the public on November 9, 2022. HeARTLab’s Digital Amphitheatre can be accessed by visiting digitalamphitheatre.com.

For further information, contact: Alexandra Serrano, Exhibition Place, Manager, Marketing and Communications, aserrano@explace.on.ca.

About Exhibition Place 

Established in 1879 and located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto, the award-winning Exhibition Place is Canada’s largest entertainment venue, hosting 1,260 events and attracting over 5.5 million visitors a year. The 192-acre site is an integral component of Toronto and Ontario’s economy, particularly with respect to conventions, sports, festivals, recreation, culture and tourism. Exhibition Place boasts the award-winning, LEED Platinum Enercare Centre; Canada’s largest exhibition and convention centre, and the Beanfield Centre LEED Silver conference venue. Since 2004, Exhibition Place has undertaken an environmental stewardship initiative, entitled GREENSmart; which includes the promotion of sustainable development, environmental initiatives and leading-edge green technologies and practices across the site. For more information, visit Exhibition Place’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.  

About HeART Lab 

HeART Lab brings together healthcare providers, researchers, artists, and community members to build collaborative partnerships through art, research, and technology to work toward health equity – Health Equity, Art, Research, Technology.  

Our person-and-community-oriented projects engage people through storytelling, digital storytelling, journey mapping, and in-depth interviewing. Our storied approach to research honours personal, embodied, and social meaning-making.  

Insights and findings from our research and collaborations are shared widely, academically and creatively, to support the implementation of new ideas and to advocate for change. www.healthequityART.ca 

 

About The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

CAMH is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world-leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please follow @CAMHnews on Twitter.