Tom Wilson donates two paintings to Theatre Aquarius

By HCMMar 21, 2025

Hamilton musician, artist, author and playwright made the offer of the gift after the world premiere of his musical Beautiful Scars.

Two paintings by Hamilton musician, author, playwright and artist Tom Wilson now hang at either end of the lobby at Theatre Aquarius.

A who’s who of the theatre, music, arts, and the greater Hamilton community gathered at Theatre Aquarius this week to witness the unveiling of two epic art pieces called WE ARE THE STARS – SUN, and WE ARE THE STARS – MOON.

Both created in 2024, the works, each 48” x 60”, will enjoy a permanent home on the east and west walls of the theatre’s lobby.

Wilson approached Theatre Aquarius with the offer of this gift after the world premiere of his musical Beautiful Scars, written with Shaun Smyth.

“I spent the better part, or the best part, of last year in this building, and these institutions are so important to be not only a part of but to be able to wrap ourselves around the energy that goes on in these buildings,” said Wilson during the unveiling/

Tom Beckett from Beckett Fine Arton Locke Street spearheaded the art donation and installation and donated framing services along with New Concept Framing in Mississauga.

WE ARE THE STARS – MOON by Tom Wilson hangs on the west side of the Theatre Aquarius lobby. Pictured are, from left, Wilson, Mary Francis Moore, Kelly Straughan and Tom Beckett. Photo: Dahlia Katz

*WE ARE THE STARS – SUN* hangs on the east side ot the lobby. Photo: Dahlia Katz

The unveiling included a welcome from Indigenous liaison Phil Davis, who performed in Beautiful Scarsand a ceremonial drum performance by the Eagle Flight Singers, a professional First Nations group with an extensive travel history in the Great Lakes region and beyond. Led by Gordon Nicotine-Sands, the group is of Plains Cree, Ojibway, Haudenasaunee decent, and is comprised of friends and family.

“It is such a special night here for us. The stars just aligned,” said Aquarius artistic director Mary Francis Moore. “Tom is here with us. Our friends and family are here with us. And tonight, we’re welcoming the second cohort of Piindigen, our Indigenous young artists program.”

The Piindigenprogram, in its second year, is dedicated to exploring the power of storytelling and theatrical performance.

“What happens in this program is nothing short of life changing. This is your community, this is your theatre, you are our stakeholders,” Moore added.

Wilson charmed the hometown crowd and offered insight into the paintings.

“These paintings were part of a series inspired by a song by a guy named Julian Taylor called ‘Seeds.’ If you look at these you can see that there's giant holes in the earth and in this one over here there's a warrior underneath. They tried to bury us but they didn't know that we were seeds. That's the message of this. The Indigenous world is still here. It’s also important that we're all here together. We're all here to continue regardless of the news, regardless of politicians. Be up. We get to survive, we get to survive and be inspired by art. So, the fact that these paintings are sitting here in this building that I love with people that I truly love. This is an honour, and I thank Theatre Aquarius.”