PHOTO OPPORTUNITY/MEDIA ADVISORY - Delivery of 35-Foot Ontario-grown White Spruce Christmas Tree to Toronto's Gardiner Museum

12 Trees exhibition encourages artists and designers to go green

Traffic Alert: Queen's Park Crescent (south of Bloor) northbound lane restrictions due to the unloading of a 35-foot Ontario-grown spruce Christmas tree at the Gardiner Museum.

TORONTO, Nov. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - On Thursday November 10, the Gardiner Museum will kick off its annual 12 Trees exhibition with the delivery of a 35-foot white spruce, donated by Forests Ontario, with support from Ontario Wood. The tree will be brought to the Gardiner on a 25-tonne truck and hoisted by crane onto the Museum's front plaza.

Last year, the Gardiner Museum's annual 12 Trees exhibition was transformed by contemporary artists and designers who reinterpreted the traditional Christmas tree. This year, the Museum will mount a new crop of unique trees, inspired by the theme "Good for the Earth", and curated by internationally-renowned artist and environmentalist, David Buckland.

The outdoor tree will be decorated on November 14 by the Presenting Sponsor, Nordstrom, who will use multicolored ornaments inspired by classic Nordic lines, themes, and icons that pay homage to the company's Scandinavian heritage as well as the Museum's current special exhibition True Nordic: How Scandinavia Influenced Design in Canada.

Each year, Forests Ontario encourages consumers to purchase locally-grown Ontario Christmas trees, which support economic growth across Ontario communities. As the most natural of products, real trees are a renewable resource, and unlike their artificial counterparts, real trees are 100% biodegradable.

12 Trees opens to the public on November 18, 2016 and runs until January 8, 2017.

WHAT:	Delivery of 35-foot Ontario-grown white spruce Christmas tree
WHO:	Jessica Kaknevicius, Director of Forest Education & Awareness, Forests Ontario Lauren Gould, Senior Manager, Development & Programs Tianna Stevenson, Nordstrom
WHEN:	Thursday November 10, 2016, 7:00 to 10:00 am
WHERE:	Front plaza of the Gardiner Museum 111 Queen's Park Crescent, Toronto, ON M5S 2C7 gardinermuseum.com

ABOUT FORESTS ONTARIO
Forests Ontario is the voice for our forests. Working to promote a future of healthy forests sustaining healthy people, Forests Ontario is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through tree planting efforts on rural lands and in urban areas, as well as the renewal and stewardship of Ontario's forests through restoration, education and awareness. Visit www.forestsontario.ca or follow us @Forests_Ontario.

ABOUT ONTARIO WOOD
Similar to Foodland Ontario, Ontario Wood is a way to connect with a local wood producer. Whether your choice is made based on quality and price, whether it's about supporting local producers and local communities, whether it's about what's best for the environment, or whether it's simply because you love the natural beauty of wood products – Ontario Wood can meet your needs. Visit www.ontario.ca/wood.

ABOUT THE GARDINER MUSEUM
The Gardiner Museum celebrates the art of ceramics and engages local and international audiences by promoting understanding of the long history of people crafting in clay. The Museum stewards a highly important collection, connecting visitors to the fundamental role of ceramics in many cultures throughout history, and offers special temporary displays, many highlighting the relevancy of ceramics to contemporary life.

The permanent collection comprises approximately 4,000 objects, and focuses on specific areas which have been collected in depth. These include the most important collection of European porcelain in Canada, with particular strengths in Meissen, Vienna, and Hausmaler decorated porcelain, as well as a comprehensive collection of figures inspired by the commedia dell'arte. The Gardiner holds the best collection of Italian Renaissance maiolica in Canada, and a superb collection of English tin-glazed pottery. It preserves highly significant collections of ceramics from the Ancient Americas, Chinese blue and white porcelain, Japanese porcelain, and contemporary Canadian ceramics. The Gardiner is among the few museums in the world focused on ceramics, and is one of the most important specialty museums internationally. For more information, please visit: www.gardinermuseum.com.

SOURCE Forests Ontario

Image with caption: "On Thursday November 10, the Gardiner Museum will kick off its annual 12 Trees exhibition with the delivery of a 35-foot white spruce, donated by Forests Ontario, with support from Ontario Wood (CNW Group/Forests Ontario)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161108_C4733_PHOTO_EN_813689.jpg

For more information, photos, or to arrange an interview please contact: Rachel Weiner, Communications Coordinator, Gardiner Museum, 416.408.5062, [email protected]