Dr. Douglas Tewksbury Creates Sound Exhibition for the Art Gallery of Hamilton

Dr. Douglas Tewksbury, professor of media studies at Niagara University, was invited by the Art Gallery of Hamilton to develop an interactive sound exhibition for Supercrawl, Hamilton, Ontario's three-day arts and culture festival Sept. 12, 13, and 14, 2025.

Dr. Tewksbury collaborated with the gallery over the summer to develop "Resonating Commons," a sound and community-building event where participants came together to ring different sets of toned bells as a community of improvisers at the top of every hour. More than 1,000 individuals participated in this publicly created, collaborative performance over the three days.

"I wanted to create an artistic experience where visitors could actively participate in making a thing, not just passively consume work created by others," Dr. Tewksbury said. "These days, I'm very interested in working in artistic media that builds community, that brings people together, that sparks wonder and joy and togetherness, even if only for a few minutes, and reminds us of the importance of the joy that comes through human connection. 'Resonating Commons' was the result, and I'm thrilled to get to build community and contribute alongside the many folks who came through the event to see this sound exhibition."

Douglas Tewksbury is a Hamilton-based media artist and curator whose practice spans interactive sound, electronics, photo/video, field recordings, and other media. His ongoing and past projects have been presented at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Artpark, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the Sarasota Art Museum, the Castellani Art Museum, Winterfest Hamilton, the Royal Botanical Gardens, and other venues. Often, his projects explore the relationship between humans and the natural world, and more recently, the community-building and shared joy that arise from human cooperation and interaction.