“If you go down to the woods today…” is the first line in the 1907 children’s song, “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic”. The song made its way into pop-culture since the 1932 Henry Hall rendition and had been widely recorded, as incidental music in TV series, commercials and films. “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” personifies every bear that ever there was as a participant in an annual picnic celebration, which takes place in the woods, described as a place that is both wondrous and mysterious.
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As a child, Gerald Banting spent much of his time exploring the mysteries and wonders of the woods. As an educator and an artist, his fascination columnates into a series of drawings, paintings, and collages that combine elements of abstraction and natural observation. Banting has shared his admiration and care for the environment with his students to encourage kids and youth to spend time outdoors and care for the environment. In addition to Banting’s two-dimensional work, If You Go Down to the Woods Today will also include an installation in the Loft Gallery, made up of various objects discarded as trash in the Bowmanville Valley Conservation Area and collected by Banting as a form of conservation and artmaking.

​Biography:
Gerald Banting was born in Bowmanville, Ontario and has been teaching and artmaking in Brighton, Ontario for over four decades. His multimedia practice includes collage, painting, drawing, sculpture, and most recently installation, focusing much of his subject matter on trees, including hard maples, white pines, and white cedars.