In June of 2010 Canada played host to the G8 Summit held here in Muskoka at Huntsville's Deerhurst Resort. It was a time of great excitement. World leaders got together to discuss the problems and solutions facing our world. This is done every four years.

 

Little did anyone know about a special plan brought together by the Huntsville BIA, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Huntsville and the Summit Management Office. The goal was to get the G8 Leaders to participate in one of our community murals and add their brush strokes to our town. During March break 2010, a community mural was created at Deerhurst Resort with the help of their guests and staff. Over 450 participants helped Art Director Gerry Lantaigne create a reproduction of Tom Thomsons' painting The West Wind.

The painting however was left unfinished across the lower skyline in hopes that the Leaders would
finish the last brush strokes. As luck would have it for Huntsville and Deerhurst, the G8 World leaders did take the time to paint.

They all mixed and added their own colours to the mural and completed the remaining parts of the
skyline that were unpainted. It was a momentous occasion for the Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery.
The painting is on permanent display in the lobby of the Canada Summit Centre, which is just
across from Huntsville High School.
 

We invite you to view one of the most famous murals on the planet.

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World leaders who took part are:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy

Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan
President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia

Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain

President Barack Obama of The United States

President Jose Manuel Barroso of the European Commision
President Herman Van Rompuy of The European Council