If you haven’t seen the Seth mural, The Junkyard of Memory, on the side of The Bookshelf, take a gander the next time you are down. The Downtown Guelph Business Association has given the city the gift of public art and it is beautiful, philosophical and accessible.

This past Saturday, we celebrated the launch with speeches in the parking lot under the mural. It was a hot, hot day but the speeches were short and warm. Seth, previously a resident of Toronto, came to Guelph 17 years ago because of a woman then ended up staying and marrying someone else – Tania, a Guelph resident. He said that this city has been so good to him and that he feels like he truly belongs – a big transition for a transplanted Torontonian. We are very lucky to have this world famous cartoonist, graphic artist and illustrator living in our midst.

After the speeches we trooped into the air-conditioned bookstore for the signing. Seth spent a long time with everyone, not only autographing, but drawing pictures and chatting. There were several young people in attendance who were aspiring cartoonists and you could tell that they were thrilled with his encouraging words.

In his thanks to the DGBA and Seth, Ben Minett, owner of The Bookshelf, made an appeal for more public art. as  Just take a look at The Gryffon at The University of Guelph, The Begging Bear and the sculptures at the Art Gallery of Guelph, the statue and fountain on the square downtown, and it is clear that art is one of the things that lends character to a city. 

To have a peek at a portion of Seth's mural, check out the top banner of www.bookshelf.ca and then imagine it 70 feet by 10! For those interested in a signed 17 inch by 3 inch replication signed by Seth, drop by The Bookshelf: great gift for people of all ages!