Nova Scotia·NewThe mystery of who carved a Toronto Blue Jays logo into the sandstone of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia has been solved.Hard-to-spot carving has fans talking as Blue Jays vie for World Series titleCassidy Chisholm · CBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2025 6:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesWhile it was initially believed that the Toronto Blue Jays logo was carved into the side of the gallery in the 1990s, it was actually done in 2015. (Grey Butler/CBC)It was a mystery thought to be decades in the making.But in fact, it was just one decade ago that a Toronto Blue Jays logo was carved into the sandstone of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax.“It was just a great little fun project,” said Craig Potter, the artist behind the carving, which features the recognizable Blue Jays logo, with the face of a bird and a small maple leaf on the side.Until Wednesday, the origins of the carved emblem had been a bit of a mystery.Craig Potter worked for Masontech, a Halifax stonemasonry company, for 11 years. During that time, he was asked by his supervisor to carve a Toronto Blue Jays logo into the side of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. (David Laughlin/CBC)It was initially believed that staff noticed the logo following a restoration of the building’s exterior in the early 1990s, an era that coincided with the most successful period in the history of the Blue Jays, who won consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.But that wasn’t the case, Potter said. He actually carved the logo into the south facade of the building in 2015, during a 3½-year restoration project where he repaired decorative elements.And it wasn’t his idea.Craig Potter, who does decorative stone work, carved the Toronto Blue Jays logo into the side of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 2015. (Submitted by Craig Potter)He was actually asked to do it by his supervisor, a big Toronto Blue Jays fan, who had spotted another baseball-inspired carving on the north side of the art gallery — a Boston Red Sox cap with the team’s signature B.“So it was sort of a friendly gesture, let’s say,” Potter said. It’s believed the Red Sox cap was carved into the building in the ‘90s.Potter said it’s common practice for stonemasons to carve something small to mark their work on a building.“People will put their personal marks on things and in this case, I was asked to do this by my supervisor,” he said with a smile.A baseball cap featuring the signature logo of the Boston Red Sox baseball team can be found on the northern facade of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. (David Laughlin/CBC)Colin Stinson, the gallery’s director of marketing, only learned of the Toronto emblem’s true origins on Wednesday, when Potter came forward.“The mystery is solved,” Stinson said, when meeting Potter outside the art gallery.As Canada’s only major league baseball team continues its dramatic playoff run, an increasing number of people have been visiting the gallery to see if they can spot the unusual carving.”It’s gained some popularity over the past two weeks so we’ve seen a few more passersby stopping and having a look trying to find it,” Stinson told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia.”As Blue Jays mania is on the rise, there’s more interest in the logo.”The Blue Jays logo is located on the southern facade of the building, on the fourth pillar, to the right of the third window. (David Laughlin/CBC)Potter said it’s great to hear that more people are checking out the logo.“It’s fantastic. I think this is an unfound gem for a lot of people who live here and for tourists as well,” he said.Following Toronto’s 6-2 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday night, the Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven series. Craig Potter says the Blue Jays emblem he carved is an ‘unfound gem,’ both for Haligonians and tourists alike. (Grey Butler/CBC)Game 5 goes Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium and Stinson said he hopes the carving serves as a good luck charm.“When a community can rally around a team, I think that’s important, and if it’s a small logo on the side of the building that does that, I think it’s great,” he said. “Or if it’s a team going into the biggest championship in the world, that’s even better.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORCassidy Chisholm is a digital reporter and associate producer with CBC Nova Scotia. Get in touch with her by emailing cassidy.chisholm@cbc.ca. With files from Information Morning Nova Scotia
Meet the artist who carved the Toronto Blue Jays logo into the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
