Welcome
Here's what's going on at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
Exhibitions on Now
Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships
September 20, 2025 - February 15, 2026
Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships continues artist Ekow Nimako’s afrofuturistic reimagining of ancient African kingdoms. Using LEGO bricks as his medium, Nimako explores the mysterious fourteenth century sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II, predecessor of Mansa Musa, ruler of the ancient Mali Empire. According to legends, Abu Bakr II was an intrepid […]
The Neighbour’s Art Hive
December 11, 2025 - February 16, 2026
The Neighbour’s Art Hive is back for another year! Join us at the Opening Celebration on Thursday, December 11, 2025, 6:30-8:30pm The Neighbour’s Art Hive is a temporary installation that transforms the gallery into an active studio space with help from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio. As a place to make, rest, and connect, the […]
Community Connections
January 17, 2026 - June 7, 2026
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Oshawa Camera Club is teaming up with Community Development Council Durham’s (CDCD) Community Connections program to highlight the experiences of newcomers and immigrants in Durham Region. For this project, the participants took photographs that capture their lives in their new community and consider their important role within it. The […]
Natural Curiosities
January 17, 2026 - June 7, 2026
Flowers and plants have long fascinated artists, serving as both subjects of study and sources of inspiration. To hone their skills of observation, artists look to botanical subjects to study the effects of form, colour, and light and to translate the beauty and fragility they see in nature into poignant works of art. Drawing from […]
Scott Rogers: Mutualism (Fixed Assets)
November 15, 2025 - April 12, 2026
Mutualism (Fixed Assets) is a new temporary public artwork for the backyard at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. This ambitious new installation builds on Rogers’ interest in human- built infrastructures for the care and support of non-human beings. Taking the form of a site-responsive bird feeding station, the work is assembled from broken automobile parts scavenged […]
Hortense Gordon: Towards the New
September 6, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Hortense Gordon (1886–1961) was an important figure in Canadian modern art. Trained at the Hamilton Art School, Gordon spent her early career making ceramics and painting traditional landscapes, but it was her later embrace of abstraction that defines her legacy. Gordon returned to teach art at the Hamilton Technical and Art School and married fellow […]
Homage
September 6, 2025 - August 23, 2026
Paying homage is more than an act of reverence—it is a gesture rooted in respect and a way to acknowledge influence and inspiration. Artists often engage with the past to make sense of the present: responding to those who shaped them, the histories they’ve inherited, and the cultural forces that continue to shape our world. […]
Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok
November 15, 2025 - April 12, 2026
Organized by The Art Gallery of Mississauga A member of Curve Lake First Nation and citizen of the Nishnaabeg Nation, artist Olivia Whetung draws upon her experience working on and with the land to create artworks that speak of the interdependence and relationality within our ecosystem. Researching land-based and food de-commodifying movements, Anishinaabe knowledge, and […]
What's New
The Neighbour’s Art Hive Artists Activation
January 17, 2026 - February 15, 2026
Join us for artmaking and community connection in The Neighbour’s Art Hive! Each session is led by a passionate and talented local artist-educator who will guide creative exploration while fostering a warm, inclusive, and welcoming space for all participants. All experience levels are welcome. Sessions are hosted from 11am–2pm in Gallery A. Sessions🟆 Saturday, January […]
In Conversation with Ekow Nimako
February 7, 2026
Join us for an exciting conversation between exhibiting artist Ekow Nimako and local writer, educator, and researcher, Ashley Marshall. Together, Ekow and Ashley will discuss how the exhibition Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships re-imagines ancient African kingdoms through an Afrofuturist lens. Digging into histories of the African diaspora and envisioning abundant Black futures, this […]
Events
Teen Art Zone Winter 2026
Jan 29, 2026, 6:00 PM - Mar 26, 2026, 7:30 PM
January 29, 20266-7:30PM Taking inspiration from The Neighbour’s Art Hive, we are creating graffiti fences. Using acrylic paint, our sculptures will tap into our unique individual creativity, and the ideas of community development and social connection through art-making together. About The Neighbour’s Art HiveAs a place to make, rest, and connect, the installation, The Neighbour’s […]
OPG Family Day: Portrait Party
Feb 16, 2026, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
This family day, explore the portraits in the exhibition Homage, then, join us to create your own! Your self-portrait will be weird and wacky. Start in the exhibition, Homage. Using a variety of cardboard shapes to assemble your portrait. Gluing the cardboard together to form a truly unique and wacky face. In the studio, add vibrant acrylic […]
In Conversation: Scott Rogers and Cole Swanson
Feb 21, 2026, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
In the first of two events featuring artists Scott Rogers and Cole Swanson, this talk invites the artists to respond to the installation Mutualism (Fixed Assets) on view at the RMG until April 12, 2026. Building on Rogers’ interest in human-built infrastructures for the care and support of non-human beings, this work takes the form […]
RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program
The RBC Emerging Artist Residency is a paid residency opportunity for emerging artists supported by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project. The residency package presents artists with opportunities for professional growth, exhibition experience, and collaboration with RMG staff.
Check us out on Google Arts & Culture
Explore our Permanent Collection in an interactive and fun way and be sure to check out our first Online Exhibition Story about Isabel McLaughlin and Alexandra Luke, two women artists and collectors who were instrumental to the history and development of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.