Let’s celebrate spring together! This free event encourages seniors (age 55+) to spend the afternoon curating their own program. We will offer refreshments, tours and drop in art making sessions. This free event is funded by the Seniors Community Fund.
Event includes;
$62/adult, $28/child 12 and under
Join Berry Hill Co. for Holiday Tea at the RMG! On Saturdays & Sundays from November 18th to December 17th, Berry Hill Co. will be upstairs in Arthur’s hosting high tea. There are separate menus for children and adults.
Reservations and any queries must be made directly through Berry Hill Co.
“We can only learn about creativity through our own experience of it.”
Shaun McNiff
The RMG and the LivingRoom Community Art Studio welcome all of our neighbours with warmth and openness to help us activate The Neighbours Project ART HIVE between 12-3:30pm on the Fridays listed below. You’re invited to use our free art materials to explore your creativity through self-expression. Together, as artists, we will work alongside and with one another to co-create a vibrant cultural ecosystem. Join us in this adventure of Creative Human-ing and learn why making art matters!
The Neighbours Project ART HIVE is part of The Neighbours Project. To learn more about the project, please visit the exhibition page.
This event will be facilitated at the following times:
What to expect:
The RMG is located at 72 Queen Street, Civic Centre in Oshawa, across from the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Libraries. The Neighbours Project ART HIVE is in Gallery A, which is located on the lower level of the RMG. It is accessible by stairs or elevator. Between the elevator and Gallery A, you’ll pass our public washrooms. We have an accessible single-stall washroom as well as gender-inclusive multi-stall washrooms. Read more about our facilities here.
What is an art hive?
Art Hives are spaces that enable people of all ages to participate in free public relaxation. They are safe, accessible spaces that support creative community development through art-making experiences that foster connection and personal well-being. In an Art Hive, traditional hierarchies, processes, and ways of being can be deconstructed and re-imagined in playful, personal, and compassionate ways.
“At the center of everything we call ‘the arts,’ and children call ‘play,’ is something which seems somehow alive.”
Lynda Barry
The Neighbours Project ART HIVE will be facilitated by The LivingRoom’s Mary Krohnert and the RMG’s Hannah Keating and Erin Szikora.
Mary is an actor, art therapist and social arts practitioner with over 25 years of experience in intersectional community engagement through the arts. Founder of the LivingRoom Community Art Studio, she is a graduate of The Toronto Art Therapy Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University, and has studied Art Hives at Concordia University under the founder of the movement, Dr. Janis Timm-Bottos. Her work is driven by a deep appreciation of the human story, and the many ways it can be communicated, acknowledged, and honoured in our efforts to live, learn, work, and engage with greater authenticity, sustainability, and joy. The LivingRoom and its related projects offer practical opportunities for citizen artists of all ages, abilities and walks of life to explore how processes of creative self-expression can be integrated into day-to-day life for the benefit of all.
Hannah is an Associate Curator at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery where she coordinates the RBC Emerging Artist Residency program, curates exhibitions and public programs, and works with community partners. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Art History from Carleton University and has previously worked at Artspace, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the University of Manitoba School of Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Hannah is curious about relationships of all kinds and passionate about supporting artists. She is a writer and deep thinker who believes in the power of art to forge connections, provoke conversation, and hold deep truths about the human condition.
Erin is an Associate Curator at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and Art History from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in Art History from OCAD University. She has previously worked at the University of Toronto, Art Gallery of Guelph, Art Canada Institute, OCAD University, the McMaster Museum of Art, and Brock University. Her work is motivated by a deep interest in how personal storytelling can lead to collective liberation. She believes strongly in the power of art to change the world and is excited to live into the future we dream up together.
Visit The Neighbours Project exhibition page to learn more.
We want to express sincere gratitude to our partners and collaborators for their support: The Back Door Mission, The Gap Committee, The LivingRoom Community Art Studio, April Hind, and Selena Hind.
Do you have any questions? Please get in touch by emailing hkeating@rmg.on.ca and eszikora@rmg.on.ca.
Please let us know you’re coming! Click this link to RSVP: https://thermg.typeform.com/to/Dkm48KdZ.
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery believes we have a responsibility to participate in the creation and maintenance of a healthy community. For over a year, we have been working with community members and partners on an initiative called The Neighbours Project to explore how we could extend care to some of our closest neighbours who have experience with housing precarity or homelessness, including those working to reduce barriers and offer direct support. The work itself was grounded in relationship building and took many forms, including closed onsite events and participation in community meetings and other offsite activities. From December 9, 2023 to February 18, 2024, The Neighbours Project will take up physical space at the RMG as an installation in Gallery A.
At this event, we invite the wider RMG community to join us in our creative visioning and accountability. Here’s what you can expect at this event:
The Neighbours Project is co-produced by representatives of the RMG, Back Door Mission, The Gap Committee, and The LivingRoom Community Art Studio. It will be installed in Gallery A from December 9, 2023 – February 18, 2024.
To learn more about the project, please visit the exhibition page.
This event is supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment and The Regional Municipality of Durham.
Do you have any questions? Please get in touch by emailing hkeating@rmg.on.ca and eszikora@rmg.on.ca.
Join us in celebrating the opening of World-builders, shapeshifters, a group exhibition featuring works by Alex Jacobs-Blum, Kat Brown Akootchook, Kay Nadjiwon, Natalie King, Nishina Shapwaykeesic-Loft, and Sheri Osden Nault.
Remarks will take place in the exhibition at 6:15pm.
From 7-9pm, enjoy a variety of performances and interactive workshops happening throughout the gallery, led by various First Nations, Métis, and Inuit storytellers. Refreshments will be served.
This event is free and open to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The RMG is an accessible venue. For full information on our facilities, please click here. If you have questions about this event or if there are other ways we can support your participation, please email Erin at eszikora@rmg.on.ca.
The storytellers:
Elder Dorothy Taylor is a Mississauga Ojibwe Elder from Curve Lake First Nation. She is known for her work and traditional teachings about the sacredness of water. She is asked to share traditional knowledge and ceremony within her community and various organizations throughout Peterborough and the surrounding area. She is a hand drummer and singer. Elder Dorothy Taylor is the founder of the Sacred Water Circle, inspired by traditional Indigenous teachings and leading with hope and spiritual courage, the Sacred Water Circle sees a restored relationship between human communities and water. Currently, Dorothy is the Co-Chair of the local United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation sponsored through the Kawartha World Issues Centre. She lives in Curve Lake with her husband Mark and two sons.
Vivian Roy / Giiwed’no kwe (Northwind-Woman) is Wolf Clan and Odawa from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve. She speaks Anishnabemowin (Ojibway) and has graduated from Sault College of the Applied Arts with a Certificate in Addictions Counselling, Laurentian University with a Bachelor of Social Work, and Wilfred Laurier University with a Master of Social Work. Vivian is a registered social worker, a certified life skills coach, and trainer.
Vivian currently works with First Nation communities around grief, specializing in adolescent and adult grief counseling. Her work is culturally based, using Anishnaabemowin teachings to teach about stages of grief, types of grief, grief circles, blanket exercise, working with traditional medicines, land-based activities, and ceremonies. In Vivian’s spare time she enjoys dancing, beading, and quill work, which she finds very therapeutic. Vivian teaches quillwork using different techniques.
Tamara Sarah Tikisa Takpannie is an artist and advocate originally from Iqaluit, NU, who specializes in beadwork, textiles and kattajaq (throat singing). An urban Inuk based in Ottawa, Takpannie’s bold and feminine artwork reflects her desire to represent the strength and resilience of Inuit women and uphold cultural traditions. Tamara has been throat singing since 2014 and enjoys sharing ancient songs with all peoples in the world.
Samantha Kigutaq-Metcalfe is 19 years old and born and raised in Ottawa. Samantha’s mom’s family is from Arctic Bay, Nunavut and dad’s side of the family is from Nain, Nunatsiavut. Samantha has been throatsinging all her life and it’s something she will continue to learn throughout the rest of her life. Learning new things and sharing them with the Inuit youth she works with in Ottawa is her passion. She will continue to learn every day.
Nikki Soliman is Métis from Sault Ste. Marie and the author of Bubbly Beth, Ants In My Pants, Indig-Enough and Magnificent Magnetic Me. Nikki is also a teacher and administrator with the Durham District School Board and understands the importance of students seeing themselves in the resources used. Prior to working in the DDSB, Nikki taught at Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and Moose Factory Island.
Nimkii (Thunder Man) Osawamick is an Anishinaabe dance artist from Wiikwemkoong, Unceed Territory, located on Manitoulin Island and is a member of the Wolf Clan. Nimkii has been dancing since the age of three years old. Now an active community member in powwow circles, Nimkii is well-known as a lead singer, hoop dancer and champion powwow dancer in the Fancy Dance category. He has travelled extensively across North America, sharing his gift of singing and dancing with the peoples of Turtle Island. Nimkii has previously worked with Nozhem Theatre, Trent University, as a dance artist, opening many doors for him into the performance world. Nimkii is dedicated to the preservation and awareness of his peoples’ culture and history, highlighted in his business DNA STAGE: Dedicated Native Awareness, which helps bridge the cultural gap between First Nations people and inhabitants.
Melody Crowe is a Michi-Saagiig Anishinaabe Woman from Alderville First Nation which is located on the South Shore of Rice Lake, Ontario. She has dedicated her life to creating a deeper understanding and appreciation of First Nation culture, knowledge, language, and history, and has more than 25 years of teaching the Ojibway language to children, youth, adults, and Elders. She works from the place of honouring her Ancestors and honouring the importance of Indigenous Peoples and ways of knowing. In 2007, Melody received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the preservation of language and culture from the Union of Ontario Indians, and in 2015, the Honouring Our People Award from the Ogemawahi Tribal Council. Melody is also an eagle feather carrier, a jingle dancer, and a photographer.
Lena Recollet is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, she is Anishinaabe from Wikwemikong. Her directorial and writing debut won her the Cynthia Lickers Sage Award from ImagineNative Film + Media Festival. This recognition proved to her that she was a writer, she then went on to win a Native American Music Award for Best Spoken Word Recording. Her comedic debut was on “She Kills Me” aired APTN (2014) and at Camino’s Cabaret (2015) before becoming one of the founding members of Manifest Destiny’s Child. She now writes sketch comedy with four members of the former collective now known as The NDN Act. This decision was made after performing for SketchFest TO last year at the Theatre Centre. In August, Lena was host/MC for the “Anishinaabemowin Conference” in her home community of Wiikwemkoong, where she also featured in night comedy and storytelling. Most recent performances were at: “Indigenous Humour is Knowledge Comedy Night” at McGill University and ROM After Dark: Be Yourself at the Royal Ontario Museum. A mentor and a mentee, Lena was a secondary school teacher for 7 years at Toronto District School Board before deciding to lead the life of being an entrepreneur. She is now the owner of Assiginack Consulting & Training, inspired by the legacy of her ancestor who was a War Chief and Oratory. Lena’s poetry and filmmaking has led her to receive a mentorship from Buffy Sainte Marie (2011) before opening for the icon. She ended year 2022 off by being an opening act for Rupi Kaur at Massey Hall. Her comedy received a mentorship for the Indig-E Girl web series through mentorship with Second City which is what ignited her to explore more sketch comedy writing.
World-builders, shapeshifters is supported by the Maada’ookii Committee, Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and the Downie & Wenjack Foundation and Hudson Bay Foundation through Oshki Wuppowane: The Blanket Fund.
This event is presented in partnership with:
This event will be held on Zoom. It is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Deciding how much you should charge for your artwork can feel like a shot in the dark, but artists Chrissy and Kyle of Spark Box Studio have developed a pricing system that dives into the nitty gritty. In this workshop, they will share how they determine fair prices for their work. With appreciation for the nuance of this complex topic, you’re invited to join our conversation. Chrissy and Kyle will answer questions about applying this system to your own practice and offer tips for talking about the value of your art with others.
About the Facilitators
Thirteen years ago Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping opened Spark Box Studio, a social enterprise, artist residency and community printmaking studio; committed to addressing cultural and social needs by fostering, supporting and promoting individuals working in the arts.
They created a practice rooted in resource sharing and collaborative exchange. They built a safe, nurturing environment that has hosted over 450 artists from around the world and brought together hundreds of community members to expand their understanding of creativity and professional practice.
Since the pandemic they have been re-envisioning their creative practice and learning how to nurture the shared sense of place virtually that was created in their studio and residency. They have been doing so through a variety of online programs: Artist Confessional, Flat Files, The Art Discourse and Love Letters. All of these video series open up the doors of their studio to the public, encourage collaborative exchange and build connections with artists in their community.
In addition, they are multidisciplinary artists who work collaboratively on community art installations and public art projects; most notably with organizations such as Crazy Dames, The Department of Illumination, Kick Start Arts, Critical Mass and the Gladstone Hotel.
Closed captioning and live transcription will be available through the built-in Zoom CC and Transcription features. ASL Interpretation can be arranged upon request. Please contact Hannah Keating at hkeating@rmg.on.ca to submit an interpretation request by November 8, 2023. All efforts will be made to fill a request, but if an Interpreter cannot be secured, we will let you know before the event takes place.
Is there anything else we can do to support your participation? Please reach out to Hannah at hkeating@rmg.on.ca.
The RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program at the RMG is generously supported through the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project.
This event will be held on Zoom. It is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. Click here to register.
Artists Chrissy and Kyle of Spark Box Studio have experience presenting their work in all sorts of conventional and unconventional settings. From community engaged projects to murals to pop up events, they have collaborated with other artists and each other to bring their work to different audiences. Offering tips and answering questions, they will facilitate a reflective conversation to share some of the experiences they’ve had and the lessons they’ve learned installing artwork in various settings.
About the Facilitators
Thirteen years ago Chrissy Poitras and Kyle Topping opened Spark Box Studio, a social enterprise, artist residency and community printmaking studio; committed to addressing cultural and social needs by fostering, supporting and promoting individuals working in the arts.
They created a practice rooted in resource sharing and collaborative exchange. They built a safe, nurturing environment that has hosted over 450 artists from around the world and brought together hundreds of community members to expand their understanding of creativity and professional practice.
Since the pandemic they have been re-envisioning their creative practice and learning how to nurture the shared sense of place virtually that was created in their studio and residency. They have been doing so through a variety of online programs: Artist Confessional, Flat Files, The Art Discourse and Love Letters. All of these video series open up the doors of their studio to the public, encourage collaborative exchange and build connections with artists in their community.
In addition, they are multidisciplinary artists who work collaboratively on community art installations and public art projects; most notably with organizations such as Crazy Dames, The Department of Illumination, Kick Start Arts, Critical Mass and the Gladstone Hotel.
Closed captioning and live transcription will be available through the built-in Zoom CC and Transcription features. ASL Interpretation can be arranged upon request. Please contact Hannah Keating at hkeating@rmg.on.ca to submit an interpretation request by November 8, 2023. All efforts will be made to fill a request, but if an Interpreter cannot be secured, we will let you know before the event takes place.
Is there anything else we can do to support your participation? Please reach out to Hannah at hkeating@rmg.on.ca.
The RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program at the RMG is generously supported through the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project.
Join Associate Curator Erin Szikora for a guided tour of Couzyn van Heuvelen’s solo exhibition “CAMP“.
Thursday Curatorial Tours are free and open to everyone. They provide deeper insight into the themes, context, and content of our exhibitions. Seating options are available. For more information about access and our facilities, please visit rmg.on.ca/visit/ or contact Hannah Keating at hkeating@rmg.on.ca with any specific requests.
No advance registration required.
Join us in celebrating the harvest season! The night will feature music from Matthew Holtby and Darren Roy Clarke. We will also be hosting a breathwork mediation seminar will take place in Arthur’s by Julie Brar. In the lobby, Dine and Style will be presenting a small autumn bounty.
Order of Events
7 pm – Doors Open
7:10 pm – First film screening with DRIFF
7:30 pm – Opening remarks & first performance by Darren Clarke
8:15 pm – Intermission
8:30 pm – Second film screening with DRIFF
8:45 pm – Performance by Matthew Holtby
Join Farah in the Studio downstairs between sets to try out paper quilling. We will use designs inspired by the autumn season to created intricate artwork. No experience required!
In the Lookout, DRIFF will be screening a short film at 7:10pm and 8:30pm.
Engaged to be Engaged by Joseph Covello (13 mins)
On the brink of proposing, a hopeless romantic confronts her true fears and insecurities as she imagines all the ways it could backfire. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is facing a similar predicament.
Community, Breath and the Power of Cellular Nutrition
Come to this informative talk that brings together the community using the power of breath, meditation and regeneratively grown foods. Julie will be guiding you through powerful yet simple breathing exercises that will help you to calm your nervous system. She will also be sharing the power of high vibration regeneratively grown foods and how that help to lift your physical and spiritual practice. Transitioning from summer to fall is a powerful time to reflect and come together as a community. Please bring a journal, pen, yoga mat and a cushion to sit on.
Session is 90 minutes with time for Q & A. Registration is required.
Julie Brar is an award-winning Holistic Nutritionist and Regenerative Health Practitioner who is passionate about supporting others to better health. Julie also holds several yoga certifications and taught yoga for several years prior to moving into Regenerative Health.
Julie specializes in helping men and women who desire to create the best health possible through regenerative health practices. Julie has used nutrition, detoxification protocols and various holistic health practices to reverse her Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism diagnosis. She uses similar tools for clients whether they want to improve an autoimmune condition or simply release weight. She has multiple programs for individuals and groups online.
Julie is also a published author in a collaborative book project, The Courage to Change, which hit the bestseller list on Amazon under Motivation in 2019.
Warkworth’s Matthew Holtby, has been honing his craft as a songwriter and performer for nearly two decades, producing original and emotive music that strikes a chord with audiences. Recently embarking on a new adventure as a solo artist, he has channeled his influences from the music he grew up with into his latest collection, featuring songs and stories that touch on themes of love, loss, and redemption. His music has been gaining recognition, including rotation on CBC Radio. A new album is set for release later this year.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist Darren Roy Clarke writes songs that map the highways of his heart. Blending delicate roots, confessional country, and heartbreak folk, his music reveals a road-worn journey of the soul. Darren spins introspective vignettes in his distinctive tenor voice, accompanying himself with expressive, exploratory guitar that is as integral to these tails as his lyrics.
Hailing from the cozy, artsy hamlet of Warkwarth, ON, Darren has been writing and performing for over 30 years, opening for the likes of Jason Collett, Craig Cardiff, and the Good Lovelies.
Refreshments served. Open to the Public. Registration encouraged.
Join us to learn about the life and art of artist Alexandra Luke. Guest lecturer Margaret Rodgers (artist, curator, writer) is the author of the book Locating Alexandra. Alexandra Luke (i.e. Margaret McLaughlin, 1901-1967) was an important artist linked to the beginnings of abstract painting in Canada and a founding member of Painters Eleven, Ontario’s first abstract painting group (1953-1960). Rodgers will share her knowledge and research about Alexandra Luke to compliment the current exhibition at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Alexandra Luke: Push and Pull, on view until January 14th.