RMG Fridays: Piecework

On March 31st, join us for the opening of two new exhibitions alongside our regularly scheduled RMG Friday!

Timeline of Events

6:00 – Doors Open

6:15 – Opening Remarks and Welcome (R.S. McLaughlin Gallery, Level 3)

6:20 – Introduction to Piecework with Tour + Artist Talks (R.S. McLaughlin Gallery, Level 3)

6:50 – Introduction to Brigitte Sampogna: Nowhere. No, Where? Now here with Tour + Artist Talk (Gallery A, Level 1)

7:00-8:30 – Drop-in Studio Activity (Education Studio, Level 1)

7:30-8:15 – DRIFF in a Jiff Film Screening + Director Q&A (Lookout, Level 1)

8:30-9:30 – Musical Performance by Mimi O’Bonsawin (Isabel Gallery, Level 3)

We are so excited to present two new exhibitions at the RMG: Piecework and Brigitte Sampogna’s, Nowhere. No, Where? Now here. Join us at 6pm to help us celebrate the work of 11 incredible artists.

Hangama Amiri, Woman Before A Mirror, Muslin, cotton, polyester, dyed fabric, nylon tulle, velvet, chiffon, silk, sued, and found fabrics, 73” x 53.5”, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and T293 Gallery.

We are so excited to celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions at the RMG!

Using the materiality of quilt making as a metaphor for how the fabric of the world holds together, Piecework is an exhibition that brings together a group of contemporary artists who use textiles and assemblage as world-building tools.

Nowhere. No, where? Now here. is an exhibition by RBC Emerging Artist in Residence Brigitte Sampogna, which uses a laundry line as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of self-discovery and was produced during her winter residency at the RMG.

Artists from both exhibitions will be with us on Friday to share their works and ideas with us.

The party continues with a guided studio activity, film screenings with DRIFF in a Jiff, and a spellbinding musical performance by Mimi O’Bonsawin.

Also new at the RMG: Painters Eleven: Ontario’s Abstract Collective and Mary Rawlyk: Domestic Disruptions

DRIFF in a Jiff will be downstairs in the lookout with film screenings at 7:30PM. The filmmakers will be on site to answer questions.

The Test (11 mins)

Directed by Martin Baena

Written/Produced by Noah R. Taylor

An eccentric driving examiner takes advantage of a young man trying to get his licence.

On the Fence (6.5 mins)

Directed by Paula Ner Dormiendo

This short, thoughtful film presents several intertwined conversations with a group of multicultural individuals and their struggle with identity.

Drop in to the education studio between 7:00 and 8:30 to participate in a creative activity for all ages that asks: What does comfort mean to you? Inspired by our new exhibition, Piecework, this activity invites you to fill paper quilt pieces with patterns that express your own personal interpretation of comfort. All of the pieces will be added to a quilted mural on the studio wall as an expression of community and creativity.

Mimi O’Bonsawin is a contemporary roots singer-songwriter from Northeastern Ontario. Through her rhythm and story-driven songs, Mimi embraces the beauty of the land, all the while yielding to her Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki roots. In her music you will find sounds from the forest, uplifting melodies and introspective lyrics weaved with pop sensitivities and acoustic instruments. The layers of percussion and surprising harmonies make you feel the music rather than just hear it. Mimi will be performing from her new album: Willow.

Special thanks to DRIFF in a Jiff and RBC for their support with this event.

RMG Fridays Presents: Black Lit Durham and Desarae Dee

Join us for an evening with Black Lit Durham and Desarae Dee!

Welcome back to our RMG Fridays for 2023! We will be celebrating an evening of Poetry! With an introduction from Kesha Christie, will feature 3 unique Poets for your heart and Soul. Speaking of Heart and Soul, we have the beautiful Desarae Dee back for a solo performance! DRIFF is also onsite to deliver a double feature of Iranian Films, Boiled Tea and enigmatic, Identibye.

7 PM – Doors open

7:15 PM – DRIFF Film Screening in the Lookout

7:30 PM – Introduction by Kesha Christie and poet performances

8:30 PM – DRIFF Film Screening in the Lookout

8:45 PM – Desarae Dee performance

Kesha Christie is a dynamic storyteller and speaker. She connects people and culture through African and Caribbean folktales and stories that hook and ignite the imagination. She has shared stories with listeners in the Caribbean, the US, India and across Canada. Performing in schools, libraries, festivals, and community, corporate and special events. She has a weekly podcast called Walk Good and a YouTube channel under Talkin’ Tales, which amplify the power of stories.

Kesha is board member of the Storytellers of Canada, and founder of an annual storyteller event, which celebrates the oral tradition and showcases local entrepreneurs in the community. For more information visit www.talkintales.ca.

Judith Shaw
Judith Shaw is a poet and a member of the Durham Storytellers. She is the author of a children’s book “My Grandmother Said Art Is Everywhere”. Judith was born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised by her Grandma Wawa. Judith believes grandparents are wise and special, and that they should be loved, honoured and respected. Judith works as a visiting home Registered Practical Nurse (RPN), but also finds delight tapping into her artistic abilities. She enjoys daydreaming and believes art arrives from the ability to dream and from the freeing of our imagination.

Shakkoi aka Need Some Koi
Shakkoi aka Need Some Koi is a multi talented creative excelling in dance instruction and spoken word poetry. After performing as a dancer for six years, she is now focusing on making sure the world hears why they too Need Some Koi through her speaking, hosting and comedy appearances. Floetry Fitness, her business that focuses on creating spaces for movement and poetry, has been seen on Breakfast Television’s Movin in the Mornings, as well as Nia Centre, Black Women in Motion and the City of Pickering. With plenty of experiences to share, there is no doubt that everyone needs some Koi in their lives!

Desarae Dee
Desarae Dee is a Canadian Instrumental Fusion Artist, Multi-Instrumentalist and Producer who has made significant waves in the Canadian music industry with her unique and unconventional playing style since 2014. Known as “Toronto’s Queen of Vibes,” her passionate and meaningful sound combines a unique mixture of faith, soul, vulnerability and divine balance. 8 years into her life as a music artist, she has established herself as a genre-bending and boundary-pushing artist. She has an extensive resume that includes an abundance of music releases, in addition to regional touring, features on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Jazz, NPR Music’s Jazz Night: On The List and Jazz Night Staff’s Holiday Faves playlists, national and international media and radio coverage and a Top 100 finish in the 2022 CBC Music Searchlight competition. In addition to her numerous musical accolades, Desarae was one of five recipients of the 2022 SiriusXM Black Canadian Awards powered by the SOCAN Foundation. As someone who never saw herself represented in the entertainment industry, Desarae has blazed a trail of authenticity and genre exploration while continuing to break barriers in the industry and forge a path for current and future Black Women Musicians.

Downstairs in the Lookout

Join DRIFF downstairs in the Lookout for two short films.

Screenings repeat at 7:15pm and 8:30pm.

Identibye (15 mins)
(Persian with English subtitles)
Winner of multiple awards internationally, including Best International Short at DRIFF 2022
Director: Sajjad Shahhatami
Without a single word being uttered by the protagonist, the actor and director draw us into a struggle with identity few of us can imagine.

Boiled Tea (15 mins)
(Persian with English subtitles)
The family is getting ready to celebrate Samaneh’s birthday, but a pack of tea changes everything!

Special thanks to DRIFF in a Jiff for their support with this event.

The RMG reserves the right to cancel this event due to circumstances beyond RMG’s control or not reasonably anticipated, including but not limited, to weather, or inability of Facility to host Event.

Curatorial Tours: Loose Parts

sophia bartholomew, dances around a living tree (detail), 2022, wood, found materials and organic matter, string, C-clamps, and laminated sheets.

Join curator Hannah Keating for a guided tour of the exhibition Loose Parts, which includes work by sophia bartholomew, Akash Inbakumar, and Justin Mezzapelli.

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.

Save the date! Join us for these upcoming Curatorial Tours:

March 23 – Powerful Glow, Lisa Myers
Join curator Lisa Myers for a tour of our special exhibition, Powerful Glow.

April 20 – Piecework, Erin Szikora
Join Associate Curator Erin Szikora for a guided tour of the exhibition Piecework, which includes work by Hangama Amiri, Alicia Barbeiri, Colleen Heslin, Jeremy Laing, Tau Lewis, Preston Pavlis, Jagdeep Rania, Moraa Stump, Joyce Wieland, and Alice Olsen Williams.

May 18 – The Ties That Bind, Sonya Jones
Join Senior Curator Sonya Jones for a guided tour of the exhibition The Ties That Bind, which includes work from the RMG’s permanent collection.

June 29 – Queering the Collection, Heather Riley
Join Project Coordinator, Digital Collections and curator of this show Heather Riley for a guided tour of their permanent collection exhibition, which explores themes of queerness within the RMG’s collection.

September 21 – Untouched Landscapes and Topographies, Erin Szikora
Join Associate Curator Erin Szikora for a guided tour of the exhibitions Untouched Landscapes, with work by Aaron Jones, and Topographies, with work by Anna Binta Diallo.

Kazuo Nakamura: Influence and Legacy

This event is open to the public, but registration encouraged.

Join us for a conversation about the lasting impact and legacy of artist Kazuo Nakamura. The discussion will be led by panelists Louise Noguchi (artist), Bryce Kanbara (artist and recent Governor General Award recipient), and John Hatch (art historian). Kazuo Nakamura laid the groundwork for younger generations of Japanese Canadian artists and achieved great success in his lifetime. This event compliments the current exhibition at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Kazuo Nakamura: Universal Pattern, on view until March 5^th.

Refreshments will be served.

Louise Noguchi was born in Toronto, and has been active in the Toronto art community since 1981. Her work has been included in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and internationally. A selection of these exhibitions follows: “Das zweite Gesicht”, Deutsches Museum, Munich (2002); “Track Records,” Oakville Galleries, Oakville, and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa (1997-1999); “Modus Operandi,” Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, and the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan (1996); and, “Louise Noguchi Selected Works: 1982 – 1985,” The Power Plant, Toronto (1989).

Dr. John G. Hatch is associate professor of art history at Western University in London Ontario. He received his doctorate from the University of Essex in art history and theory. His area of research is twentieth-century European and American art and theory, with a particular interest in the points of convergence between art and science. His articles have examined the work of Robert Smithson, Cindy Sherman, Francis Bacon, Frantisek Kupka, Shi Zhiying, amongst others, and most recently the German photographer Thomas Ruff. He is the Art Canada Institute author of monographs on Paterson Ewen and Kazuo Nakamura and is currently working on his third title examining the life and work of Doris McCarthy.

Kanbara has been working for nearly five decades: across media in painting, printmaking and sculpture, and as a curator and arts administrator. He was a founding member and the first administrator of Hamilton Artists Inc. (known then as Hamilton Artists’ Co-op) in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, going on to hold curatorial positions at Burlington Art Centre; Art Gallery of Hamilton; Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant; JC Gallery at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (Toronto). He was also Executive Director of the Toronto Chapter, National Association of Japanese Canadians, Chair of the NAJC Endowment Fund and National Executive member. As one of the first to open a gallery space along Hamilton’s James Street North in the early aughts, Kanbara has been the proprietor of you me gallery since 2003. In 2021, he won a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for his countless contributions.

Annie MacDonell and Maïder Fortuné in conversation with Daniella Shreir

This event is free but, registration is required.

The RMG invites you to join us for an online conversation with Annie MacDonell, Maïder Fortuné, and Daniella Shreir, founder and co-editor of Another Gaze.

Sharing an interest in experimental film, narrative structures and feminist perspectives, our three guests will engage with some of the central themes of MacDonell’s exhibition The Beyond Within, including autobiography, archival research, art of the late 1960’s, radical pedagogy, psychedelic experience, and friendship. They’ll explore in more depth two films that MacDonell and Fortuné made together, Communicating Vessels (2020) and OUTHERE (for Lee Lozano) (2021).

This program is offered alongside The Beyond Within, a touring exhibition curated by Crystal Mowry and Leila Timmins. It was organized and produced in partnership with the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery where it was on view from October 8, 2021 to February 6, 2022. It is currently installed at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery until February 13, 2023.

About Annie MacDonell

Annie MacDonell is a visual artist and filmmaker. Her early training was in photography, and the image continues to play a central role in her projects. Her work also includes installation, sculpture, writing, and performance. In recent years, film has become a focus. Her films (sometimes produced with collaborator Maïder Fortuné) are shaped by feminists’ principles of politics as a daily practice.

She received a BFA from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2000, followed by graduate studies at Le Fresnoy, Studio National des Arts Contemporains, in France. Her films “Book of Hours” (2019) and “Communicating Vessels” and OUTHERE (2021) both with Maïder Fortuné, have screened extensively internationally. Recent solo shows have been held at Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, the Audain SFU and the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She has participated in group shows at The Art Museum of the University of Toronto, CAG Vancouver and Mackenzie Art Gallery. In 2012 she was short-listed for the AGO AIMIA prize for photography, and she was long listed for the Sobey Art Award in 2012, 2015 and 2016. In 2020, she and Maïder Fortuné won the Tiger Award for Best Short Film at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, for their film “Communicating Vessels. And in 2021 she was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Photography Prize.

About Maïder Fortuné

Maïder Fortuné, studied literature and theatre at L’École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris before entering Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts, where she developed a performance-related practice of the technological image. With great formal rigor, Fortuné’s work commands all the viewer’s attention for a genuine experience of the image and its processes. Recently, her practice turned to more narrative preoccupations. Lecture performances and films deeply rooted in writing are the mediums she proposes to open up new narrative strategies. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Europe, Brazil, Canada, China, and Japan. In 2010 she won the Villa Medicis fellowship in Roma, Italy. Recent shows and performances have been held at Gallery 44 (Toronto), Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Toronto International Film Festival.

About Daniella Shreir

Daniella Shreir is the founder and co-editor of the film journal Another Gaze anda translator of literature, non-fiction, art writing and subtitles, from French. Her translation of Chantal Akerman’s My Mother Laughs (Silver Press) won a PEN prize in 2019. Elsewhere, she has translated for publications and institutions including The Paris Review, Granta, the Palais de Tokyo. She is currently working on translations of two books. Together with Missouri Williams, she has just launched Another Gaze Editions, a new imprint dedicated to writing by women about film. She also associate produced ‘Maria Schneider, 1983’, which premiered in the Quinzaine des réalisateurs (2022). Since 2022, she has been on the selection committee of Director’s Fortnight (Quinzaine des Cinéastes) and is the creator and sole programmer of Another Screen.

Winter Exhibitions Opening

Remarks at 2PM

Coming from Toronto? We have organized a bus to bring you to and from the opening! Pick up will be in front of OCADU at 100 McCaul St at 12:30PM. The bus will leave the RMG at 3:45PM to return to OCADU by 5PM.

Reserve your spot!

On November 26, we are celebrating two new exhibitions at the RMG:

Powerful Glow
Jordan Bennett, Patricia Deadman, Ursula Johnson, Mike MacDonald, Peter Morin, Luke Parnell, Archer Pechawis, Anne Riley, Fallon Simard, Becca Taylor, Art Wilson and T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss
November 26, 2022 – April 9, 2023
Curated by Lisa Myers

If we think of land and waterways as readable with a range that is fluid and ever changing, living and legible, then we can see how one’s understanding of land grows over long periods of time.
Gathered around the medicine and butterfly artworks by the late Mi’kmaw artist Mike MacDonald, this exhibition brings together artists whose works are rooted in and stem from specific plant and land vocabularies that reflect place-based knowledge and nuanced perspectives of medicine.

Loose Parts
sophia bartholomew, Akash Inbakumar, Justin Mezzapelli
November 19th, 2022 – February 19th, 2023
Curated by Hannah Keating

Loose Parts encourages viewers to think about the intimate connection between grief, world building, and kinship. When things fall apart or their edges fray, we can see the component parts more clearly. Instinctively, especially in grief, we try to hold on, but it’s in loosening our grip and letting the pieces scatter that we find ourselves and discover tools for building new worlds. The artists in Loose Parts embrace provisional and in-between spaces, looking to ancient mythologies, dreamed-up futures, and personal stories of becoming for wisdom and ways forward.

Recently Opened:

Kazuo Nakamura: Universal Pattern
October 8, 2022 – March 5, 2023
Curated by: Sonya Jones

Kazuo Nakamura was a founding member of Painters Eleven (1953-60), Ontario’s first abstract art collective. Although sharing in the other members’ use of abstraction, Nakamura’s work was distinguished within the group by his use of more subdued brushstrokes, simpler structures and monochromatic palette. Drawing primarily from the RMG’s permanent collection, this exhibition pulls together works that reflect the scope of Nakamura’s artistic career and his constant search for truth and understanding of the world around him.

The Ties That Bind
October 8th, 2022 – August 20th, 2023
Curated by Sonya Jones

Feeling connected is a fundamental psychological need. In nature, ecosystems depend on interactions and connections in order to thrive. Similarly, humans flourish through connections that are physical, emotional, and social. After two years of feeling disconnected, this exhibition pulls together artwork that reflects on the different ways we seek connections, whether through relationships, finding peace and perspective in nature, or exploring shared histories.

Also on view:

The Beyond Within
Annie MacDonell
September 24, 2022 – February 12, 2023

Complete Freedom
Abstract artworks from our permanent collection
December 11th, 2021 – March 5th, 2023

Come Together
Photographs from the Thomas Bouckley Collection
June 18, 2022 – January 8, 2023

RMG Fridays Presents: Durham Storytellers

Join us for an evening of storytelling! Beginning with a behind the scenes artist talk of The Sire of Sires with Oshawa-born artist Jordan Elliot Prosser, the evening will continue with performances by the Durham Storytellers and violinist and fiddler David Shewchuk. DRIFF is also onsite to deliver a double feature and Q&A with filmmaker Patrick Weiers.

7:00 – Doors Open
7:15-8:00 – Artist Talk with RBC Emerging Artist in Residence Jordan Elliot Prosser
8:00-8:30 – Performances by Durham Storytellers

Micki Beck – Apsley, ON
Micki is a storytelling elder, starting her storytelling journey some 60 years ago. Over the years, she has worked as an individual, and in groups through schools and universities to the theatre stage and television studio.

Kesha Christie – Ajax, ON
Kesha Christie is an animated storyteller who ignites the imaginations and carries you on an amazing journey from tale to intriguing tale. She tells Anansi stories, African Folklore, Aesop Fables, Historical and original tales.

Angelica Ottewille – Havelock, ON
Angelica Ottewill is a classically trained harpist and vocalist, who combines the art of storytelling with music. Her repertoire includes medieval, Celtic and historical stories, as well as folktales from many cultures.

8:30-9:15 – Performance by David Shewchuk
9:15-9:45 – Performances by Durham Storytellers

Judith Shaw – Oshawa, ON
Judith believes that there is magic in words that are spoken, either through poetry or storytelling. She feels the words capture her heart; ignites a desire to combine words of her own; and share her creations openly with others. Judith finds her journey into storytelling… enchanting!

Peter Dowse – Ajax, ON
Peter is now branching out, using his speaking skills from Toastmasters and applying them to his new passion of storytelling. He enjoys researching historical events and presents them in a storytelling format, personalizing the characters to add impact to the story.

Dianne Chandler – Port Perry, ON
Dianne has been weaving words of story magic, myth and mystery for all ages for many years. She performs a repertoire of global folk/fairy literary tales, and special seasonal programs with drama, passion, sensitivity and humour, often in costume.

Kathleen Smyth – Bowmanville, ON
Kathleen has been telling stories most of her life, as both a writer and a storyteller. She enjoys recanting stories about historical characters, especially strong women. Kathleen enjoys telling personal stories that amuse, inform, and inspire. And she likes to help others embrace the stories within them.

Downstairs in the Lookout

Join DRIFF downstairs in the Lookout for two short films that explore youthful experiences through two different lenses. Patrick Weiers will be present to share behind-the-scenes stories and answer questions from the audience.

Screenings and Q&A will repeat at 7:15pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm.

The Beach Raiders (8 mins)
Directed by Tyson Breuer
This story is a fun escape to end-of-summer shenanigans. Mel and James try to keep the fun alive for one more night, knowing this life won’t last.

i hope they remember my name (11 mins)
Directed by Patrick Weiers
Struggling with depression, a famous vlogger travels to Asia and documents his search for dopamine.

Durham Storytellers is an enthusiastic group that aims to keep oral storytelling alive, promote an awareness of storytelling and illustrate how stories fit into today’s society. They convey each story without books or notes, and are considered part of the performing arts.

Jordan Elliot Prosser

Join our summer artist in residence in Gallery A for an artist talk that accompanies his solo exhibition The Sire of Sires. Featuring surprising ties between 19th century poetry, Russian ballet, and Oshawa’s own Northern Dancer, you’ll learn more about Jordan’s experience as an artist in residence and his exciting installation and video work, which explores the relationship between reproduction, legacy, and identity.

Dave Shewchuk is a Canadian violinist/fiddler who has performed as a soloist from Ontario to Vancouver and everywhere in between, winning the hearts of audiences with stunning creativity and originality. He performs original compositions and popular favourites in various musical styles – classical, jazz, folk, rock, and more – and has performed with many orchestras in Canada and the UK including The Hamilton Symphony, The Ontario Philharmonic, The National Academy Orchestra, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Arch Sinfonia and The London Graduate Orchestra, just to name a few.

Special thanks to DRIFF in a Jiff and Canada Council and the Arts Reopening Fund for their support with this event. We acknowledge the financial support of Canada’s private radio broadcasters.

What I’ve Learned Selling My Artwork

A panel discussion with Shahrzad Amin and Raoul Olou

Let’s chat about selling artwork! For this workshop, we’ve invited two practicing artists to share some of their experiences selling works on various platforms, including Instagram, art fairs (in-person and online), and their own virtual shops. The moderated conversation will cover a range of practical topics, including:

Maintaining an online presence
Dealing with customers
Assessing shipping strategies
Paying yourself and reinvesting in your practice
Managing work-life boundaries

This workshop will be hosted as a 70-minute Zoom meeting. The panel will run for 45 minutes with 15-25 minutes reserved at the end for questions and conversation with the audience.

This event is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. Register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Raoul Olou is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto. He creates work that references personal experiences, which reveal concepts of nationality, citizenship and race, through the depiction of everyday environments. Formally trained as filmmaker and currently practicing as a self-taught painter for over 10 years, Raoul has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Mark Christopher Gallery, and the Run Gallery. He has received several grants and awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Art Council, Ontario Arts Council, and received the Mayor’s Award and the Honorable Painting Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (2019 and 2022). He has been commissioned on several large scale mural projects all over the Greater Toronto Area, working with Mural Routes, KJBit Collective, and through his own independently led projects including a recent City of Toronto commissioned mural. Raoul has also been commissioned on significant private works for the Drake Hotel, the Gladstone, and the Sheraton Hotel. His work has been collected publicly and privately—by the City of Toronto, the Royal Bank of Canada, and the Wedge Collection and has been invited for artist residencies at the Museum of Contemporary Art x Akin Collective, Drake Devonshire, and Annandale Artist Residency.

Shahrzad Amin is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist who exhibits her works nationally and internationally. She creates socially engaging art pieces that invoke thoughts and encourage conversations about socio-cultural issues that surround us. Shahrzad makes original pieces that truly move people to feel intense emotions. Her interest in fundamental social issues such as democracy, equality, and migration has informed an art practice examining diasporic and socio-cultural subjectivities through the lenses of art practice, sensory ethnographic filmmaking, architectural design, gender, and language. Her works also highlight a social openness and necessity for global international connectivity by applying the historical eastern architectural figures such as arch bridges and combining cultural motifs as a metaphor for overcoming cultural distances. She received a BFA in Sculpture and Installation from Tehran University of Art (2010) and an MFA in the Interdisciplinary Master’s in Art, Media and Design from OCAD University (2020). Notable awards include Research-Creation Grant (Canada Council for the Arts), Exhibition Assistance Grant (Ontario Arts Council), Artscape Foundation Launchpad Bursary, and more.

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 October 26, 2022. 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 RMG would like to acknowledge the RBC Foundation for their generous support of the Artist Professional Development Workshop Series.

Indigenous Creative Arts Showcase

This event is free and open to everyone.

From the collaborators of Durham Indigenous Voices, the four-part Anti-Indigenous Racism Panel Series in 2021, we are joining as a collective again for a one-night, in-person event!

We invite you to come celebrate the creativity of the local Indigenous community through music, poetry, and dance performances.

Presented in partnership with the Durham Region, Durham Public Libraries, Durham College, Durham College Student Association, Ontario Tech University, and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, with support from the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board.

Light refreshments from local Indigenous caterers will be provided for this free, drop-in event. Find us on Facebook here.

Aqua Nibii Waawaaskone embodies a beautiful mixture of Anishnaabe/Ojibwe, Irish, and French heritage. They are an artist and activist in their community Tkaronto, while running their Indigenous Arts business Aqua Music. They lead hand drum circles, ceremonies, workshops, and perform their beautiful medicine music solo and with their band, Red Rhythm & Blues, where they are the creator, lead vocalist, and drummer. Aqua thoughtfully crafts each song from their life experience as an IndigiQueer person of mixed ancestry.

Sarah Lewis is an Anishnaabe Kwe (Ojibwe/Cree) spoken word artist, activist, and mother from Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario. She is currently Peterborough’s first Poet Laureate. She has been featured on Global News, CBC radio, CBC Arts’ ongoing video series: Poetic License. She has also recently been published in the poetry anthologies: ‘The Condor and the Eagle Meet’ as well as ‘A Manor of Words’. Her poetry uncovers the ongoing effects of colonization but more importantly, how Indigenous communities are reclaiming their identities, culture, strength and sovereignty. She also explores love, women empowerment, friendship, and her connection to Mother Earth.

Auriele Diotte has been a Métis Jigger for over 10 years. She learned to jig through the Oshawa Durham Métis Council and became part of their dance troupe, The Olivine Bousquet Métis Dancers, soon after. She has enjoyed many years of learning about her Métis heritage through dance as well as teaching others through jigging with some fancy footwork. As of August 2021, Auriele became the new owner and artistic director of the Fairytale Factory, a children’s entertainment company at which she was a performer for three years prior. As a graduate of Theatre Performance, she has been implementing the skills of storytelling, audience experience, and authenticity in every area of her life.

Virginia Barter is a Toronto based Métis/Cree historical writer, storyteller, musician and filmmaker. She is a passionate advocate of Métis culture and history. As a multi-disciplinary artist, Virginia is always seeking to discover new paths to truth and reconciliation through music, visual arts, language and poetry. She is a cultural advisor and knowledge keeper for the Toronto and York Region Métis Council, an Art Educator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and an Indigenous Education Partner with the Toronto District School Board. As a filmmaker and writer, Virginia produces projects with strong Indigenous perspectives of land and place. Most notably, she was Producer and Host of the television series, URBAN ABORIGINAL, which highlighted the rich and culturally diverse contributions that Indigenous people bring to life in the City of Toronto.

Jordan Mowat is a Michi Saagiig Ojibwe Powwow & Round Dance singer/composer as well as a contemporary music artist from Alderville First Nation, ON, Canada. Over the past 15+ years, he has travelled extensively across Turtle Island on the powwow trail and currently sings with notable drum group Bear Creek Singers. Through this experience, he wanted to take a big step and start sharing his round dance songs on YouTube for the sole purpose of “sharing the gift of song.” Amongst his travels he has also been able to share and perform his contemporary music and his since released tracks on most digital platforms under the name My Friend The Moon. Aside from his musical journey and cultural experiences, Jordan is an Indigenous Graduation Coach with the Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board. Through advocation, mentorship, and both academic/mental health support; his goal is to help Indigenous youth realize their full potential, that they have a purpose, and to always be proud of who they are.

Mary Kelly is from the Ojibways of Onigaming and is a citizen of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty Number Three. She is lynx clan. She is a grandmother, avid reader, and poet. Mary is a survivor of St. Margaret’s Indian Residential School in Fort Frances, Ontario. She is fluent in the Anishinaabe and English languages. “You tore me down and left me broken, but the blood that flows through me is all I needed to rise up and fight for myself, my culture, my life.”

Born on a First Nations Reserve in central Ontario, Cale Crowe was fueled on music from the time he had a heartbeat. Performing using an acoustic guitar, an electronic drum pad, and a loop station pedal, Cale has performed at bars, theatres, and festivals from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cale describes the songs that make up his discography as chapters of his life – not necessarily told in order, but made to encapsulate moments of his life and the lives of those closest to him. Cale only hopes to continue to connect with people and uplift them with his music. Wherever life takes him, Cale will keep telling his story behind the strings of an acoustic guitar and a microphone.

The RMG is wheelchair accessible. ASL Interpretation can be arranged upon request. Please contact Erin Szikora at eszikora@rmg.on.ca to submit an interpretation request by October 20, 2022. 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.

The RMG strives to make our building, collections, exhibitions, and programs accessible to people of all abilities. If there are other ways we can support your participation, please reach out to Erin at eszikora@rmg.on.ca. We welcome your feedback.

RMG Fridays Presents: The Ties That Bind

Celebrate the opening of the new Permanent Collection exhibition The Ties That Bind by renewing connections at RMG Fridays! Come with an old friend, make a new friend, and discover new musicians and filmmakers at the first indoor RMG Fridays since winter 2020.

7:00 – Doors open

7:30 – Performance by EQUAL

8:15 – Tour of The Ties That Bind

8:45 – Performance by L CON

Downstairs in the Lookout

Films from DRIFF will be playing throughout the evening at 7:15pm, 8pm, and 9pm.

Black Bag (10 mins)

Directed by Lee Foster

Two US Marines are trapped behind enemy lines with vague mission objectives, and an even more mysterious package.

The Other Side (8mins)

Directed by Jordan Settembrini

An enthusiastic hiker leads his city-boy friend through a strange forest, after claiming to have found the discovery of a lifetime. It is soon learned that some things are better left undiscovered.

Each screening features special Q&A time with the Filmmakers from both films!

About L CON

Lisa Conway-Bühler (b. 1988, Canada) is a Swiss-Canadian composer, sound artist, songwriter, producer, and mix engineer. Her recordings have been described as “ethereal, minimalist, experimental, unnerving…and downright elegant” (AUX), with the Toronto Star claiming, “Conway is bound for greatness, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”

An artist who continually tries to push herself into the unfamiliar, her multifaceted CV includes original scores and songs for documentaries, short films, and theatre productions, site-specific multi-channel sound and light installations, collaborations with contemporary dancers and performance artists, and an array of renowned creative residencies. She is an alumni of the final Red Bull Music Academy (2018, Berlin), as well as the Canadian Film Centre’s year-long Slaight Music Residency (2016).

About EQUAL

Saleen and Chelsea, 20 and 22 years old, believe that having a platform means using it to do good – and what a platform it has become. With musical stylings evocative of First Aid Kit and Taylor Swift, the duo have caught the eyes of industry greats Kim Cooke, Dave Bashk, and Dan CLancy of Revolution Recording Studios, Sum 41, and Lighthouse.

Durham’s Best Band (2018) has been described as ‘lyrically sophisticated’, ‘raw and emotional’, featuring ‘excellent harmonies and songwriting’. Look for music that matters? You’ve found it. Meet Equal.

Special thanks to DRIFF in a Jiff and Canada Council and the Arts Reopening Fund for their support with this event. We acknowledge the financial support of Canada’s private radio broadcasters.