Summer Exhibitions Opening + Launch of the Star Glyph Garden

The RMG is pleased to celebrate three new exhibitions and the launch of the Star Glyph Garden in The Backyard on June 21! Join us for an exhibition tour, art activities, and refreshments. Artists and curators will be in attendance.

1:45pm – Exhibition tour of We are ten thousand hands that plant seeds with Abedar Kamgari
2:00-4:00pm – Hands-on arts activity with Nimra Bandukwala
2:30pm – General exhibition remarks

This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Hannah at [email protected].

Sharmistha Kar, Walking together (from the series Soft Shelter), 2021. Bunka on tarpaulin, 8’ x 10’. Image credit: Toni Hafkenscheid.

We are ten thousand hands that plant seeds
June 7, 2025 – October 5, 2025

Megan Feheley, Maureen Gruben, Sharmistha Kar, Gloria Martinez-Granados, Soledad Fátima Muñoz, and Nazzal Studio

Curated by Abedar Kamgari

Presented in partnership with SAVAC

Pixel Heller: Emerging Artist Residency Exhibition
June 14, 2025 – August 10, 2025

Curated by Hannah Keating

Supported by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project

Pixel Heller, Archiving the Evolution of Culture, photograph, 2024. Photo by Tsemaye Tite.

Wish you were here!
June 21, 2025 – January 11, 2026

Curated by Sonya Jones

Star Glyph Garden
Designed for the RMG’s new backyard by Kai Recollet and Jon Johnson, the Star Glyph Garden is a rock garden that welcomes visitors to consider the constellation of people and more-than-human beings that make up this community. The design itself is informed by Indigenous storytelling, as well as the future-oriented cosmology and landing practices of Kai Recollet and Jon Johnson.

Thank you to Acorn Landscaping for their generous support of the Star Glyph Garden.

All Ages Art Activity with Nimra Bandukwala.
Nimra Bandukwala (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary Ecological Artist and community-engaged arts facilitator based in Cambridge, on unceded Attawandaron, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territory. She was born and raised in Karachi and comes from a lineage of women who crafted with what they had, appreciated and grew plants, and valued the lives and stories of materials. She creates paints, dyes, and sculptural pieces with plants, rocks, and shells while exploring cultural and interspecies collaboration with these materials. Her paintings are inspired by motifs from her homeland and folktales from the desert. From 2019-2024 she co-led Reth aur Reghistan with her sister and poet Manahil Bandukwala, a multidisciplinary arts project that researches folklore from Sindh and shares it through writing, poetry, and sculpture (sculpturalstorytelling). She co-published Women Wide Awake: Sculptures, Stories and Poems from Sindhi Folklore with Mawenzi House Publishers (2023) and encounter with Rahila’s Ghost Press (2022). Find her at nimrabandukwala.com and on Instagram @nimrabandukwala.art.

Artist Residency Information Session + Application Workshop

Artist Professional Development Workshop Series

This event will be held on Zoom. It is free and open to everyone, but registration is required. Register by clicking here.

In this virtual gathering, RMG Associate Curator Hannah Keating will provide an overview of the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program application, sharing tips for preparing your own application. Following a short presentation, she’ll answer questions from the audience.

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 [email protected] to submit an interpretation request by May 1, 2025. 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 [email protected].

Register

RMG Friday: Spring Launch

Welcome back! We launch our 2025 RMG Friday series in partnership with Oshawa Music Week, this evening will feature live music performances, art activities and food from local vendors.

About RMG Fridays
An anchor of the cultural calendar in Durham Region, RMG Fridays are community events that bring together various art forms.  Designed for all ages they feature a variety of live music, performances, exhibition tours, artist talks, and highlight community partners and local businesses.

About Oshawa Music Week (OMW)
Oshawa Music Week is organized by students of the Music Business Program at Durham College. This annual event takes place in April and includes live music showcases, entertainment for music lovers, and music-industry education for aspiring and established music-business practitioners.

About our studio activity
Join local guest artist Chelsea Frattura in the art studio to get your geek on! Dive into the nostalgic world of 8-bit artwork as you design and create your own custom magnet. Using the grid method, you’ll bring your favourite pop culture icons to life—or invent your own design! Perfect for beginners.

Chelsea Frattura is a local artist and arts facilitator specializing in oil painting. Her work focuses on surrealist landscapes, drawing inspiration from the connection between memory and environment.  Passionate about inspiring creativity, Chelsea loves to merge her artistic practice with her role as a facilitator, teaching a wide range of art projects to all ages—from fun, simple crafts to more advanced painting techniques.


About our guest food vendor
Bistro ‘67 offers guests a memorable field-to-fork dining experience, where community, local agriculture and learning come together. Meals are prepared and served by our skilled staff and students who create flavourful dishes inspired by fresh ingredients from the award-winning W. Galen Weston Centre for Food’s own gardens and other local suppliers across Durham Region. 

About the bands

Siobhan Bodrug
Siobhan Bodrug is a singer-songwriter/recording artist from Toronto ON. Her music being a seamless blend of Indie Pop, R&B that her soulful vocals defy her 20 years on the planet. Siobhan has wowed audiences in many venues including opening for indie mainstays Stars and Juno award-winners Dizzy at The Golden Hour Festival, the iconic Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, the legendary El Mocambo, County Pop, and Summerfolk. She was also selected as a Honey Jam artist for 2022. She recently toured across Ontario/Quebec for her debut “Strangers Tour 2024.” She just graduated from Seneca’s Independent Songwriting and Performance program. She has appeared on SiriusXM, MIX97 and performed a live-to-air Christmas special. Her single, “The End Lies Ahead” has over 130k streams on Spotify. The future is bright for Siobhan Bodrug because as “PeopleOfPEC” said in a recent review “Can we just talk for a minute? About how FABULOUS Siobhan Bodrug is? If you have never heard of this powerhouse singer, you soon will! She is FIRE …Her voice is strong and sure, and she has a very strong command of her craft. She is a brilliant young artist”. (source: https://soundcloud.com/siobhanbodrugmusic)

Erica Knox
From upbeat excitement to mellow nostalgia, Erica Knox is reinventing her sound with self-portrayed intimate lyrics about love, life, and identity, alongside catchy hooks, reminiscent of modern day hitmakers Taylor Swift and Julia Michaels.

The 2019 ‘Best Emerging Artist in Canada’ nominee is currently recording her first full-length record with Toronto based producer and musician, Tal Vaisman. Her newest singles ‘Paradise Forever’ and ‘Make Me Happy’ are the first of many to come.

priyana
priyana is a South-Asian queer singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. She knew from the age of eight that music was her passion. She has attracted a community online and is known for posting videos combining her ethereal voice with love for crochet! priyana’s indie/folk-pop music draws inspiration from Lizzy McAlpine, Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan, Phoebe Bridgers, and many more. priyana’s debut album little thoughts and latest singles pinky swear, they know it too, and days i’ve cried this year are available on all streaming platforms with more to come soon.

Stefan Palicki
Stef started taking RCM piano instruction at the age of 6. Over the years, he obtained his RCM theory and Grade 7 piano with first class honours. At the age of 12, Stef began taking guitar lessons and that set him on the path toward wanting to be a performing musician. 

During grades 7 and 8, Stef played keyboard, trombone and bass guitar in the school’s Jazz Band. At the end of grade 8 he audition for and was accepted into the Performing Arts Program at O’Neill CVI, where Stef has enjoyed performing in multiple bands and ensembles on a variety of instruments including percussion.

In 2019, Stef began taking part in an Open Jam at The Edge, in Ajax. This cemented his joy for performance in a band dynamic, playing classic rock and blues, live.

Stefan continues to further his music education with private instruction for guitar with Matt O’Rourke at Mattomusic in Courtice Ontario and with online instruction with accomplished guitarist, Chris Bray.

Jack Walker
Jack Walker is a Canadian indie-folk singer/songwriter from Pickering, ON. On June 11, 2021, he released his debut full-length album.  

Jack writes songs with a focus on catchy melodies and poetic lyrics. He has played shows across Canada as well as the US and the UK. Jack’s main focus over the years has been playing live and since COVID-19 has put that on pause, he has shifted to recording and releasing music.  Jack has taken a DIY approach to his recent album, playing every instrument and handling production and mixing duties. 

RMG Friday: Emerging Visions

Join us in celebrating the works of the third-year graduating students of the Fine Arts Advanced program at Durham College. This evening will feature a curated experience designed by Tanika iNsight Circles, and an art activity with artist Bria Elizabeth.

Schedule
7pm – Doors Open
7pm – Art Studio Activity with Bria Elizabeth Starts
7:30pm – Welcome Remarks
8pm-9:15pm – Voices & Vibes: A Journey Through Story, Soul & Connection by Tanika iNsight Circles

Voices & Vibes: A Journey Through Story, Soul & Connection
“Voices & Vibes: A Journey Through Story, Soul & Connection” is a powerful one-hour (1:10 to be exact) curated experience designed by Tanika iNsight Circles to uplift, heal, and unite through the arts. This event blends spoken word poetry, personal storytelling, interactive community-building activities, and a soul-stirring performance by powerhouse R&B singer. Centering on themes of resilience, self-expression through arts, and collective healing through community, this gathering will create a vibrant space for inter-generational authentic connections.

Where: The Isabel McLaughlin Gallery (Main Floor)

Emerging Visions
EMERGING VISIONS is an exhibition that presents thesis projects by the third-year graduating students of the Fine Arts Advanced program at Durham College.

Where: Gallery A (Ground floor)

Art Activity
Join local guest artist Bria Elizabeth to explore simple science into the unknown void. Participants will select a shape that resonates with them and use metallic markers to create lines and dots of particle movements that highlight different states of matter. Simple techniques will create a high contrast in colour and finish between the metallic markers and Black paper.

Where: Art Studio (Ground floor)

About

Tanika iNsight Circles is an award winning Creative Intellect, Speaker, Trainer, Host, Artist, Event Curator, and HIP HOP EDU Creator at HIP HOP TIL INFINITY.

Bria Elizabeth is a local artist who has led community projects with non-for profit organizations in the Oshawa area. She has her degree as a specialist in Media/Studio from UTSC where she was first introduced into facilitating community arts projects. Her current practice involves exploring negative space and mark making using multimedia art supplies. She currently has been involved with local arts collective Ruckus for the past few years and is passionate about art accessibility for marginalized communities and people groups. She believes that art is for everyone or anyone whether the art is created and stays in your home, in community spaces or galleries.

RMG Fridays
An anchor of the cultural calendar in Durham Region, RMG Fridays are community events that bring together various art forms.  Designed for all ages they feature a variety of live music, performances, exhibition tours, artist talks, and highlight community partners and local businesses.

Curatorial Tour: Resistance

Join Curator, Sonya Jones, for a tour of the exhibition “Resistance”. This permanent collection exhibition explores how artists throughout history have used art to resist and disrupt social and political structures– including within the art world.

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 this page or contact Sonya Jones at [email protected] with any specific requests.

No advance registration required.

Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE Opening Reception

Join us in celebrating the opening of Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE! The artist and curators will be in attendance. Please RSVP using this form.

Coming from Toronto? We’ll pick you up! Save your seat on the art bus shuttle using the RSVP link above. The bus will collect guests from Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St, Toronto) at 11:30am and return around 5pm.

Refreshments provided.

Read more about the exhibition here. This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Hannah at [email protected].

RSVP

Show and Tell with Christina Leslie: Photo Emulsion Transfers and Gallery Representation

Free. Registration is required.

This is a how-to workshop for artists! Part creative workshop, part career conversation, we’re excited to have Christina Leslie lead a two-part session on photo emulsion transfers and gallery representation. Inspired by her Sugar Coat series in Likkle Acts, Leslie will show participants how to lift a photographic image from one surface to another to create interesting visual effects. Following this interactive demonstration, Leslie will share reflections on and answer questions about her experience gaining gallery representation, including what it is, why it was the right fit for her, and how her relationship with Stephen Bulger Gallery began.

Register

Is there anything we can do to support your participation? Please reach out to Hannah at [email protected].

The Artist Professional Development Workshop series is generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project.

About the Artist: Christina Leslie is an artist based in Pickering, Ontario. She earned her BFA in 2006 at OCADU in Toronto and her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA in 2022. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her latest series “Sugar Coat” has been exhibited virtually on Ain’t Bad Magazine (2021), Featureshoot.com (2022), PetaPixel.com (2022), and in-person at BAND Gallery (2023). She has exhibited nationally and internationally at GAMU (2009), Royal Ontario Museum (2010), Pier 21 (201, Art Gallery of Windsor (2017), Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (2020), Prefix ICA (2021), and McMaster Museum of Art (2022). Much of her photographic practice revolves around the themes of de-colonialism, identity, immigration, issues of marginalization, history, memory, race, and her West Indian heritage. She often utilizes text and alternative and historical photographic processes to produce her photographs. She is a member of an all-female photography collective, Silver Water Collective and is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.

Expressive Arts Workshop: Transformation Collage

“Make Art. Feel Better.“

Presented in partnership with PeaceLove and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, join us for an Expressive Arts Workshop focused on how art can promote mental well-being. The evening will start with a tour of the exhibition Breakthrough featuring the art of Jack Bush who found healing and joy through his art. The workshop will provide a safe space for participants to share, self-reflect, grow and heal through artful collage. No art experience is required. All materials and aprons will be provided.

Registration is required.

Register

About PeaceLove
PeaceLove promotes mental wellness by using creativity and expression to inspire, heal, and communicate. We believe everyone deserves a safe space to share their emotions. Our workshops are a place to create fearlessly and honestly without judgement. A place to be vulnerable, celebrate, and empower each other.

About Ontario Shores
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences is a leader in mental health care, providing a range of specialized assessment and treatment services for people living with complex mental illness. Patients benefit from a recovery-oriented environment of care, built on compassion, inspiration and hope. Ontario Shores engages in research, education and advocacy initiatives to advance the mental health care system.

In Conversation with Christina Leslie

Come out to hear Christina Leslie share insights and reflections on Likkle Acts with exhibition curator Hannah Keating. The talk will shine a light on Leslie’s practice, research, and the innovative photographic processes that she used to create the works in Likkle Acts.

Join us at 1pm for a reception catered by Starapples. The artist talk will begin at 2pm.

Likkle Acts is an exhibition by Pickering-based artist Christina Leslie featuring three recent projects inspired by Leslie’s relationship to Jamaica and the medium of photography. In this work, Leslie embraces experimentation and seeks to represent Jamaica and its history through the people, places, and experiences that are personally significant to her and her family.

This event is free and open to everyone. Seating will be provided for all guests.

For more information on our facilities, please click here. If you have questions about the event or other requests, please email Hannah at [email protected].

Christina Leslie is an artist based in Pickering, Ontario. She earned her BFA in 2006 at OCADU in Toronto and her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA in 2022. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her latest series “Sugar Coat” has been exhibited virtually on Ain’t Bad Magazine (2021), Featureshoot.com (2022), PetaPixel.com (2022), and in-person at BAND Gallery (2023). She has exhibited nationally and internationally at GAMU (2009), Royal Ontario Museum (2010), Pier 21 (201, Art Gallery of Windsor (2017), Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (2020), Prefix ICA (2021), and McMaster Museum of Art (2022). Much of her photographic practice revolves around the themes of de-colonialism, identity, immigration, issues of marginalization, history, memory, race, and her West Indian heritage. She often utilizes text and alternative and historical photographic processes to produce her photographs. She is a member of an all-female photography collective, Silver Water Collective and is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.

The gallery thanks Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and Starapples for sponsoring this event.

Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts is presented by Partners in Art with additional support provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council and Alterna Savings.

Curatorial Tour: Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts

Walk through the exhibition Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts with exhibition curator Hannah Keating. Hannah will explain how the works were made and the stories and ideas that motivated Christina to create them.

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 this page or contact Hannah Keating at [email protected] with any specific requests. No advance registration required.

Christina Leslie is an artist based in Pickering, Ontario. She earned her BFA in 2006 at OCADU in Toronto and her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA in 2022. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her latest series “Sugar Coat” has been exhibited virtually on Ain’t Bad Magazine (2021), Featureshoot.com (2022), PetaPixel.com (2022), and in-person at BAND Gallery (2023). She has exhibited nationally and internationally at GAMU (2009), Royal Ontario Museum (2010), Pier 21 (201, Art Gallery of Windsor (2017), Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (2020), Prefix ICA (2021), and McMaster Museum of Art (2022). Much of her photographic practice revolves around the themes of de-colonialism, identity, immigration, issues of marginalization, history, memory, race, and her West Indian heritage. She often utilizes text and alternative and historical photographic processes to produce her photographs. She is a member of an all-female photography collective, Silver Water Collective and is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.

Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts is presented by Partners in Art with additional support provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council and Alterna Savings.