RMG Friday: Passages

Join us for the final RMG Friday of the year! The evening will kick off with a performance by RBC Emerging Artist in Residence Vanessa Godden followed by the O’Neill CVI Dance and Movement Studies students. In the Lookout, DRIFF will be screening Common as Red Hair by Robbie Robertson.

Enjoy food from local restaurant, Gabe and Pancha’s.

Cartography, live performance, curry powder, chili powder, and flour, 15 minutes, 2017, photograph by Kelvin Lau, performed at Seventh Gallery.

7-8PM Transference: A performance by Vanessa Godden

Transference is a performance by RBC Emerging Artist in Residence Vanessa Godden. Throughout the performance, Godden will submerge their body in containers of different sizes filled with salt water. The artist’s movement, and the resulting sounds, will interact with a sound composition produced in collaboration with Markham-based Visual and Sonic artist, James Knott. The composition includes audio collected by Godden during their residency at the RMG, field recordings from Trinidad and Tobago, experimental steel pan recordings, and a choir of sounds collected from Queer and Trans loved ones. The performance serves as a bridge between Godden’s Non-Binary Queer diasporic existence in the West and the lineages of movement instigated by colonization of South Asia and the Caribbean.

The RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program is generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project.

The artist thanks the Canada Council for the Arts for their support of this work.

O’Neill CVI Dance and Movement Studies students, choreographed by Kiera Beaugh and Megan Nadain, created living sculpture solos that are inspired by the current exhibitions. This will be an ongoing live installation for this evening as we hope you will explore our permanent and new exhibitions spaces.

Kiera Breaugh is a dancer/choreographer whose style lives at the intersection of contemporary and hip hop. Kiera has a BA in Dance from LMU in Los Angeles. While in LA, she was a member of LA dance companies: the Young Lions, Immabeast, Immabreathe and MashUp Contemporary Dance Company.

Kiera has performed in Dance Matters, A Woman’s Work, the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Orlando Fringe Festival, the Vancouver Fringe Festival and Dusk Dances, Hamilton. She has choreographed for PRESENCE, a site specific series commissioned by Peggy Baker Dance Productions: ProArteDanza in their Choreolab and an original piece during the half-time of a Raptors Game. Kiera has completed the Hicks Choreography Fellows Program through Jacob’s Pillow and is in the middle of a two year residency at Assembly Hall in Etobicoke offered through Toes for Dance.

Kiera has worked with and danced for artists including Ian Eastwood, Brian Friedman, Janelle Ginestra, Kylie Thompson, Mary Ann Chavez and Monika Felice Smith. Her work often explores themes such as racial identity, female upward mobility, and other ideas that aim to empower the unheard.

Megan Nadain (she/her) is a Toronto-based dancer, choreographer and dance educator originally from North Vancouver, BC. She is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and was the recipient of the The Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artist Grant. She was a company member with Dancetheatre David Earle and has worked independently with Darryl Tracy, Nicole Nigro, inDANCE, Toronto Heritage Dance and Miranda Abbott. She has the pleasure of being a faculty member at The School of Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre teaching Creative Movement and Modern and has directed CCDT’s Core Apprentice Program for the past 8 years; she is thrilled to take on the directorship of the Accelerated Training Program this year. Megan is also on faculty at Dance Arts Institute (formerly the School of Toronto Dance Theatre) teaching in The Professional Program and Adult Contemporary Dance. She has also worked as a dance educator at York University and The National Ballet of Canada’s In Studio program and facilitates the dance programs at several elementary and secondary schools in Toronto. Two projects that she has been involved with that she is exceptionally passionate about are Bridging Generations Through Dance with Dancing with Parkinson’s and Moving together: Choreographic mappings of children with diverse dis/abilities and their neurological responses to a dance-play event with Coralee McLaren.

Jessica Baker Photography

DRIFF will be screening Common as Red Hair by Robbie Robertson.

About the film: The aftermath of an emotional funeral causes a grieving father and mother to reexamine their early life decision to have gender normalization surgery performed on their intersex infant.

Screening times: 7:15, 8:00 and 8:45

Trailer

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


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.

Convergence Music and Art Festival

Kick off Oshawa’s Convergence Music and Art Festival at the RMG! The launch party will be taking place at the Gallery on Friday, September 20. During the Festival on Saturday, September 21, find us at the ARTBLOCK and at the Family Zone.

RMG Friday: Convergence Launch Party

September 20, 2024
7-10pm
Location: The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Join us to celebrate the launch of the Convergence Music & Arts Festival. Enjoy live musical performances by Joel Anderson, Christina Smith, and Desarae Dee* as well as art-making activities, exhibitions, and food from local restaurants.

* Please note: due to unforeseen circumstances Desarae Dee is unable to perform.

Joel Anderson is a songwriter with a rich, smooth tone that fuses elements from R&B and Gospel. His music, characterized by heartfelt storytelling and passionate delivery, deeply resonates with listeners through its authenticity and emotional depth.

Scarborough-born, Jamaican-raised Christina Smith’s unique sound is a combination of elements. Some of her musical influences include FKA twigs, Halle Bailey, Kathleen Battle and Qveen Herby. She describes her sound as classical fusion, pulling from the vocal technique and delivery of classical music, and the instrumentation of contemporary music (including, R&B, pop, house and rock).

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.

ARTBLOCK

September 21, 2024
11am-7pm
Location: Former Oshawa GO Bus terminal

At the Convergence Music & Arts Festival, the City of Oshawa and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery are co-presenting ARTBLOCK, an art-centered festival Zone showcasing local artistic talent. This area will include a public art exhibition in the former Oshawa GO Bus terminal, art by local artists, participatory art activities and more!

Feature in ARTBLOCK: Points of Connection

For over 20 years, the Oshawa Bus Terminal served as the site for countless homecomings, goodbyes, greetings and adventures. Now no longer in use, it stands like a monument to past memories while awaiting its future redevelopment. For Convergence Music & Arts Festival, the terminal returns to its former glory, packed with people and stories, as the site of the art exhibition Points of Connection.

Points of Connection brings together work by locally connected artists to explore how our personal histories are tied to collective experiences and settings. The exhibition gathers us to reflect on the ways we seek connection; through personal histories, community, technology and nature.

This Bus Terminal connected Oshawa’s communities to and from, far and wide, making it a fitting location for an exhibition that considers how we as a community flourish through connections.

Presented by the City of Oshawa and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Family Zone

Saturday, September 21, 2024
11am-7pm
Location: Family Zone

Join us in the Family Zone at the Convergence Music and Art Festival! We will be designing our own unique band t-shirt art using watercolour resist techniques to create awe-inspiring creations.

This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.


The RMG reserves the right to modify or 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.

Backyard Movie Night

Join us on September 7th for a Backyard Movie Night!

Order of Events:

7PM: Doors open + art activity starts

8PM: Art activity ends + Movie starts

9:50PM: Movie ends

Starting at 8PM, the RMG, in collaboration with DRIFF, will be showing Chandler Levack’s, “I Like Movies”, a comedy-drama based in the 2000s about a teenage cinephile who works at a video store, is eager to be a filmmaker and let’s everybody know it. 

Bring a chair or a blanket and get cozy for a night at the movies. Enjoy good eats from Bollywood Tacos.

Chandler Levack grew up in Burlington, Ontario and lives in Toronto, where she studied cinema at the University of Toronto and screenwriting at the Canadian Film Centre. She has directed numerous music videos, earning two JUNO nominations, and was a veteran music writer and a current film critic for the Globe & Mail. In 2017, her short film We Forgot to Break Up premiered at TIFF and went on to play SXSW. In 2022, her debut feature film I Like Movies premiered at TIFF, was selected for Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival and won prizes around the world. She is currently working on her second feature Anglophone, a casual hang out movie full of ill-advised sex, drugs and rock n’ roll in the Montreal music scene circa 2011, with Zapruder Films and Banner House Productions.

Join us for an art activity in the lower level of the backyard. We will use acrylic gouache paint to depict iconic movie moments and capture the essence of cinema sights. No experience required!

OPG Sunday: Celebrating Centennial

Let’s celebrate with an art party! We will design our own mixed media, artful party hats and paint over-the-top, vibrant cakes.

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.


This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

OPG Sunday: Taking Care

Inspired by the themes of mental health in Jack Bush: Breakthrough, we are creating neurographic art. Neurographic art is known to be a self-care artform. This month we are also decorating canvas bags while supplies last!

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.


This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

OPG Sunday: Get Cozy

The weather is getting cooler, let’s cozy up with some autumnal books. In the studio, create artwork of our favourite warm beverages.

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.


This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

OPG Sunday: Natural Textures

Let’s celebrate nature in our artwork. We will be creating textured art with real leaves and gelli-plate printing techniques!

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.


This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

RMG Friday: Backyard Bliss

Part of the RMG Fridays Transcending to Convergence Series.

Come join us in the Backyard for an August retreat for some easy vibes with performances from Moonfruits and Cale Crowe. Just hang with some new friends or bring some old ones with you.

Enjoy food from local restaurant, Mathilda’s.

Order of Events:
7PM: Doors Open
7:35PM: Moonfruits performance
8:45PM: Cale Crowe Performance
9:30PM: Performance ends

Moonfruits—led by Ottawa-based partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy—craft contemporary folk, organically alternating between French and
English, that addresses our collective humanity with heart, wit, and wonder. This Stingray Rising Star, SOCAN, and Trille Or award-winning group has
toured their transportive live show across Canada, the US, France, Belgium, and Germany.
Moonfruits’ lushly orchestrated sophomore album, Salt (2022), is a 12-song suite that explores what it means to the band to live, dream, and raise a
child in an era of climate change and deepening inequality. It tells the stories of their families and the kinds of communities they hope to help build.

Cale Crowe has been fueled by music since he was a toddler in the back of his dad’s Ford Bronco and has been taking audiences on an emotional journey since he first picked up a guitar at 12 years old. His performance started with an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal and has evolved to implement powerful melodies and moving rhythms for a deep, emotional experience.

Cale describes the songs that make up his discography as “Moments of vulnerability & (sometimes painful) honesty, captured and thinly veiled by upbeat tempos and textured sounds.” These moments have shown his increasing potential and have granted him stages from Nova Scotia to New Mexico and opportunities including sharing stages with Ron SexsmithScott HelmancleopatrickCinzia & The Eclipse, and countless others.

Gathering inspiration from Dermot Kennedy, City & Colour, Ed Sheeran, and the rolling hills of his home territory of Alderville First Nation, Cale seeks to connect listeners to a sense of boundless sincerity and authenticity; “I’ve always wanted my music to be a place in time where & when people might allow themselves to truly feel free.”

Victoria Grant, an esteemed Indigenous artist residing in Durham Region, Ontario, brings over 2 years of experience instructing engaging pyrography workshops suitable for participants aged 12 and above. Each workshop begins with a comprehensive introduction, including an inspiring address and thorough safety protocols to ensure a safe and enriching experience for all.

Participants embark on their creative journey by practicing with the pyrography tools on scrap wood under personalized guidance from Victoria herself. Once participants feel comfortable and confident with the technique, they transition to designing their own mini canoe paddles. This part of the workshop encourages personal expression, allowing each individual to imbue their creation with elements that resonate with their unique identity and creativity.

Throughout the workshop, Victoria provides hands-on assistance and expertise, helping participants refine their designs and execute them to perfection. By the end of the session, each participant will have crafted a personalized pyrography design on a mini canoe paddle that they can proudly take home, showcasing both their newfound skills and personal artistic vision.

Victoria’s workshops not only foster artistic skill development but also celebrate cultural heritage and personal expression, making them an enriching experience for all involved.

Victoria Grant is a Durham Region, Ontario-based Indigenous artist of Anishinaabe, Mi’Kmaq, and Métis heritage, who also acknowledges her non-Indigenous ancestry from France and Scotland. Throughout her life, Victoria has dedicated herself to formal and informal art training across various mediums, ultimately specializing in pyrography. Each piece she creates incorporates natural materials, is ceremonially smudged with sage, and crafted with the intention of bringing positive energy into the homes they adorn.

Dwelling Stains II, 2023. 16″ x 20″. Henna & Ink on Wood.

Guest artist Judith Grace Vijaysenan will be joining us in the backyard. Try your hand at henna art on wood and take home your finished product. No experience required!

About The Artist

Judith Grace Vijayasenan is an Indian-born, Toronto-based visual artist. Her medium styles incorporate oils, acrylics, ink and henna on Wood. Judith likes to base her pieces on memory, land, and small connections that she has to her past and present land (India and Canada).

She is graduated in June 2023 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting and minoring in Social Science from OCAD University. Judith’s work has been exhibited in Ada Slaight Gallery: Gathering Divergence (2022), OCAD University’s GRADEX 103 (2023) and The Clarke Center for the Arts in “Marinating in our Surrealistic Land” (2024) group exhibition.

Learn more about the Convergence music and art festival.

This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.


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.

RMG Friday: Bubbles in the Backyard

Part of the RMG Fridays Transcending to Convergence Series.

Bubbles, Bubbles, BUBBLES! We’re celebrating the iridescence in all of us as Pride is here! The night will be filled with a cabaret of performances with all the wonderful people in our community. So, please join us for a night of frivolity, dance and letting your troubles float away into the twilight.

The Losing Art of Plating: Drag Aesthetics, Food Security, and Harm Reduction with Mikiki

7:30-9:30pm

In this hands-on workshop, participants will build extravagant plates of highly processed (“junk”) food. Performance Artist and Queer Community Activist Mikiki will lead the workshop, facilitating conversations about the politics of food as it intersects with concepts of beauty, gender representation, drag, food security, and harm reduction. Unpacking the language of “junk food” through creativity and play, this drop-in program is welcoming to people of all ages.

This workshop is offered alongside an installation by Hannah Jickling and Reed H. Reed in the exhibition Contemporary Kids, on view at the RMG from June 1 to October 6, 2024. Their installation After Wrappers, explores collaborative learning, the politics of food and of the potential of garbage.

Please note: Various food products will be available in the workshop space, so please take the necessary precautions if you have a food allergy.

If there is something we can do to support your participation, or if you have any questions about the program, please contact Hannah Keating at [email protected].

Kali Kontour, the sensational drag persona hailing from Oshawa, has been captivating audiences for two fabulous years. With roots firmly planted in her hometown, Kali embodies elegance, sass, and unapologetic charisma. Beyond the spotlight, she champions charitable causes, using her platform to uplift and support her community in true diva fashion.

Dank Sinatra is a non-binary drag thing, librarian, and Dora-nominated theater artist who got their start performing on Coast Salish Territories in 2018. As part of the House of Faith, they took home second place in Absolut Empire’s Ball 2023. Boasting the same record collection as your Dad, Dank draws on influences from cabaret to classic rock, burlesque to big band, delivering thrills, chills, and live vocal skills with a heavy dose of stupidity and an old school sensibility.

A trans non binary drag king, thing, and everything in between. Born and raised in Southern Ontario, El Experimento has been gracing the stages of Toronto and the East Coast since winter of 2022. An amalgamation and reclamation of nostalgic heart throbs, heart breakers and hell raisers. His Latin flare and hunky charm transcend time and space, leaving you aching with desire. 

Vital! Contemporary Circus is a small, local circus company founded in 2022 by Oshawa resident Jackie Houghton. Jackie has spent close to 15 years in the circus community as a performer, producer and writer. After moving to Oshawa in 2020, she realized that there was an opportunity to develop a local circus community where there was none. Since then she has performed for local businesses, Canada Day at Lakeview Park, and the inaugural Convergence Festival. In addition to performing, Jackie also produces circus cabarets locally under the banner of Vital! Circus Cabaret. Jackie continues to work towards her goal of sharing her love of circus with Durham Region and she’s very excited to be working with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery!

In the studio, make D.I.Y. Pride themed pins using polymer clay! This project is simple and fun, no experience required. Ages 12+

Learn more about the Convergence music and art festival.

This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.

Backyard Story Time at the RMG: August

Experience the magic of outdoor story time at the art gallery! Through books, songs, games, and creative activities, storytellers from Oshawa Public Libraries will spark your imagination in The Backyard at the RMG! This event is free and no registration is required.

Offered alongside the exhibition Contemporary Kids, this year’s Backyard Story Time themes are inspired by the artists in that exhibition. Celebrating the unique perspectives and ingenuity of children, Contemporary Kids is an exhibition featuring a collection of collaborative artwork made by artists and kids and interactive installations that allow parents and children to explore and play together.

Backyard Story Time at the RMG is hosted by, and offered in partnership with, Oshawa Public Libraries.

Contemporary Kids has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.