RMG Teen Art Zone: Winter 2025

Ages 13-17

Come hang out at the art gallery!

These sessions offer a welcoming space for teens to express their individuality, share new ideas, and try out a variety of art materials in a low-pressure environment. With a new theme each month, they’ll discover new ways to unleash their creativity, whether it be through painting, sculpting, mixed media or something else!

Free drop-in, no registration required.

Upcoming Sessions:

January 30, 2025 @4:30PM-6:30PM

February 27, 2025 @4:30PM-6:30PM

March 27, 2025 @4:30PM-6:30PM

FAQ

Do I need to sign up ahead of time?

As a drop-in program, you do not need to sign up. Come on in! If you would like to communicate with the organizer directly, please contact Farah at [email protected]

What is the space like?

You are encouraged to either come alone or with friends! Plug into your own music or listen to the chatter. Materials and refreshments are provided. As a drop-in, you can come for a little time or a long time.

Where is it happening?

The studio on the lower level. The gallery is free to visit. Walk in through the front doors, turn right and go down the stairs, turn right again once you see the door to the studio. Or, take the elevator near our gift shop to level 1.

Is the environment low-sensory friendly?

We tend to keep the lights dimmed but they are still on. We play music on a medium volume, however this can be turned off upon request. The noise level in the room is about medium. For a pause from the art-making, the exhibition spaces offer quiet seating.

For more details on accessibility, visit this link: https://rmg.on.ca/visit/accessibility-and-accommodations/

Do I need to know how to do art ahead of time? Do I need to be an artist?

No! The art activities are beginner friendly. We offer all the necessary materials and instruction to complete a project. We also value abstract art, ugly art, and silly art. Feel free to try new things.

Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.

OPG Sunday: Colourful Collage

Collage with us! Join us to create colourful stripes, funky blobs and wild splashes. Tie it all together with a fancy silhouette topping to make your masterpiece POP out!

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a proud participant in Ontario Power Generation’s Power for Change Project, supporting the areas and people where OPG operates.

Family Day: Peculiar Portraits

This family day, explore the portraits in Resistance, then join us in the studio to create your own! There are many ways to do things in a unique way. Your self-portrait will be weird and wacky.

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a proud participant in Ontario Power Generation’s Power for Change Project, supporting the areas and people where OPG operates.

OPG Sunday: Be BOLD

Inspired by the bright bold colours in our current Permanent Collection Exhibitions Resistance,and Go BIG we will be creating BOLD textured abstracts to overcome the dull of winter.

Suitable for ages 3+

Free admission, no registration required.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is a proud participant in Ontario Power Generation’s Power for Change Project, supporting the areas and people where OPG operates.

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.

The Neighbours Art Hive with the LivingRoom Community Art Studio

The gallery invites you to join us for artmaking and community connection in The Neighbours Art Hive between 12-3:30pm every Friday from January 10 to February 14, 2025. Passionate and helpful volunteers from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio will be onsite to support your creative explorations and cultivate a warm and welcoming environment for all. Participants are welcome to take their projects with them or hang them up for everyone to enjoy!

The Neighbours Project, installed at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (February 2024).

What to expect:

Everyone is welcome; no art experience required.

These drop-in events are free.

You’re welcome to come and go as you please.

Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be served.

What is an art hive?

Art Hives are safe, accessible spaces that enable people of all ages to participate in free public relaxation. In an Art Hive, traditional hierarchies, processes, and ways of being can be deconstructed and re-imagined in playful, personal, and compassionate ways.

The Neighbours Art Hive is a temporary installation at the RMG that transforms the gallery into an active studio space with help from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio. Outside of these facilitated sessions, we also invite all our neighbours to drop in any time during operating hours to make use of the free art materials on their own time. The RMG is located at 72 Queen Street, Civic Centre in Oshawa, across from the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Libraries. The Neighbours 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.

Upcoming Sessions:

Friday January 10, 2025

Friday January 17, 2025

Friday January 24, 2025

Friday January 31, 2025

Friday February 7, 2025

Friday February 14, 2025

Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.

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.

RMG Teen Art Zone: Fall 2024

Come hang out in our onsite art studio! Each session will bring a unique theme where you will be encouraged to explore new techniques, work with a variety of materials, and express your unique personality through art.

Ages 14-17

Free drop-in, no registration required.

Upcoming Sessions

September 26, 2024

October 31, 2024

November 28, 2024

FAQ

Do I need to sign up ahead of time?

As a drop-in program, you do not need to sign up. Come on in! If you would like to communicate with the organizer directly, please contact Farah at [email protected]

What is the space like?

You are encouraged to either come alone or with friends! Plug into your own music or listen to the chatter. Materials and refreshments are provided. As a drop-in, you can come for a little time or a long time.

Where is it happening?

The studio on the lower level. The gallery is free to visit. Walk in through the front doors, turn right and go down the stairs, turn right again once you see the door to the studio. Or, take the elevator near our gift shop to level 1.

Is the environment low-sensory friendly?

We tend to keep the lights dimmed but they are still on. We play music on a medium volume, however this can be turned off upon request. The noise level in the room is about medium. For a pause from the art-making, the exhibition spaces offer quiet seating.

For more details on accessibility, visit this link: https://rmg.on.ca/visit/accessibility-and-accommodations/

Do I need to know how to do art ahead of time? Do I need to be an artist?

No! The art activities are beginner friendly. We offer all the necessary materials and instruction to complete a project. We also value abstract art, ugly art, and silly art. Feel free to try new things.

Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.

Teen Art Studio Open House

Ages 13-17

Come hang out with us in the studio!

We will be exploring the world of felt appliqué and clay coil pots, two no-fail art activities that are perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike.

Not only will you have the opportunity to create some amazing art, but we’ll also have refreshments and music to keep the energy going. We can’t wait to see what you create!

No registration required. If you have any questions regarding this event, please email [email protected].

Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.

Teen Art Studio Spring 2024

Ages 13-17

4:30pm to 6:00pm

Come hang out in our onsite art studio! Guided by our Youth and Family Programming Assistant, you will be encouraged to explore new techniques, work with a variety of materials, and express your unique personality through art. Each week’s activity is influenced by the artistic trends of youth in the local community to provide a positive outlet in a safe and inclusive environment. We will play around with printmaking, animation, sewing, and more!

Materials will be provided at no cost to participants.

Sign up here!

Upcoming Sessions

April 25: Mixed Media Blackout Poetry

May 9: Open House

May 23: Underpainting with Acrylic Paint Landscape

June 6: Oil Pastel and Watercolour Still Life

Please register ahead of time using the online form or by email at [email protected].

Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.