Call for Proposals: Atrium Commission

Atrium Commission
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026, 11:59pm EST

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) is excited to announce a Call for Proposals for a new installation commission to be suspended in the atrium, located in the lobby of the gallery.

For this inaugural program, the RMG invites artists, designers and collectives to propose a new, site-responsive artwork that will be suspended in the atrium for two years, from February 2027 to February 2029. The commission is intended to bring contemporary art into the heart of the gallery, animating the space and creating a dynamic and welcoming first encounter for visitors.

The RMG is particularly interested in proposals that respond to the specific conditions of the site, including the architectural character of the atrium, the gallery’s civic and cultural role in downtown Oshawa, the gallery’s history, and the histories and landscapes that shape the Durham region. The selected work should reflect a contemporary art approach, prioritizing conceptual rigor, material experimentation, and strong visual impact, while remaining accessible and engaging for a wide public audience.

Olivia Whetung, “GHOST ACRES,” 2024/25, 6/0 Miyuki seed beads, Berkley FireLine, rope. Installed at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, as part of the solo exhibition, inawendiwok. Image by Tony Hafkenscheid.

Proposals should respond to the following goals and parameters of the commission:

Contemporary Artistic Vision

Proposals must be grounded in conceptual clarity, material inquiry, and a distinct artistic voice. The RMG is interested in ambitious works that challenge conventional expectations of public-facing installation, and that can hold both visual presence and intellectual depth within a civic setting.

Site-Responsiveness and Local Conditions

Artists are encouraged to respond to the specific conditions of the RMG and its surrounding context, including the architecture of the lobby, the gallery’s location in downtown Oshawa, and the layered histories of the region. As the gallery approaches its 60th anniversary, artists are also invited to consider the institutional history of the RMG itself as a site of artistic production, collection building, and civic engagement. Proposals may engage local materials, narratives, labour histories, ecological realities, or community knowledge, while remaining open-ended rather than illustrative. Artists may also draw inspiration from the RMG’s permanent collection, which holds a significant history of Canadian abstraction, and consider how contemporary practices might extend, challenge, or reinterpret this legacy.

Material Experimentation and Environmental Responsibility

The RMG welcomes proposals that demonstrate thoughtful experimentation with materials, process, and form. Works may incorporate unconventional or hybrid approaches, provided the work remains structurally feasible, durable, and professionally executed. Proposals should also reflect sustainable thinking where possible, including environmentally responsible material choices, low-waste fabrication approaches, and consideration of the full life cycle of the work. Please note that the artwork will be returned to the artist after the duration of exhibition.

Light, Space, and Atmosphere

The atrium’s height and natural light are defining features of the site. Proposals should engage the spatial and atmospheric qualities of the atrium—such as shadow, reflection, transparency, illumination, or seasonal variation. The work must be feasible for installation in the atrium, including weight and mounting considerations, and should be designed with visitor safety and long-term stability in mind.

Design Specifications and Technical Requirements

The commissioned artwork will be installed in the lobby atrium of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, within the open vertical space beneath the glass skylight, and between the two upper-level walkways. Proposals should be designed to activate this central volume and be visible from multiple viewpoints throughout the lobby and walkways. Please note that no part of the work may be anchored to the stone wall on the west side of the atrium. Works may be suspended from anchor points on either side of the atrium’s upper wall (see images). The total weight of the artwork(s) should not exceed 400lbs.

All proposals must maintain safe clearance for public circulation. The lowest point of the artwork must end no lower than 12 feet above the lobby floor. Installation methods must be structurally sound and will require review and approval by RMG staff and external contractors. All materials used in the installation must be fire resistant. Due to light exposure in the atrium, the materials used in the artwork should not be compromised by UV exposure. There will be two standard 120V outlets, which can be used to power electrical components. Any electrical components must be CSA certified and voltage must not exceed 120V. All artworks must be delivered with their own mounting hardware.

Timeline and Important Dates

The successful applicant will be contacted by mid-May to sign contracts and conduct site visits as needed. The artist’s production will begin independently in June and culminate in December of 2026. Regular studio visits (which can be virtual) will be conducted between the artist and The RMG to ensure deadlines are met. The artwork will be installed onsite by the RMG staff from the 25^th – 29^th of January, 2027. The successful applicant must be available to coordinate logistics throughout the installation and production period, though is not required to be onsite throughout.

Eligibility

We welcome proposals from artists, designers, and collectives residing across Ontario, who are excited by an opportunity to engage with the local histories and material realities of Oshawa through a suspended installation work. Applicants must demonstrate a strong contemporary art background and have previously displayed their artwork in an exhibition or public presentation. The RMG is committed to acting as a positive force by committing to a strategic process that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that structural change can only be achieved with the active and meaningful involvement of people who reflect our community. The RMG encourages applications from visible and invisible minority group members, women, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ identifying people, racialized people, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. We welcome applicants to self-identify in their proposals.

Compensation

The total budget for the project is $35,000 CAD (HST inclusive). The project budget includes all costs directly associated with the artwork, including artist fees for design, fabrication, shipping, exhibition fees, travel, installation, and any other incidental and production expenses. Insurance will be provided for the work while it is onsite and one install technician will be provided during the installation period.

Measurements and mounting area for a suspended installation in the atrium, 2026. Image courtesy of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Interior view of the atrium, located in the lobby of the gallery, 2015. Courtesy of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Submission Requirements

1.Expression of Interest – a maximum of two (2) written pages in response to the following questions:

2. Design Proposal – a maximum of five (5) images that demonstrate the site specific concept through drawing, mock ups and tests. Designs can be drawn over the images provided of the atrium. Floor plans and architectural drawings are available on The RMG website.

3. CV – no more than five (5) pages.

4. Work Samples – detailed information on 2-3 relevant projects, in development or completed. Please include the following information for each project included: project title, location, project overview, role on team, team members (if applicable) budget and duration (max 1 page).

5. References – Please provide the name and contact for two references who can speak to your ability to complete this project on time and on budget.

How to Submit

All proposals should be formatted as a single PDF and submitted to greta hamilton, TD Assistant Curator, at [email protected] by 11:59pm on Friday 30 April.

Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026, 11:59pm EST

For additional information, photographs, design speculations, or questions, please contact:

greta hamilton, TD Assistant Curator
[email protected] | 905.576.3000 ext. 106

Meet Emerging Artist in Residence, Austin Henderson

Please join us in welcoming Austin Henderson to the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program! To learn more about Austin Henderson’s artistic practice and his plans for the artist studio, visit his profile and read his blog post below!

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been developing a body of work that explores the imagined relationship between myself and my maternal grandfather, Philip Lakas (1920–1988). The son of Greek immigrants, Philip lived in Oshawa for most of his life. He worked at the family restaurant, Victory Billiards on Simcoe St. N, served as President of the Oshawa Garden Club (then the Oshawa Horticultural Society), volunteered with the Oshawa Museum, and he was even an early admirer of the RMG.

There were so many things about my papou (Greek for “grandfather”) that fascinated me. I always thought we would get along quite well, if I ever had the chance to meet him.

After coming out as gay to my family in my mid-twenties, I learned my papou was, too. However, I didn’t learn this because of his life, but through his death. Philip passed from complications related to AIDS at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that affected millions globally. Although the discovery – a secret for many years – felt surreal at the time, it ignited my curiosity to learn more about him, to consider the conversations we could have shared.

Through drawing, painting, printmaking (lithography), collage, and other multidisciplinary methods, I use materials from familial and public archives to illustrate our imagined bond as queer grandfather and grandson. With a focus on my papou’s life, I consider how the cracks in our family portrait may be mended through artistic exploration and research. Rather than focusing on the tragedy in death, my work highlights my grandfather’s abundant life.

During my time at the RMG, I will be creating more paintings and drawings, while also experimenting with new multidisciplinary methods with printmaking and textiles. Using photographs, family objects, and other archival materials, I will think about how shame, secrecy, and grief can be sensitively uplifted into portraits of joy.

While my family is the point of departure for this growing body of work, I will also be spending time during my residency to consider the broader and ongoing impacts of HIV/AIDS across so-called Canada, starting locally. I look forward to visiting the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Library to review their archives, as well as the Oshawa Museum and other collections in the GTA.

Many families have stories similar to mine, and queer communities still deal with shame and stigma as a result of fears that were spread during the epidemic. Despite many artists working through these issues since the 1980s, there is much to be uncovered about this recent moment in our collective history. If you have a story about a family member or loved one and you’re willing to share it with me, I would love to hear from you while I’m in town.

With family roots in Oshawa and a long held soft spot for the RMG (I co-led summer camps in 2015 and 2016), this residency feels like a homecoming on many levels. I’m so thankful to be making this work here as a part of the RBC Emerging Artist Residency. If you’re visiting the gallery, please feel free to pop by the studio to say hi!

In this room in Athens, Lithograph, 11” x 15”, 2025
Philippos (In Other Words), Lithograph, 11” x 15”, 2024
Embrace, Oil on canvas, 12” x 12”, 2025
Talking to Papou, Acrylic on canvas, 12” x 12”, 2025

Announcing our 2026 Emerging Artists in Residence!

The RMG is pleased to welcome Austin Henderson, Lana Yuan, and Yongzhen Li to the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program in 2026-2027. In the coming year, these three artists will develop exciting new projects in our residency studio, then present that work in solo exhibitions at the RMG. We look forward to sharing their work with you!

Austin Henderson

Winter/Spring
Residency Dates: February 23 – June 7, 2025

Exhibition Dates: June 13 – August 9, 2025

Austin Henderson is an artist, writer, and cultural worker based in Tiohtià:ke / Mooniyang / Montréal, with familial roots in Oshawa, Ontario (Williams Treaty Territory). Working primarily in drawing, painting, and printmaking, Austin’s practice is attentive to queer histories and politics of the archive. Austin’s work has been presented in Canada and the United States, and his writing has appeared in Esse arts + opinions and Visual Arts News. Austin has participated in residencies with Union House Arts, Momus, and the New York Academy of Art. His practice has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts. Austin holds an MA in Art History from Concordia University and a BFA from Queen’s University.

Lana Yuan

Summer/Fall

Residency Dates: June 15 – September 27, 2026

Exhibition Dates: October 3 – November 29, 2026 Lana Yuan is a Chinese-born artist living and working in Toronto in sculpture and kinetic installations. Drawing inspiration from her dreams, memories, and the urban landscape, she uses found materials to construct fantastical works that express her interest in play and the intricate layers of human experience. Lana graduated with distinction from the University of Toronto’s Studio Art Specialist program and has exhibited at venues such as the Art Museum at the University of Toronto and Red Head Gallery. She has participated in artist residencies supported by SKETCH Working Arts and DesignTO and won the 401 Career Launcher Prize, granting her studio space from 2022 to 2023. She is also a recipient of the Newcomer Arts Award and Newcomer Space Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Neighbourhood Arts Network.

Lana Yuan, Tender Scars, 2023, drywall compound, 3D printed mold, paint.

Yongzhen Li

Fall/Winter

Residency Dates: October 19 – December 20, 2026 and January 4 – February 14, 2027

Exhibition Dates: February 23 – April 18, 2027

Yongzhen Li is an emerging artist based in Oshawa. Trained at Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts and self-taught in contemporary practices, he merges traditional Chinese ink and mugwort dye with a modern sensibility to examine identity, memory, and resistance. His work has been exhibited at The Contemporary Art Market at the Carrousel du Louvre (2024) and at the Jewish Community Centre in Vancouver (2026). Li is committed to public engagement through community-based art and educational initiatives.

Learn more about the residency program here.

Welcoming Our New TD Assistant Curator: greta hamilton

We are thrilled to welcome greta hamilton (they/she) as the Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s new TD Assistant Curator, a two-year position made possible through the generous support of TD. This curatorial role is a cornerstone of the RMG’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent, expanding curatorial voices, and supporting new research that culminates in a major exhibition in 2028.

Raised as a settler on unceded Ligwilda’xw Kwakwaka’wakw territory on Northern Vancouver Island, greta brings a deeply considered practice grounded in environmental and land-based processes. Working through queer and feminist frameworks, their curatorial and theoretical work explores topics as wide-ranging as public bathing, artist gardens, and traditional craft practices—always attentive to the social, ecological, and embodied relations that shape contemporary art.

greta holds an MA in Art History and Visual Culture from the University of Guelph, where their graduate research examined the craft histories of utopic and anarchist settlers in British Columbia. Their writing has appeared extensively in Canadian art publications, including C Magazine, esse, Public Parking, Peripheral Review, Grain Magazine, Hammam Magazine, Leste, and numerous exhibition texts and catalogues distributed by Canadian galleries and artist-run-centres.

“greta’s work brings a combination of intellectual rigour, material curiosity, and care for the communities and ecologies that shape artistic practice. Their approach resonates deeply with the RMG’s values and our commitment to experimentation, grounded research, and community collaboration. We are excited to welcome them into our team and to support the development of their work over the next two years.”
— Leila Timmins, Senior Curator

We extend our sincere thanks to TD for their continued investment in emerging curators and for making this opportunity possible. Their support strengthens the future of curatorial practice in Canada and enriches the cultural life of our region.

Please join us in welcoming greta to the RMG!

Meet Emerging Artist in Residence, Haley Uyeda

Please join us in welcoming Haley Uyeda to the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program! To learn more about Haley Uyeda’s artistic practice and her plans for the artist studio, visit her profile and read her blog post below!

Hello RMG community! Thank you for this opportunity to work in your studio through the winter months. I’m so looking forward to spending some concentrated time in this studio and to have the dedicated space and quiet to sort through some of my archival materials from past work and personal archives that I’m hoping to reacquaint myself with.

For those who are new to my work, it most often takes the form of paintings that are meticulously cut in simple shapes and repetitive patterns that allow light to filter through the work and cast gradients of shadow and colour on the walls upon which they’re exhibited. Over the years, I’ve started to consider my work as tools that could be used in other ways to filter light and create new work. I was making photographs that used my paintings as screens, creating patterns of shadow on various surfaces and filming clips of them to make a short video work when I was in grad school.

Some examples of my past work at various stages, from in-progress stills to finished works.

I’ve been thinking of my practice as one that is built on the consideration of a self-generating methodology, where one work creates the next. In this way, all of my work has a certain lineage that ties it to a past work. For this iteration of that lineage, during my time as the artist in residence, my work will focus on the remnants of past work that I’ve collected over the years. Every piece of canvas that I’ve removed from my paintings, cutting out from the surface, I’ve kept in various envelopes knowing that one day I’d like to use these offcuts as the basis for new work. The time has finally come to parse through these materials and create new works on paper and perhaps a large-scale work on fabric. I’m hoping to explore some new techniques and material explorations while given this studio time.

A selection of offcuts from past paintings.

In thinking about the way that I make work, I’ve been interested in the notion of sensibility. I feel like the way that I make work and what sparks my interest in other work is a curiosity or discovery of a person’s sensibilities. Sensibility, deriving from Latin “sensibilis,” meaning “that can be perceived by the senses,” I understand sensibility as being a sort of catchall term that reflects in some part a person’s aesthetics, ethics and personality. I consider how one navigates and responds to the world, the things they inherit, the decisions they make, their personal inclinations and preferences, their morals and sensitivities, and the things they’re drawn to, to amount to a reflection of a sensibility. Perhaps I’m loading this one word down with too much weight in capturing all of this, but I’m intrigued to consider further this notion of a sensibility as I work in the studio over the next few months. I also wonder then, what becomes excluded from the understanding of a personal sensibility and how do they become defined? What differentiates a visual sensibility from an aesthetic? My intentions for the residency are to explore what encompasses a sensibility. I would like to research and explore the conceptualization, visualization and sentiment that entail a sense of a personal sensibility.

If this is also of interest to you, please schedule a time to come chat with me in the studio!

Summer 2025 Exhibitions at the RMG

We are pleased to present five new exhibitions this summer!

Sharmistha Kar, Walking together (from the series Soft Shelter), bunka on tarpaulin, 2021. Image credit: Toni Hafkenscheid.

We are ten thousand hands that plant seeds
June 7 – October 5, 2025
Artists: Megan Feheley, Maureen Gruben, Sharmistha Kar, Gloria Martinez-Granados, Soledad Fátima Muñoz, and Nazzal Studio
Curator: Abedar Kamgari

Co-presented with SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre)

Borrowing its title from the last poem written by Chilean singer and activist Victor Jara, this exhibition brings together artists who respond to their lived or inherited experiences of colonialism, displacement, and genocide. The artists draw on an embodied “language of textiles” to communicate—through the body—what cannot be expressed in words. Their artworks are alive and an integral part of cultural, social, and political movements reclaiming and remembering buried histories; refusing displacement and disappearance; and building towards liberation.

Related programming:
Noticing and Sensing: An Experimental Exhibition Tour with Abedar Kamgari
June 12, 2025, 6:30 – 8pm

Summer Exhibitions Opening + Launch of the Star Glyph Garden
June 21, 2025, 1 – 4pm

Northern Shadows, Northern Spirits
June 14 – August 10, 2025
Curator: Hannah Keating
Artist: Pixel Heller

Drawing inspiration from the masquerade (mas) tradition of Caribbean Carnival, Pixel Heller explores Black identity and resistance through costume design, performance, and photography. In this exhibition, she presents new garments and accessories for three traditional mas characters – Moko Jumbie, the Midnight Robber, and Jumbies – alongside photographs of informal performances throughout Oshawa featuring the artist and her friends in costume. This work exemplifies Heller’s interest in interpreting the deep cultural history of Carnival from her perspective as a contemporary artist. Participating in the legacy of traditional mas as a tool of social critique, she embraces the art form as a tool for building community and infusing the everyday with ancestral presence.

Related programming:
Summer Exhibitions Opening + Launch of the Star Glyph Garden
June 21, 2025, 1 – 4pm

Pixel Heller, Northern Jumbie, digital photograph, 2025. Courtesy of the artist.

Georgia Fullerton, Candy Coated 2019, watercolour and mixed media.

Georgia Fullerton: Being In and Moving Through
August 16, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Curator: Sonya Jones
Artist: Georgia Fullerton

Georgia Fullerton’s art tells her story of healing and self-discovery. Art has helped Fullerton navigate trauma, change and personal growth, and now, as a practitioner of expressive arts therapy, she helps others discover the transformative potential of art. This exhibition showcases Fullerton’s well-known abstract expressionist watercolours and collages as well as invites viewers into her creative process. For Fullerton, the act of artmaking is just as significant as the final piece, with both working together to illustrate how art serves as a vital tool for processing and moving through emotions.

Related programming:
Georgia Fullerton: Opening Reception
Sep 28, 2025, 1 – 3pm

Being in the Dream, Moving Through the Awakening: An Expressive Arts Workshop Inspired by Georgia Fullerton
Oct 25, 2025, 2 – 3pm

Wish You Were Here!
June 21, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Curator: Sonya Jones

In the early 20^th century, sending a postcard was an affordable and quick way to connect with loved ones. Often costing just a halfpenny— half the price of a letter —postcards offered a simple yet effective way to share news, greetings, and sentiments. This exhibition features historical postcards from Oshawa, drawn from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Thomas Bouckley was a passionate collector of all things Oshawa, including postcards, photographs, and ephemera. The postcards on display are more than just snapshots of time—they are windows into the daily lives, humor, and culture of a community.

Related programming:
Summer Exhibitions Opening + Launch of the Star Glyph Garden
June 21, 2025, 1 – 4pm

Adventure: Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition 2025
August 15 – September 25, 2025
Community Partnership

The Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition is a showcase of creativity and technical skill among members of the Oshawa Senior Community Centres, Oshawa Public Libraries, and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture, and more, this annual community exhibition is structured around a competition theme. This year, the theme is adventure.

Related programming:
Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition 2025: Opening and Awards Reception
Aug 19, 2025, 2:30 – 3:30pm

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is an accessible venue. To learn more or request accommodations, please visit our website

Meet Emerging Artist in Residence, Par Nair

Please join us in welcoming Par Nair to the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program! To learn more about Par’s artistic practice and her plans for the artist studio, visit her profile and read her blog post below!

Over the last few years, my art practice and research has focused on examining lived experiences of diaspora using decolonial methods and a return to ancestral practices.

Using multidisciplinary processes that include oil painting, installation, hand embroidery, and poetic writing, my work considers displacement and belonging by reconnecting with traditional practices as a way of paying tribute to my ancestors, who endured colonialism.

*Her language of love*, Hand embroidery on mundu, 2024

For those new to practice, I was born in South India and moved to Canada about fourteen years ago. Even though my training and background is in oil painting, my practice has slowly taken on an interdisciplinary voice incorporating hand embroidery and textiles from South India. I’m interested in how textiles can carry memory, cultural heritage, historical contexts and personal narratives of migration. Much of my current work draws from familial photographs that were collected by my grandmother. When I look at these photographs of the past, I find myself drawn to quiet, overlooked moments that seem to have gone unnoticed. Moments that were missed, or dismissed—the distance in a shared glance, the space between bodies in embrace, the stillness of a room full of people. I’m fascinated by the possibilities in the banal – the gestures, objects, and emotions that shape the domestic. By reimagining these moments through my embroideries and oil paintings, I want to uncover and celebrate lives lived, but rarely centered, in the margins of history.

*Her songs were soft 7*, Oil painting on canvas 30” x 40” 2024

I plan on creating a series of embroideries and oil paintings during my time at RMG, based on archival photographs. This work will explore silenced narratives and “in between” spaces, while challenging prevailing stereotypes. At the core of this series, is my intention to create a visual conversation that honours the domestic realm. Often viewed through a lens of limitation or invisibility, the domestic space will be reimagined as a site of empowerment, possibility, resilience, and quiet revolution. This is a way for me to celebrate the labour of women in their homes and the significance of these deeply personal and intimate spaces that have historically been underappreciated. For me, the “in-between” is a space where untold histories reside. A place where contrasting embodiments of

freedoms and strength can co-exist. A place of soft revolution. The act of hand embroidery offers a method to intimately “touch” these spaces and speculatively examine diasporic futures. Embroidering by hand becomes a gesture of care – a symbol of healing from colonial wounds, and inherited trauma. It unfolds as an act of continuity, a portal to the past, a way of collaborating with the women who came before me, and together dreaming up futures that we never inherited.

*Sacrifice* (left), Hand embroidery on cotton mundu, 2024; *Her stories were blue* (right), Hand embroidery on kasavu mundu 2023. Photo Credit: Jocelyn Reynolds/Craft Ontario 2024

I look forward to the opportunity and space to engage more deeply with my work and research at the RMG! I can’t wait to start!

The RMG Announces New CEO + DFO to Lead Next Era of Innovation and Community Engagement

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, a cornerstone of Oshawa’s vibrant arts community, is pleased to welcome Alix Voz as our new Chief Executive Officer. Voz will officially join the gallery on June 2, 2025. We are also pleased to announce that Rose Rockbrune has joined the team as our new Director, Finance and Operations.

With over ten years of experience in the arts and non-profit sectors, Voz brings a deep commitment to cultural leadership, education, and community building. Most recently, she served as the Gallery Director + Curator at Cambridge Art Galleries, where she expanded public access to the arts and significantly grew organizational support.

“On behalf of the RMG, it’s staff and the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to announce and welcome Alix Voz as our new CEO” says Kegan Winters, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Alix brings to the role a wealth of experience and a vision for the future that is perfectly aligned with the RMG’s strategic plan, our values and our culture of care. I would also like to welcome Rose Rockbrune as our new DFO. As a CPA and an active member of the Oshawa community, Rose brings extensive experience from the public and private sectors, and we are glad to have her join the team.

As we look forward to Alix joining us, I would like to extend gratitude and thanks to our Senior Curator and Interim CEO, Leila Timmins. During this time of transition, Leila has been providing strong leadership and stability to the organization, and we are deeply appreciative of this.”

“I’m very excited to be joining the incredible team at the RMG” say Alix Voz. “I’ve long admired the gallery’s commitment to artists, community, and care, and I’m truly honoured to become part of its next chapter. I look forward to listening, learning, and collaborating as we continue building a vibrant and inclusive space for creativity and connection.”

There will be a reception to welcome Alix Voz to the RMG at the AGM on Wednesday, June 18. Need to sign up or renew your membership? Click here.

About Alix Voz
Alix Voz is a cultural leader, curator, and educator dedicated to fostering care, equity, and innovation within cultural institutions. With several years of leadership experience, she has guided curatorial initiatives, expanded community engagement, and championed inclusive arts education. Most recently serving as Director of Cambridge Art Galleries, Alix brings a visionary, community-centred approach to public gallery leadership. She is passionate about advancing cultural spaces as inclusive hubs for connection, creativity, care, and community resilience.

About Rose Rockbrune
Rose Rockbrune is a seasoned finance professional with experience in not-for-profit as well as for profit organizations. She has worked across a number of businesses including automotive, medical, aerospace and public boards. She is a hands-on individual and enjoys the day-to-day work as well as projects. She has a CPA designation as well as a degree in business administration. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, the theatre and live concerts. She looks forward to working with her new colleagues at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Spring 2025 Exhibitions at the RMG

We are pleased to present four new exhibitions this spring!

Tom Dean, GOOD-BYE, blue and gold sequins on canvas, 1970. Photograph of work hanging from Dean’s studio on Saint Laurent Boulevard, Montreal by Gabor Szilasi.

Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE
April 5 – September 7, 2025
Curator: Leila Timmins + Yan Wu

Driven by two essential inquiries—why “GOOD-BYE” then, and why Tom Dean now—the exhibition GOOD-BYE revisits the artist’s life in early 1970s Montreal. It brings together a rarely seen body of work—early conceptual artworks on canvas and in sculptural forms—and archival materials from that period, documenting the artist’s extensive and active engagement with the local alternative art scene and broader cultural milieu.

Related Programming:
Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE Opening Reception
April 5, 2025, 1:00 – 3:30pm

Tom Dean: Roundtable Discussions
Saturday, June 7, 2025
2:00 – 5:00pm, followed by a reception, 5:00 – 7:00pm
Top Top Projects, 165 Geary Ave, Toronto, ON M6H 2B8
RSVP

Roundtable A: Press and Publications | 2:00pm
Co-presented with Art Metropole
Featuring: Vincent Bonin, Robert Fones, Peggy Gale, and Louis Jacob

Roundtable B: Artist-Run Spaces and Culture | 3:30pm
Co-presented with the plumb
Featuring: Anthony Cooper, Suzy Lake, and Adam Welch

Isabel McLaughlin (Canadian, 1903-2002); Prudence Heward; n.d.; chalk pastel and graphite on paper; Gift of the estate of Isabel McLaughlin, 2003

Artists by Artists
March 8 – August 10, 2025
Curated by Sonya Jones

Artists by Artists, drawn from the Permanent Collection, presents portraits of artists created by their peers. Bringing together various mediums, styles and approaches, the artworks featured in this exhibition are as varied as the subjects and artists themselves. Ranging from intimate sketches to formal representations, these works go beyond mere likeness to reflect the deep admiration and special connections between artists.

William Ronald (Canadian, 1926 – 1998); Midnight Personified; 1952; casein on masonite; Purchase, 1971

Painters Eleven: Abstract Bonds
March 8 – August 24, 2025
Curated by Sonya Jones

This exhibition features work by Painters Eleven, the first abstract artist collective in Ontario. They were founded in 1953 at the cottage of artist Alexandra Luke on the Oshawa/Whitby border. The group did not have a common philosophy or style, instead Painters Eleven banded together around their shared desire to support abstraction and exhibit together. As Jock Macdonald noted: “The meaning of our group is the fact that we think alike about creativeness in art and the unity established is our power.” Rather than a manifesto, the group settled on a statement: “There is no manifesto here for the times. There is no jury but time. By now there is little harmony in the noticeable disagreement. But there is a profound regard for the consequences of our complete freedom.”

Visitors in the Oshawa Art Association’s 56th Juried Art Exhibition (May 2024) at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

The Oshawa Art Association’s 57th Juried Art Exhibition
May 1 – May 18, 2025
Community Partnership

This exhibition showcases artworks created by artists from across Durham Region.

Related Programming:
Opening Reception: May 1, 2025, 6:00 – 9:00pm

Presented in partnership with the Oshawa Art Association.

Artist Talks, EMERGING VISIONS: Durham College Thesis Exhibition 2024, May 15, 2024, at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

EMERGING VISIONS: Durham College Thesis Exhibition 2025
May 2 – June 8, 2025
Community Partnership

We are pleased to present the annual Durham College Thesis Exhibition! Like all visionary explorers, the students in Durham College’s Fine Arts Advanced program are involved in a continual process of identifying and studying meaningful subjects that pertain to their own evolving bodies of work. They first research then develop strategies unique to their practice through experimentation, all the while learning to define and focus their personal interests. This exhibition includes a wide range of subjects, interests, and mediums.

Related Programming:
Opening Reception: May 2, 2025, 7:00-9:00pm
Artist Talks: May 14, 2025, 1:00 – 2:30pm

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Partners in Art Supports Christina Leslie: Likke Acts

In November 2024, the gallery was honoured to receive funding from Partners in Art (PIA) to support Pickering-based artist Christina Leslie’s first major museum solo exhibition Likkle Acts and its related programming. Featuring four series of photographs, the exhibition delves into themes of memory and migration, as well as looking at the history of the transatlantic slave trade and its ties to the sugar industry. Set in Jamaica, each body of work explores the artist’s familial relationships and the complex history of the Caribbean. The RMG is proud to present this powerful exhibition by a local artist, and grateful for the support of PIA to allow us to share this work with our community.

The financial support from PIA was also instrumental in allowing us to activate the exhibition with a range of public and private events. The exhibition’s programs have created opportunities for visitors to celebrate Caribbean and diasporic identities, confront the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, and to engage with the materiality of Leslie’s innovative and experimental practice. As a springboard for important conversations, these talks, tours and workshops enable children, adults, and artists to explore important questions and insights, from the artist and one another.

Exhibition curator Hannah Keating delivers a tour of *Likkle Acts* on January 16, 2025.

Christina Leslie in conversation with exhibition curator Hannah Keating on February 16, 2025.

Workshop participants learn how to do Polaroid transfers as part of the event *Show and Tell with Christina Leslie: Photo Emulsion Transfers and Gallery Representation* on March 22, 2025.

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.

About Partners in Art
Partners in Art is a Canadian charitable organization that funds and champions contemporary visual art through philanthropy, volunteerism and education. Since 2002, PIA’s model of collective philanthropy has funded bold, innovative, contemporary arts projects to champion thoughtful perspectives on our world and drive social change. PIA actively collaborates with Canadian curators, educators, art organizations and museums. Having raised over $6.1 million and supported over 146 different projects, PIA focuses on funding projects featuring contemporary artists with challenging works. Annual member donations, fundraising events and public donations make PIA’s work possible. Learn more here.