The RMG’s 10-year-old curator

Sigourney Baker is a 10-year-old junior curator at the RMG.

The junior curator program explores the world of art galleries and exhibitions. The program gives kids the opportunity to learn how to develop themes while given a behind the scenes look of how an exhibition comes together.

While exploring works from the RMG’s permanent collection, Baker was impressed with the amount of animals she came across. Her love for animals, paired with a paintbrush, gave way for Bakers focus while curating Gallery.

For this exhibition, Sigourney had the pleasure of browsing through the gallery’s permanent collection – her favourite being Barry Smylie’s, Pineapple Cat. The water-based painting features a white-pawed black cat, peering over at the tropical fruit to its left.

Baker says she would trade being a 10-year-old to join her feline friends sunbathing any day happily.

When she’s not appreciating the magnificent art work of RMG, Sigourney enjoys to paint herself. Bakers says her favourite animal to paint or draw is a peacock, allowing her to blend a collage of colours.

While looking through the gallery’s collection, Baker noticed one of the animals depicted in one of the pieces, is now a member of the endangered species list.

When speaking on the importance of saving animals on the endangered spices list, Baker says, “I believe all animals should have a chance to live. I want to highlight what humans are doing to our planet and this is a good way to show it.”

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Jared Williams is a second year journalism student at Durham College. Jared is a reporter/photographer for the Chronicle. He is completing his placement at the RMG as the new Communications Intern.

Volunteer and Membership Event

Jessica Moffitt, RMG Communications Intern, spent her winter semester at Durham College working alongside Sam Mogelonsky, Manager of Marketing and Communications. Over the duration of her placement, Jessica learned about social media management, writing and marketing, but really found her niche in event management. Assisting our Manager of Community and Volunteer Development, Carla Sinclair, Jessica helped plan and orchestrate The RMG’s annual volunteer appreciation event. On April 17, the RMG celebrated our volunteers and members and Jess was there helping out and capturing the event during her Volunteer Week Instagram takeover.

Volunteers. They are the backbone of almost any non-profit organization and add so much heart and soul wherever they donate their time and talents. The volunteers at the RMG are a prime example of the dedication it takes to make an organization and community thrive, which is why we take the time every year to thank them with the RMG Volunteer Appreciation Lunch and Membership event.

This year’s event featured a delicious spread of spring themed salads and sandwiches from Pilar’s catering in Oshawa, along with thank you gifts from the RMG and an recognition scroll from Oshawa’s MP Colin Carrie. Volunteers of all ages and interests mingled as they enjoyed their lunch at Arthur’s on the 4th which was gleaming with the warm spring sunshine.

After lunch and speeches from Carla Sinclair, Manager of Community and Volunteer Development and Donna Raetsen-Kemp, CEO, guests headed down to the Isabel McLaughlin Gallery for the Membership Event featuring a presentation from Charlotte Hale, Toronto gallery owner and fine art photography collector. Introduced by Oshawa Mayor John Henry, Hale guided the audience through the art of purchasing and collecting fine art photography from a beginner’s perspective. The talk concluded with a spread of desserts, coffee, tea and a live acoustic guitar performance by Elijah Mabana.

The RMG is humbled by the energy and commitment our volunteers extend to the gallery each and everyday. We look forward to celebrating their involvement in the cultural community for years to come.

Experiencing the RMG through Inartistic Eyes

Samantha Pender is a Durham College public relations student completing her winter placement at the RMG as a communications intern.

Before I came to the RMG as a communications intern, I admittedly knew very little in the way of art. Being artistically challenged myself, I had never thought to explore art before coming here. But taking one look around the gallery immediately changed my thinking about art and how to appreciate it, despite lacking my own artistic skills.

Being a communications intern, I don’t get to spend much of my time looking through the galleries of the RMG. When I have been able to sneak away, however, I am always taken aback by the art surrounding me. While looking at the manipulated art and beautifully shot landscapes from Holly King, the wondrous abstract of Painters 11, and the many other different kinds of art throughout the RMG, I realized that you don’t really need to know that much about art to appreciate it.

Yes, understanding the style, medium or perspective of the artist can be helpful, but when it comes down to it, art is art. It’s a beautiful and absurd peak into the creative mind of a talented soul, and that is something I won’t be overlooking again.

Interning at the RMG has opened my mind to many things, not just the beauty of art. Researching content for Museum Week, was able to catch a glimpse into the history of Oshawa and see the familiar streets of today as an almost completely different town in black and white. I learned about architecture and came to appreciate different aspects of a building, something I knew nothing about. My supervisor, Sam, broadened my horizons by instilling the importance of learning things outside my comfort zone, something not to be taken for granted.

Working for a non-profit organization so deeply rooted in the community has been a great experience for me, as giving back to the community is something I care very much about. Seeing how the RMG dedicates so much time to the community through RMG Fridays – I worked on the RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary – as well as weekend family activities like OPG Second Sundays has only grown my love and appreciation for the gallery over the past three months.

Samantha Pender, 'Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl' from the Other NFB

Samantha Pender, RMG Communications Intern, with ‘Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl’ from the Other NFB

Jessica Moffitt’s Internship at the RMG

Jessica Moffitt it a Public Relations student at Durham College and is doing her placement in the Communications department at the RMG.

When I walked through the doors of The RMG prepared to interview for a once a week internship, I didn’t feel the usual pre-interview stress that you would expect. Instead I felt excited and confident. The building was bright and full of natural lighting that made everything in the lobby shine. I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a better internship opportunity than this.

I am a second year public relations student at Durham College. As part of my program, I was required to find and secure a non-profit communications placement in the community to experience life in the industry. As soon as I saw the list of available placements I knew right away that the RMG was going to be the perfect fit for me.

For as long as I can remember I have always loved the arts. Whether it was printmaking, painting, drawing or playing around in Photoshop, art has always been part of my life. I visited the gallery quite often in high school (I was part of the O’Neill Visual Arts Program) and through many trips I became familiar with The RMG.

My experience here has been fantastic and I have learned so many things that I know will be an asset to my future endeavors. It is great to come to placement every Monday and be surrounded by so many creative and inspiring individuals who are all working toward a common goal. Taking part in different creative projects such as contributing to the RMG Blog, working with staff members to plan the Volunteer Luncheon and Membership Event, as well as working on the galleries various social media accounts has been a great way to take my education to the next level and gain experience.

I am very grateful for my time spent at the RMG and I would highly recommend applying to anyone that is in need of a position for their education. I guarantee you will go home at the end of the day feeling confident and proud that you were able to contribute to a vital part of the community and be a part of such an amazing organization.

Museum Week Fun

Samantha Pender and Jessica Moffitt are second year Public Relations students at Durham College and the RMG’s communications interns for the winter.

It’s that time of year again! Museums and art galleries around the world will be coming together on the Internet to celebrate one of the most exciting calendar weeks. That’s right, it’s time for #MuseumWeek!

Photo by Michael Cullen

Museum week is a social media gathering of museums and galleries across the world to share cool things with their audience. There are seven days with seven hashtags, each a different theme that dictates the tweet/fact about the museum. Here is this year’s lineup:
Monday – #SecretsMW

Tuesday – #PeopleMW

Wednesday – #ArchitectureMW

Thursday – #HeritageMW

Friday – #FutureMW

Saturday – #ZoomMW

Sunday – #LoveMW
Our communications interns, Jessica and Sam have been preparing for this exciting week, learning all the in’s and out’s of the RMG to share with you on Twitter. With about three to five tweets a day, fans of the RMG can expect to learn plenty of new and exciting things about their favourite Oshawa art gallery!

Monday through Wednesday was researched and planned by Sam, who had a great time digging into rich, Oshawa history and learning about architecture. The gallery is deeply rooted in the McLaughlin family history, so you can expect to learn a bit about one of Oshawa’s most famous families and their affiliation with the RMG on Tuesday’s #people.

Queens Hotel, Oshawa

The building itself is also touched by fame, designed and built by a famous Canadian architect – don’t worry, you’ll find out who during Museum Week on Wednesday’s #architecture! Sam was able to really learn about the bare bones of the building, exploring not only the physical architecture, but also the culture of the building and architect as well.

Sam also searched up some little known facts about the RMG that we will be sharing to kick off the week on the first day of #secrets!

Unidentified Portrait from the Thomas Bouckley Collection. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Jess, who planned out Thursday through Sunday, had fun diving into her hometown #heritage and learning all about Oshawa! Seeing old black and white photos from The Thomas Bouckley Collection was a highlight for her, getting a glimpse of what the city looked like long before we were here.

After going back in history, Jess looked forward to the #future of the RMG – we don’t want to ruin anything, but it the future looks bright. She also digs deep into a few key pieces in the gallery for #zoom, sharing interesting stories while she takes a closer look. Sunday is all about #love, and Jess had plenty of that to share. What’s not to love about the RMG?

Museum Hack. Photo by Mat Calverley.

Jess and Sam can’t wait to share everything they learned about the RMG with you during #MuseumWeek! Make sure you check out our Twitter feed @theRMG so you can learn it all too!

RMG Fridays Celebrates International Women’s Day – Wonder Women

Samantha Pender is a second year Public Relations student at Durham College and is completing her first communications placement at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery this winter.

When I look at art, I see beauty. I see the creative inner workings of a mind spewed onto a canvas or into a photo or object that beams with inspiration and magnificence. What I don’t see is the months of long hours, late nights and early mornings that went into this work. I don’t see the blood, sweat and tears, and the immense strength and effort that are integral ingredients of this work of art. We don’t see that because that is not what the artist is intending to show. They want you to see the beautiful aftermath of domineering strength, hard work and unwavering persistence they endured.

When I see women, I see the same beauty; and again, I am shielded from the remarkable strength those women exude in their lives. We see beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, but they never let us see their struggles before their triumphs. This month, the RMG is celebrating International Women’s Day with women in art, both behind the canvas and in front of it.

In the Upper and Lower Luke galleries, we are exhibiting The Other NFB: The National Film Board of Canada’s Still Photography Division, 1941-1971. On display are photos of a timeless female Canadian icon, Veronica Foster, or ‘Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl’. She was a Canadian woman working at John Inglis Co. during the second world war, a time when approximately 250,000 women around the country were finally able to work on equal ground with men by getting into overalls and into munitions factories, taking the place of the men at war.

Unknown photographer
Veronica Foster, an employee of John Inglis Co. Ltd. and known as “The Bren Gun Girl” posing with a finished Bren gun in the John Inglis Co. Ltd. Bren gun plant, Toronto
10 May 1941
Contemporary print from vintage negative
National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque / Library and Archives Canada e000760453

In Oshawa, the GM plant ceased production of cars to begin making military vehicles and weapons, and the brawn behind those machines were our own woman, who called themselves ‘Rosie’s the Riveters’, after the American propaganda poster of Rosie the Riveter flexing her arm and chanting, “We can do it.” Rosie the Riveter, an American inspiration to woman everywhere, was created after Canada’s own Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl appeared on the cover of New York Times a few years before Rosie popped up (http://www.andrewhutchison.com/Page%201/page8/page16/index.html).

Rosie’s the Riveters, c. 1943.

Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl can be found in the NFB’s exhibition, photographed both in the factory as well as in her personal life, a wonderful contrast of a hard working woman on the line to one dressed up and having a good time.

The RMG currently has a number of female artists on display in different galleries, including Holly King’s exhibit Edging Towards the Mysterious as well as the two female artists on display in the Painters 11 gallery, Hortense Gordan and Alexandra Luke.

Installation photo by Don Corman

RMG Fridays Film Features is playing into the Women’s Day theme as well. We will be screening “Clearing Spaces” by the talented Broadbent Sisters, a beautifully shot film exploring Greek mythology with a modern twist revolving around the seemingly normal rituals in a woman’s life.

Clearing Spaces V by the Broadbent Sisters. Film Still.

RMG Fridays will also welcome the IRIS Group, an arts collective from Durham Region featuring ten amazing women: Maralynn Cherry, Rowena Dykins, Laura M. Hair, Holly McClellan, Judith A. Mason, Janice Taylor-Prebble, Mary Ellen McQuay, Margaret Rodgers, Sally Thurlow and Wendy Wallace. They are exhibiting IRIS at 20, a celebration of their 20^th Anniversary in which they will paying homage to Women’s Day by revisiting Women’s Day pieces as well as creating new artworks with collected objects from Canadian and international women. The IRIS group is opening in Gallery A on Friday, March 4^th, where you can help welcome them during RMG Fridays. They will also have an artists’ talk on Sunday, March 6^th as well as a workshop on Sunday, March 20^th.

Filmic – The IRIS Group

There’s no doubt that visiting the RMG for RMG Fridays Wonder Women will encourage you to consider how female icons and artists are reimagining gender roles throughout their art. I have been inspired by surrounding myself with such amazing artwork and I hope you will be too.

My Curatorial Internship at the RMG

Alessandra Cirelli is a Museum Management and Curatorship student at Fleming College and this summer she completed her placement with the RMG.

During my undergrad, I completed a degree in art history and fine art, but when I finished I had that nagging question that most students have—what do I do now? I knew I wanted to work in an art gallery, but felt I needed the skills to do so. So back to school I went, to become a Museum Management and Curatorship student at Fleming College, a one-year program with a 14-week internship. There, I studied how to preserve and catalogue art, artifacts, and manage the daily operations of a Museum and Art Gallery institution. I learnt more than I could have ever imagined about the inner workings of a Museum and Art Gallery. The school year flew by and at the end of my second semester it was time for my internship. I changed my one-hour commute to Fleming College in Peterborough into a welcomed ten-minute drive to The Robert McLaughlin gallery where I spent the summer as a curatorial intern.

During my internship, I experienced a bit of everything, from cataloguing and rehousing photographic collections, helping create exhibition proposals, photographing and reorganizing the sculpture collection, I have been involved in it all. One of the many highlights of my internship was the chance to use my newly acquired artifact and artwork handling skills to take down and install new exhibitions. It was a proud moment seeing the loading dock full of multi coloured crates filled with artworks I helped pack and wrap waiting to be shipped to the next exhibition.

My main internship project was to reorganize and photograph the sculptures in the RMG’s sculpture collection. Sculptures were photographed using professional lighting equipment and Canon 5D camera. The pictures were then uploaded to the RMG’s online database for both internal use and, if copyright allowed, for the public to see and enjoy. After photographing, I reorganized and assigned locations to the sculptures in the vault. As good practice, each object should be locatable within 3-5 minutes and should be accessible by moving only one to two items to get to it. By reorganizing and assigning locations, the sculptures in the RMG’s sculpture vault are now more accessible for research and exhibition preparation.

I have learnt a great deal at the RMG, I now feel like I have the knowledge and the skills to work in a Museum or Art Institution. I extend a huge thank you to everyone here at the RMG for making me feel like a part of the team during my 14-week internship.

My Communications Placement at the RMG

Heather Bulman is a communications student at Durham College and this winter she completed her placement with the RMG.

My grandmother loved the arts and exposed me to many forms at an early age. From visiting the Whetung Arts and Crafts Gallery in Curve Lake to the Tom Thompson paintings hanging on the walls of her condo or the great performers of 1930s musical productions. I always believed to have a deep appreciation and understanding of the arts.

Then I began my placement at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. As the Communications Intern, I am surrounded by individuals who live and breathe a passion for the arts. Through my time at the gallery, I have had the opportunity to attend artist and curator talks, which have given me a whole new level of appreciation for the behind-the-scenes efforts of these creative works. Whether listening to Margaret Rodgers’ interpretation of bystanders in the historic photos from the Thomas Bouckley Collection or imagining Senior Curator, Linda Jansma digging through vaults overseas for hidden Jock MacDonald gems. These stories help the viewer see beyond the medium, into the heart of the creator.

The history of our people, land and culture are captured in these works. They are preserved to inspire, teach or challenge the viewer’s understanding, both at the time of publishing and for generations to come.

I am so grateful for my time at the gallery. Not only has my position allowed me to use the skills I’ve acquired through the Durham College Public Relations program, I’ve gained experiences and relationships I’ll value for a lifetime.

– Heather

Meet Heather Bulman: Communications Student

Heather Bulman is a communication student at Durham College and this winter she completes her placement with the RMG. She sat down with Sam Mogelonsky, our Communications Coordinator to discuss her experience at the RMG.

RMG: How did you get involved with volunteering at the RMG?

Heather: I began volunteering at the RMG in the summer of 2014. I knew I was interested in completing my non-profit placement here and decided volunteering would be a good way to get to know everyone beforehand.

RMG: Why were you interested in working in the museum sector?

Heather: I believe it’s important for people to experience culture in their community. By visiting galleries and museums, people can gain a better understanding of Canada’s rich cultural history.

RMG: What has been the focus of your internship at the gallery?

Heather: My position as the Communications Intern at the RMG has allowed me to expand on my public relations education with real-world experience. I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of tasks but have been focusing my efforts on the upcoming Volunteer Youth Leaders Symposium. I am honoured to help plan and execute an event that highlights the importance of youth volunteerism in Durham Region.

RMG: What is one thing you want to share about the RMG?

Heather: The people. I am blown away by not only the kindness of every individual working in the gallery, but also by their passion for art and culture. They are always eager to share stories about their art experiences, both here at the gallery and abroad. By working alongside the gallery staff, I have become more knowledgeable and invested in Canadian art.

RMG: What is your favourite museum?

Heather: My favourite museum is the Canadian Canoe Museum, located in Peterborough, ON. As an elementary school student in Peterborough, I visited this museum multiple times. This was the first museum that enriched my cultural understanding. I remember hearing the rhythm of the indoor waterfall as I imagined myself portaging across the great Canadian landscape.

RMG: What is your first memory of art?

Heather: Although I remember creating art throughout elementary school, I also remember visiting the Whetung Ojibwa Centre with my mother and grandmother, where I was exposed to Indigenous crafts and fine arts for the first time. I immediately fell in love with the elements of nature and rich colours used in these works. Trips to the Curve Lake Reserve shaped my appreciation of Indigenous art and became a tradition in my family.

Toni Hamel’s new series, The land of Id

This post is by Heather Bulman, a public relations student at Durham College and the RMG’s current Communications Intern.

Toni Hamel was drawn to art very early in life. She remembers creating her first sculptures from the clay brought up from the ground after her parents added a well to the backyard of their Italian home. To this day, Hamel keeps the earliest evidence of her true passion – a photograph from kindergarten with a few drawings on the back.

In Italy, Hamel fought to pursue an education in the arts. Finally, in 1983, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Fine Art in Lecce. However, after moving to Canada, she found it difficult to find a job with a degree in fine arts. Hamel took advantage of the dawn of technology by studying computer graphics at Sheridan College. As one of the few women working in technology at the time, she went on to have a very successful career as an interactive media developer and instructor at the University of Toronto. Despite her successes, Hamel grew tired of her career and, with the support of her husband, decided to return to her true passion. Since 2007, she has focused her creative efforts solely on her art. Although she incorporates many mediums into her pieces, she works mostly with graphite.

Toni Hamel painting in the Art Lab

“I started as a painter, but then I got tired of colour. Colour distracts me,” says Hamel. “To me, it’s like decoration. In the work I have evolved to, there is no place for decoration – it’s about the essence. I extract everything else. In doing so, I arrived at drawings. Drawings don’t have contextual information, just the central message. I don’t produce images, I produce content.”

Beginning February 4, she will have the opportunity to create new content as the second artist in residency at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) in Oshawa, Ont. In the galley’s Art Lab, attached to the recently opened Gallery A, Hamel will have the space to reflect on humans’ relationship with the environment in her new series, The land of Id. This subject matter will complement a current exhibition in the RMG, Running on Empty, while exploring different formats.

Hamel’s experiences in Italy have inspired her to explore powerful topics such as social and political issues. She believes artists have a responsibility to raise awareness about important topics and share their experiences.

“It is difficult for artists to get the general community interested in the arts,” explains Hamel. “When I was growing up in Italy, there were no galleries that offered art classes to a variety of generations, like the Station Gallery or the RMG. Gallery A gives the artists the opportunity to develop new pieces while sharing and engaging with the community.”

For this artist, it’s all about sharing a message. Hamel often uses humour and satire to explore controversial topics. While she admits that reality can be offensive sometimes, she also finds it challenging to find the right balance. As her work has evolved, Hamel has learned that sometimes she can say more with a whisper than a shout.

Toni Hamel’s exhibition The land of Id runs in Gallery A from March 3 to 29. Image by Toni Hamel.