June OPG Sunday: Swirling and Stamping

This June, we are delighted to welcome the Oshawa Garden Club Butterflyway Rangers to our Backyard at the RMG for a special family-friendly experience! Young gardeners and grown-ups alike can join us and learn something new.

Flowers have sprung all over Downtown Oshawa! Let’s celebrate our beautiful botanical gardens and our very own Backyard at the RMG with artwork!

In the Backyard, two local Butterflyway Rangers (Ann Couch and Judy Jaeger) will be on hand with some fun activities, information about attracting pollinators to your garden, how to be part of a local Butterflyway and answer garden related questions.

In the studio, use a variety of found-objects and materials to stamp in flower shapes. We are getting messy with ink, making our artworks stand out against a colourful collaged background.

In the lookout, admire our backyard through the giant window. Use strips of paper to curl and swirl them into coils. We will arrange them to make an intricate and sculptural paper quilled creation.

About the Butterflyway Project
The Butterflyway Project is a citizen-led movement growing networks of habitat for bees and butterflies across Canada.

Launched by the David Suzuki Foundation in 2017 — alongside its Quebec sister program, L’effet Papillon — the project began in five cities and has since grown into a national network of volunteers creating habitat in yards, school grounds, boulevards and parks. From inception to 2025, the foundation trained 1,850 Butterflyway Rangers in hundreds of communities throughout Canada. Rangers work with neighbours and local partners to plant native wildflowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. When 12 or more habitat gardens are established in close proximity, a new Butterflyway is established.

Butterflyway impact to date (as of 2025):

132,000+ native wildflowers and grasses planted
3,600+ trees and shrubs planted
7,600+ habitat gardens established
157 official Butterflyways established

The Butterflyway Project is rooted in the award-winning Homegrown National Park Project (2013–2015), which created butterfly-friendly corridors in Toronto neighbourhoods. The project and various Rangers have received numerous local and national accolades and awards, including the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Nature Inspiration Award.

Interest in the project continues to be strong, with hundreds of Canadians applying to become Butterflyway Rangers each year. Rangers receive training, resources and ongoing support, and become part of a national network of people rewilding the places they live.

Butterflyway Rangers are volunteers who lead local efforts to create pollinator habitat and bring people together around nature-based action. Rangers organize small teams, support garden projects and help establish a Butterflyways in their communities.

Rangers are community builders, educators and habitat creators. They don’t need to be gardening experts — just people who care, are willing to learn and are excited to work with others. Rangers receive online training from David Suzuki Foundation staff and guest experts and have access to online toolkits, resources and seasonal guidance. Rangers also can connect to a national network of Rangers through webinars, online meetups and regional gatherings.

About Oshawa Garden Club

The purpose of the Oshawa Garden Club is to promote interest in all things Green; horticulture, agriculture, environmental responsibility, a communal enjoyment of nature and more. Our mission remains committed to encouraging engagement with and the improvement of our community green spaces. Visit www.oshawagardenclub.ca for all our activities and membership information.

About The Backyard at the RMG

The Backyard at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery is an outdoor space designed for community use, artistic engagement, and quiet reflection. Enjoy a picnic, read a book, catch up with a friend, listen to the sounds of the creek, meditate, do some yoga – use this space to bring you joy and well-being.

Suitable for ages 3+
Adult supervision is required in all gallery/ studio spaces.
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.

May OPG Sunday: Underwater Ecosystem

This month, we dive deep to explore life among the coral reefs. We will use colourful plasticine to sculpt a turtle or sea creature of your choosing. We will also use vibrant soft pastels to draw floating jellyfish, with patterns glowing in the dark abyss. Our bold artworks take inspiration from the lively, striking and rich artworks in our exhibition, Painters Eleven: Radical Colour.

In the lookout, using plasticine and step-by-step instructions, sculpt your own turtle! With some creative flair, try your hand at sculpting a shark, or even whale, and add some coral or seaweed to finish off your model habitat.

In the studio, use soft pastels to draw wavy waters and gelatinous jellyfish. We will blend our pastels to make them hazy. Then, we will add layers on top using unique patterns and spots to make our jellyfish stand out!

William Ronald (Canadian, 1926 – 1998); Festival; 1967; acrylic on canvas; Gift of Chantal Laberge, 1987

About Painters Eleven: Radical Colour
Painters Eleven was the first abstract artist collective in Ontario. The Toronto group was founded in 1953 at the cottage of artist Alexandra Luke on the Oshawa–Whitby border. In the early 1950s, Toronto’s art scene was criticized for being conservative and unexciting. Painters Eleven was determined to shake things up and elevate abstraction within mainstream Canadian art. The group’s first exhibition drew crowds and received positive press, despite its radical approach to art. Banded together by a shared desire to support abstraction and exhibit collectively, the artists did not adhere to a common philosophy or style but did share a love of colour. This exhibition showcases Painters Eleven’s diverse approaches to abstraction alongside a common enthusiasm for bold, expressive colour, highlighting the individuality of each artist. Click here to learn more about Painters Eleven: Radical Colour.

Suitable for ages 3+
Adult supervision is required in all gallery/ studio spaces.
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.

April OPG Sunday: Drip Drop Collage

This month, we are getting messy by creating painted papers, and using them to make collages! We will also take inspiration from Group of Seven artworks on display in our current Permanent Collection exhibition, Homage, by experimenting with oil pastel layered landscapes.

In the studio, roll your sleeves up and join us to create painted papers, mixing cool colours with card scraping techniques. Then, we will cut our papers up in shapes, such as umbrellas, rain drops, clouds, and flowers to represent our surroundings as spring emerges!

In the lookout, we are experimenting with oil pastel techniques. We will draw our landscapes with layers of hills and valleys inspired by Group of Seven. Then, after blending our layers with baby oil, we will add in foreground details such as sharp coniferous trees and leafy deciduous trees.

Installation of Homage at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2025. Photos by Toni Hafkenscheid.

About Homage
Paying homage is more than an act of reverence—it is a gesture rooted in respect and a way to acknowledge influence and inspiration. Artists often engage with the past to make sense of the present: responding to those who shaped them, the histories they’ve inherited, and the cultural forces that continue to shape our world. In this way, tribute becomes not only a recognition of influence, but also a means to challenge, reinterpret, and build upon it. Click here to learn more about Homage.

Suitable for ages 3+
Adult supervision is required in all gallery/ studio spaces.
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 Family Day: Portrait Party

This family day, explore the portraits in the exhibition Homage, then, join us to create your own! Your self-portrait will be weird and wacky.

Start in the exhibition, Homage. Using a variety of cardboard shapes to assemble your portrait. Gluing the cardboard together to form a truly unique and wacky face.

In the studio, add vibrant acrylic paint and oil pastel colours to bring your portrait to life and show your self-expression through art!

About Homage
Paying homage is more than an act of reverence—it is a gesture rooted in respect and a way to acknowledge influence and inspiration. Artists often engage with the past to make sense of the present: responding to those who shaped them, the histories they’ve inherited, and the cultural forces that continue to shape our world. In this way, tribute becomes not only a recognition of influence, but also a means to challenge, reinterpret, and build upon it. Click here to learn more about Homage.

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: Bountiful Botanicals

Inspired by the exhibition Natural curiosities, join us to create botanical artworks. Flora such as flowers, fruits, veggies, and plants will be represented in our artworks.

In the studio create your own abstract patterned papers with acrylic paint. We will then cut our papers into the shapes of plants, gluing together colourful collages that pop against a simple background.

In the lobby we are creating linework drawings in METAL. We will etch the shapes of leaves, flowers, veggies or fruits in the shiny aluminum. Then use sharpie markers to colour them in, leaving them with a reflective shimmer.

E. May Martin (Canadian, 1865 – 1957); Iceland Poppy; 1896; watercolour on paper; Donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Lande

About Natural Curiosities
Flowers and plants have long fascinated artists, serving as both subjects of study and sources of inspiration. They provide a way to refine skills in observation, form, colour, and light, while also embodying nature’s beauty and fragility. Drawing from the RMG’s permanent collection, this exhibition highlights a range of floral and botanical art. Some works offer precise studies that capture fine detail, while others take a more expressive approach to the natural world. Together, they encourage us to pause, look closely, and rediscover the quiet wonder found in nature.

Click here to learn more about this exhibition.

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: Artsy Abstracts

This month we are exploring the abstract works in the exhibition, Hortense Gordon: Towards the New. Hortense Gordon, a Canadian painter, taught modern design and abstract principles for many years.

In the studio, we are creating geometric abstract works with acrylic paint and oil pastel. Our palettes will be monochromatic, mixing our paint colour with just black and white to make new tints and shades.

In The Lookout, we will create watercolour snowflakes as we admire the view of outside. Working with wet on dry painting techniques, paint an intricate, symmetrical snowflake that is one-of-a-kind!

Hortense Gordon (Canadian, 1887 -1961); Horizontals and Verticals; 1955; oil on canvas; Gift of Charlie Dobbie, 2000

About Hortense Gordon: Towards the New
Hortense Gordon (1886–1961) was a founding member of the influential artist collective, Painters Eleven, who were committed to advancing abstract art in Canada. Gordon valued the group’s shared energy and experimentation with abstraction. Buoyed by their support, Painters Eleven helped validate her move toward abstraction at a time when it was still controversial in Canada. Drawn from the RMG’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition highlights Hortense Gordon’s stylistic transformations and tireless pursuit of the new, celebrating her lasting impact on Canadian art.

Click here to learn more about this exhibition.

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: Sleepy Animals

In the Studio
This month we explore the works in Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok. We will take note of the artist’s experience working on and with the land. The artworks speak of the interdependence and relationality within our ecosystem. We will be using acrylic paint to mimic textured bark on paper. The studio activity and lobby activity will then be pieced together to create one artwork showing cozy hibernating animals, showing the importance of woodland environments.

In the Isabel Gallery
We will create sleepy animals, curled up in hibernation using oil pastels. Hibernating animals in Ontario include foxes, squirrels, skunks, snakes and more!

Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok installation at AGM, 2024.

About Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok
Whetung’s poignant works solicit our attention and reconsideration of spaces and species that are crucial to biodiversity and to sustainable food production. Tenderly foregrounding our more-than-human neighbours, they remind us that we are not the only ones to benefit from the land’s gifts, nor to suffer from ecological ruin. The exhibition’s Anishinaabemowin title, inawendiwok, loosely translates as “they are related to each other,” emphasizing the ways in which coexistence within the ecosystem is mutually linked.

Click HERE to learn more about this exhibition, and view related events!

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: Creative Castles

In the Studio
Let’s take inspiration from Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships by creating our very own treasure maps. Using the ideas of voyaging and fantasy, we will create our own diverse and epic worlds.

In the Isabel Gallery
Inspired by the fantastical architectural landscapes evident in Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships, we will craft our own castles using paper collage techniques.

Ekow Nimako, Wawa Aba, The Sunrise Dancer (circa 1358), 2022. Courtesy of the artist.

About Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships
The projects this month are inspired by the exhibition, Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships. Combining architecture, historical accounts, and fantastical possibilities, Ekow Nimako transcends the geometric form of LEGO® to recreate the 14th century sea voyage of Abu Bakr II.

Learn more about the exhibition, the artist and view related events HERE.

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: Vibrant Music

All ages. Free admission.

In the Isabel Gallery
This month we are joining forces with Making Music Together!

They will be bringing a live, interactive activity into our gallery space. Children will explore music with instruments and props, engaging with trained specialists for a fun morning filled with tunes. Please register ahead of time using the form below.

Registration form

In the Lobby
Inspired by Georgia Fullerton’s watercolour abstract art we will try our hand at creating expressive and vibrant patterns! Paint using the wet on dry technique, then cut your art into a leaf shape to commemorate the season.

In the Studio
Using gelli-plate leaf printing with real preserved leaves, we will take imprints of their texture capturing the essence of fall with warm colours!

About Making Music Together
Making Music Together is a recognized, research-based early-childhood music program with over 20 years of experience. We specialize in bringing the joy of music, movement, and education to children from birth to 8 years old. Our mission is to foster musical growth, essential life skills, and a lifelong love of music in young learners through engaging and developmentally appropriate activities.

Registration form

About Georgia Fullerton: Being In and Moving Through
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. Learn more about this exhibition, and view related events HERE.

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

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: Pretty Peonies

This time of year brings beautiful flowers! Create peonies, daisies, roses, sunflowers and happy pollinator bugs with clay in your very own plasticine garden.

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.