An anchor of the cultural calendar in Durham Region, RMG Fridays are free community events that bring together various art forms. Designed for all ages they feature a variety of live music, performances, film screenings with DRIFF (Durham Region International Film Festival), exhibition tours, artist talks, and highlight community partners and local businesses.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel this event due to circumstances beyond RMG’s control or not reasonably anticipated, including but not limited, to weather, or inability of Facility to host Event.
An anchor of the cultural calendar in Durham Region, RMG Fridays are free community events that bring together various art forms. Designed for all ages they feature a variety of live music, performances, film screenings with DRIFF (Durham Region International Film Festival), exhibition tours, artist talks, and highlight community partners and local businesses.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel this event due to circumstances beyond RMG’s control or not reasonably anticipated, including but not limited, to weather, or inability of Facility to host Event.
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, 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 Desarae Dee* and Joel Anderson, 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.
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.
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.
Part of the RMG Fridays Transcending to Convergence Series.
Come join us in the Backyard for an August retreat for some easy vibes with performances from Moonfruits and Cale Crowe. Just hang with some new friends or bring some old ones with you.
Order of Events: 7PM: Doors Open 7:35PM: Moonfruits performance 8:45PM: Cale Crowe Performance 9:30PM: Performance ends
Moonfruits—led by Ottawa-based partners Alex Millaire and Kaitlin Milroy—craft contemporary folk, organically alternating between French and English, that addresses our collective humanity with heart, wit, and wonder. This Stingray Rising Star, SOCAN, and Trille Or award-winning group has toured their transportive live show across Canada, the US, France, Belgium, and Germany. Moonfruits’ lushly orchestrated sophomore album, Salt (2022), is a 12-song suite that explores what it means to the band to live, dream, and raise a child in an era of climate change and deepening inequality. It tells the stories of their families and the kinds of communities they hope to help build.
Cale Crowe has been fueled by music since he was a toddler in the back of his dad’s Ford Bronco and has been taking audiences on an emotional journey since he first picked up a guitar at 12 years old. His performance started with an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal and has evolved to implement powerful melodies and moving rhythms for a deep, emotional experience.
Cale describes the songs that make up his discography as “Moments of vulnerability & (sometimes painful) honesty, captured and thinly veiled by upbeat tempos and textured sounds.” These moments have shown his increasing potential and have granted him stages from Nova Scotia to New Mexico and opportunities including sharing stages with Ron Sexsmith, Scott Helman, cleopatrick, Cinzia & The Eclipse, and countless others.
Gathering inspiration from Dermot Kennedy, City & Colour, Ed Sheeran, and the rolling hills of his home territory of Alderville First Nation, Cale seeks to connect listeners to a sense of boundless sincerity and authenticity; “I’ve always wanted my music to be a place in time where & when people might allow themselves to truly feel free.”
Victoria Grant, an esteemed Indigenous artist residing in Durham Region, Ontario, brings over 2 years of experience instructing engaging pyrography workshops suitable for participants aged 12 and above. Each workshop begins with a comprehensive introduction, including an inspiring address and thorough safety protocols to ensure a safe and enriching experience for all.
Participants embark on their creative journey by practicing with the pyrography tools on scrap wood under personalized guidance from Victoria herself. Once participants feel comfortable and confident with the technique, they transition to designing their own mini canoe paddles. This part of the workshop encourages personal expression, allowing each individual to imbue their creation with elements that resonate with their unique identity and creativity.
Throughout the workshop, Victoria provides hands-on assistance and expertise, helping participants refine their designs and execute them to perfection. By the end of the session, each participant will have crafted a personalized pyrography design on a mini canoe paddle that they can proudly take home, showcasing both their newfound skills and personal artistic vision.
Victoria’s workshops not only foster artistic skill development but also celebrate cultural heritage and personal expression, making them an enriching experience for all involved.
Victoria Grant is a Durham Region, Ontario-based Indigenous artist of Anishinaabe, Mi’Kmaq, and Métis heritage, who also acknowledges her non-Indigenous ancestry from France and Scotland. Throughout her life, Victoria has dedicated herself to formal and informal art training across various mediums, ultimately specializing in pyrography. Each piece she creates incorporates natural materials, is ceremonially smudged with sage, and crafted with the intention of bringing positive energy into the homes they adorn.
Dwelling Stains II, 2023. 16″ x 20″. Henna & Ink on Wood.
Guest artist Judith Grace Vijaysenan will be joining us in the backyard. Try your hand at henna art on wood and take home your finished product. No experience required!
About The Artist
Judith Grace Vijayasenan is an Indian-born, Toronto-based visual artist. Her medium styles incorporate oils, acrylics, ink and henna on Wood. Judith likes to base her pieces on memory, land, and small connections that she has to her past and present land (India and Canada).
She is graduated in June 2023 with a BFA in Drawing and Painting and minoring in Social Science from OCAD University. Judith’s work has been exhibited in Ada Slaight Gallery: Gathering Divergence (2022), OCAD University’s GRADEX 103 (2023) and The Clarke Center for the Arts in “Marinating in our Surrealistic Land” (2024) group exhibition.
This event has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel this event due to circumstances beyond RMG’s control or not reasonably anticipated, including but not limited, to weather, or inability of Facility to host Event.
Part of the RMG Fridays Transcending to Convergence Series.
It’s Salsa Night at Robert McLaughlin Gallery! Join us in the Backyard for free salsa lessons, good eats and a lively party under the night sky.
RMG’s Salsa Night will start off with two 25 minute lessons led by Kurt and Maria from The Love of Salsa. Learn the basics and then bring your moves to the dance floor where the live band, Farrucas Duo, will serenade our steps into the night.
Participants can register for a maximum of 2 people. Lesson 1 will be from 7:30-7:55pm and Lesson 2 will be from 7:55-8:20pm. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your lesson.
8:20PM: Dance lessons end + Short performance by Instructors
8:40PM: Band starts
9:40PM: Band ends
Farrucas Duo draws its unique repertoire from many classic songs written over the past century, but is also influenced by modern musical styles such as Salsa, Rumba Flamenco, Bolero, Cha Cha Cha, Cuban, South American, Arabic and more! Farrucas Duo combines entertainment, musicality, professionalism, creativity and tradition in every concert for almost 20 years; a must see!
Teaching & dancing Salsa in Durham Region since 2007, The Love of Salsa offers weekly group and private classes. Our Mission: To enhance dancing by helping Durham residents embrace their Latin side. Come join us on the floor.
Let the music and moves inspire you! In the lower level of the Backyard, we’ll be decorating wooden maracas using acrylic paint.
While supplies lasts.
A scholarship recipient of Classic Piano at Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia, Anabella Cabrera Janer is a musician with experience performing classic piano in various formats, as well as guitar, percussion and voice in a wide range of genres such as tropical, popular and Caribbean folk.
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.
Part of the RMG Fridays Transcending to Convergence Series.
Bubbles, Bubbles, BUBBLES! We’re celebrating the iridescence in all of us as Pride is here! The night will be filled with a cabaret of performances with all the wonderful people in our community. So, please join us for a night of frivolity, dance and letting your troubles float away into the twilight.
The Losing Art of Plating: Drag Aesthetics, Food Security, and Harm Reduction with Mikiki
7:30-9:30pm
In this hands-on workshop, participants will build extravagant plates of highly processed (“junk”) food. Performance Artist and Queer Community Activist Mikiki will lead the workshop, facilitating conversations about the politics of food as it intersects with concepts of beauty, gender representation, drag, food security, and harm reduction. Unpacking the language of “junk food” through creativity and play, this drop-in program is welcoming to people of all ages.
This workshop is offered alongside an installation by Hannah Jickling and Reed H. Reed in the exhibition Contemporary Kids, on view at the RMG from June 1 to October 6, 2024. Their installation After Wrappers, explores collaborative learning, the politics of food and of the potential of garbage.
Please note: Various food products will be available in the workshop space, so please take the necessary precautions if you have a food allergy.
If there is something we can do to support your participation, or if you have any questions about the program, please contact Hannah Keating at hkeating@rmg.on.ca.
Kali Kontour, the sensational drag persona hailing from Oshawa, has been captivating audiences for two fabulous years. With roots firmly planted in her hometown, Kali embodies elegance, sass, and unapologetic charisma. Beyond the spotlight, she champions charitable causes, using her platform to uplift and support her community in true diva fashion.
Dank Sinatra is a non-binary drag thing, librarian, and Dora-nominated theater artist who got their start performing on Coast Salish Territories in 2018. As part of the House of Faith, they took home second place in Absolut Empire’s Ball 2023. Boasting the same record collection as your Dad, Dank draws on influences from cabaret to classic rock, burlesque to big band, delivering thrills, chills, and live vocal skills with a heavy dose of stupidity and an old school sensibility.
A trans non binary drag king, thing, and everything in between. Born and raised in Southern Ontario, El Experimento has been gracing the stages of Toronto and the East Coast since winter of 2022. An amalgamation and reclamation of nostalgic heart throbs, heart breakers and hell raisers. His Latin flare and hunky charm transcend time and space, leaving you aching with desire.
Vital! Contemporary Circus is a small, local circus company founded in 2022 by Oshawa resident Jackie Houghton. Jackie has spent close to 15 years in the circus community as a performer, producer and writer. After moving to Oshawa in 2020, she realized that there was an opportunity to develop a local circus community where there was none. Since then she has performed for local businesses, Canada Day at Lakeview Park, and the inaugural Convergence Festival. In addition to performing, Jackie also produces circus cabarets locally under the banner of Vital! Circus Cabaret. Jackie continues to work towards her goal of sharing her love of circus with Durham Region and she’s very excited to be working with the Robert McLaughlin Gallery!
In the studio, make D.I.Y. Pride themed pins using polymer clay! This project is simple and fun, no experience required. Ages 12+
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.
This month, we’re celebrating a brand new exhibition at the RMG! Please join us on the lower level in Gallery A at 7:15PM for opening remarks with Durham College students and staff to recognize the opening of Emerging Visions. Emerging Visions is an annual exhibition of thesis projects by the third-year Fine Arts class at Durham College.
Order of Events
7pm – Doors Open, Art Activity begins in Studio
7:15pm – DRIFF Screening in the Lookout
7:15-7:45 – Opening Remarks and Award Ceremony
8pm – Performance by BoluSings
8:15pm – DRIFF Screening in the Lookout
8:45pm – Performance by Simmone Mariah
Bolu Adefemi or “BoluSings” is a 16 year old girl from Oshawa, Ontario. Bolu uses songwriting to explore the issues that touch her world. Bolu’s mum likes to tell people “She’s been singing ever since she was in the womb”; and Bolu agrees she has always loved to sing. Bolu Adefemi has written, produced, and released three songs on important issues: including the “Corona-virus”, The importance of self care, and the “Black Lives Matter Movement”. Bolu has been featured in the following media: CityTV, CP24 News, AM960, 680 News, Clarington This Week, Orono Times, Durham.com, The RoundTable Talk show in Long Beach, California Toronto Caribbean Virtual Festival and Ticker TV, Australia etc. Bolu loves to follow her passion, while sharing messages that she finds crucial.
Simmone Mariah is a Toronto-born and-raised singer/songwriter who has been captivating audiences with her powerful voice and emotive lyrics. Raised in church Simmone discovered her love for music at a young age and has been honing her craft ever since. Simmone’s music is both fresh and timeless exploring love, heartbreak and self-discovery. In 2018 Simmone released her debut single; Miles Between which showcased her signature sound and has set the tone for her future success. Since then she has continued to write and record music that speaks to the heart of her listeners. As she continues to pursue her passion for music, Simmone Mariah is poised to make a lasting impact on the North American music scene and beyond.
DRIFF Screening
Frida in the Sky | Directed by Dani Sadun | 6:14 minutes
Frida, an 8-year-old engineering prodigy, builds an airplane behind her mother’s back to follow in her Abuela’s legacy.
In the studio, create your very own D.I.Y. planter pot stake using polymer clay! No art experience required.
We’re going back to the roaring 20’s! Come out to continue the celebration of Oshawa’s Centennial and travel back in time with us. Show off your hats inspired by a time when glitz, glamour, and the evolution of a new city was about to take place.
This month, we’re also celebrating a brand new exhibition at the RMG! Please join us in the RSM gallery at 7:15pm for opening remarks to recognize the opening of his solo exhibition, The Big Hat.
Order of Events
7:00pm: Doors Open
7:15pm-7:30pm: Opening Remarks
7:15pm: DRIFF screening in the Lookout
7:15pm: Art Activity with Farah in the Studio
7:30pm-8:30pm: Oshawa Music Week performances
8:15pm: DRIFF screening in the Lookout
Image in the artist’s studio, 2024. Courtesy of Tony Romano.
Tony Romano creates sculptures and videos that playfully reimagine found objects and rework raw and recycled materials. Rooted in a family tradition of carpentry and ironwork, he has long been interested in the endless recyclability of metal, the narrative possibilities it offers, and the memories it holds onto. In The Big Hat, Romano has created a new series of sculptures that tell a cautionary tale of an imagined whirligig community reckoning with the arrival of a greedy professor.
Oshawa Music Week, presented by Durham College, will be featuring music from Acoustic performers in the Isabel as part of their series of musical performances throughout the week.
When the young, white and unencumbered Steve (Sean Depner – Riverdale, Deadly Class) is hit by a truck, he awakens in a cavernous and decaying opera house. There he meets The Ticket Taker, a shape shifting bureaucrat of death who explains that Steve must be sent back to perform one influential act before enjoying a life of guaranteed privilege and luxury. Steve must decide whether or not to uphold a status quo that benefits only him.
Join us in the studio to create your very own musical inspired magnet. No art experience required!
This polymer clay project is suitable for visitors 12+
We’re celebrating International Women’s Day at the RMG! This is the night to hear leading voices in Durham Region of women owned businesses and see performances of young and dedicated talent. Come to buy locally owned food prepared with passion and perseverance.
Order of Events
7:00pm: Doors open. Art Activity with Farah in the Art Studio and yoga class with Kimmel Alcide in Arthur’s
7:15pm: DRIFF screening in the Lookout
7:30pm: Wise Women with Liz Oke, Mathilda Irawan, and Georgia Fullerton
8:00pm: First session of Chair’ography Workshop with Inferno Pole Studio
8:15pm: DRIFF screening in the Lookout
8:30pm: Tour with Associate Curator, Public Programs, Hannah Keating. Learn more about our exhibitions that feature female and queer artists.
8:45pm: Let’s DANCE! DJ Lynz’s crew will be spinning tunes to raise your hands, sing along and feel the joy!
9:00pm: Second session of Chair’ography Workshop with Inferno Pole Studio
Upstairs in Arthur’s, Inferno Pole Studio will be hosting a Chairography Workshop! In a 45 minute session, learn a flow and have some fun dancing your way around a chair. Friendly for all levels! Bring knee pads if you have any! Wear leggings or something stretchy to move in. Tighter clothing is preferred. Wearing socks or shoes is recommended.
These sessions are free but registration is required. Sign up here.
As the Director of The Everyday Yogi Inc., Kimmel Alcide curates unique wellness experiences with the primary goal of cultivating peace. She is deeply committed to guiding individuals, teams and communities toward self-discovery through yoga and mindfulness practices. Additionally, she serves as a lead Yoga Trainer for LifePower Yoga, offering 100hr and 200hr trainings in Durham region. With over 10 000 hours in the wellness industry, she has collaborated with notable brands such as lululemon, Team Canada, Hershey’s Chocolate, Canada Goose and Uber Canada integrating yoga and mindfulness into their work and professional environments.
Her core values are centered around personal responsibility, connection, inclusivity and contribution. Beyond her practice and profession, Kimmel enjoys connecting people, hiking in nature, and playing scrabble.
Georgia Fullerton is a Jamaican Canadian visual artist, expressive arts therapist, arts educator, and public speaker. Educated in visual arts at Red Deer College in Red Deer, Alberta she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991 at York University in Toronto, Ontario.
Building arts-based relationships with community partners such as The Royal Ontario Museum, Station Gallery, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Durham District School Board (DDSB)and others, Georgia has created 4 major public art pieces since 2012. One of her most recent public artworks, titled: ‘For the Win and the Wonder’ was commissioned by the Toronto Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Corporation and launched in late 2023 as part of the new Scotiabank Arena permanent Art Collection.
Engaging all sides of her creative prowess, Georgia deepens her understanding and practice of arts in health as an expressive arts therapist with a small private practice and facilitates healing arts workshops online. Georgia is the founder of the Durham Black Artists’ Collective (DBAC) and is a faculty member of the School of Media, Art and Design at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario.
Liz Oke designs and implements marketing/sales plans and creative strategy for businesses that want to change direction, optimize their digital presence and brand, and align their marketing efforts with their revenue goals. She has over 20+ years of experience in delivering successful projects for clients in various industries, including e-commerce, financial services, food services, manufacturing, education, retail, music, insurance, law, consulting, banking, real estate, and cultural institutions. She is currently following the ever-changing opportunities with AI.
Mathilda Irawan is an Indonesian born Chinese woman who immigrated to Canada 22 years ago. Her education background is psychology, gerontology, hypnotherapy, finance, and yoga therapy. She is the chef and owner of Mathilda’s Restaurant in downtown Oshawa where we supply meals, desserts, and baking mixes to other retailers across the province. She also owns Mathilda’s Sauces Inc. with all sauces being vegan, gluten free, and oil free.
She is on a mission to get people moving their body, reprogram their subconscious mind, take control of their health and heal themselves, and unite body, mind, and spirit. This is possible by practicing compassion towards ourselves, the animals, and nature. When we align our actions with our beliefs and values, we will heal at a deeper level.
The Fading | 15 mins
Directed by Rafaël Beauchamp
French, with English subtitles
In the heart of a foggy and rural Quebec winter, Luce, a grieving mother faced with the disappearance of her son, is taken aback when three local hunters track down the alleged killer, a seemingly harmless young man. When it is proposed to her to take revenge on the latter, the spirit of the masses slowly takes possession of her tragedy as the group sinks into the forest. “Les battues” (The Fading) blurs the line between victim and persecutor in a dreamlike and anxiety-inducing thriller.
Tour with Associate Curator, Public Programs, Hannah Keating, through the gallery and learn more about our exhibitions that feature female and queer artists such as World-builders, shapeshifters, Kenatentas, and Commonplace.
We will be making wearable art led by Farah! Make marbled polymer clay beads, strung together to make a necklace or keychain.
Join us in celebrating the harvest season! The night will feature music from Matthew Holtby and Darren Roy Clarke. We will also be hosting a breathwork mediation seminar will take place in Arthur’s by Julie Brar. In the lobby, Dine and Style will be presenting a small autumn bounty.
Order of Events
7 pm – Doors Open
7:10 pm – First film screening with DRIFF
7:30 pm – Opening remarks & first performance by Darren Clarke
8:15 pm – Intermission
8:30 pm – Second film screening with DRIFF
8:45 pm – Performance by Matthew Holtby
Join Farah in the Studio downstairs between sets to try out paper quilling. We will use designs inspired by the autumn season to created intricate artwork. No experience required!
In the Lookout, DRIFF will be screening a short film at 7:10pm and 8:30pm.
Engaged to be Engaged by Joseph Covello (13 mins)
On the brink of proposing, a hopeless romantic confronts her true fears and insecurities as she imagines all the ways it could backfire. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is facing a similar predicament.
Community, Breath and the Power of Cellular Nutrition
Come to this informative talk that brings together the community using the power of breath, meditation and regeneratively grown foods. Julie will be guiding you through powerful yet simple breathing exercises that will help you to calm your nervous system. She will also be sharing the power of high vibration regeneratively grown foods and how that help to lift your physical and spiritual practice. Transitioning from summer to fall is a powerful time to reflect and come together as a community. Please bring a journal, pen, yoga mat and a cushion to sit on.
Session is 90 minutes with time for Q & A. Registration is required.
Julie Brar is an award-winning Holistic Nutritionist and Regenerative Health Practitioner who is passionate about supporting others to better health. Julie also holds several yoga certifications and taught yoga for several years prior to moving into Regenerative Health.
Julie specializes in helping men and women who desire to create the best health possible through regenerative health practices. Julie has used nutrition, detoxification protocols and various holistic health practices to reverse her Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism diagnosis. She uses similar tools for clients whether they want to improve an autoimmune condition or simply release weight. She has multiple programs for individuals and groups online.
Julie is also a published author in a collaborative book project, The Courage to Change, which hit the bestseller list on Amazon under Motivation in 2019.
Warkworth’s Matthew Holtby, has been honing his craft as a songwriter and performer for nearly two decades, producing original and emotive music that strikes a chord with audiences. Recently embarking on a new adventure as a solo artist, he has channeled his influences from the music he grew up with into his latest collection, featuring songs and stories that touch on themes of love, loss, and redemption. His music has been gaining recognition, including rotation on CBC Radio. A new album is set for release later this year.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist Darren Roy Clarke writes songs that map the highways of his heart. Blending delicate roots, confessional country, and heartbreak folk, his music reveals a road-worn journey of the soul. Darren spins introspective vignettes in his distinctive tenor voice, accompanying himself with expressive, exploratory guitar that is as integral to these tails as his lyrics.
Hailing from the cozy, artsy hamlet of Warkwarth, ON, Darren has been writing and performing for over 30 years, opening for the likes of Jason Collett, Craig Cardiff, and the Good Lovelies.