In 2020, at the height of the global pandemic, communities came together to show support for first responders and health care workers. Painted rocks, handmade signs in windows, and messages posted on fences became visible expressions of gratitude and solidarity for those working on the front lines. Even without fanfare, frontline workers continue to show up every day, as those in their professions have long done before them.

Drawn from the Thomas Bouckley Collection, this exhibition looks back at the first responders and health care workers who have served the Oshawa community across generations. Images of firefighters, nurses, doctors, ambulances, and more recent social services trace a history of care, protection, and public service in the city. While these photographs do not depict the everyday heroes of today, they remind us that the dedication and service of those who came before continue to shape and sustain our community.

Before joining the abstract collective Painters Eleven in 1953, Oscar Cahén had already built a successful career as a publishing illustrator. He maintained an active illustration practice even as his painting increasingly moved toward abstraction. Known for his sharp observation and expressive style, Cahén became one of Canada’s most sought-after illustrators of the 1950s. This exhibition presents rarely seen illustrations from the Permanent Collection, revealing Cahén’s ability to craft vivid scenes that capture humour, empathy, and the complexities of human experience.

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.

Flowers and plants have long fascinated artists, serving as both subjects of study and sources of inspiration. To hone their skills of observation, artists look to botanical subjects to study the effects of form, colour, and light and to translate the beauty and fragility they see in nature into poignant works of art. Drawing from the RMG’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition brings together a selection of floral and botanical artworks that encourage a closer examination of the natural world.

Despite similarities in their subject matter, some of the artists shown here present precise studies with fine details, while others take a more expressive approach. William Blair Bruce’s sketches, for example, offer attentive renderings of apricot blossoms, corn stalks, and forest foliage, whereas Yvonne McKague Housser’s painting Jack in the Pulpit (1946) focuses on a more formal exploration of shape and light. For Bruce, sketching outdoors was a way to explore spiritual and emotional resonance. He wrote about how everyday scenes can reveal deeper connections between life, ecology, and the human spirit. His botanical sketches, then, function less as scientific studies and more as meditations on nature. Whatever the artists’ intent, the sketches, paintings, and photographs in this exhibition invite us to pause, look closely, and rediscover the quiet wonder found in flowers and plants.

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.

Drawing from The Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s Permanent Collection, this exhibition explores how artists pay homage—to individuals, pivotal events, and shared experiences. Within these gestures of tribute lie acts of resistance, care, and the reclaiming of stories. Whether evoking ancestral knowledge, responding to collective grief, or reimagining iconic images, the artists in this exhibition use memory as a tool for both reflection and transformation. Together, these artworks remind us of the enduring power of art to honour and connect—inviting us to consider what, and who, we choose to remember.

Hortense Gordon (1886–1961) was an important figure in Canadian modern art. Trained at the Hamilton Art School, Gordon spent her early career making ceramics and painting traditional landscapes, but it was her later embrace of abstraction that defines her legacy.

Gordon returned to teach art at the Hamilton Technical and Art School and married fellow teacher John Sloan Gordon. Each summer the couple travelled widely, visiting galleries and filling their sketchbooks with new artistic ideas. While her husband preferred more traditional, academic styles, Gordon was drawn to the avant-garde. Inspired by what she saw in Europe and the United States, she began experimenting with more modern styles—including abstraction in the 1940s.

Gordon’s journey as an artist reflected broader changes in 20th-century art. Towards the New follows this transformation—from Gordon’s early landscapes to her later embrace of abstract art. Throughout her career, she engaged new ideas and followed contemporary approaches to artmaking in both her teaching and her own practice. Despite resistance from her husband and the art establishment, Gordon taught modern design and abstract principles for years before fully adopting them herself. Celebrated American abstract expressionist teacher, Hans Hofmann, wrote that Gordon was “an extraordinary person…always directed towards the future and progress in Life and Art.”

In 1953, Gordon 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.

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.

Particularly charming are the novelty postcards: vivid, humorous, and sometimes cheeky, filled with innuendo, romantic pursuits, and playful exaggerations—much like the memes we share today. While many of these novelty postcards are not specific to Oshawa, they reflect the broader social trends and popular culture of the time.

With the rise of the telephone and other forms of communication, postcards gradually declined in popularity. This exhibition invites reflection on a time when sending a message was a physical act—a piece of paper carrying a piece of someone’s world. Whether humorous, scenic, or exaggerated, these postcards give us a glimpse into the shared experiences, personalities, and cultural identity of historical Oshawa.

While we are often more familiar with an artist’s work than their physical appearance, portraits of artists offer a glimpse into the person behind the art. A good portrait captures the sitter’s likeness, but a great one captures their essence. And who better to achieve this than a fellow artist? This exhibition, drawn from the Permanent Collection, explores portraits of artists created by their peers.

Artists create portraits of other artists for many reasons. Some do so to express admiration, honoring their subject’s contributions and impact on the art world. Others are motivated by personal relationships, capturing mentors, peers, or collaborators to commemorate their shared bond through art. Whether spontaneous or commissioned, these portraits represent a creative exchange between artists, shaped by their unique motivations.

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.

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

Painters Eleven was 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.”

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s collection began in 1967 when artist Alexandra Luke, a member of Painters Eleven, donated thirty-seven works from her private collection. Luke’s donation of art helped to establish the RMG’s unique focus on collecting and exhibiting the work of Painters Eleven and included works by all members of the group. Today, the RMG’s collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints by Painters Eleven has grown to over one thousand works, including works from before and after the Painters Eleven years (1953-1960). The RMG regularly presents exhibitions featuring works by the group, pulling together different aesthetics or themes.

Installation of Painters Eleven: Abstract Bonds at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2025. Photos by Toni Hafkenscheid.

Artists have often played with scale to convey significance or to demonstrate their painting abilities. Similarly, abstract artists have used large-scale art to create striking visual impact and to highlight the physicality of the process. Whether to inspire awe or elevate abstraction to new levels, the artists in this exhibition have worked at a larger-than-life, even monumental scale.

Abstraction is an important part of the RMG’s story. While the gallery frequently exhibits work by Painters Eleven, it also has an extensive collection of artworks by other important Canadian abstract artists. This exhibition brings together large-scale abstract paintings from the RMG’s permanent collection some of which have rarely been exhibited – mostly due to their sheer size. The big and bold artworks are expressive and joyful, showing that great art comes in all colours, shapes and sizes.

Installation of Go BIG at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2024. Photos by Toni Hafkenscheid.