Wellness Wednesdays: Introduction to Open Studio Process (OSP) with Mary Krohnert

Join us for an evening of creativity, reflection and connection as we explore Open Studio Process (OSP), a mindful practice that brings together journaling, art-making, reflective writing and sharing in a supportive, judgment-free space. Through spontaneous mark-making, colour and creative exploration, we’ll make room to reflect on our hopes, imagine new possibilities and envision creative intentions for 2027. All materials will be provided, and no previous art experience is required – just a willingness to play, explore and see what emerges. Led by LivingRoom founder and certified OSP facilitator Mary Krohnert, this welcoming session is an opportunity to nurture creativity, listen and share, connect with ourselves and the possibilities ahead.

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This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Brigitte at [email protected]

Wellness Wednesday: Soundscape Guided Meditation with Jothi

Join Jothi for a grounding and restorative soundscape meditation designed to offer a pause from the noise and busyness of everyday life.

Through gentle guided meditation, breath, stillness, and the soothing sounds of singing bowls, chimes, and bells, participants will be invited to slow down, settle into their bodies, and create space for rest, reflection, and renewal.

This experience is an invitation to simply arrive as you are with no expectations and nothing to accomplish. Allow sound and breath to gently guide you inward, offering an opportunity to reconnect with yourself while being held within the energy of community.

A beautiful way to care for yourself while sharing space with others.

Please bring:

Yoga mat
Pillow (optional)
Blanket (optional)
Water
Journal and pen for personal reflection (optional)

Come as you are. Listen deeply. Breathe. Receive.

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Jothi is a community wellness facilitator, intuitive guide, and mama of two who creates spaces for people to slow down, reconnect, and listen more deeply to themselves and the world around them.

Her own healing journey began almost 20 years ago with the birth of her first child and has grown into a lifelong exploration of embodied healing, spirituality, nature, creativity, and community. Through her work, Jothi weaves together meditation, breath, somatic practices, intuitive guidance, sound, and creative expression to invite people into greater connection with their bodies, inner wisdom, and one another.

With more than 10 years of experience facilitating wellness experiences in community and workplace settings, Jothi brings a warm, grounded, and heart-centred presence to the spaces she holds. Her approach is deeply relational and rooted in collective care, ancestral wisdom, mindfulness, and the belief that we all carry wisdom within us.

Jothi especially loves creating experiences where people can pause from the noise of everyday life and simply be, whether through movement, stillness, sound, reflection, or connection with nature.

Outside of her facilitation work, Jothi is passionate about dancing, being in nature, and building community through service. She volunteers with Community Care Durham and is actively involved in local community initiatives and organizations.

For Jothi, a guided meditation is not about emptying the mind or doing it “right.” It is an invitation to arrive exactly as you are, soften into the present moment, and allow sound, breath, and imagination to guide you inward.

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Bright and Merry Market

Get ready for an evening filled with exciting experiences at the RMG. You will find performances from O’Neil dance and music students, a dance workshop, face painting, a hot chocolate and rest station, and a variety of local vendors.

A little bird told us you deserve a sweet treat. Experience the delectable sweet treats from The Little Bird Bakery.

There is something deeply special about using a handmade product. At Wall Naturals, products are made with safe, effective, and luxurious plant-based ingredients. Scented only with pure essential oils, these artisan soaps are formulated to be gentle on your body and transform your daily routine into a spa-like sanctuary.

Thomas Bouckley: The Man Behind the Collection

The most common question about the Thomas Bouckley Collection is: Who was Thomas Bouckley? This exhibition offers a closer look at the man whose deep interest in his community’s history led him to assemble a collection of over 3500 photographs of historical Oshawa. The selection of images also pays tribute to the long history and presence of the Bouckley family in Oshawa.

Born in Blackpool, England, in 1904, Thomas Bouckley came to Oshawa with his family as an infant. As a boy, he attended St. Gregory’s School and Oshawa High School, now known as O’Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute. He earned pocket money polishing shoes in his father’s shop, Veteran Shoe Shine, which would later become Mike’s Place, a stable of downtown Oshawa for over ninety years. After graduating in ceramic engineering from the University of Toronto, Bouckley became co-manager of the Jubilee Pavilion in Lakeview Park. At the outbreak of the Second World War, he enlisted with the Special Forces and served for six years. After the war, he returned to Oshawa and joined his brother, Harold, in operating Mike’s Place.

Bouckley’s fascination with his father’s collection of historical photographs inspired his lifelong interest in documenting Oshawa’s past. Concerned with the condition of the photographs, he taught himself how to preserve and reproduce them so they could be shared with future generations. His collection grew in many ways, including through photographs and albums rescued from the garbage. Bouckley even offered bottles of whiskey to local garbage collectors who found historical photographs and albums among the discarded materials.

He would later take up photography himself, documenting Oshawa as it looked during his lifetime. A determined researcher, Bouckley carefully recorded notes and information about the photographs he collected. One of his most significant achievements was the publication of the three-volume book featuring his collection Pictorial Oshawa.

Thomas Bouckley’s legacy lives on through the collection of images he assembled and preserved. What began as one man’s passion became an important link to Oshawa’s past, offering generations of people an opportunity to see, explore, and better understand the city’s history.

Thomas Bouckley, 1988
Thomas Bouckley with the Jubilee Pavilion Staff, 1935

Cheryl Wilson-Smith: Walking in Margaret’s Garden

Walking in Margaret’s Garden is an installation of 198 glass sculptures hand-formed by artist, Cheryl Wilson-Smith. Suspended in the atrium of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG), this playful installation transforms the natural light that defines the space into bright, colorful shadows. As a celebration of the RMG’s 60^th Anniversary, Wilson-Smith invites us to reflect on the expressive qualities of abstraction, and the significance of the RMG Permanent Collection.

The installation is inspired by an abstract painting in the RMG Permanent Collection. Garden was painted in 1958 by Alexandra Luke (aka Margaret McLaughlin), a member of Painters Eleven and founding member of the RMG. Wilson-Smith’s installation, Walking in Margaret’s Garden, takes as inspiration the deep reds, cornflower blues, and bright turquoises of Luke’s painting, translating these colors into glass. Each glass tile was made by Wilson-Smith at her studio in Red Lake, ON. The tiles were draped over clay molds to create their convex shape, then fired in electric kilns. The installation is arranged in the atrium in cascading layers, emulating the rhythm and texture of Luke’s painting.

As Cheryl Wilson-Smith states: “Margaret Alexandra Luke understood that colour was not decoration, it was feeling made visible.” Walking in Margaret’s Garden celebrates light, energy, and colour. Viewers are invited to walk through the shadows beneath the installation, and are encouraged to return to the gallery at varying times of day to see how light transforms the work.

Artist Bio
Cheryl Wilson-Smith is a glass artist based in Red Lake, Ontario, in the middle of the boreal forest, where the highway ends. With over thirty years of professional experience, Wilson-Smith’s work is energized by the exchange between glass and the people who encounter it. The artist explores glass as a material that carries time and memory, creating a relationship between the environment and the human condition.

Wilson-Smith has been fortunate to hold residencies at Sheridan College, the Corning Museum of Glass, as well as residencies in Norway and Scotland. She is a recipient of the RBC Award for glass and the Chalmers Arts Fellowship. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the US and Canada, and was recently shown in Scotland and England. Locally, her work can be seen at Oeno Gallery, in Picton ON.

Wellness Wednesday: Yoga With Chantal

Take a moment to breathe and connect during Yoga with Chantal at the RMG. This is a 4-week 1 hour Wellness Wednesday movement series.

Chantal is an Oshawa-based, certified Hatha, Yin and Gentle Yoga Instructor dedicated to promoting community wellness through movement, breathwork and relaxation. She holds undergraduate degrees in both psychology and physiology, and a Master’s degree in counseling psychology. As a former youth counsellor and employment coach, Chantal has over 15 years of experience supporting diverse populations as they explore and actualize their personal and professional goals. She’s chosen to share her love of yoga as part of the RMG’s Wellness Wednesday initiative as it has been central to her own health and well-being journey.

Requirements for the classes: Attendees only need to bring a yoga mat and a water bottle. They should also wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. They don’t need special yoga clothes. Open to all ages.

Class dates and time: Wednesday, October 14, 21, 28 and November 4 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.

REGISTRATION IS FULL. To join the waitlist email [email protected]

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Wellness Wednesday: Energy at Work: Creating Conditions for Yourself and Others to Thrive With Jessica Macri

Wellness Wednesday Workshop by Jessica Macri founder of Momentum Learning Company

Work can be energizing, challenging, exciting, demanding, and everything in between. The way we prioritize, respond to challenges, communicate, and interact with others shapes not only our own experience at work, but the experience of the people around us.

This interactive session will help you step back from the day-to-day, look at where your energy and attention are going, and identify where you have the greatest opportunity to make a difference. Through practical frameworks, reflection, and conversation, you’ll explore how to protect your capacity, focus your effort where it matters most, and contribute to a workplace where people can do their best work.

Participants will:

Recognize the everyday factors that influence their energy, focus, and capacity at work.
Identify where they may be spending energy on things outside their control and where they can redirect their attention toward what they can control or influence.
Explore how everyday communication, reactions, and behaviours can create clarity and momentum or contribute to friction for themselves and others.
Apply practical strategies to protect their capacity, focus their effort, and navigate challenging workplace situations more effectively.
Leave with one concrete action they can put into practice immediately in their own work.

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About Momentum Learning Company

Momentum Learning Company is a learning and leadership development company that helps organizations build the skills, behaviours, and workplace practices that enable people and teams to thrive. Through interactive workshops, keynotes, facilitation, and learning consulting, Momentum brings practical learning to topics such as leadership, communication, workplace culture, adaptability, and the human skills needed to navigate a changing world.

Momentum is led by Jessica Macri, a learning consultant and facilitator with experience designing and delivering national learning strategies for organizations and leaders across Canada. Her approach combines practical tools, meaningful conversation, and reflection to help people turn ideas into action.

Yongzhen Li: RBC Emerging Artist Residency Exhibition

During his residency, Yongzhen Li will create new work that explores the impact of social power structures and cultural heritage on the formation of personal identity through the expressive medium of Chinese ink painting and drawing. Drawing on motifs from past work, the artist will produce a long, panoramic handscroll using ink and mugwort dye. He will also develop a 2D animation in collaboration with colleagues from the animation program at Durham College. Combining traditional and contemporary techniques, this storytelling project is inspired by the deep connections between the past and present.

Artist Bio: 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 Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery (Vancouver, 2026). Li is committed to public engagement through community-based art and educational initiatives.

Nightfall Concert + Exhibition Opening

Come out to celebrate the opening of Nightfall, a group exhibition featuring work by Megan Arnold, Shannon Garden-Smith, Ness Lee, Shelley Niro, Chiedza Pasipanodya, Brenda Mabel Reid, and Noelle Wharton-Ayer. Light refreshments will be served, and a cash bar will be offered. All are welcome!

At 4:30pm, some of the artists will join the exhibition’s curator, Hannah Keating, in an informal tour of the exhibition, which will be followed by a musical performance with Fittonia at 6pm. Seating will be provided.

Fittonia is a Peterborough, Ontario based collective who perform “little songs of the spirit” by songwriter Shannon Culkeen. Incorporating elements of traditional folk, contemporary songwriting, Appalachian devotional music, sacred harp singing, traditional gaelic music, mediaeval plainsong, and drone, Fittonia’s music is about redemption in ecological ruin, meditations on courage and virtue, and the challenge of knowing that death is coming. Culkeen, a nurse and frontline addictions worker, is no stranger to these themes and composes her music from a startlingly candid first-person perspective informed by lived experience, accompanied by a conspicuous sense of wonder and humility.

This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Brigitte at [email protected].

IMAX Panel Discussion with Canadian Astronaut Roberta Bondar

Still from Oliver Husain, MAXI (2026), double screen video, 17 min; cinematographer: Eva Kolcze, Khanh Tudo.

Join us for a virtual panel discussion on the history and future of IMAX cinema with special guest, astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar. Dr Bondar will share her experiences with IMAX filmmaking in space, and how it continues to influence her work as a photographer and environmental advocate. Our panel will consist of scholars Janine Marchessault, Jessica Mulvogue, Allison Whitney, and artist Oliver Husain, whose exhibition I <3 Snail, on display at the gallery, draws on similar themes to the panel.

This event will also mark the publication of a special issue of the journal Feminist Media Histories on “Women of IMAX,” which investigates the transformative work of women as film directors, producers, museum managers, technical writers, and computing experts in the medium’s nearly fifty-year history.

This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Hannah at [email protected].

Registration is required.

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Panelist Bios:

Dr. Roberta Bondar is a neurologist, physician, photographer, and Canada’s first female astronaut. She participated in the production of the IMAX film Destiny in Space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, Mission STS-42. She is a leader in space medicine research, and through the Roberta Bondar Foundation she fosters initiatives that merge scientific and artistic practice to support environmental education and protection.

Artist and filmmaker Oliver Husain is based in Toronto. His projects are often collaborations with other artists and friends; and often begin with a fragment of history, a rumour, a personal encounter or a distant memory. He uses a wide range of cinematic languages, technical experiments and visual pleasures — such as dance, puppetry, costume, special effects — to animate his research and fold the viewers into complex narrative set-ups.

Janine Marchessault is Professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Arts at York University in Toronto, Canada. She is the Principal Investigator for[DH1] Locating Transnational Collaborations in the Early History of Imax Films and Architectures (1970–1990), imax-history.ca/. She is also the commissioner for XL Outer Worlds, culminating in the production of five experimental IMAX films by Canadian artists to celebrate the invention of IMAX, www.xlouterworlds.ca/.

Jessica Mulvogue is a Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and a member of the research team Locating Transnational Collaborations in the Early History of Imax Films and Architectures (1970-1990), imax-history.ca/. She is the coeditor of The Interactive Documentary in Canada (McGill-Queens University Press, 2024) and Cinematic Ecosystems: Screen Encounters with More Than Humans in the Era of Environmental Crisis (Vernon Press, 2025). She has published work on eco-cinema, artists’ moving image, and documentary film in Studies in World Cinema, Transformations Journal, and various edited collections.

Allison Whitney is the 2026-27 Fulbright Canada Distinguished Chair in Arts and Social Sciences in Canada and North America at Carleton University, and a Professor of Film and Media Studies at Texas Tech University. Her research is on the history of film technology, with expertise in IMAX and 3D cinema. Her publications on IMAX address topics including space exploration, IMAX in science fiction and horror cinema, and the films of Christopher Nolan.