Civic Conversations: Speculative Mapping for the Star Glyph Garden

With Karyn Recollet and Jon Johnson

This event is free and open to anyone, but registration is limitedto 12.

Speculative Mapping for the Star Glyph Garden is a gathering for setting intentions and asking questions about what is possible when we are led by an ethic of care. Designed for the RMG’s new backyard, the Star Glyph Garden will be a rock garden that welcomes visitors to consider the constellation of people and more-than-human beings that make up this community. The design itself is informed by Indigenous storytelling, as well as the future-oriented cosmology and landing practices of Karyn Recollet and Jon Johnson.

This event is the first in our new Civic Conversations series, which asks: What are we willing to risk to protect, strengthen, and nourish our world and each other? We invite artists and activists from various disciplines to guide us towards stirring questions that challenge us to converse honestly about what is at stake in the way we relate to ourselves, each other, and the places where we live.

Within the context of the RMG’s newly renovated backyard space, this event will provoke thinking and conversation around settler gardening practices and the distinct potential the Star Glyph Garden holds for radical relationality. As a group, participants will be led through a lightly curated mapping process. Karyn will offer prompts that invite reflections and will gather participants into relation. Ephemeral fragments will be left on the site as offerings of love and promise in preparation for the planting of the rock garden, which will take place at a later date.

Participants will be invited to join the artists and gallery staff in a picnic lunch.

Please come prepared to be outside with appropriate clothing, sun protection, and water. The RMG is delighted to provide all participants with a boxed lunch. We have seating and picnic tables, but if you wish, you may choose to bring a picnic blanket for lunch.

For information on our facilities, please click here. If you have any questions about the event or other requests, please email Hannah at [email protected].

Karyn Recollet (Cree, born in Sturgeon Lake First Nation, SK, Canada; lives in Toronto, ON, Canada) is an Assistant Professor in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto. An urban Cree scholar/artist/writer, Recollet’s work focuses on urban Indigenous art-making practices as complex forms of urban glyphing- expressing an expansive understanding of land pedagogy that exceeds the terrestrial. Recollet is in conversation with dance choreographers, Black and Indigenous futurist thinkers, and Indigenous and Black geographers as ways to theorize and activate relationality through forms of land-ing in rupturous times.

Jon Johnson’s research is focused on urban land-based Indigenous Knowledge in Toronto and their representation through oral and digital forms of storytelling. He works actively within Toronto’s Indigenous community in his capacity as a lead organizer for First Story Toronto, an Indigenous-led community-based organization that researches and shares Toronto’s Indigenous presence through popular education initiatives such as storytelling tours of the city and its freely-available smartphone application.

This program is supported by TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, The City of Oshawa, and The Regional Municipality of Durham.

Nourish: Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition 2023

August 19 – September 27, 2023

Exhibition Opening and Awards Reception: Wednesday, August 23, 2:30 pm (no registration required)

The Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition is a showcase of creativity and technical skill among members of the Oshawa Senior Community Centres, Oshawa Public Libraries, and The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture, and more, this annual community exhibition is structured around a competition theme. This year, the theme is nourish.

2023 Winners:

In the NOVICE category…

The RUNNER UP is Marian Vink for her sculpture Dance.

The WINNER is Renate Belzing. The jury describes Renates’s mixed media artwork, titled Life Finds a Way as “a unique and cohesive interpretation of a weathered landscape.” They were excited by her use of materials, which capture “a windswept scene with impressive depth, scale and colour.” The textures and tactile nature of the work transported them to the beach!

In the HOBBY category…

The RUNNER UP is Kim McIntyre for her work Wood Nymph.

The WINNER is Grant F. Benham for his piece Savannah Traffic (Trade to Nourish a Nation) which the jury describes as “a beautiful, well-composed work with a great sense of movement, both in form and subject matter. The creative approach to the theme points to the complex systems that support human life on a global scale. Technically, the work is strong and expressive, and the jury loved the expert use of a modest canvas to capture such a monumental concept.”

In the OPEN category…

The RUNNER UP is Marijatta Beasley for her collage Fun with Fruit.

The WINNER is Darryl Thorogood for his painting Eugene,which the jury describes as “an expressive work of painstaking detail that captures an ordinary moment with great feeling and pride. Darryl’s interpretation of the theme points to the importance of farming and his treatment of his medium is both captivating and impressive.”

Congratulations to all the winners!

The Seniors Art Competition and Exhibition is co-hosted by The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa Senior Community Centres, and the Oshawa Public Libraries.

PA Day Camp: November 2023

PA Day camp is all about creativity and art adventuring!

Campers are encouraged to interact with art in fun and playful ways as they share their thoughts, and express their ideas through art. We will get hands on with some messy and imaginative art making activities that will truly inspire all budding artists.

Friday, November 17, 2023 from 9am to 4pm

Ages 5 to 10

$45 Members/$55 Non-Members

Here’s how PA Day Camp will look:

Drop-off between 8:45am and 9am
Small camp cohort
Mask friendly camp for staff, volunteers and participants
Rigorous cleaning throughout the day
Pick-up at 4pm

COVID-19 protocols and guidelines

If we must cancel camps due to public health restrictions, we will issue full refunds. Cancellations by participants will be subject to our cancellation policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have questions or concerns that aren’t addressed here, please feel free to contact the Learning Department. More detailed information about camps and the Learning Team will be sent to registered families prior to the first day of camp.

I see that you do online registrations, can I register in-person or over the phone?

While we prefer online registrations, we do accept in-person (cash, debit, VISA and Mastercard) and phone registrations (VISA and Mastercard). There is a mandatory registration form that needs to be completed fully for each camper at the time of payment. These forms are reviewed by staff and documented in order to ensure we know pertinent information. We may reach out to families if we have follow-up questions prior to camp.

Families who choose to make payment over the phone will be emailed a copy of the registration form. The form must be filled out and sent back before the start of camp.

What is your maximum capacity?

15 campers maximum.

What if I have a child that is outside the age range, can they still join?

All of our camps are geared specifically for children within the designated ages. In order to ensure the best experience for everyone, participants must fall within the indicated age range.

Are pre- and post-care available?

No, unfortunately, we are not able to offer this service.

What type of activities have you planned, are campers outside at all?

We will have a gallery portion of the day where campers get to explore our exhibitions, get an exclusive tour and participate in an exhibition activity! In the studio, we will get messy and play around with a variety of art-making projects. We have a fenced in backyard, if weather permits we may spend some time outside to play.

Do you provide snacks/lunch?

Parents are asked to pack a water bottle, peanut free snacks and lunch daily. There are two snack breaks and lunch is from 12-1pm.

What else might my child need to bring?

If you believe your child may need a change of clothes please provide that. The studio has fluctuating temperatures, and your child may feel comfortable in layers. Please ensure your child wears art friendly clothing and comfortable footwear. If weather permits we may spend some time outside to play.

What is the staff to camper ratio?

We aim for a minimum of 1 to 7 ratio.

Do you provide a “kiss and ride”?

Not at this time. Drop-off takes place from 8:45am – 9:00am. We ask campers are signed in with a staff member in the front lobby. Families can choose to escort their camper to the studio, or a camp staff member can ensure your child gets there!

We require all families to pick up their camper at the end of day at 4pm. Only authorized adults will be allowed to sign out campers.

OPG Sundays: Cozy Cottages

Join us for air-dry clay sculpting! We will explore the themes of our current exhibitions and create art based around community, home and connections.

Free admission, no registration required.

This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

OPG Sundays: Icy Inspirations

Join us in celebrating our long and beautiful winter nights by creating a painting in mixed-media style. We will use acrylic paint, and watercolour to design cold wintry landscapes.

Free admission, no registration required.

This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

In Conversation with Aaron Jones

Join artist and designer Jair Kale in conversation with RMG exhibiting artist Aaron Jones. Talking as friends and creatives, Jair and Aaron will discuss Aaron’s exhibition, “Fountain of Dreams” and the ideas and influences layered within this new body of work.

Fountain of Dreams is an immersive installation of video, audio, and photo murals that considers the spatial and multi-sensory qualities of haunting and remembrance. Playing with physical and conceptual layers, the exhibition is interested in the interplay between permeable borders – geographical and generational – and between dream states and wakefulness.

This event is free and open to everyone. Please register here.

Seating will be provided for all guests.

For more information on our facilities, please click here. If you have questions about the event or other requests, please email Hannah at [email protected].

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Aaron Jones describes himself as an image-builder who reconfigures materials from books, magazines, newspapers and personal photos into new characters and realities. His collages and photo-based installations are a form of self-and world-exploration; he uses paper as a medium, where rips and tears become painterly brush strokes. Through a cathartic practice of constructing and deconstructing, Jones joins opposing visuals and colours in search of ‘peace’; a spiritual satisfaction. Recently, Jones has been exploring his birthplace of southern Ontario. The circumstances of the last two years have sparked a consideration of how he might survive off his own basic skills and natural resources. Jones has been exploring the natural landscape, as well as researching plants, wildlife, and the natural conditions near his mother’s home in Pickering, to understand their offerings and inner workings. His new intimately scaled, figurative collages are set against large-format pictures of rural landscapes and a video performance, contrasting scale and the ethereal with the real.

Born 1993 in Toronto, Jones graduated with a BA from OCADU in 2018. His work has been included recently in a special project for Nuit Blanche and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s We Are Story: The Canada Now Photography Acquisition exhibtion. He’s also been included in the exhibitions Three Thirty at Doris McCarthy Gallery, From the Ground Up at NIA Centre for the Arts, Ragga NYC at Mercer Union, all in Toronto, and Propped at Oakville Galleries, Oakville, ON. Jones was awarded The Gattuso Prize for his exhibition Closed Fist, Open Palm for the 2020 CONTACT Photography Festival.

Aaron Jones is represented by Zalucky Contemporary, Toronto.

Jair Kale, born and raised in Claxton Bay, Trinidad, grew up in a nurturing nuclear family. Throughout his childhood, he often accompanied his mother to her classes while she pursued her Master of Social Work. During this time, any literature with creative writings captivated his imagination, laying the foundation for his artistic journey and that which would become a cherished pastime, the quest for knowledge.

Embracing multiple artistic facets, Kale emerged as a talented poet, photographer, and designer. His work reflects a keen eye for colour and negative space, a defining aspect evident in his photography and design projects.

Driven by a vision that juxtaposes geographic societies to highlight their parallels and distinctions, Kale delved into exploring the coexistence of diverse cultures in ways outside of the status quo. Holding significant depth, his work encourages viewers to contemplate the nuance and metaphors in the intricate beauty of human relationships.

Kale writes lyrics for Toronto artists, designs clothing for Brands featured in Adrift Skateshop, and recently he has exhibited an installation, Blue Crabs from Claxton Bay at Project1616, an artist run gallery/project space in Toronto. He received his AdvDip as a Fashion Management graduate from George Brown Casa Loma in 2021. Currently living and working in Toronto, he aspires to provoke perception and challenge stereotypical ideologies.

We’d like to thank TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment for their sponsorship of Fountain of Dreams.

OPG Sunday: Autumn Air

We will be inspired by the permanent collection exhibition, “About Time” by celebrating the changing of the seasons. As the weather gets cooler, and the leaves start changing, let’s create textural art using gelli-plate printing techniques.

Free admission, no registration required.

This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

RMG Fridays: Late Summer Chill

We love our backyards. It can be the sanctuary to hang out, alone, or be with family and or friends. Listen to music, eat some good food, with a cold drink in hand. On these summer evenings, these are the moments that keep us warm and cozy in the winter months. Come over and make memories with us in the Backyard at the RMG!

Willy Nilly is an indie/folk rock band currently based in Kingston. Drawing from -and displaying- a wide variety of influences, lead singer/songwriter Owen Fullerton has always struggled to pinpoint the band’s sound. His vocals have drawn comparison to artists like Nick Drake, Passenger, and Paolo Nutini while the music surrounding the laid back vocal styling is typically more energetic with an often dreamy and sometimes beachy feel to it. The band’s music feels vaguely familiar while remaining unique, a testament to the mishmash of works that inspire Fullerton’s own writing. As a solo act, Fullertown showcases Willy Nilly songs exactly as they are displayed to his roommate’s or girlfriend’s dog upon first writing, although he will wear more than his pajamas.

For years, Matt Toppen has been a part of the underground music scene as an almost mythical figure. From his post-folk debut with Barry Lird, to his balkan nature-core album “nemi” (which led to full tour in Southern Europe) Matt has been at the forefront of experimental music. Working with collaborators Nathan and Jonah, Matt is finally releasing music under his own name. His much anticipated debut EP is slated for release later this summer.

Our Food Vendor

The Portobello Road will be on site serving their organic sourdough pizza using produce grown in Durham Region. They mill their own flour which is then fermented using traditional methods for 48 hours. It is much easier to digest and has been linked to a healthy gut. The lengthy fermentation process of making sourdough releases nutrients including iron, zinc, magnesium, antioxidants, folic acid and other B vitamins.

In the Studio

Summer Stamping

Give stamp making a try in the studio with eraser stamps. Soak in the summery vibes with fun designs available, no prior experience necessary!

Alexandra Luke: Push and Pull

Alexandra Luke (i.e. Margaret McLaughlin, 1901-1967) was an important artist linked to the beginnings of abstract painting in Canada and a founding member of Painters Eleven, Ontario’s first abstract painting group (1953-1960). Born Margaret Alexandra Luke in Montreal, the Lukes had been an established family in Oshawa and returned in 1914. Luke graduated as a nurse in 1924 and would go on to marry Clarence Ewart McLaughlin in 1928, grandson of Robert McLaughlin. Always interested in the arts, Luke did not begin formal training until 1928, when she took classes from Jan Ampel. Her early work were landscapes, influenced by the Group of Seven style, in particular, A.Y. Jackson. She was drawn to abstract art by 1933 but did not begin experimenting with it until 1945. She was highly influenced by Jock Macdonald whom she studied under at the Banff School of Fine Arts. Each summer from 1947-1952 she travelled to Provincetown, MA to study under Hans Hofmann, who was considered be one of the most influential abstract expressionist teachers. Luke’s experience with Hofmann had a profound impact on her work, in particular his push/pull spatial theories around colour and form.

Luke was instrumental in organizing the first Canadian all-abstract exhibition in 1952, which opened in Oshawa, and toured across the country. The following year, she exhibited work in the exhibition Abstracts at Home, which led to the first official meeting of Painters Eleven at Luke’s cottage at Thickson’s Point near Oshawa in 1953. Abstract art for Luke was a spiritual journey, saying: “I feel very strongly that Abstract painting is a genuine searching for truth and purity in art.”

Luke painted under a pseudonym that combined her middle and maiden names. This allowed her to avoid confusion with her husband’s first cousin, the painter Isabel McLaughlin. In having a different artist name, it created a personal mythology. The two names represented two distinct lives and worlds. As Margaret McLaughlin she was a wife, mother, and wealthy socialite in Oshawa; as Alexandra Luke she was an artist, intellect, and bohemian. Alexandra Luke holds a special place in the hearts of the RMG and the wider community of Oshawa. She was a patron of the arts in Oshawa and the gift of her personal art collection created a starting point for the gallery’s permanent collection. This exhibition draws from the RMG’s rich collection of artworks by Alexandra Luke that highlight important developments in her artistic journey. Despite the push and pull between social duties and artistic pursuits, Luke’s dedication and passion for abstract art was steadfast.

Installation of Alexandra Luke: Push and Pull at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2023. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid.

OPG Sundays: Abstractions

This month, we will let our emotions take the lead as we create Painters 11 inspired artworks. We will use various mark making materials to creatively express ourselves in the studio, no paintbrush needed! In the gallery, we will celebrate the NEW permanent collection exhibition by creating a quirky collage.

Free admission, no registration required.

This event is generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.