Join us as we design our very own fantasy creatures. Using acrylic paint and stamping we will create unique dragon collages that are cute and friendly.
Suitable for ages 3+
Free admission, no registration required.
We are using an art-technique called Abstract Art to create the texture, patterns and designs of our dragons. This project was inspired by the works of art in our current exhibition, Painters Eleven: Abstract Bonds
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.
Do you want your kids to dive into creativity this summer? We have got you covered! Our fun-filled, fine art camps are packed with inspired projects, interactive gallery activities, and active outdoor play! Here’s the best part: your children will come home with lots of creative art and stories while we take care of the mess! Come and discover the endless artistic possibilities that the RMG has to offer.
Choose from 2 different weeks. Each week includes experimentation with a variety of creative, mixed-media materials. The projects are individually guided and personal to each participant!
Ages 5-7 15 spots per age group Ages 8-12 15 spots per age group
$225 Members/$250 Non-Members for 5 day camps $175 Members/$200 Non-Members for 4 day camps (*Aug 5-8)
Epic Explorers
These campers will be brave, fearless and experimental adventurers! This camp is all about taking risks, trying something different and looking at the world from a new perspective. Bring your imagination and your willingness to explore various materials as we embark on an artistic journey!
This camp is offered the weeks of:
July 7-11
July 21-25
August 5-8 (4 day week only)*
August 18-22
Curious Creators
These campers will be playful, whimsical and inspired artists! This camp is all about sparking imagination, experimenting with new ideas, and celebrating personal styles and preferences as we take on new and familiar art materials to produce vibrant artworks that are unique and fun!
This camp is offered the weeks of:
July 14-18
July 28-Aug 1
August 11-15
August 25-29
To reserve your place in summer camp, please follow the following steps:
Identify the week(s) you’re interested in and select the age group from the drop down menu under that week
Click on “Add to cart”
Follow the same steps if you would like additional weeks
When complete, click on the cart (right side of your screen)
A pop-up window will come up, fill out all the details and click on “Pay now” (Family memberships should use the discount code provided via email to receive the discount. If you’ve misplaced the code, please email [email protected] or call 905-576-3000 to receive it. They will verify your membership is active before releasing the code.)
You will receive two confirmation emails, one for your purchase and a second from the learning team ([email protected]). The second email contains a link to the registration form.
Please click on the form link, fill out, and click submit.
You will receive a confirmation email with a copy of the information you submitted.
Your registration is now complete. Additional camp information will be emailed shortly before the start of camp.
To be added to our waitlist, please email [email protected] with parent contact phone number/email address, name of the camp(s) and the age group(s). We will notify families if spaces become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have questions or concerns that aren’t addressed here, please feel free to contact the Learning and Engagement Department. More detailed information about camps and the Summer Learning Team will be sent to registered families prior to the first day of camp.
Can I register for more than 2 weeks of camps?
We recommend families register for up to 2 weeks. We find campers who repeat the same camp week after week are not nearly as engaged (can be frustrated) as those who are experiencing each camp for the first time.
Can I register for one or two days instead of the whole week?
Unfortunately, we ask families to commit to the full week as often our art making fun requires multiple days to complete (many requiring time to dry before paint or adding final details).
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.
What is your maximum capacity?
15 campers maximum per camp.
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?
There will be two different camps, each camp uses similar materials but in different ways; campers spend equal time in the Lookout and the Studio spaces. Both camps will have in-gallery interactive visits include looking activities, games, and sketching. We also have a new fully fenced space! We plan to eat snacks and lunch outside, and play games, if the weather is agreeable. We will also take advantage of beautiful days with outdoor art making projects whenever possible. These are repeating activities/projects that rotate between the two weekly camps.
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. We ask all families to refrain from packing snacks/lunch or drinks in glass containers.
Allergen Statement
The RMG has an allergen statement that advises that all program registrants suffering from allergenic medical conditions, documented or otherwise, register at their own risk. The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, its employees, instructors and contractors make no representations and will accept no liability regarding presence or absence of all allergens in the facilities where our programs take place.
What else might my child need to bring?
We recommend sunscreen and a hat for outdoors and if you believe your child may need a change of clothes please provide that. The RMG is air conditioned and some campers may feel more comfortable having a hoodie/sweater on hand should they feel cold throughout the day. Please ensure your child wears art friendly clothing and comfortable footwear.
What is the staff to camper ratio?
We aim for a minimum of 1 to 7 ratio.
Do you provide a “kiss and ride”?
Drop-off takes place from 8:45am – 9:00am. On the first day, we ask campers are signed in with a staff member in the front lobby. Families can choose to escort their camper to their “homeroom” or a camp staff member can ensure your child gets to their room.
Families may choose to do a “kiss and ride” drop off in the mornings at the front of the building Tuesday to Friday starting at 8:45am.
We require all families to pick up their camper in the art rooms (lower level) at the end of each day at 4pm. Only authorized adults will be allowed to sign out campers.
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) at the gift shop. 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 what’s what, and who to contact. We may reach out to families if we have follow-up questions prior to camp.
The form must be filled out and sent back as soon as possible to secure the spot and to ensure we have name tags and they are on the sign in sheet.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancellation requests received prior to the start of the program will receive a full refund minus a $15 administration fee. We do not issue refunds (partial or full) after the start of the program.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel programs if the minimum enrollment is not met. In the event of a program cancellation, a full refund will be given. If a program is cancelled, registrants will receive notice one week prior to the beginning of the program.
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.
Join us in celebrating the opening of Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE! The artist and curators will be in attendance. Please RSVP using this form.
Coming from Toronto? We’ll pick you up! Save your seat on the art bus shuttle using the RSVP link above. The bus will collect guests from Factory Theatre (125 Bathurst St, Toronto) at 11:30am and return around 5pm.
Refreshments provided.
Read more about the exhibition here. This event is free and open to everyone. If there are ways we can support your participation, please contact Hannah at [email protected].
Welcome to your school away from home for arts education! Together, let’s dive into various materials and hone our artistic techniques to craft imaginative works of art.
Ages 5 to 7 10:00-11am $75 Members/$95 Non-Members (8 weeks)
Ages 8 to 12 11:15-12:45pm $100 Members/$120 Non-Members (8 weeks)
*Cancellation requests received prior to the start of the program will receive a full refund minus a $15 administration fee. We do not issue refunds (partial or full) after the start of the program.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel programs if the minimum enrollment is not met. In the event of a program cancellation, a full refund will be given. If a program is cancelled, registrants will receive notice one week prior to the beginning of the program.
Welcome to your weekend art journey! Every week, we’ll dive into various techniques and materials, discover how we can harness art to express ourselves, ignite our creativity, and produce our own unique artworks.
Ages 5 to 7 10:30 – 12pm Ages 8 to 12 1 – 2:30pm $100 Members/$120 Non-Members
*Cancellation requests received prior to the start of the program will receive a full refund minus a $15 administration fee. We do not issue refunds (partial or full) after the start of the program.
The RMG reserves the right to cancel programs if the minimum enrollment is not met. In the event of a program cancellation, a full refund will be given. If a program is cancelled, registrants will receive notice one week prior to the beginning of the program.
Help us celebrate the opening of Karen Kar Yen Law’s solo exhibition at the gallery! Inspired by diasporic narratives, and the flavour profiles of Chinese cuisine, this exhibition will feature multimedia artworks that incorporate Law’s interest in bridging the languages of printmaking and painting.
At 1:30pm, the artist will reflect on her time in the RBC residency program and share insights into her new work in an artist-led walkthrough of the exhibition.
Roundtable Discussions: Press and Publications and Artist-Run Spaces and Culture Saturday, June 7, 2025, 2-5pm, followed by a reception, 5-7pm Co-presented with Art Metropole and the plumb Featuring: Vincent Bonin, Robert Fones, Peggy Gale, and Luis Jacob; Anthony Cooper, Suzy Lake, Nell Tenhaaf, and Adam Welch
Satellite Exhibitions at Art Metropole and the plumb Details below.
In 1970, a large piece of raw canvas was hung outside the window of artist Tom Dean’s studio on Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal. Measuring 23 feet by 6 feet, the canvas bore gigantic lettering fashioned from glittering blue and gold sequins spelling “GOOD-BYE.” This intervention marked the artist’s very first public presentation—an address of farewell that launched an art career spanning over five decades, exceptional and still evolving. Boundless and expansive, fluidly transcending media, style, space, and norms, Dean’s work continues to challenge conventional categories of artistic production and meaning-making.
Driven by two essential inquiries—why “GOOD-BYE” then, and why Tom Dean now—the exhibition GOOD-BYE revisits the artist’s life in early 1970s Montreal. It brings together a rarely seen body of work—early conceptual artworks on canvas and in sculptural forms—and archival materials from that period, documenting the artist’s extensive and active engagement with the local alternative art scene and broader cultural milieu.
GOOD-BYE travels back in time to map and remap the vision and ambition projected by the artist at the time, while simultaneously standing in the present—behind the passage of history—to reevaluate and reflect on its significance in today’s context.
During the run of Tom Dean: GOOD-BYE at the RMG, two satellite projects will be exhibited by our programming partners Art Metropole and the plumb.
Art Metropole(AM) will feature a display of Tom Dean’s works drawn from their inventory, including several print and publication projects that highlight the many collaborations between the artist and AM over several decades.
Where: Art Metropole, 896 College St, Toronto, ON
When: TBC
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm
the plumb will present an evolving exhibition of Tom Dean’s drawings. Spanning several decades, these works offer an intimate glimpse into Dean’s artistic practice—one that is at once conceptual and playful.
Located in the lobby of the plumb, the exhibition will feature a rotating selection of Dean’s drawings, with a new body of work introduced each month until the end of 2025. Small publications produced by the RMG will be released and distributed throughout the exhibition’s run. Many of these drawings, most of which have never been exhibited, were uncovered during the archival research leading up to his exhibition at the RMG.
Together with GOOD-BYE, this exhibition offers a layered exploration of Dean’s evolving thought processes and artistic methods.
Where: the plumb, 1655 Dufferin St, basement, Toronto, ON
When: April 25, 2025 – ongoing
Hours: Saturday & Sunday, 2-5pm
Tom Dean (b. 1947) is a conceptual artist, known for his work in a diverse range of media including sculpture, installation art, performance, drawing, and printmaking. Playing on tensions between the ordinary and mythical, his works reference both everyday objects and classical icons, alluding to the dream world of the psyche and matters of the soul, while always residing in the intensely material world of desire and the body. He received the Governor General’s Award for Visual and Media Arts (2001), was selected to represent Canada at the 1999 Venice Biennale, and was honoured with the Toronto Arts Award for Visual Arts in 1996. His work can be found in major collections including the National Gallery of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Musée d’Art Contemporain, and Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Yan Wu is a curator, writer, and translator whose work explores the intersections of contemporary art, architecture, and public space. She is currently the Public Art Curator for the City of Markham and is pursuing a PhD at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. Wu has co-translated Passages in Modern Sculpture by Rosalind Krauss, Six Years by Lucy Lippard, Rock My Religion by Dan Graham, and Formless by Yve-Alain Bois and Rosalind Krauss into Chinese. Commissioned by M+ in Hong Kong, she co-translated John Cage’s Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel (2020) into Chinese and contributed the Chinese text for the online exhibition Marcel Duchamp: Lessons for a Creative Life from Boîte-en-valise.
Leila Timmins is the Senior Curator at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
Bitterness is one of five essential flavours in traditional Chinese cuisine, along with salty, spicy, sour, and sweet. Each is regarded as necessary for achieving balance in the body and on the palette. With the goal of creating five corresponding bodies of work for each flavour, Beyond Bitter is Karen Kar Yen Law’s most recent exploration of diasporic identity and intergenerational relationships through the language of Chinese cooking.
In this body of work, Law uses airbrushing, screen printing, painting, and collage to construct dynamic abstract compositions. She builds up the images in layers, applying her materials between coats of resin, suspending them beneath glossy surfaces. Crinkly motifs derived from the skin of a bitter melon repeat throughout the series as positive and negative shapes. Like a good cook, Law repurposes stencils of the bitter melon skin from other printmaking projects to extract all the flavour from her ingredients with inventive curiosity, applying her used stencils and cutouts on top of new screen-printed forms.
The exhibition is inspired by Law’s observation that Chinese immigrants tend to swallow, rather than express, feelings of bitterness. Just as one might treat bitter melons in the kitchen, she considers the possibility of tending to bitter pain or truth interpersonally by devising methods that alleviate what is undesirable and draw out what is pleasurable. However, bitterness also arises in response to socio-cultural circumstances. Fraught with exploitation, exclusion, and racism, the history of Asian immigration in Canada has led to justifiable bitterness in a vast diasporic community. These are conditions that should not be ignored or accepted. Discerning the complex layers of bitterness in the Chinese diaspora, as she has experienced it, Law strives to imagine new recipes that value what bitterness has to offer and release what is beyond bitter and just gone bad.
Karen Kar Yen Law (b. 1997) is a second-generation Cantonese-Chinese artist based in Markham. With an interest in food and domestic culinary practices, Law utilizes printmaking and painting to explore cultural practice and diasporic identity. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) and Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Law was the 2021-2022 Emerging Printmaker Scholarship Residency holder at Open Studio Contemporary Printmaking Centre where she now practices as an artist member. She was the winner of the 2023 Untapped People’s Choice Award at Toronto’s independent artists fair, Artist Project. Law’s artwork has been exhibited throughout Kingston and Toronto, including Union Gallery, the Isabel Bader Centre for Performing Arts, Gallery 1313, Myseum Toronto, and Open Studio. She has provided educational programming for Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, St. Michael’s Printshop, York Region District School Board, and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
The RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program is generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project.
