Update: Due to weather, this program has been canceled
This family day, explore the portraits in Resistance, then join us in the studio to create your own! There are many ways to do things in a unique way. Your self-portrait will be weird and wacky.
Suitable for ages 3+
Free admission, no registration required.
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.
Inspired by the bright bold colours in our current Permanent Collection Exhibitions Resistance,and Go BIG we will be creating BOLD textured abstracts to overcome the dull of winter.
Suitable for ages 3+
Free admission, no registration required.
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.
“Make Art. Feel Better.“
Presented in partnership with PeaceLove and Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, join us for an Expressive Arts Workshop focused on how art can promote mental well-being. The evening will start with a tour of the exhibition Breakthrough featuring the art of Jack Bush who found healing and joy through his art. The workshop will provide a safe space for participants to share, self-reflect, grow and heal through artful collage. No art experience is required. All materials and aprons will be provided.
Registration is required.
About PeaceLove
PeaceLove promotes mental wellness by using creativity and expression to inspire, heal, and communicate. We believe everyone deserves a safe space to share their emotions. Our workshops are a place to create fearlessly and honestly without judgement. A place to be vulnerable, celebrate, and empower each other.
About Ontario Shores
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences is a leader in mental health care, providing a range of specialized assessment and treatment services for people living with complex mental illness. Patients benefit from a recovery-oriented environment of care, built on compassion, inspiration and hope. Ontario Shores engages in research, education and advocacy initiatives to advance the mental health care system.
Come out to hear Christina Leslie share insights and reflections on Likkle Acts with exhibition curator Hannah Keating. The talk will shine a light on Leslie’s practice, research, and the innovative photographic processes that she used to create the works in Likkle Acts.
Join us at 1pm for a reception catered by Starapples. The artist talk will begin at 2pm.
Likkle Acts is an exhibition by Pickering-based artist Christina Leslie featuring three recent projects inspired by Leslie’s relationship to Jamaica and the medium of photography. In this work, Leslie embraces experimentation and seeks to represent Jamaica and its history through the people, places, and experiences that are personally significant to her and her family.
This event is free and open to everyone. 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].
Christina Leslie is an artist based in Pickering, Ontario. She earned her BFA in 2006 at OCADU in Toronto and her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA in 2022. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her latest series “Sugar Coat” has been exhibited virtually on Ain’t Bad Magazine (2021), Featureshoot.com (2022), PetaPixel.com (2022), and in-person at BAND Gallery (2023). She has exhibited nationally and internationally at GAMU (2009), Royal Ontario Museum (2010), Pier 21 (201, Art Gallery of Windsor (2017), Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (2020), Prefix ICA (2021), and McMaster Museum of Art (2022). Much of her photographic practice revolves around the themes of de-colonialism, identity, immigration, issues of marginalization, history, memory, race, and her West Indian heritage. She often utilizes text and alternative and historical photographic processes to produce her photographs. She is a member of an all-female photography collective, Silver Water Collective and is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.
The gallery thanks Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and Starapples for sponsoring this event.
Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts is presented by Partners in Art with additional support provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council and Alterna Savings.
Walk through the exhibition Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts with exhibition curator Hannah Keating. Hannah will explain how the works were made and the stories and ideas that motivated Christina to create them.
Curatorial Tours are free and open to everyone. They provide deeper insight into the themes, context, and content of our exhibitions. Seating options are available. For more information about access and our facilities, please visit this page or contact Hannah Keating at [email protected] with any specific requests. No advance registration required.
Christina Leslie is an artist based in Pickering, Ontario. She earned her BFA in 2006 at OCADU in Toronto and her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, USA in 2022. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications and exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her latest series “Sugar Coat” has been exhibited virtually on Ain’t Bad Magazine (2021), Featureshoot.com (2022), PetaPixel.com (2022), and in-person at BAND Gallery (2023). She has exhibited nationally and internationally at GAMU (2009), Royal Ontario Museum (2010), Pier 21 (201, Art Gallery of Windsor (2017), Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (2020), Prefix ICA (2021), and McMaster Museum of Art (2022). Much of her photographic practice revolves around the themes of de-colonialism, identity, immigration, issues of marginalization, history, memory, race, and her West Indian heritage. She often utilizes text and alternative and historical photographic processes to produce her photographs. She is a member of an all-female photography collective, Silver Water Collective and is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery in Toronto.
Christina Leslie: Likkle Acts is presented by Partners in Art with additional support provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council and Alterna Savings.
The Neighbours Art Hive is a temporary installation that transforms the gallery into an active studio space with help from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio.
As a place to make, rest, and connect, the installation supports creative community development, social connection, and personal wellbeing through art-making experiences. We invite all our neighbours to drop in any time during operating hours to make use of the free art materials! Participants are welcome to take their projects with them or hang them up for everyone to enjoy during the run of the exhibition.
Every Friday from January 10 to February 14, 2025, volunteers from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio will be onsite to lead facilitated sessions from 12pm-3:30pm. This is your chance to make art in community with others. The sessions are free, open to all, and light refreshments are provided. Check out more details on our Event Calendar. Learn about how this program got started here
Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.
The gallery invites you to join us for artmaking and community connection in The Neighbours Art Hive between 12-3:30pm every Friday from January 10 to February 14, 2025. Passionate and helpful volunteers from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio will be onsite to support your creative explorations and cultivate a warm and welcoming environment for all. Participants are welcome to take their projects with them or hang them up for everyone to enjoy!
The Neighbours Project, installed at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (February 2024).
What to expect:
Everyone is welcome; no art experience required.
These drop-in events are free.
You’re welcome to come and go as you please.
Coffee, tea, and light snacks will be served.
What is an art hive?
Art Hives are safe, accessible spaces that enable people of all ages to participate in free public relaxation. In an Art Hive, traditional hierarchies, processes, and ways of being can be deconstructed and re-imagined in playful, personal, and compassionate ways.
The Neighbours Project, installed at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (February 2024).
The Neighbours Art Hive is a temporary installation at the RMG that transforms the gallery into an active studio space with help from the LivingRoom Community Art Studio. Outside of these facilitated sessions, we also invite all our neighbours to drop in any time during operating hours to make use of the free art materials on their own time. The RMG is located at 72 Queen Street, Civic Centre in Oshawa, across from the McLaughlin Branch of the Oshawa Public Libraries. The Neighbours Art Hive is in Gallery A, which is located on the lower level of the RMG. It is accessible by stairs or elevator. Between the elevator and Gallery A, you’ll pass our public washrooms. We have an accessible single-stall washroom as well as gender-inclusive multi-stall washrooms. Read more about our facilities here.
Upcoming Sessions:
Friday January 10, 2025
Friday January 17, 2025
Friday January 24, 2025
Friday January 31, 2025
Friday February 7, 2025
Friday February 14, 2025
Presented by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and the Oshawa Camera Club are pleased to present an exhibition in honour of the City of Oshawa’s 100th anniversary that celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of Oshawa through photos. This exhibition will feature photographs from the City of Oshawa’s 100 Centennial Photography Contest.
The Oshawa Camera Club was founded in 1938 as the General Motors Camera Club. It is one of the oldest camera clubs in Canada. They support photographers with skills ranging from novice to expert through exhibition opportunities, social connection and education. Join us for the opening gala on December 12th at 6pm to celebrate the opening of the exhibition and the prize winners!
Special Events
Dec 12, 2024, 06:00 PM – Dec 12, 2024, 08:00 PM
In celebration of Oshawa’s centenary, the Oshawa Camera Club is proud to present Oshawa100, a photo contest and exhibition featuring images by local amateur photographers. Please join us to experience the vibrancy and diversity of Oshawa through photographs at the opening reception and prize presentation. This event is free and open to everyone. For information […]
Let’s celebrate spring together! Back by popular demand, this free event encourages seniors (age 55+) to spend the afternoon curating their own program.
Participants may choose do the exhibition tour then have tea and snacks, do one or both of the workshop activities, do one of the workshops and then go on an exhibition tour, it’s a matter of preference.
Event options include:
In the Lookout (lower level) join guest artist instructor, Jade Wysotski from 1:30pm-2:30pm to create an adorable realistic kitten!
Working with black and white drawing media on toned paper, this piece will have a soft and realistic look. Participants will be provided with simple line art and use mark making techniques to communicate texture and form. This activity is suitable for all drawing abilities!
In the studio (lower level), participants are encouraged to make unique cards! Create stamp printed leaves on a watercolour background. This workshop is supported by the Learning and Engagement team!
In Arthurs, enjoy light refreshments.
Join us at 1pm and 2pm for tours of our current exhibitions.
Seniors Programming has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Sienna for Seniors Foundation.
Ages 5 to 7
Ages 8 to 12
$225 Members/$250 Non-Members
9am-4pm
Do you want your kids to dive into creativity? Are they looking for exciting new adventures? Our popular camp encourages campers to explore and interact with art in fun and playful ways as they share their thoughts, and express their ideas. We will create messy and imaginative artworks with fine art materials that will truly inspire all budding artists. Spaces are limited.
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). 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.
What is your maximum capacity?
15 campers maximum per age groups listed
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, 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 (ID may be asked to be shown.)
*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.