Samantha Pender is a second year Public Relations student at Durham College and is completing her first communications placement at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery this winter. 

 

Now that RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary has come and gone and all the excitement has wound down for the week, I can finally look back at the awesome night we had.

With so much going on, from musicians to dancers to Museum Hack, just to name a few, it’s hard to pick my favourite moment. So instead of choosing just one amazing moment from the night that stood out, I’m going to reminisce about a few of my favourite parts from the RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary.

The two musicians, Annie Sumi and Jamie Drake, captivated almost everyone in the gallery. The gallery was packed with so many people; I couldn’t even squeeze in to get pictures. To see everyone enjoying the music and back up dancers from O’Neill was so amazing.

Speaking of the dancers, the O’Neill Senior Dance Ensemble nailed their performance as they kicked off the night. Everyone was mesmerized and it was so awesome to see that level of synchronization and talent. I was pleasantly surprised to see different members of the ensemble dancing in place throughout the gallery, as I had forgotten about their stand still performances throughout the night. It was such a cool experience to see these different expressions of dance right here in Oshawa.

The Living Room supplied the studio activity for the night, and it really turned up the party vibe. I saw so many people from kids to adults sporting handmade party hats throughout the night, and it really added a fun element to the whole party. To add to the party theme of the night, there were amazingly delicious and colourful cupcakes. What’s a party without cake? The cupcakes might actually have secretly been my favourite part of the night.

Some of the other events I didn’t quite get to see, like Museum Hack’s awesome and innovative tour of the galleries and the Friday Film Features screening of “Thank you for supporting the arts” from Eastdale C.V.I. and “7 Deadly Sins” from Sinclair Secondary Dancers, were packed with eager attendees as well. Art & Technique Academy of Hairstyling and Aesthetics mixed up their creativity on our faces too! I had a purple 5 on my face to celebrate the 5^th Anniversary, and I saw other happily painted faces too!

The finished painting from JR Hunter was phenomenal. I was astounded at the end of the night, seeing how he encompassed every aspect of the event into his magnificent painting. It really captured the essence of the night.

All in all, the RMG Fridays 5^th Anniversary was an amazing night with so many awesome things happening. And as hard as it is to pick my favourite moment, I think the few I shared sums up what a wonderful time everyone including myself had. Happy five years, RMG Fridays!