What are we excited about in 2016?

There’s plenty to look forward to in 2016 at the RMG! The New Year brings all new exhibitions, community programming, learning opportunities and RMG Fridays to the gallery. We asked our staff what they were most excited about in the upcoming year and we hope you’ll let us know what you’re most excited about too!

“I am excited about new exhibitions in the second half of 2016 that will be in galleries with new floors! A beautiful wood floor in the upper Alexandra Luke Gallery and polished concrete in the RS McLaughlin Foundation Gallery will serve to highlight the amazing work that graces those spaces.”
– Linda Jansma, Senior Curator

“I’m super excited about curating, Durham Regional artist, Jay Dart’s exhibition Greetings from Yawnder! Jay Dart has created fictional worlds known as Yawnder and Elsewheres in order to explain his creative process. This exhibition will bring Dart’s world, Yawnder, to life. Each illustration will recount a different layer to his fictional story, inviting the viewer to help the character, Jiggs, on his journey. There will be installations of geist trees, jars with Magical Mystery Beards, and twig libraries, bringing Yawnder beyond the pages and into the gallery space. This participatory exhibition will have the visitor contributing to both the story and the creative process. It will be a lot of fun to work on and so rewarding to watch the community engaged with it!”
– Sonya Jones, Associate Curator

“I’m really looking forward to the Art Lab and Gallery A residencies and exhibits by contemporary artists at the RMG this year. We have an exciting line up of practicing artists who will partake in absolute audience engagement in the process of their residency. It will be fantastic!”
– Parvathi Bhat, Gallery Educator

“Prepare yourself for February 5th. RMG Fridays will be celebrating its 5th anniversary and will be off the hook amazing!! Dance performances, 2 musical acts and the opportunity to watch an artist paint live on site are just a few things in store. We even have Museum Hack, all the way from New York on-site hosting interactive exhibition tours and I can hardly contain my excitement! It has been a thrilling night to program and will be even more epic to see first-hand. I’m also counting down the days until the March 4th RMG Fridays to hear Birds of Bellwoods perform! The incredibly talented band that stole the hearts of our guests will be back by popular demand for both sets of music. This time I’m buying a CD; They sold out before I could get my hands on one last time!”
– Carla Sinclair, Manager of Community and Volunteer Development

“I’m really excited about Sarindar Dhaliwal’s exhibition in May. I first saw her work while I was a student in 2006 and am looking forward to seeing what she does at the RMG in 2016. I’m also looking forward to ‘meeting’ more of our community online through social media. Log on and say hello on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!”
– Sam Mogelonsky, Manager of Marketing and Communications

Image: Now Entering Beyawnder, Jay Dart, 2015-2700

RMG Fridays: Folklore & Myth

Join on January 8 from 7-10pm for an evening of folklore & myth with Celtic music by Ugly Horse. Paint Fairy Doors in the studio, catch My Vivid Life’s: Ireland Webisode in our Friday Film Features screening room and celebrate the opening of Holly King: Edging Towards the Mysterious. In Gallery A, we will introduce artist Janice McHaffie.

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, short films, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome. Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

Volunteer Spotlight: Illianna Wotton

Illianna Wotton is a grade 11 student at O’Neill Collegiate in Oshawa. She has been volunteering with the RMG for many years and is currently completing a co-op placement with our Manager of Community and Volunteer Development. Illianna’s trademark has become the creation of the beautiful and informative signage on display for our monthly community event, RMG Fridays. We sat down with her to learn more about her time at the RMG.

The RMG: How did you get involved with volunteering at the RMG?

Illianna: When our family first moved to Oshawa, we realized there was an art gallery really close by; and when we attended our first RMG Fridays, my parents wanted to volunteer and help with this amazing space. As I grew older, I began to fall into the same sort of path, and started to volunteer as well.

The RMG: Why were you interested in volunteering in an art gallery?

Illianna: I’m generally an artsy person, and I like the vibe that galleries give off. Since they needed volunteers, I thought “hey, why not volunteer somewhere fun”. And when I discovered it was possible to have a co-op placement here, I jumped on the opportunity.

The RMG: What have you been doing during your placement at the gallery?

Illianna: It’s been a whole lot, honestly- Everything from data entry, to working in the gift shop, to organizing the libraries, to helping kickstart a new program for the Youth of Oshawa here in the gallery. I know that whenever I come to work in the morning, I don’t know for sure what I’ll be doing because it’s such an eclectically organized job.

The RMG: What is one thing you want to share about the RMG?

Illianna: The fact that everything looks a lot easier than it is. The way that this staff pulls every event off so flawlessly is astounding, but behind the scenes, there are a million tiny little tasks that need to be done. And it’s done once a month for RMG Fridays, once a year for RMG Exposed – every event you see here took careful planning and immaculate execution to get it the way it is and it’s just really satisfying being a part of that and seeing it become something fantastic.

The RMG: What is your favourite museum?

Illianna: I think my favourite museum is the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal; I went to Montreal for a family trip on my sister’s birthday, and they had a beautiful installation outside of these spinning prisms with gels and lights and bells inside that made music when you spun them around. That got me hooked, and the museum itself was so cool. I’m a fan of more contemporary art so that was a fantastic place to be.

The RMG: What is your first memory of art?

Illianna: As a kid, when I lived in Toronto with a small television set, I remember watching a TV show called Art Attack and trying to drag yarn across my living room floor to make a picture like the guy on TV did. It didn’t turn out very well, but I remember having fun while I did it.

Keep RMG Fridays free with your donation on Giving Tuesday!

The RMG will be participating in Giving Tuesday Canada on December 1, 2015.All donations will help to keep access to RMG Fridays free for all. RMG Fridays is a rockin’ cultural coming together with art, music, films and fun on the first Friday of every month.

On RMG Fridays, the gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, short films, open gallery spaces, studio activities, social mingling and more. It’s the place for music lovers, youth, families, artists, date nights, and culture-vultures. RMG Fridays is Free to attend and all ages are welcome.

Your donation will keep access to cultural activities at RMG Fridays free for everyone in our community. Help ignite culture and community!

Giving Tuesday is a national day of giving on December 1, 2015. It is a new Canadian movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Cyber Monday. The “opening day of the giving season,” it is a day where charities, companies and individuals join together to share commitments, rally for favourite causes and think about others.

For more information and to make your donation visit givingtuesday.ca

RMG Fridays: Holiday Magic

Carolyn T’s powerful voice commands the stage, followed by an engaging performance with former “The Guess Who” member Dale Russell, accompanied by Artemis Chartier.

Support our community partner Feed the Need Durham by donating a non-perishable food item and enjoy a tea tasting by Honey and Tea. Join artist Mike Drolet in Gallery A.

For more information:
Carolyn T: http://www.carolyntband.com/
Feed the Need Durham: http://www.ftnd.ca/aboutus.3.php
Dale Russell: http://stellulamusic.com/index.php?show=70

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

RMG Fridays November – Mixed Media

Join us for RMG Fridays on November 6 from 7-10pm!

Learn more about Ray Mead: Abstraction Through Line. Enjoy the indie pop of Language Arts and Katie Du Temple’s electric jazz. Join us in the Lookout for Friday Film Features as we screen Chorus and Townhomes Scare Me 1, two animations by Benjamin Edelberg.

Also featured! The Magic Gumball Machine of Fate is an artist’s multiples project that distributes works by Canadian creators and makes art affordable for everyone. “Cat’s Eye” by Moira Clark is the 9th edition released via The Magic Gumball Machine of Fate. The Magic Gumball Machine of Fate is curated by Catherine Heard.

For more information:

Language Arts: http://language-arts.net/

Katie Du Temple: http://katiedutemple.com/

Benjamin Edelberg: http://projectshape.com/

Catherine Heard: www.catherineheard.com @freudsbride

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

RMG Fridays 2 October: Harvest Moon

Enjoy the captivating folk rock sounds of Jesse Parent and Birds of Bellwoods. Learn about the history of manipulated images as we open our Mindful Manipulation and glimpse into the spirit world with our Ghosts of The Gallery documentary. Also joining us will be our community partners – Culture Counts!

For more information:
Jesse Parent: http://www.jesseparentmusic.com/
Birds of Bellwoods: http://www.birdsofbellwoods.com/

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

RMG Fridays September: Back to School

Join us on Friday September 11th from 7-10pm and celebrate the openings of Beyond Measure: Domesticating Distance and Moving Image with the sweet melodies of The Birdloft, Roberta Quilico and a stunning performance and short film by the Durham School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance.

For more information:
The Bird Loft – http://www.thebirdloft.ca/
Roberta Quilico – http://www.thebirdloft.ca/roberta.html

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

Image:
Left: Walden Pond/Mirror, 2006: From the exchange between artists Surendra Lawoti and Meera Margaret Singh for their project “Of Light and Longing.”
Right: Roberta Quilico

RMG Fridays August: Summer Sounds

Join us on Friday August 7th from 7-10pm! The night features the sounds of Goodnight Sunrise and locals Ivory Park. Father and son duo Matthew and Joseph Catalano will join us in Gallery A with Arbor Nimbus. Learn more about the upcoming Durham Festival.

For more information:
Arbor Nimbus Joseph Catalano and Matthew Catalano –https://rmg.on.ca/gallery-a-mat-jo-catalano.php
Goodnight Sunrise – https://www.facebook.com/gnsrband
Ivory Park – https://www.facebook.com/ivoryparkband

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

The RMG is grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for their support of this programming.

Meet Carla Sinclair – the RMG’s new Manager of Community and Volunteer Development

Carla Sinclair is the RMG’s new Manager of Community and Volunteer Development. She has pursued her love of storytelling to build community across Canada working in radio, television and film. Stop by and welcome Carla to the RMG team!

RMG: What were you up to before the RMG?

Carla: I have been partner at Empty Cup Media for the past 7 years where I spent my time as a cinematographer, editor and graphic designer. My greatest accomplishment to date is having directed and produced my first independent feature documentary, a project that spanned 9 years!

RMG: What drew you to the museum sector?

Carla: Having worked with the RMG on a number of video projects, I came to know the inspired team that run this incredible space. The sense of community fostered here compelled me to be a voice in Oshawa’s expanding creative culture.

RMG: What is your favourite museum?

Carla: The Old Library of Trinity College Dublin. The architecture alone captivated my attention, but walking through the ancient volumes housed in this building, including the Book of Kells, was absolutely magical.

RMG: What is your first memory of art?

Carla: It was on a school trip to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, N.B. I vividly recall standing in front of Savador Dali’s Santiago El Grande, mesmerized. I remember being struck by the size, beauty and majesty of the enchanting painting.

RMG: What is the one thing you most want to share with people about the RMG?

Carla: RMG Fridays! If you haven’t already been out to this awesome monthly event, I encourage you to come soon. Bands, artist talks and local partnerships create an atmosphere unlike any other you will find in Oshawa. I love the crowd it attracts and it’s accessible, creative hub for entertainment, education and networking. I’m thrilled that RMG Fridays will now include short film screenings in the Lookout. Enjoy popcorn and experience Friday Film Features!