The RMG is thrilled the announce that The Moustache Club will be the official host of the “after party” for RMG Fridays!
Following the close of RMG Fridays at 10pm, we ask guests to head over The Moustache Club at 15 Simcoe Street North to enjoy more live music by local bands. Guests at RMG Fridays who present proof of attending the event will receive a discount on cover at the Club.
We’ll see you at The Moustache Club!
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
Wishing you and your family all the best for the holiday season! See you in 2016!
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.
Public call for Ghost Stories about The Robert McLaughlin Gallery! After almost 50 years in the community, Oshawa’s art gallery has some history behind it, as do the many artifacts, paintings, sculptures and curiosities housed in our gallery vault.
The RMG is currently producing a short documentary titled “Ghosts of the Gallery” set to launch on October 2nd at RMG Fridays in our Friday Film Features screening room. In the spirit of Halloween, gallery staff are sharing their supernatural experiences on camera and we invite the public to participate as well!
A chill on the back of your neck, unexplained perfume smells, objects moving without the help of human hands, strange apparitions, orbs captured in photographs – we want to hear them all! Telling your story does not mean you have to go on camera, there are many ways we can include it in the film!
Please submit your stories by September 15th to:
Carla Sinclair, Manager of Community and Volunteer Development
Email: csinclair@rmg.on.ca
Phone: 905-576-3000 x106
This post comes from the desk of Associate Curator and Curator of the Thomas Bouckley Collection, Sonya Jones.
Researching and selecting images for the exhibition Mindful Manipulation was fascinating! Not only did I learn about darkroom manipulation processes but I also discovered some interesting things about early studio practices. For example, hidden mother photography. In the Victorian era, with long exposure times, mothers would often disguise themselves in different ways to hold their children still. Photographers would try to put the focus on the children by camouflaging the mothers as chairs, couches or curtains.
John Aubrey Morphy Portrait, 1891, Oshawa Public Libraries
There is one example of this in Mindful Manipulation where the mother is draped to look like a chair. The photographer went even further in drawing attention away from the “chair” with a white vignette. This was done by dodging, a process that decreases the exposure for areas of the print that the photographer wished to be light. As a mom, I know firsthand how difficult it is to capture a squirming baby even with today’s technology, and I guess I’m technically hiding too, but behind the lens versus disguised as a couch! The example of the Morphy baby isn’t as creepy as other examples from this time period. If you Google hidden mother photography the results are hilarious and spooky.
“How We Do Things At Oshawa, ONT.”, 1911, Oshawa Public Libraries
The other subject I found interesting in my research was Tall Tale postcards. These postcards began around the turn of the 20th century, and were especially popular in smaller communities where they would exaggerate food sources specific to the region. In Oshawa’s case, the tall-tale is that Oshawa’s rich soil produces gigantic turnips, and that fish were an abundant food source. Photographers would take two prints, one a background landscape and another a close-up of an object, carefully cut out the second and superimpose it onto the first, and re-shoot the combination to create a final composition that is often ridiculous but fun.
Join me on November 17 for a lecture about the history of manipulated images as well as the emerging field of digital forensics by Deepa Kundur.
For more information please visit https://rmg.on.ca/mindful-manipulation-tbc.php
Top image: “How We Do Things At Oshawa, ONT.”, 1917, Oshawa Community Museum and Archives
Opportunities are now available for community partnerships and special initiatives as well as an annual artist residency that prioritizes artists who wish to experiment with new ideas, collaborate, and work in new directions.
Exhibiting artists will have opportunities to give public talks on their work, participate in professional development workshops, and give and receive critical feedback from peers.
Programming of this space is separate from our curatorial planning and proposal selections will be made through a jury of local artists and arts professionals.
Information Session: Thursday 10 September, 7pm
For more information, please contact Leslie Menagh: Manager of Public Programs & ArtReach at lmenagh@rmg.on.ca or 905.576.3000 ext. 108
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
NEW! RMG Fridays will soon be screening short films!
Introducing Friday Film Features, a community initiative telling the stories that live in the creative minds of our local filmmakers.
We invite you to submit short narrative, experimental, animation or documentary films (under 15 minutes) to be screened in the Lookout during RMG Fridays. Fall Deadline: 2 November.
Find out more at https://rmg.on.ca/friday-film-features.php
Austin Henderson is a second-year Fine Art student at Queen’s University and Hannah Kramer is a third-year Fine Art student at Queen’s University. They are both working with the RMG this summer as Gallery Interpreters, supported by the Young Canada Works Program, and sat down to discuss their experiences at the RMG.
The RMG: Why were you interested in working in an art gallery this summer?
Austin: In the spring, I was searching for jobs that matched my interests and field of study. I visited local galleries, handed out my resumes, and hoped for the best. Art galleries have been of great interest to me since I started getting serious about my artistic endeavours. My current dream job would be to work in a gallery as a curator some day, so this is a great opportunity. So far, I’ve learned a lot about how an art gallery works and I know I’m in a comfortable environment with many people who are willing to lend their professional advice towards my future, so I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
Hannah: I worked at the RMG last summer, and I was super excited when I was offered the position again this year. As a university student, I feel very lucky to not only have a full time job, but to have one that combines my favourite things. Everyday I am immersed in a positive and energetic environment, where I am exposed to a mixture of contemporary and historical art. Working at an art gallery, especially the RMG is an opportunity I never expected as a student.
The RMG: What will you be doing during your placement at the gallery?
Austin & Hannah: Our responsibilities for the summer are broken down by month for the most part. During June, we plan the summer programming based on loose themes advertised for registration. As well as designing a schedule, we are responsible for composing a materials list, and training our volunteers. During June we also assist with any remaining school tour groups, and demo activities as well as prep materials. July is camp! We teach and run the entire camp for 5 weeks, with the help of our wonderful volunteers. We really appreciate everything they do for us because we would not be able to manage without them! The first 4 weeks we have a range of kids aged 5-11, and during the 5th week, we run a toddler and teen camp. For the two weeks that we are still here in August we clean and organize the studio in preparation for the fall.
The RMG: What is one thing you want to share about the RMG?
Austin: I’ve taken some studio classes at the RMG in the past, and I knew that it was a gallery that was close-by that housed some really interesting work, but what I didn’t know until starting this job was how big the gallery’s collection is! It houses over 4000 works in its permanent collection alone, and reaches out to local and international artists, and many other galleries’ collections. I think it’s also important for the public to know how much the RMG cares about its community. Numerous programs are run throughout the year that works to enhance the gallery’s relationship with its visitors, and I think that’s crucial in a smaller city like Oshawa.
Hannah: Working at the RMG doesn’t feel like a job to me. It’s very strange but awesome when you love coming to work. Everyone on staff is so interesting, and creates a welcoming and engaging environment. The RMG always has a very positive energy, and I think that is a rare thing.
The RMG: What is your favourite museum?
Austin: It’s really cliché, but March of last year, I had a chance to go to Paris with my high school. It was my first time in the city, and everything about it blew my mind. Needless to say, I’ll definitely be returning. Of course, we paid a visit to The Louvre on our first day, and being an art history fanatic, I freaked out. I think most of my amazement had to do with the building’s opulence, history, stature, and of course the mere fact that it was The Louvre! My whole experience was so overwhelming; despite the fact I was only in there for a couple hours. To me, it felt like a small honour to be able to walk around that incredible gallery with so many celebrated surprises inside.
Hannah: My favourite museum is the MoMA. I’ve been twice, once when I was ten, and the second time last fall with my school. It’s really incredible seeing all the work that you learn about in art history – seeing the real thing is such a different experience than looking at a picture on a slide. Monet’s Water Lilies were unexpectedly my favourite.
The RMG: What is your first memory of art?
Austin: My first memory of art comes from my love for Disney movies and The Wizard of Oz. When I was little, I would always be drawing my favourite Disney characters and the entire Oz cast (on my Magna Doodle and on paper). Admittedly enough, I still draw them today! Those movies provided me with an outlet to a colourful imagination, where I believe my love for art came from.
Hannah: My first memory of art isn’t a specific place or time. I just remember my granddad used to take me to different art events and galleries throughout Toronto. I have a faint memory of one specifically, I don’t remember where or what it was for, I just remember not wanting to leave. In my memory we stayed there creating art all day.
