Announcing the RMG’s Cultural Partnership with Art Toronto

Art Toronto, Canada’s esteemed international modern and contemporary art fair marks its 15th anniversary this year and to commemorate this milestone a refreshed floor plan, engaging programming and experiential and immersive installations will be unveiled at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, from October 24 – 27th.

As a Cultural Partner for Art Toronto, subscribers to the RMG’s e-newsletter will receive a 20% discount on regular admission tickets. Tickets are $20 onsite, $18 online and $14.40 with this code, with a maximum of 2 tickets per user.

Art Toronto:

Location
Metro Toronto, Convention Centre, North Building, Halls A,B,C
255 Front Street West, Toronto, ON
Directions and Parking

Dates & Times
October 24 12 – 8pm
October 25 12 – 8pm
October 26 12 – 6pm
October 27 12 – 6pm

Admission
General: $18.00 (Online)
$20.00 (Onsite)
Students & Seniors: $14.00
Groups +10: $14.00
3-Day Power Talk Pass: $40.00
Children Under 10 FREE

Opening Night Preview
A benefit for the
Art Gallery of Ontario
Thursday October 23
—
Special Collectors’ Preview
4:30 – 10:00pm
Ticket: $300.00
Includes Access to Opening Night Preview
—
Opening Night Preview
6:30 – 10:00pm
Ticket: $200.00

For more information or to purchase tickets visit arttoronto.ca.

Gallery A

Things are changing around here.

As some of you may have heard, we’re undergoing renovations right now and one of the biggest changes is the creation of Gallery A.

Aileen’s Legacy

The space is named for one of our major funders, the Aked Endowment, which was created from funds donated by the late artist Elizabeth Aileen Aked, who lived in Tyrone, Ontario. Aileen and her parents frequently traveled between Tyrone, Bermuda, Florida and England and Aileen documented every moment of it. Throughout the spring, I worked with Christine our Special Projects Assistant, to go through Aileen’s archive which totaled over 10 banker boxes filled with a lifetime of slides, photographs and 16mm films. (Aileen’s gift also included her 1928 Kodak Kodascope, which was lovingly restored to full working order by Pickering Audio Visual). The films, which date as far back is the early 1920’s, are probably my favourite – these rich black and white silent films, depict her and her family on long rambling road trips in their classic antique Buick, pet parrot in tow. The films include scenic vistas of Gaspe, a road trip to Banff National Park, road-side picnics and sun-filled summer swims.

During all of these trips, Aileen spent a lot of her time painting, and she was an accomplished painter. As an artist, her donation to The Robert McLaughlin Gallery was quite purposeful – she wanted the endowment to support local artists in their professional development and provide opportunities for them to advance their practice.

A Place for Artists

In addition to being the Manager of Public Programs here at the RMG, I’m also an artist and when I came into this position almost 2 years ago, we started thinking about how best to achieve Aileen’s vision. I know that for myself, professional spaces to exhibit are not easy to come by and are often programmed far in advance. I’m always looking for opportunities (and space!) to experiment with new ideas and work with large materials and I want more opportunities to talk with other artists critically about my work.

After surveying and speaking with local artists, the concept of Gallery A was born. We decided to keep the use of the space flexible, to allow artists options in how they wanted to use it. I am imagining most will want to use it for solo or group exhibitions, but there is room for creativity, and thinking outside of the box. We also set up the Art Lab artist residency program so artists can use the space for experimentation, collaborations, new directions and this will hopefully lead to some new exciting work. Gallery A artists will be invited to give public lectures and tours, and we’ll be hosting a slew of professional development workshops, including grant writing, documenting your work, peer-to-peer feedback sessions and hands-on studio retreats.

The letter A is a starting point. It represents a new beginning, and a priority.

It represents our commitment to supporting local artists, which are at the center of Durham Region’s arts community. It all starts with artists. Gallery A can be a starting place for emerging artists as a new generation emerges from Durham Collage’s Fine Arts program. It can be a place for established artists, to exhibit their work, collaborate with peers, and perhaps even take some risks. And it can be a meeting place for communities to work with artists to engage in the arts in ways they had never imagined before. The possibilities for the space are wide open – all you have to do is get started.

APPLICATION DEADLINE NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Information Sessions:

Thursday 18 September 7pm

Sunday 19 October, 1pm

To find out more and to access the guidelines and application form, please follow this link: https://rmg.on.ca/gallery-a.php

Vol ‘n’ Tell

Vol ‘n’ Tell is an ongoing series of blog posts written by RMG Volunteers. Raechel Bonomo is an Oshawa native, art enthusiast and second-year Print Journalism student at Durham College.

Painters Eleven (P11) began in the fall of 1953 in Oshawa, launching them as Ontario’s first abstract painting group. P11 includes members such as Alexandra Luke, Jock Macdonald and Jack Bush – Luke being the catalyst of the group’s formation. The group held their first exhibit under the name “Painters Eleven” in February 1954 at Roberts Gallery in Toronto, Ontario.

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery has had a long-term relationship with Painters Eleven, which explains why the gallery is the owner of the largest collection of the group’s work. The history of the group is woven into the history of the RMG, creating the symbiotic relationship that is prevalent in work displayed from the gallery’s archives. Oshawa native Alexandra Luke, an advocate for abstract art, brought this style of painting to the city through the South Ontario Art Gallery Circuit. The RMG’s foundation as a gallery began with a focus on collecting, preserving and displaying the group’s work. It is because of Luke’s munificent, extensive donation of the group’s work that allows the RMG to continue its original mandate and introduce new pieces to the public.

In a time where the landscape style of the Group of Seven dominated the Canadian art world, the work from P11 would soon become the new foundation for modern art in Canada. The new installation at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery features work from the collection from every member of the P11 and demonstrates their then breakthrough abstract style, evident in works such as Melville’s Island (1961) from group member Ray Mead.

Ray Mead, Melville’s Island, 1961; oil on canvas; Donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988; gift of M. F. Feheley

With each new installation, there is a cohesiveness that is present within the collection despite the differences in technique and imagery from the artists. For example, the imagery of Alexandra Luke’s piece Encounter (1959) contrasts the more heavy appearance of Cloud (1962) by William Ronald.

William Ronald, Cloud, 1962; oil on canvas; Donated by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, 1988, gift of Dr. and Mrs. S. P. Starkman

Alexandra Luke, Encounter, 1959; oil on masonite; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. E. R. S. McLaughlin, 1971

Despite abstract being a lesser of my personal favourites, the work of the P11 evolve the style to encompass traditionalist approaches of painting in their work – creating an appeal to both the classical and modern art enthusiasts.

A new exhibition is installed every eight months and features, fittingly, eleven original paintings from the group that is worth a visit to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Raechel Bonomo

Volunteer Blog Writer

Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery

Summer Art Camp in Oshawa!

Ages 5-10
Summer Day Camp at the RMG in Oshawa

The RMG’s summer day camp program offers something for everyone! Inspired by special exhibitions and our permanent collection, each week of camp is full of fun activities in the gallery, hands-on projects in the studio, games, and lots of time to play. Activities are planned so that you can sign up for half or full days and there are pre- and post-camp options for busy families.

NEW! Pre- and post-camp care available.
https://rmg.on.ca/summer-art-camps.php

The Results are in! Making History: Youth Art & Writing Contest

This post comes from the desk of Sonya Jones, Curator of the Thomas Bouckley Collection.

The Making History: Youth Art & Writing Contest gave young writers and artists creative freedom to express what their community’s history means to them. Youth were asked to submit an art or writing project that was inspired by a photograph in the Thomas Bouckley Collection. I was thrilled with the diverse responses! Seven submissions were chosen to be included in a small exhibition in the RMG’s Windfield Lounge.

Courtney Dianard Departure 2012

Military fathers with their children, 1939

The five poems/short stories and 2 paintings appear next to the relevant photograph from the collection. The viewer sees the historical photograph in a new way—reinterpreting it based on the students’ creative expression. Congratulations to the winners Courtney Dainard, for the Best Overall Art prize, and Tara Zammit, for the Best Overall Writing prize. Courtney’s painting of a young girl’s sorrow at her father’s departure for war reminds us of the many children who experienced this feeling throughout our community’s history. And Tara’s poem, Open Your Ears, fills the piano room at Bishop Bethune College with joy and music.

Piano Practice, Bishop Bethune College c. 1925

Open Your Ears

Dance little tune,

Fly about the room,

Capture my soul like soup on a spoon.

Piano erupt,

Let my ears indulge,

Open them to something some never love.

But I do, yes I do!

Brother, let me preach,

For the passion in the soul is something one cannot teach.

Let the curtains billow and whisper

As the wind whips around,

Let them join in the creation of this marvelous sound.

Old books line the shelves,

Collecting memories and dust,

Unveiling secrets of history, music and lust.

It’s too much for us!

The dull mind cannot bear

All the beauty, the joy

All the strife, all the cares.

Let the pictures be an audience.

Placid faces stay calm,

Though the spirits inside dance as if they still shone.

In my white blouse and navy,

I sing sweetly along.

On a stool by the piano

Is where I belong.

The exhibition Making History on view until March 3, 2013. The historical images come alive with different interpretive narratives—giving new meaning to Oshawa’s past.