The RMG Art News - Winter 2020

THE RMG ART NEWS

WINTER 2020

EXHIBITIONS / PROGRAMS / EVENTS / STORIES

Jason McLean, Dreaming of Place… Again ink on paper, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Michael Gibson Gallery.

rmg.on.ca

CEO’S NOTE

Fall Exhibitions What does “socially impactful” work mean and to whom? In the fall of 2019, I went to the AGO to see their Early Rubens exhibition and was interested to learn that many of the artist’s large-scale paintings were directly related to the war-torn 16th and early 17th Century city of Antwerp, where Rubens lived. Rubens was decidedly anti-war and many of his works speak to the horrors of conflict in his own time. This made me reflect on the RMG’s commitment to “empowering artists as essential navigators of our complex times” as one of our guiding principles. In a sense, this is a continuation of hundreds of years of art production that has had social impact.

I mention this because of the deep impression made with our fall, 2019 exhibitions as shown during our October 5th opening reception. Opening receptions are a time of celebration–for the artist, their friends and family, the community, and the RMG staff. The opening was just that–an afternoon to celebrate work that equally affected, and was affected by our communities.

Artists Dani Crosby and David Bobier both expressed their personal experiences and how they shaped the development of the work in body language. Dani spoke with particular poignancy as she shared her personal and artistic journey and how it set the compassionate approach she took with the anonymous stories that informed her paintings. David, in turn, was influenced by the work that Dani produced–a beautiful circle of communication that began with Durham voices.

Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, the artists behind Oshawa: A History of Local 222, shared their journey with Oshawa’s local auto union. They then gave the floor over to union members who were integral to the project. For me, this was one of the most impactful parts of the afternoon–listening to those who had fought the battles for those who followed. As we reflected on GM’s presence and impact in our community, Oshawa-born photographer Colin Medley showed images of the city’s ever-changing landscape.

With these key 2019 exhibitions, we shared learning opportunities and by doing so made meaningful connections with our various communities. We look forward to furthering and deepening these relationships in 2020.

Linda Jansma Interim CEO 2

CONTENT

Page 04 Winter Exhibitions + Collections

Page 16 New Acquisition + Call for Images

Page 17 RBC Artist Incubator Lab

Page 18 Gallery A Programming

Page 20 Learning + Engagement

Page 24 FREE OPG Sundays + RMG Fridays

Page 25 Events + Public Programming

Page 26 The RMG Community

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EXHIBITIONS + COLLECTIONS

Made of Honey, Gold, and Marigold Kapwani Kiwanga, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, Rajni Perera With a performance by Basil AlZeri February 1 – April 19, 2020 Opening Reception: Saturday, February 1, 2020 2PM - 4PM Curated by Geneviève Wallen “The sun opens the floorboards to light, the light shafts gradually towards her ankle, moves up her body like a brush, feathery. She watches herself in half light, half dark, and it is this preoccupation with herself that makes someone stop at the window.

Though it is not seduction, but a genuine fascination with the sun creeping up her ankle.”

M

–Dionne Brand, At the Full and Change of the Moon

ade of Honey, Gold, and Marigold is a contemporary exploration of the sun, as an activator of sensory engagement, provoking deeper contemplations on sensuality, eroticism, pleasure, and politics of desire. Inspired by Dionne Brand’s descriptions of her young pro-

tagonist Maya and her awakening self-awareness, the selected works by Kapwani Kiwanga, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, and Rajni Perera, draw attention to a multilayered sensory ecology that weaves together embodiment, space, and the radiance of the sun. Mundane, yet seducing moments such as the warmth of soaking in the soft ambient morning light or relishing in the golden hues of the magic hour can spark meditations on a specific being-ness that is responsive to the present moment—a quiet unfolding of bodily and spiritual presence. In this exhibition context, the sun is a catalyst providing a language that infuses wonder and awe into the amplitudes of Black and Brown inner lives, substituting oppressive imaginaries for consuming fantasies. Contemporary poets such as Rupi Kaur, Upile Chisala, and Nayyirah Waheed compare the spectrum of melanin’s luminescence to luxurious and sun-like materials such as honey, gold, and marigold. By employing these qualifiers as an affirmation of inner and outer radiance, it also addresses a strong desire to assert a bodily embrace that is expansive while reclaiming melanated people’s cosmic relationship to the sun.

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Born in Ontario to Tanzanian parents, Kapwani Kiwanga lives and works in Paris.

She studied anthropology and comparative religion at McGill University in Montreal, completed the “La Seine” program at the École Nationale Supérieure des BeauxArts de Paris, and has worked at the Centre national d’art contemporain Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing, France. She was artist in residence at the MU Foundation in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and at La Box in Bourges, France. Her works have been exhibited by world-class institutions such as the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume (Paris), Ferme du Buisson (Noisiel, France), London South Gallery (London), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (Turin), Logan Art Center (Chicago), Power Plant (Toronto), Esker Foundation (Calgary), and Glasgow International (Glasgow). In 2018, Kiwanga was the winner of the Frieze Artist Award and the Sobey Art Award.

Kapwani Kiwanga, video still from The Sun Never Sets, HD colour video, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Jérôme Poggi, Tanja Wagner Gallery, Goodman Gallery.

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Rajni Perera was born in Sri Lanka in 1985 and lives and works in Toronto. She explores issues of hybridity, sacrilege, irreverence, the indexical sciences, ethnography, gender, sexuality, popular culture, deities, monsters and dream worlds. All of these themes marry in a newly objectified realm of mythical symbioses. They are flattened on the medium and made to act as a personal record of impossible discoveries. In her work she seeks to open and reveal the dynamism of these icons, both scripturally existent, self-invented and externally defined. She creates a subversive aesthetic that counteracts antiquated, oppressive discourse, and acts as a restorative force through which people can move outdated, repressive modes of being towards reclaiming their power.

Kosisochukwu Nnebe is a Nigerian-Canadian visual artist. An economist by training and a policy analyst by profession, her visual arts practice explores the role of art as an interactive and disruptive force. Her work has been exhibited at AXENEO7 in Hull, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, and the Mohr Gallery in Mountain View, California. She has given presentations on her artistic practice and research at universities across Quebec, including Laval, McGill and Concordia, and has facilitated youth workshops at the Ottawa Art Gallery and Redwood City High School in California. She is currently based in Ottawa.

Geneviève Wallen is a Montreal-based curator and writer interested in the manifestation of healing spaces within the arts. Wallen’s interest in diasporic narratives, intersectional feminism, intergenerational healing and BIPOC alternative timelines inform her practice. She has curated exhibitions in Montreal and Toronto, and is the former Programming Coordinator at Xpace Cultural Centre, a board membercurator at YTB (Younger Than Beyoncé) Gallery, and a member of the collective We Critique, We Curate.

Kosisochukwu Nnebe, And the world waited.

To caress her, mixed media installation, 2019. Courtesy of the artist.

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Rajni Perera, Ancestor, mixed media on paper, 2019. Courtesy of the artist.

Public Program

everyone under the sun Basil AlZeri

January 29, 2020 | 12PM - 2PM *No registration required Please join the RMG staff and the artists at the front of the gallery for a winter picnic.

What does it mean to include everyone? And how do you do that? How can we create spaces and situations that can be inclusive? Is there such a thing? How can we walk out, but walk out together? Walk out for the right collective goals that embrace everyone equally? How can we share something simple and beautiful? How can we learn about the land—the land where the building stands, the land that we stand on?

Basil AlZeri, Welcome Suad and Shafi: A PotLuck Dinner Party Performance/ MOCA, Toronto, 2015. Photo by Yuula Benivolski

Basil will host a winter picnic that will attempt to include everyone under the sun; gallery staff, exhibition organizers, artists, and of course anyone else, in the week prior to the exhibition opening. The event will happen outside the gallery and will be held during the lunch hour to accommodate as many people as possible. Soup and hot beverages will be served.

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If you see me, say hello Jason McLean January 18 – April 5, 2020 Opening Reception: Saturday, February 1, 2020, 2PM - 4PM Curated by Leila Timmins Jason McLean’s expansive and energetic practice spans works on paper, sculpture, mail art, performance, found audio compilations, hand-sewn costumes, and scavenged collections of everyday objects. Best known for his diaristic drawings, which trace the contours of his life through self-reflexive mapping and word play, he charts the world around him with a sense of humour and whimsy, while also deftly capturing the anxiety and precarity of the present moment. As writer Matthew Ryan Smith notes, he is, “a mapper of memory, a cartographer of the everyday, an archivist of minutiae, a chronicler of the prosaic.” Which is to say that McLean’s practice is world making. In his drawings, the surrealist roads and buildings loosely reference the towns and cities he has lived in and are marked with locations of celebrity sightings or important sporting events from his youth, and contain ruminations on everything from real estate speculation to the state of his career. There is an infectious energy and peculiar logic to the ways things are pulled together, reconstituted and presented again. A small sample of Pez dispensers from the now infamous “Felix and Henry’s Pez Museum” (a project started with his sons in 2012), as well as collections of cereal boxes and candy wrappers, are presented in the gallery alongside the drawings showing both his obsessive interest in material culture and also an irreverence for what is considered “important” art.

If you see me, say hello, a reference to a Bob Dylan song by the same name, marks a moment of looking back from the vantage point of the mid-career mark in the artist’s practice. Bringing together works from the last twenty years, the exhibition draws on emergent themes: critical regionalism, collaborative production, collected ephemera, and an intense preoccupation with the cult of celebrity. While at times deeply personal and confessional, the works point to larger societal questions that chart the uncertainty of our time, sharing insights on the parts of life that cause anxiety and also the parts that bring the most joy.

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Jason McLean, Ontario Bird From Out West, ink on paper, 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Michael Gibson Gallery.

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Jason McLean was born in London, ON in 1971. After attending H.B. Beal Secondary School, McLean graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver in 1997. He has exhibited nationally and internationally including shows at the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Venice, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Loyal Gallery in Malmo Sweden, Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, Franklin Parrish Gallery, and Zieher Smith Gallery in New York City. He has work in major collections throughout North America including the Museum of Modern Art, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Bank of Montreal Collection, and the Royal Bank of Canada. McLean is represented by Michael Gibson Gallery in London, ON, Wilding Cran Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, Mรณnica Reyes Gallery, Vancouver, BC, and Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, NY.

Jason McLean, America in the Fall, sewn vinyl, bus transfer collection, collage, 2012.

Courtesy of the artist.

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Exhibition Insider: If you see me, say hello

The Pez Museum

By Leila Timmins

F

elix and Henry’s Pez Museum first opened in 2012

This kind of collecting and interest in material culture does

in the basement of their family home in London, On-

not stop with Pez in the McLean household. Henry and Jason

tario. Showcasing their Pez collection along shelves

also have collected fruit stickers, candy bar wrappers, torn

and cases in a small basement room, the museum

pieces of money, silica packets, ticket stubs, and cereal boxes

also featured a custom audio track, Pez-inspired art, a world

under the moniker “Henry and Jay’s Collection Agency”. Jason

map showing where each of the Pez had come from, home-

McLean’s exhibition at the RMG If you see me, say hello fea-

made vending machine, Pez rug, donor wall and guest book.

tures an installation of the Pez Museum, as well as a selection

Felix and Henry are the school-aged sons of artist Jason

of the cereal boxes and candy bar wrappers.

McLean and the co-directors of the museum, who have been collaborating with their dad on the project for almost a decade. The first show was a huge success with everyone from local artists and celebrities to Rick Rhodes (then Editor of Canadian Art Magazine) coming to visit. “Once we got Michael Snow to sign one of the Pez, it really started to take off”, recalls McLean. For years, he would carry Pez with him while travelling and get anyone he was interested in or admired to sign one of the dispensers. The collection, which has grown to over 3000 Pez includes signatures from celebrities such as David Letterman, Mike Myers, Sarah Silverman, Regis Philbin, Yoko Ono, and Kelsey Grammar, as well as baseball players, musicians, friends and fellow artists.

Since its inception, Pez Museum shows have happened in various locations across the country including Vancouver, London, Halifax, and Toronto. Most recently, Henry has taken over the collection from his big brother and has been curating a rotating display of Pez and ephemera in a vitrine at the Brooklyn Public Library in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

“I really like the history of Pez” Henry tells a reporter for the New York Post, when talking about the motivation for his recent display on the evolution of Pez dispensers. According to

Images of signed Pez from the collection of Jason, Felix, and Henry McLean’s Pez Museum Collection. Courtesy of the artist.

Henry, Pez originated in Austria in 1927 and were marketed as a mint to help adults quit smoking. When brought to America, they did not sell well and so the company switched tactics and added the cartoon heads to be more appealing to children. “I actually hate the candy” he tells reporters, he just likes them as objects.

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WINTER EXHIBITIONS CONTINUED...

Barrowclough and Goodall Butcher Shop, 1912. From The Thomas Bouckley Collection.

Our Flavourful Past: The History of the Food Scene in Oshawa Thomas Bouckley Collection December 14, 2019 – April 11, 2020 Curated by Shiu Chin Jessica Ho Beyond a necessity, food is pleasurable, brings people together, and is a reflection of culture. Some of the most heated discussions about food take place in reviews on Yelp or Google and focus on taste, quality, and service, but we seldom consider the implications of the role of food in society from a broader cultural context. This exhibition explores the food scene in Oshawa during the 1890s-1940s, including photographs from the Thomas Bouckley Collection and archival documents on loan from the Oshawa Museum.

It reveals how food is always more than a fundamental need or a commodity—it is an indispensable part of our socio-cultural evolution.

Once described as the “Manchester of Canada”, Oshawa’s prosperity sparked comparison to the industrial city of Manchester in England. The selection of photographs in this exhibition gives a glimpse into Oshawa’s food landscape before the emergence of supermarkets and chain restaurants and answers questions like: How was food delivered back then? How was food perceived by people of different ages and classes? What was the food scene like during war time? This exhibition presents the role of food in shaping Oshawa’s industrial and technological innovation, cultural diversity, and the everyday lives of residents.

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The Joy Of Living Rita Letendre Permanent Collection Dates: February 10 – June 14, 2020 Curated by Sonya Jones Born in 1928 in Drummondville, Quebec to Abenaki and Quebecois parents, Rita Letendre moved with her family to Montréal in 1941. After attending Montreal’s École des Beaux-Arts in 1948, she left the following year finding the school’s teaching style too conservative. “To make a painting showing a little house on a street, that doesn’t show life” she said, “I wanted to show the joy of life, its difficulties, its power.” Abstraction allowed her to do just that, and soon she caught the attention of the artist PaulRita Letendre (Canadian, b.1928), Vie & Passion, Le Cercle Magique, oil on canvas, 1998, Gift of the artist, 2015. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

Émile Borduas, a founder of the Automatiste group.

She blossomed from there and soon found her own direction.

Letendre describes her long career as a continual progression, claiming, “in my case, one tiny step leads to another.” Works in this exhibition, from the RMG’s Permanent Collection, capture Letendre’s ever-evolving style of abstraction. It includes paintings from her abstract expressionist beginnings, her crisp hard-edged abstractions, as well as the vibrant and dynamic gestural works from her most recent series.

Painters Eleven Permanent Collection February 10 – April 27, 2020 Curated by Sonya Jones The RMG’s collection of works by Painters Eleven has grown to over 1000 works. The gallery’s first mandate emphasized collecting and exhibiting the work of the group, and we remain committed to this by showing works by members of Painters Eleven at all times. Each exhibition often brings together different works along a common theme. The current exhibition focuses on works that depict organic forms or include representations of nature.

Alexandra Luke (Canadian, 1901 - 1967), Garden, oil on masonite, 1958, Gift of the artist, 1967. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

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A Day in the Life of a Preparator

By Mike Drolet

W

hen people ask what a preparator does the easy answer is to say that it is someone who handles artworks. Personally, I feel “art handler” falls short when referencing a preparator’s role in a museum or gallery. Preparators care for and are in contact with fragile and delicate objects; the decisions they make help to preserve and protect the life of each object.

Preparators are technical service workers with skills relating specifically to art handling, transportation of artworks and objects, and how to store artworks for short and long periods of time, while maintaining proper conservation standards.

In addition to the knowledge about artwork care, preparators often have a background or education in the arts, and construction knowledge such as drywalling, woodworking and framing, painting, and lighting.

Some preparators are even practicing artists themselves! Workers in this role build stands, mounts and temporary walls, creating the different enviornments to view art. They set-up audio/visual elements in the exhibitions you visit. In addition to this, I also believe something every preparator shares is the ability to creatively solve problems.

Preparators work behind the scenes, out of the public’s view, which can make the role seem mysterious.

Here is my attempt at demystifying the role of a Gallery Preparator by sharing a typical day. Keep in mind, every day is very different.

8:00AM Daily Rounds. Everyday the exhibition spaces are checked. In addition, I do a facility check that requires me to measure the climate inside the gallery and monitor hygrothermograph readings, visually check the mechanical systems such as boilers and air handlers, and perform occasional maintenance.

8:30AM – 10:00AM Currently, I am crating and wrapping artworks for a travelling exhibition. Usually my time is split between different projects throughout the day. Some exhibitions also require unique stands or mounts, all of which need to be fabricated before the show.

10:00AM- 12:00AM An important part of a preparators work is to ensure the general care of the collection. In the case of the RMG, we are fortunate to have an extensive collection which includes work in a large variety of media.

There are always projects to be done in our vault space. Currently, with the help of our great volunteers and interns, we are unframing photography and works on paper from our past exhibitions to get them ready for storage and place them in their assigned homes.

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1:00PM – 2:00PM Public art maintenance! As part of the RMG’s collection, we look after six public sculptures located in downtown Oshawa. Each work is part of our Permanent Collection and all require different care and conservation.

We do annual inspections and condition reports of the sculptures to keep track of how they are holding up in the harsh Canadian climate.

2:00PM- 4:00PM Coordinate shipping for travelling exhibitions and continue to wrap and crate artworks. Exhibitions are planned well in advanced for good reason! Not every work that is requested to be loaned or to be sent to another institution has travelled before. This means some thought needs to be put into the design of the packaging and crate to ensure the artwork remains safe on its future journey.

Something unique to the preparator role is never having the same day twice. Although some tasks may be repeated there is quite a lot of room for creativity and having to solve unique problems because every artwork is different and they each require different considerations. It keeps the job interesting!

RMG Preparator Mike Drolet about to uncrate some material for an upcoming exhibition.

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FROM THE COLLECTION Currently on display in the Permanent Collection exhibition IMPACT, is Cuban Canadian painter Harry Tanner’s work Conflict. With the recent passing of Tanner, we reached out to his close friend, artist Gary Greenwood, to say a few words about him: “Harry Tanner passed away this November after bravely enduring a long and debilitating ailment similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease. Harry was born in Cuba and participated in the revolution. I met Harry four decades ago when he was active in the Cuban Artists Union (UNEAC) and I was the Spokesperson for the Canadian Artists Representation of Ontario. At that time, his art was infused with revolutionary vigour and populated by Cuban political and folk heroes.

Having dual citizenship, Harry emigrated to Canada–the home of his father– where he continued to paint until about three years ago. He was an exponent and advocate of Renaissance painting techniques and wrote a book on the subject. “

Harry Tanner (Cuban-Canadian, 1934-2019), Conflict, tempera on canvas, 1980, Purchase, 1983. Collection of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.

NEW ACQUISITION The RMG is very excited to announce that we received the 2019 York Wilson Endowment Award from the Canada Council for the Arts. This award has funded the acquisition of Banner for New Empire 1, a large-scale painting by emerging, Sri Lankan-born artist Rajni Perera. Perera’s work explores issues of hybridity, sacrilege, irreverence, the indexical sciences, ethnography, gender, sexuality, popular culture, deities, monsters, and dream worlds. Banner for New Empire 1 evokes ancient myths through combining traditional painting techniques with a feminist sci-fi aesthetic.

Rajni Perera, Banner for a New Empire 1, canvas, wood, steel, acrylic and acryl-gouache paint, 2018. Courtesy of the artist.

CALL FOR IMAGES The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and The Totally Outright program at the AIDS Committee of Durham Region are seeking images that depict local queer history for inclusion in the Thomas Bouckley Collection. For an upcoming, 2020 exhibition titled Come Out, Come Out at the RMG, we are seeking images that represent local queer histories and stories. The project aims to challenge this act of omission from the historical record by including these previously untold stories in the Thomas Bouckley Collection and promoting the further inclusion of photographs from marginalized communities, so their stories can be preserved and shared.

To learn more about this project visit: http://rmg.on.ca/events/call-for-images/

John Lander, Oshawa-born artist, c. 1980. From The Robert McLaughlin Gallery archives.

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RBC Artist Incubator Lab The RMG is pleased to welcome Sophie Sabet to the Artist Incubator Lab as the fourth Artist in Residence supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Project.

Residency: December 16, 2019 - March 22, 2020

D

uring her residency, Sabet will be developing a multi-media installation that draws on found homevideo footage from her family’s home in Iran, before they immigrated to Canada. The installation will investigate social and political themes related to family, geography, and representation.

Sabet is a Toronto-based visual artist working predominantly in video. Her practice is often auto-

biographical and intimately traces the complexities and fluidity of the domestic sphere. She is interested in different forms of communication, creating space for empathy and the process of working through heterogeneous cultural and personal perspectives. She holds a BA in Art History from Queen’s University, and a MFA in Documentary Media Studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Sabet has exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Student Gallery at the Ryerson Image Centre (Toronto) in 2016 and Flux Gallery (Winnipeg) in 2017.

She has participated in several artist residencies including the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2017 and the Vermont Studio Centre in 2018. Sabet recently completed a solo show at the Mississauga Museums for CONTACT’s 2019 photography festival (Toronto) where she received the Gattuso prize for an outstanding Featured Exhibition.

Sophie Sabet, The Perfect Day, video still, 2019-2020.

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GALLERY A PROGRAMMING

Left: Ellen Bleiwas, Terrasoma III, clay, mirror, 2019.

Right: Ellen Bleiwas, Terrasoma V, clay, mirror, 2019.

Lithic Innards Ellen Bleiwas Gallery A Supported by the RBC Foundation Opening Reception: Friday, January 3, 2020, 7PM -10PM | Artist Talk: Friday, January 3, 2020 8:30PM Lithic Innards is an exhibition of new work by Toronto-based artist Ellen Bleiwas. The installation’s assembly of unfired clay figures prod at conscious and unconscious knowledge, prompting an experience that is something like recognition, a form of looking that is both familiar and new all at once. The individual works are formed from molded masses or coils of clay, rolled and stretched long into slippery ropes. These soft, pliable coils are wound around and around to form towers that are pinched and smoothed, creating space and texture inside and out. The arrangement of these forms activates circular movement, which direct the viewer to move around the works in a circle, reinforcing the artist’s interest in repetition, reflection, and looking in. Holding space, the installation also produces a feeling of grounded monumentality characteristic of architectural forms and primordial rock. Inviting you into this space and into yourself, Bleiwas asks: do you know this place?

Ellen Bleiwas is an emerging visual artist based in Toronto. She has recently exhibited at Idea Exchange (Cambridge), Angell Gallery (Toronto), and Art Mûr (Montreal). Bleiwas holds a MFA from York University (2017) and a Master of Architecture from McGill University (2010). She has participated in artist residencies including Takt Kunstprojektraum (Berlin), Artscape Gibraltar Point (Toronto), and the School of Visual Arts (New York). Her practice has been supported through grants and awards from the Toronto Arts Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 401 Richmond through the 2017-18 Career Launcher Prize, and here at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery through the RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program. Immediately following her tenure at the RMG, Bleiwas is attending an artist residency at the NARS Foundation in New York, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

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Psychedelic Oshawa Curated by Gary Genosko February 7 – March 17, 2020 Opening Reception: Friday, February 7, 2020 7PM - 10PM Psychedelic Oshawa recovers and reimagines a formative period in the city’s cultural awakening during the turbulent years of the 1960s and early 1970s. Contemporary artists from Durham Region and beyond were invited by guest curator Gary Genosko to use historical artefacts as springboards to create new works that bring past events and imagery into focus. These new works are paired with historical reference materials, including photographs, paper ephemera, and obsolete media such as 8-track tapes. Made with hand-knit wool, digital colour illustration, felt, screen printing, paint, yarn, and beeswax, these diverse works pay tribute to a poorly documented era, celebrating its strengths and underappreciated accomplishments.

Gary Genosko is an independent curator and professor at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa. Contributing artists include Dani Crosby, Monique Brent, Nicole Marhong, Len de Graaf, and Bob Bryden, as well as photojournalists Jeff Good and Fred Ross, amateur photographer Scott Cisco, printmaker Hannah Genosko, sound artist Christof Migone, textile artist Dani Crosby, Strawberry Fields 1970, digitally coloured illustration, 2019.

and art historian Alison Ariss, graphic designer Kai Pinkerton, curator and video artist Doug Lewis (with painter Martnya Pekala), painter Garry Gatti, designer and community artist Betty Carpick, and illustrator Desmond Clancy.

The Perfect Day Sophie Sabet March 24 - April 20, 2020 Opening Reception: Friday, April 3, 2020 7PM - 10PM The Perfect Day is a multi-media installation developed by Sophie Sabet during her residency in the RBC Artist Incubator Lab from December 16, 2019 to March 22, 2020. The source material for this new work is found home-video footage, reSophie Sabet, The Perfect Day II, video still, 2019-2020.

corded the morning after a robbery at the artist’s family home in Iran; ultimately, this invasion initiated her parents’ decision to immigrate with the family to Canada in 1995. Lingering in the background of this video is a life-sized reproduction of a famous painting by French artist Paul Gauguin. Painted

by Sabet’s mother, this reproduction becomes a point of departure for the artist who investigates social and political themes related to family, geography, and representation in this thoughtful and critical installation.

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LEARNING + ENGAGEMENT

The RMG is a Social Learning Space “The RMG works to expand our audiences by engaging community groups with the gallery in a different way.”

By Saira Knowles

P

arents, teachers, school and district leaders, community leaders, and other experts are part of a growing consensus that there is an urgent need to balance academic instruction with the overall well-being of students. Emphasizing teaching social and emotional skills and taking into considera-

tion individual needs and voice, benefits those who have experienced the greatest challenges and supports the whole learner. Reshaping teaching in this way is seen to accelerate learning, as well as lay the foundation for mutual respect and value for individual perspectives, and is the substance behind a shared sense of belonging between young people and the adults who work alongside them.

Social and emotional learning is about developing ‘soft skills’, such as managing emotions, controlling impulses, and achieving goals. Gaining social awareness, including seeing things from other people’s perspective, showing empathy, and improving relationship skills, is extremely valuable. Put simply, it’s how an individual’s best academic performance prospers. RMG’s kids’ classes and workshops purposely teach social, emotional, and cognitive skills by using ‘real world’ instructional materials, co-operative practices, and resources aimed towards building empathy with the experiences and messages of the artists whose work we show.

Although social learning theory was developed as early as the 1960’s, decades of new research across a range of disciplines has shown the link between social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of learning. These skills grow and change over time, and, based on environment and experiences, can be taught, improved upon, and honed no matter what one’s age.

When and where does social learning occur? What environmental influences build upon our attention, memory, and motivation, all in alliance with more traditional knowledge acquisition?

Young participant making art in the Studio.

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Our practice is audience-centred, meaning-based, process-oriented, interactive, and responsive to community interest. Programs at the RMG are designed for active participation so people may collectively experience processes of socialization and knowledge-building.

This applies to programs and events that are directly connected with exhibitions, as well as project work undertaken with various community groups.

The RMG offers a mix of activities—live performances, artist talks, art-making courses, storytelling, discussions, professional development, films, and school workshops. Our additional public programs include participatory spaces, and hosting community partnered events, which work to contribute to culture as an active resource in society, as well as a social learning space for knowledge-building, helping to create social change and sustainable community growth.

We collaborate with community groups on many levels. Collaboration occurs in many forms, from a simple cooperative project between the RMG and another group, to a deep and comprehensive partnership—fusing thinking, language, and formats, and ultimately creating something new. The process involves building and maintaining relationships, and participation in decision-making. During 2020, we are working with Autism Home Base Durham to create a Gallery A exhibition where gallery staff facilitate the individual’s narratives through art-making for maximum public impact.

The RMG works to expand our audiences by engaging community groups with the gallery in different ways. The recent seniors art social, ‘Young at Art’ offered a variety of inclusive choices: instructor led and free dancing, memory art-making, and a nostalgic curatorial tour. Similarly, we are holding community events this winter that support social and emotional wellness: drop-in programs of soup making, meditation, and art making. Providing unique experiences is key so people of all ages and backgrounds can access a sociable, relaxed, and inclusive experience.

The question of when and how most active adults are accessing cultural education is not simply answered by looking at who is taking a class, a workshop, or attending a lecture.

We also learn through informal events and programs both independently and with others. There are additional layers of reflection created when you take part in an unplanned discussion or take the opportunity to understand new perspectives and experience the unfamiliar. What you take away may not necessarily be tangible and could build, reaffirm, or confound your opinions.

Ask yourself if you have distinct and profound memories of gallery visits from childhood— do you remember the sensations of the building surrounding you, the people you were with, an appreciation of the individual curiosity, and emotions it evoked? Is it possible to evaluate, measure, or assess something as intangible as a personal connection, engagement, growth, a lasting memory, an aesthetic experience, or an “ah-ha” moment? Our work is about providing our visitors with meaningful experiences that are personally relevant, significant, and enduring.

Read more on Social & Emotional Learning Development, ‘Nation at Hope’ full report (2018): The Aspen Institution, National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development http://nationathope.org/

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WINTER/SPRING ART CLASSES FOR KIDS + ADULTS Art Tots: Petite Painters (ages 2-4)

NEW! Explore and Draw (ages 5-10)

Mondays, Jan 13 - Mar 30 (no class Feb 17, Mar 16)

Thursdays, Jan 23 - Feb 27

(10 sessions, W) | 10:15AM - 11:00AM

(6 sessions, W) | 4:15PM - 5:45PM

Mondays, Apr 6 - May 25 (no class Apr 13, May 18)

$75 Members | $85 Non-Members

(6 sessions, S) | 10:15AM - 11:00AM $8 per morning | Members Free. Registration required

Charcoal, graphite, pen & ink, conte, and pastels. From tra-

per week.

ditional to experimental, this class opens up a world of drawing mediums to play with. Our instructor sets the kids up for

Get your hands messy in this creative and popular class! Your child will explore an array of fine art materials where no mess is too big, and no toddler too small. Must be accompanied by an adult.

success using step-by-step processes, fine art materials and thematic projects inspired by visits to our gallery spaces.

NEW! Canvas Kids (ages 5-10) Thursdays, Mar 26 - Apr 30

Saturday Studio (ages 5-10)

(6 sessions,S) | 4:15PM - 5:45PM

Saturday, Jan 18 – Mar 7

$75 Members | $85 Non-Members

(8 sessions, W) | 10:00AM - 12:00PM Saturday, Apr 18-June 13 (No class May 16)

With the RMG’s collections as inspiration, kids will learn paint-

(8 sessions, S) | 10:00AM - 12:00PM

ing and mixed media techniques. Projects will sharpen your

$110 Members | $125 Non-Members Take fine art materials, an exceptional instructor, a sociable environment, add some creativity and a zest of imagination, it’s the ideal formula for a young budding artist! Children will

child’s powers of observation, imagination, and invention; be prepared to hang a new canvas or two on your walls!

NEW! All Things Ink (ages 5-10) Thursdays, May 7 - May 28

be inspired by interactive tours of our fantastic current exhi-

(4 sessions,S) | 4:15PM - 5:45PM

bitions and create personal, stunning mixed media artworks

$50 Members | $60 Non-Members

that will include drawing, painting, printmaking and more.

See what free flowing acrylic inks, printmaking inks and In-

Art Away from Home-School (ages 5-10)

dia inks can create. Using ink releases kids’ inhibitions with

Mondays, Jan 13 - Mar 30 (no class Feb 17, Mar 16)

surprising and curious results. We take inspiration from our

(10 sessions, W) | 10:15AM - 11:30AM

exhibitions, and guide children to enjoy and develop an ex-

Mondays, Apr 6 - May 25 (no class Apr 13, May 18) (6 sessions, S) | 10:15AM - 11:30AM 95 Members | $105 Non-Members (10 sessions, W) $50 Members | $60 Non-Members (6 sessions, S) Fine art processes and techniques take centre stage in this beloved and established course. Our popular and creative instructor guides participants through a wide variety of mediums, supported with direct connections to our exhibitions.

perimental approach to art.

March Break Camp Micros: ages 5 - 7 & Macros: ages 8 - 12 March 16 - March 20 | 9:00AM - 4:00PM There are 15 spots per group per week. $180 Members| $195 Non-Members Do you want your kids to dive into creativity this March? Our fun-filled, age-specific fine art camps are packed with inspired projects, interactive gallery activities, active outdoor play, and our RMG kids make memorable friendships!

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WINTER/SPRING ART CLASSES FOR KIDS + ADULTS P.A. Day Camp (ages 5 - 10)

Using oil paints, participants are encouraged to expand their

Friday, April 3 | 9:00AM - 4:00PM

creative range; experimenting with form, colour, and lively

$55 Members | $65 Non-Members

paint applications. Focus will be on a balance between clarity of paint application and building your personal, original fin-

School’s out and the Gallery is in! “Art enables us to find our-

gerprint. Recommended for those who have already taken be-

selves and lose ourselves at the same time.”-Bob Ross. Dur-

ginner drawing and painting classes. All materials included.

ing this full day we play, create, and explore the gallery’s current exhibitions. It’s a different kind of social learning while making a pile of art to take home.

Summer Camp Micros: ages 5 - 7 & Macros: ages 8 - 12 July 6 - August 28 (8 separate weeks of camp) There are 15 spots per group per week. $180 Members| $195 Non-Members For more info visit: http://rmg.on.ca/activities/

Satisfying Sundays: Learn Landscapes in acrylic with Nicole Bauberger Adult weekend 2 day workshops Sunday, March 29 | 10:30AM - 4:00PM + Sunday, April 5 | 10:30AM - 4:00PM $165 Members | $175 Non-Members Set yourself up for the summer outdoor painting season, come join Nicole Bauberger for two Sundays of acrylic painting. Nicole will guide your understanding of glazing, scumbling

Do you want your kids to dive into creativity this summer? We

and gesture, how transparent and opaque paints mix together

have got you covered! Our fun-filled, fine art camps are packed

wet, and layer dry, creating light and depth. This workshop is

with inspired projects, interactive gallery activities, active

tailored to your individual needs and we encourage you to

outdoor play, and our RMG kids make memorable friendships!

bring an image you’d love to transform into a beautiful art-

Here’s the best part-we take care of the mess and our camp

work. All materials and a light sandwich lunch included.

leaders are awesome!

WINTER ART CLASSES FOR ADULTS Drawing and Painting with David Wysotski Thursdays, Jan 23 - Mar 12 | 6:15PM - 8:15PM Thursdays, Mar 26 - May 28 | 6:15PM - 8:15PM $150 Members | $160 Non-Members (8 sessions, W) $190 Members | $200 Non-Members (10 sessions, S) If you thrive in a structured learning environment, this course is for you. Improve your technical skills with drawing and acrylic painting. David’s established and focused classes are well-loved for the direct help you’ll receive from our instructor that meet your level. Complete your art work using step-by-

FREE ARTIST PD WORKSHOP SERIES The RMG is excited to announce two new workshops in our FREE Artist Professional Development Series!

Spots are limited and registration is required. For more info and to sign up visit: http://rmg.on.ca/artlabgallery-a/gallery-a-public-programming/ Write it! A Writing Workshop for Artists Saturday, February 15 | 1:00PM - 3:00PM

step processes, fine art materials and thematic projects. All materials included.

Oil Painting Explorations: Grow Your Style with Randy Hryhorczuk Sundays, Feb 2 - Mar 8 | 1:00PM - 4:00PM $180 Members | $190 Non-Members (6 sessions, W)

Picture This: A Documentation Workshop for Artists Saturday, April 18 | 1:00PM - 3:00PM This workshop series is supported by the RBC Emerging Artist Project and the RBC Foundation.

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FREE FAMILY EVENTS OPG Sundays Drop-in 1:00PM - 3:00PM | FREE | Materials Provided January 12 - Messy but Mindful In the studio, we create and discover ourselves through mindfully made painted abstractions, and a collaborative, shared mural, and story time with an interactive version of “The Dot.” Let go and have some fun being messy!

February 9 - Tags and Toys We will take a playful approach this month and build inventive and quirky toys in the studio, and design graffiti tags in the

Perfromance by students from the O’Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute at RMG Fridays Fireside. Photo by Empty Cup Media

RMG Fridays - The First Friday of Every Month!

lobby. Explore David Wiesner’s book “Art and Max” during our

FREE Admission | Cash Bar | All Ages

interactive story time!

7:00PM - 10:00PM http://rmg.on.ca/events/rmg-fridays/

February 17 - The Rocky Family Picture Show

Join us for an evening of fun as the gallery buzzes with live

Grab your family and come explore the gallery with an epic

performances, interactive art experiences, exhibition tours, ,

scavenger hunt and create abstract accessories for your

film screenings, social mingling, and more!

quirky family selfies! Head to the studio to get messy to make a unique background for a truly individual artwork.

April 19 - OPG Special Event Grandparents & Me

January 3 – Midnight Vesta Fill your soul with music with this guitar laden quartet smothered in delicious harmonies. Exhibition tour of Ellen Bleiwas’s exhibition Lithic Innards.

Partnership with OSCC55+ & Oshawa Public Library Calling all grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins! This month

February 7 – Launch Pad

we will take an intergenerational approach to road trips!

It takes raw talent and hard work to launch a career in music;

Families will work together to create their own unique travel

These young musicians are ready for lift-off. Performances by

journal, collaborate on ideas of “place” in the lobby with OPL’s

Klinsvin and Eric Brandon. Exhibition tour of Jason McLean’s

STEAM activity called “Coast to Coast with Ozobots.” In the

exhibition If you see me, say hello.

studio, using mixed media materials, fill your arty suitcase with “what would you take?” on your adventurous journey.

March 8 - OPG Special Event Holi Festival of Colour Partnership with Indo-Canadian Cultural Association of Durham Come celebrate Indo-Canadian culture with dances, food and art making as we celebrate Holi (a spring Hindu festival, also known as the festival of colour). This is a spectacular, multitiered event that is a feast for all of your senses. Don’t miss it!

March 6 – Sounds of Folk Get lost in the captivating melodies of these folk musicians as they share their hearts through story and music. Performances by Cobra Coyote and Mattie Leon. Exhibition tour of Made Honey, Gold, and Marigold.

April 3 – Over Land and Sea Mixing traditional tunes from a wide range of European cultures, the musical line-up is sure to delight. Join us for a night of song with world music and influences that have made their way over land and sea. Performances by A Small Wee Band and Steafan & Saskia. Exhibition tour of The Joy of Living.

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EVENTS + PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

people the opportunity to show off some of their own treasured collectibles and tokens, and share the stories behind their connection to the item. To join in the fun, bring an item

Seniors Art Competition Partnership Information Session

that is significant to you and a short story about that piece-

Sunday, 19 January | 1:00PM – 3:00PM

after sports memorabilia [or all three!], we want to see what’s

FREE *No registration required This year we are holding a workshop to help all art competition entrants optimize their submission. We will cover best

whether it’s a family heirloom, a kitschy collectible, or soughtimportant to you and learn why!

Self-care Workshop Series Join us for one, two or all three rewarding workshops!

ways to interpret a ‘theme’, how the formal judging criteria is

$10 Cash at the door *No registration required

applied and go over the new categories for entry.

Visit our website to learn more about each individual

Winter Exhibitions Opening Reception Saturday, February 1 | 2:00PM – 4:00PM FREE

workshop in the series: www.rmg.on.ca February is the perfect month to take some time to invest in your emotional, physical and creative self. Paired with our

Join us for the opening of our Winter 2020 exhibitions: Made of Honey, Gold, and Marigold, a group show with artists Kapwani Kiwanga, Kosisochukwu Nnebe, and Rajni Perera and artist Jason McLean’s If you see me, say hello. Artists will be in

current winter and spring exhibitions, these social and engaging hour-long workshops are designed to promote health and wellness. On-demand guided tours of the exhibitions will also be available.

attendance to talk about their work. Light refreshments and snacks will be served. Coming from Toronto? We have organ-

Oshawa Museum Celebrate March (All Ages)

ized a bus to bring you to and from the opening! Pick up: in front

Thursday, March 19 | 12:00PM – 4:00PM FREE

of OCADU at 1:00PM and will return to OCADU for 4:30PM. To

Oshawa Museum (off-site)

reserve a spot on the bus: RSVP to vault@rmg.on.ca

OSCC55+ and OPL Present: RMG Upcoming Exhibition Talk + Discussion (off-site)

Join us this afternoon for an enriched art making experience connected to the Oshawa Museum’s exhibition The Vintage Catwalk, where clothes tell stories through the ages. On dis-

OPL, McLaughlin Branch:

play is a 1912 dress belonging to Alexandra Luke, one of the

Monday, February 3 | 6:00PM - 7:00PM

founding members of abstract artist group Painters Eleven,

OSCC55+, John Street Branch:

and a lady close to RMG hearts! Participants will recreate in-

Thursday, February 6 | 11:00AM - 12:00PM

tricate embroidery like the floral patterns on her dress using a

The RMG is hitting the road, and you’re invited! Come join us as we bring the newest exhibitions to you with this fun and

relief and foil technique.

Seniors Art Dance Party

interactive presentation that will feel just like a trip to the

Thursday, April 30| 1:00PM – 3:00PM | Drop-in

gallery. Bring your friends, sit back, and enjoy learning about

$5 Cash at the door *No registration required

some of the wonderful art and culture that the RMG is bringing to Oshawa this season.

Live music, art-making, a chatty exhibition tour, and dance lessons with professional instructors! Join us for this enrich-

Grown-up Show and Share (Adults)

ing afternoon. All activities are optional.

Saturday, February 8 | 3:00PM – 5:00PM FREE All or Nothing Brewhouse, Oshawa (off-site) Inspired by artist Jason McLean’s collections of memorabilia and ephemera, this free, drop-in community event gives

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THE RMG COMMUNITY Volunteer Highlight Thank you Daniel Arnott for all you do for the RMG! If you spend any time at the RMG, you will likely recognize this familiar face. Daniel has been volunteering at the RMG since 2011 and can often be found working in the RMG Shop, giving exhibition tours on Thursday evenings and on weekends, and helping out in the curatorial department with various projects, as well as with our annual fundraiser RMG Exposed. Daniel took an interest in volunteering at the RMG shortly after his family moved to Oshawa—he had time on his hands, and, being new to the city, wanted to meet people and get to know the community.

Having come from a small town with no public art gallery, Daniel’s exposure to art was minimal, but he developed a keen interest in the gallery’s collection and, more specifically, Abstract Expressionism and the Painters Eleven. “Being in the RMG’s vault is a real eye-opener, because it’s filled with all these incredible works that you don’t always get to see exhibited on the gallery’s walls”, says Daniel.

Daniel’s favourite artworks include: The Rainbow by William Blair Bruce and The Magistrate, a poetic response by Jordon Beenan to William Ronald’s painting J’accuse, currently featured in the exhibition, In Our Minds.

Interested in Volunteering at the RMG? From weekly classes and workshops to RMG Fridays and OPG Second Sundays, our education programs rely on the support of community volunteers. An ideal position for students, volunteering as an Art Studio Assistant is a great way to gain experience and give back to your community.

Art skills are not required to help with the Learning + Engagement team, as long as you like working with kids, we’d love to have you aboard!

To inquire about available opportunities, contact Samuel Powless, Volunteer Coordinator, at spowless@rmg.on.ca RMG Shop volunteers helping out at our Pop-up Holiday Market.

Getting married in 2020?

The RMG now offers Micro Weddings!

If you are looking for an elegantly simple, hassle-free wedding in a unique and stunning venue, we’ve got you covered!

To learn more visit: http://rmg.on.ca/micro-weddings

Photo courtesy of wedding photographer Steven Crawford.

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RMG Shop Highlight AIDE Bodycare Meet Michelle Treen, founder of AIDE Bodycare “Using original recipes that are only ever tested on people (never animals!), AIDE Bodycare is Oshawa’s cold process soap & apothecary company. Not only do their vegan, small-batch soaps smell amazing, they are also free of GMOs, parabens, and phthalates. You can find a display of their marvelous products at the RMG Shop, or you can stop by their facility (where they host numerous workshops throughout the year) at 463 Bond Street.”

RMG Exposed 2019 Thank you to our community!

A full house at RMG Exposed 2019.

Photo by Empty Cup Media

On behalf of the staff here at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, I would like to extend a sincere and emphatic thank you to everyone who attended and supported this year’s edition of RMG Exposed. It was a tremendously successful event, and helped to make art more accessible for everyone in our community.

2019 marked the tenth anniversary of RMG Exposed, and the enthusiasm that has kept the event going for the last decade was as evident as ever as we hosted guests from all over Ontario for our annual celebration of photography. An event like this requires a lot of time, energy, and focus from our staff throughout the entire year, and it was just so rewarding to see so many folks participate and enjoy the evening.

Of course, in addition to the support of our guests, we could not have put this event on without our presenting sponsors RBC Commercial Financial Services, RBC Dominion Securities, and Mendum Wealth Management; we are also incredibly grateful for the support of Barry Bryan Associates, Durham College, Independent Project Managers, and Tribute Communities.

Thank you, again. I’ll look forward to seeing everyone around the Gallery in 2020!

Niawenkó:wa, Samuel Powless, Community & Front of House Manager

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INFORMATION FOR YOUR VISIT LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Robert McLaughlin Gallery is situated on the ancestral lands and treaty lands of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and the traditional territory of the Mississauga Nation.

ACCESSIBILITY The RMG is wheelchair accessible and manual wheelchairs are available. ASL and sign language interpretation are available upon request. Large Print, Tactile Tours & Audio Description are available upon request.

CONTACT US

GALLERY HOURS

GALLERY TOURS

72 Queen Street Civic Centre,Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z3 905.576.3000 rmg.on.ca communications@rmg.on.ca

Monday-Friday 10AM - 5PM Thursday 10AM - 9PM Saturday 10AM - 4PM Sunday 12PM - 4PM FREE ADMISSION

Gallery tours are available Thursday evenings and on weekends. To arrange tours for larger groups, please contact us in advance.

An agency of the Government of Ontario.

Un organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario.

rmg.on.ca