Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships
September 20, 2025 – February 15, 2026
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Here's what's going on at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.
Exhibitions on Now
Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok
November 15, 2025 - April 12, 2026
Organized by The Art Gallery of Mississauga A member of Curve Lake First Nation and citizen of the Nishnaabeg Nation, artist Olivia Whetung draws upon her experience working on and with the land to create artworks that speak of the interdependence and relationality within our ecosystem. Researching land-based and food de-commodifying movements, Anishinaabe knowledge, and […]
Scott Rogers: Mutualism (Fixed Assets)
November 15, 2025 - April 12, 2026
Mutualism (Fixed Assets) is a new temporary public artwork for the backyard at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery. This ambitious new installation builds on Rogers’ interest in human- built infrastructures for the care and support of non-human beings. Taking the form of a site-responsive bird feeding station, the work is assembled from broken automobile parts scavenged […]
Par Nair: the place from my grandma’s dreams
October 4, 2025 - November 30, 2025
In this exhibition, local artist Par Nair presents paintings and embroidered artworks inspired by the garden outside her family home in the region of Kerala in India. For many years, Nair’s mother has tended the garden, nurtured its growth, and savoured the fruit it bears with her family. Her mother and grandmother continue to enjoy […]
Hortense Gordon: Towards the New
September 6, 2025 - March 1, 2026
Hortense Gordon (1886–1961) was an important figure in Canadian modern art. Trained at the Hamilton Art School, Gordon spent her early career making ceramics and painting traditional landscapes, but it was her later embrace of abstraction that defines her legacy. Gordon returned to teach art at the Hamilton Technical and Art School and married fellow […]
Homage
September 6, 2025 - August 23, 2026
Paying homage is more than an act of reverence—it is a gesture rooted in respect and a way to acknowledge influence and inspiration. Artists often engage with the past to make sense of the present: responding to those who shaped them, the histories they’ve inherited, and the cultural forces that continue to shape our world. […]
Georgia Fullerton: Being In and Moving Through
August 16, 2025 - January 11, 2026
Georgia Fullerton’s art tells a deeply personal story of healing, transformation, and self-discovery. Through her art, she has navigated trauma, embraced change, and pursued personal growth. Now, as an expressive arts therapist, Fullerton helps others uncover the transformative potential of creative expression. In 2010, Fullerton survived intimate partner violence — a pivotal event that profoundly […]
Wish You Were Here!
June 21, 2025 - January 11, 2026
In the early 20th century, sending a postcard was an affordable and quick way to connect with loved ones. Often costing just a halfpenny— half the price of a letter —postcards offered a simple yet effective way to share news, greetings, and sentiments. This exhibition features historical postcards from Oshawa, drawn from the Thomas Bouckley […]
Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships
September 20, 2025 - February 15, 2026
Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships continues artist Ekow Nimako’s afrofuturistic reimagining of ancient African kingdoms. Using LEGO bricks as his medium, Nimako explores the mysterious fourteenth century sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II, predecessor of Mansa Musa, ruler of the ancient Mali Empire. According to legends, Abu Bakr II was an intrepid […]
What's New
Hortense Gordon: Life + Art
November 27, 2025
Join Curator of Collections, Sonya Jones, to learn about the life and art of artist Hortense Gordon. Hortense Gordon was an important artist linked to the beginnings of abstract painting in Canada and a founding member of Painters Eleven, Ontario’s first abstract painting group (1953-1960). Jones will discuss Gordon’s compulsive drive towards what was new […]
The Neighbour’s Art Hive Opening Party
December 11, 2025
The Neighbour’s Art Hive returns to the RMG this December through February in collaboration with the LivingRoom Community Art Studio thanks to generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Join us in Gallery A on December 11 to launch this year’s project and learn more about how communities benefit from art hives and art galleries […]
Events
Learn to Bead: Peyote Stitch Workshop with Olivia Whetung
Nov 22, 2025, 1:00 PM - Dec 6, 2025, 4:00 PM
This two-part workshop is presented alongside Olivia Whetung: inawendiwok and will teach beginner and advanced-beginner geometric peyote stitch skills. In the first workshop (Nov 22), participants will learn basic peyote stitch including flat even-count peyote and even-count tubular peyote. This session will focus on learning the skills and producing test swatches rather than producing a […]
Book Launch | Tim Whiten: Elemental
Nov 29, 2025, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery presents Book Launch of Tim Whiten: Elemental, 2025Published by the McMaster Museum of Art, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, the Art Gallery of Peterborough, The Goldfarb Gallery, and Art Metropole. In-person at Olga Korper Gallery17 Morrow Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2H9 Artist and curators in attendance The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, […]
Reflections On An Emerging Art Career with Karen Kar Yen Law
Dec 4, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Artist Professional Development Workshop Series Free. Registration is required. Join artist, and former RMG artist-in-residence, Karen Kar Yen Law for an evening of reflection and discussion on her emerging art career. From graduating during a pandemic to applying to open calls to creating new artwork, Karen will speak on the ways she has navigated the […]
RBC Emerging Artist Residency Program
The RBC Emerging Artist Residency is a paid residency opportunity for emerging artists supported by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artist Project. The residency package presents artists with opportunities for professional growth, exhibition experience, and collaboration with RMG staff.
Annual Giving Campaign: YOUR Public Art Gallery: Where Art Meets Heart
At The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, creativity isn’t just something you see; it’s something you feel, share, and live. Every week, our galleries and studios fill with laughter, discovery, and connection as people of all ages come together to learn, create, and heal through art.
From first brushstrokes to bold new ideas, the RMG is where creativity begins in Durham Region. As your public art gallery, we believe art is more than culture; it’s care. It’s how we gather, grow, and build healthier communities.
Check us out on Google Arts & Culture
Explore our Permanent Collection in an interactive and fun way and be sure to check out our first Online Exhibition Story about Isabel McLaughlin and Alexandra Luke, two women artists and collectors who were instrumental to the history and development of The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.