Summer2026 Archives - MacLaren Art Centre

Family Sundays: I “Heart” MacLaren

Robyn Clarke — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:48:24 +0000

Dates: Sundays: September 13 OR September 20
Times: 1:00 to 2:00 pm OR 2:30 to 3:30 pm
Location: PIE Education Centre
Cost: FREE, Sign up in advance

Be a MacLaren BBF and celebrate the MacLaren’s 40th anniversary in creative style! Here’s your chance to gather with community and add your artistic mark to our celebration! Led by regional artist Laura Bradley, families will explore a variety of watercolour painting techniques to create their very own heart— creatively reflecting their own personal connection to the MacLaren Art Centre.

A smaller painted heart will then be included in a special 40th Anniversary button that each participant will take home as a memento! The artwork created with be a part of I Heart MacLaren group exhibition in the PIE Education Centre from September 5 to October 18, 2026.

Join us and continue the celebration at our 40th Anniversary Open House on Saturday, October 3!

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Doors Open at MacLaren!

Robyn Clarke — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:20:54 +0000

Date: Saturday September 26, 2026
Times: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Location:  MacLaren Art Centre
Cost: Free, Drop-in

In celebration of Culture Days, the MacLaren is excited to participate in Doors Open Barrie!Join us for a special opportunity to explore printmaking and then get an intimate look inside our Prints & Drawings Room.

MacLaren Education Officer Christina Mancuso will then guide families to create a variety of textured and colourful monotype prints using different style markers on Plexiglas. This is fun for all ages!

Guided by MacLaren Artistic Director Tyler Durbano, visitors will view selected prints from our Permanent Collection in the Prints and Drawings Room—a space where part of the MacLaren’s prints, drawings and photos are stored and cared for.

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Master Class in Painting with Sadko

Robyn Clarke — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:50:45 +0000

Photo courtesy of the artist

Sadko Hadžihasanović studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo and earned an MFA from the University of Belgrade. Since arriving in Canada, he has participated in more than sixty exhibitions nationwide, including the Tom Thomson Gallery, Grunt Gallery, Eastern Edge Gallery, and Neutral Ground. He received grants from the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts, and is represented by Paul Petro Contemporary Art, Toronto.

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Death Café

Robyn Clarke — Tue, 26 May 2026 16:27:20 +0000

Tracy Lavigne is a Registered Nurse and one of the Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultants with the North Simcoe Muskoka Hospice Palliative Care Network. Tracy is a dedicated healthcare professional with extensive experience in palliative care across all sectors, including community, acute care, and frontline nursing, She has supported the palliative care needs of those from newborn to older adult. Her background also includes specialized roles as a palliative care navigator and educator, giving her a broad and compassionate understanding of the patient and family journey. Tracy’s focus is on the full palliative care experience, recognizing that comfort extends beyond physical and practical needs to include social, spiritual, and psychological well-being. She is known for demonstrating compassion and kindness while fostering greater understanding and commitment to quality palliative care throughout the region.

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Healing in Colour: A Community Art Workshop on Black Health

Robyn Clarke — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:06:16 +0000

Andrew Mattis is a multi-disciplinary visual artist in Innisfil, who works primarily in oil paintings. His practice spans realism, figurative, abstract, and still life. His works blend emotional expression and technical skill. Alongside fine art, he creates graphic design, custom lettering and commissioned works that unite creativity with practical design.

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Summer 2026 Opening Reception

Robyn Clarke — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:35:19 +0000

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time: 6:30 – 9 pm (opening remarks at 7 pm)
Cost: FREE, registration encouraged but not required

Join us to ring in a new season of exhibitions for the Summer/Fall season!

About the exhibitions:

Sadko Hadžihasanović: the water’s edge, here at noon: Sadko Hadžihasanović’s recent paintings on copper plates and objects consider his relationship to home, memory, and the enduring connections between his life in Bosnia and Canada.

Michelle Sound: We all go home to the stars: Cree and Métis artist Michelle Sound explores motherhood as a complex field of relation shaped by family, language, land, and community.

Christina Leslie: The Album: Christina Leslie examines the family archive as a sourcebook, asking how photographs shape what can be known about a life, especially when the archive is marked by absence as much as presence.

Peyton Keeler-Cox: Questions Nobody Asked Me: Centring on the home and life of a late family friend, Keeler-Cox presents contemporary photographs and archival images that examine memory, grief, care, and chosen family.

Illusory Images: Experience Sovfoto: a collection of over 20,000 press photos from the Soviet Union’s diligent propaganda campaign over World War II and its aftermath.

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FANTASTIC WORLDS (Ages 6-9)

Robyn Clarke — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:40:37 +0000

Marjorie Dale is a passionate multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, mixed media, and digital art. She has a deep appreciation for creative expression in all its forms and thrives on exploring different techniques and pushing artistic boundaries. Her art takes inspiration from her personal interests, experiences, and, well, kind of everything and everyone. Every cool new tidbit she learns, every inspiring story she reads, and everywhere she goes adds depth and dimension to her work.

Beyond Marjorie’s personal practice, she is deeply committed to nurturing creativity in others, especially young artists. She has worked with children in camps, school programs, and community art initiatives and believes that every child has a unique artistic voice waiting to find its expression. Through patient guidance and an encouraging approach, she likes to help students gain confidence, develop new skills, and express themselves freely.

Whether working on a large-scale sculpture, an intimate canvas, or guiding a group of young creators, Marjorie hopes to bring passion, experience, and a dedication to making art accessible and meaningful for all.

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MINI CREATIONS (Ages 6-9)

Robyn Clarke — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:28:30 +0000

Tessa Deneumoustier is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in oil painting and digital illustration. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Art History. She has shown her work in exhibitions at the Boarding House Gallery in Guelph, Ontario, including “Waiting for my Imagination” and “Unreliable Narrator.”  Her practice primarily focuses on depicting exaggerated childhood memories through various mediums. Tessa is currently working at the MacLaren as a lead instructor on the VanGo team. Her digital portfolio is available on Instagram @tessadeneumoustierart.

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CREATIVE POP-UP! Daily Youth Drop-In (Ages 15-18)

Robyn Clarke — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 23:09:49 +0000

Dates: August 4 – 7 (4 days)
Times: 12:00–4:00 pm
Cost: FREE drop in! Registration encouraged

Be inspired, share ideas, imagine, mix colours, create, repeat! Nobody's too cool for art. Each afternoon for the first week of August 4th to August 7th, drop in to our PIE Education Centre to hang out with a creative community of youth! Get curious and explore a variety of art materials you may not have at home. Join us for an hour or 4 hours to express yourself creatively in a welcoming and safe space!

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