October on Canvas: Art and Culture Across Oshawa

Anyone who enjoyed the Art Zone at last month’s Convergence festival in downtown Oshawa will be happy to know they can plan another visit to the city for another unique art experience this month.

The Oshawa Art Association hosts its annual Fall Art Festival Saturday Oct 4 and Sunday Oct 5 2025, at the picturesque Camp Samac, a Scouts Canada site located at 275 Conlin Rd East, near the campus of both Durham College and Ont Tech in the north end of Oshawa.

This year’s festival brings together 53 artists with works in watercolour, oil, acrylic, pottery, sculpture, and more.

The Oshawa Art Association was created in 1967 to promote local Fine Art artists. The Fall Art Festival at Camp Samac was first held in 1981. Camp Samac was founded in 1946 and features 163 acres of forest, trails, meeting spaces and winterized cabins. The Art Fair takes place in the Great Hall.

This is one of my favourite art shows in the area to attend because it's held at the Camp, which for someone born outside of Canada, just seems to evoke visions of Canadiana; NFB films, Fall colours, curling sweaters and pictures of loons, Totem Poles, and large log buildings, chipmunks, and always ready to help youth; Just so Canadian, I love it.

The 2025 Oshawa Art Association Fall Art Festival is not one to be missed!

The Art Fair is both a step back into time as one roams the grounds and a look into the future being created by the over 50 artists displaying work. There will be a range of works available including watercolours, oils, acrylics, pottery, sculpture, and more. There will be live entertainment and a snack

bar run by Berry Hill Bistro which has a location downtown on King St. W., as well as running the Lobby Bar at 70 King Market also on King downtown. So if you like the snacks head south for the full experience.

There is an hourly raffle for original artwork donated by the artists taking part. The raffle, like the parking, is free.

The Oshawa Art Association’s Fall Art Festival has become a true marker of annual tradition at Camp Samac.

Also on Oct 4 the opening reception for Par Nair’s solo exhibition at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery,

72 Queen St., at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Nair’s exhibit ‘the place from my grandma’s dreams’ presents paintings and embroidered artworks inspired by the garden outside her family home in the region of Kerala in India. Among the paintings are a pair of poetic love letters embroidered on traditional garments called mundus and an installation of 200 embroidered mango leaves in shades of green and brown. The reception features South Asian queer Hindustani Classical musician Hasheel and a talk by Nair.

Live music at the Gallery is the focus of the Courtyard Concert which takes place Wednesday October 15 from 1 to 2pm. Scarborough-based singer, pianist and storyteller Kromatix takes his funky neo-soul to the backyard of the Gallery.

Par Nair, The View from Her Bedroom Window, oil on canvas, 2025.

Also continuing at the Gallery is the intriguing and innovative exhibit ‘Building Black Civilizations: Journey of 2,000 Ships’ by Lego artist Ekow Nimako. Nimako uses Lego bricks to build and explore the mysterious fourteenth century sea voyage of Mansa Abu Bakr II, predecessor of Mansa Musa, ruler of the ancient Mali Empire. The creations are magical and mythical and in exploring the travel adventures of the past inspire us to take our own journeys.

Ekow Nimako, Wawa Aba, The Sunrise Dancer (circa 1358), 2022. Courtesy the artist. On view until February 15, 2026.