Oshawa is Ready for Art in July

“The people are coming, and I’m still in the bath.” That was the opening line of a memorable African Lion Safari commercial.

Well, the people are coming to Oshawa now, and Oshawa is ready.

The city’s not in the bath — it’s in the pool. The work is done, summer is near, and it’s time to lean back, sit back and step back to enjoy the season ahead. From gardens to galleries, heritage homes to murals, and museums to open spaces — there’s plenty to discover at your own pace. No deadlines, no appointments. The art is here, waiting for you.

If you approach The Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) via Queen Street and look north, you’ll see a striking new mural by local artist Dani Crosby on the side of the multi-storey parking garage on McMillan Drive. It’s the first in a series of public art installations, part of a new initiative by the City’s cultural departments. You can even take part in a self guided mural walk facilitated by the Oshawa Art Association. Learn more about that here.

Douglas Coupland's "Group Portrait" sculpture on the front of the RMG.

Enter from Bagot Street off Centre Street and you’ll be greeted by a sculpture from iconic Canadian artist and author Douglas Coupland — a tribute to the Painters Eleven, a group closely tied to the RMG.

Inside the gallery, several exhibits are on display through to fall. There’s no need to rush — take your time and spend a moment with each.

One standout exhibit is Good-Bye by Tom Dean, on view until Sept. 7, 2025. In 1970, Dean hung a piece of raw canvas bearing the word "GOOD-BYE" in glittering blue and gold sequins from his Montreal studio window. That farewell marked the beginning of a five-decade career. This exhibit explores those beginnings through a range of his work.

In Northern Shadows, Northern Spirits, Toronto-based artist and designer Pixel Heller draws on Caribbean Carnival traditions to explore Black identity and resistance. Through costume design, performance and photography, Heller introduces three masquerade characters — guardians, tricksters, storytellers and ghosts — who dwell between the material and spiritual worlds. Created during a residency at the gallery, the works look at how ancestral heritage can shape future community building.

Resistance, another exhibit drawn from the gallery’s Permanent Collection of more than 4,700 pieces, reflects on solidarity and shared values. Featured artists include Dana Claxton, Ed Pien, Michele Pearson Clarke, Michael Snow and Robert Houle.

"Flowers" By Tom Hodgson.

Also from the Permanent Collection is Painters Eleven: Abstract Bonds, featuring work by Alexandra Luke, Tom Hodgson, Kazuo Nakamura, Harold Town, Jack Bush, Oscar Cahén, Hortense Gordon, Ray Mead, William Ronald, Jock Macdonald and Walter Yarwood. Founded in 1953 at Luke’s cottage on the Oshawa–Whitby border, Painters Eleven was Ontario’s first abstract artist collective. Though they didn’t share a singular style or philosophy, the group formed to support each other’s creative exploration in abstract art.

“There is no manifesto here for the times. There is no jury but time,” they wrote.

And so, time will tell. Your time spent in Oshawa this July will tell its own stories — if you simply stop, look and listen.