Giggles in the Galleries
5 July – 30 August 2023Come on out to Central Branch for a one-hour art experience with Oakville Galleries and the Oakville Public Library!
For this exhibition, Leisure draws on educational theories articulated by the artist, architect and educator Simon Nicholson, who was the son of well-known artists Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson. Particularly relevant here is his 1971 essay The Theory of Loose Parts: How Not To Cheat Children, which advocates for children to have freedom over their play environments. Included in the exhibition is a film made as part of Having Ideas by Handling Materials, a unit from an Open University course Nicholson taught in the late 1970s and early 1980s and wall-based works by Leisure, some of which the artists have made collaboratively with their own children. Alongside these are a series of creative workstations inspired by the wheeled plinths Hepworth employed in her studio to store and move around her large-scale sculptures. Visitors of all ages are invited to use these workstations to experiment and make things in a free and unguided way, experiencing for themselves what it means to “have ideas by handling materials."
Creating a participatory environment that overturns the usual notion of the gallery as fixed and sterile (a place to look but not touch), this exhibition is as much concerned with exploring the processes and ideas underlying the making of art as it is with art as an end product. The freedom of this experimental approach comes with a transformative potential that carries wider implications in society at large. In the process of having ideas by handling materials, we not only rethink how we make, exhibit, and experience art—but ultimately how we lead our lives.
Tuesday – Saturday, 10 AM – 5 PM
Sundays and Statutory Holidays (Closed)
Mondays (Available By Appointment)
Come on out to Central Branch for a one-hour art experience with Oakville Galleries and the Oakville Public Library!
Experience Oakville Galleries' Outdoor Art & Heritage Tour every Thursday and Saturday at 2 PM!
Experience one of the most loved pieces in the permanent collection of Oakville Galleries, as you walk along the waterfront and flowers at Gairloch Gardens. 𝘈 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳, 2000, is a site-specific audio walk by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff. In Cardiff's audio walks, visitors follow audio cues while experiencing a physical environment.
Join us to experience the exhibition by Timothy Yanick Hunter followed by a sound performance by Hunter in The Studio at Gairloch Gardens.
Enjoy a special afternoon of contemporary art, performance, and poetry—not to be missed! After the Sound Performance by Timothy Yanick Hunter, check out Tender Possibilities, a reading group that engages in poetry, text, and alternative archives as a way to create communities.
Learn moreCome on out to Oakville Galleries in beautiful Gairloch Gardens for a free art-making experience!
Learn moreHaven't had a chance yet to check out our summer exhibitions? Join us in Gairloch Gardens and enjoy a free guided tour of Timothy Yanick Hunter's Collapse and Incompletion and Julia Brown's American Vernacular.
Learn moreJoin us for the opening reception of our fall season as we present a solo exhibition by Elif Saydam and the continuation of Leisure's exhibition, extended until January 2024. Refreshments and reception remarks will be held in Gairloch Gardens. Everyone is welcome.
Learn moreJoin us for a mini art class paired with a story and literary connection from the Oakville Public Library. At the Education Centre, located at Oakville Galleries, you'll find art-making and creative play activities for your little artist!
Learn moreOur PA Days are super-charged with energizing art activities and outdoor recreation! Full-day workshops are great for active kids curious about art, creativity and culture.
Learn moreDevelop your artistic voice in this 8-week mixed media course that encourages play and experimentation alongside technical instruction on various painting, drawing, and printmaking techniques.
Join us for the opening reception of our summer exhibition season at Centennial Square and in Gairloch Gardens!
Learn moreJoin us on the second Saturday of each month for our family art workshops!
Learn moreOur Art Smarts programs for kids are back! Participants will develop their creative and technical artistic abilities in hands-on workshops in a range of art mediums. All materials provided.
Learn more