Join us for an exciting, hands-on animation workshop inspired by the creative practice of Irish artist Aideen Barry. Through stop-motion, and digital animation techniques, participants will bring their imaginations to life while exploring the fascinating world of animated storytelling through collaboration.
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM
Ages: 8–16
Location: Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens
(1306 Lakeshore Rd East, Oakville, ON L6J 1L6)
Participants will begin by exploring visual fiction making, inspired by Aideen Barry’s playful works such as Levitating, where she appears to float above the ground through a series of photographic images. Children will learn how an animation is created frame-by-frame, with the key insight that 12 images make up one second of smooth motion. Each participant will create their own short animation by drawing sequential images, which will then be photographed and compiled using stop-motion software, just as Aideen does in her creative process.
Drawing on the pioneering spirit of Canadian animator Norman McLaren to the techniques of Aideen's collaborations with artists William Kentridge and the artists of the Centre of the Less Good Idea, through to her films inspired by forgotten surrealist Remedious Varo and the lost stories of outlawed indigenous cultures the workshop will reference some of the works in Silent Songs and will be a highly accessible and fun way for young people to interpret the current exhibition and outreach programme around the project.
Building on Barry’s debut solo exhibition at Oakville Galleries, the workshop includes an exciting introduction to architectural video mapping. Participants will explore how animations can transform three-dimensional spaces by projecting moving images onto buildings and objects — bringing stories and drawings to life in new, immersive ways. This segment connects traditional animation techniques with cutting-edge technology to inspire new ways of thinking about space, art, and animation.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
10:00 AM and 1:00 PM
All classes will be conducted in the Main Floor Education Centre and occasionally outside in Gairloch Gardens. Drop-off will be outside of the Education Centre at Oakville Galleries in Gairloch Gardens, 1306 Lakeshore Road East, 2 km from downtown Oakville.
This is a free program.
Oakville Galleries reserves the right to cancel or combine classes if a minimum enrollment number is not met. If Oakville Galleries cancels a program, registrants will be notified up to a week before the start of the program.
DATE:
Sunday, October 18, 2026
TIME:
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
AGES:
8–16
PRICING:
Free admission. Registration required.
