Schedule of Events

Questions?

Contact our Ticketing Coordinator at (905) 527-6610 ext.237 or email ticketing@artgalleryofhamilton.com

Events by Day

Day 1: Thursday, October 12

An Evening of Wonder
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7:00 pm –10:00 pm
Tickets: Free

Join the AGH in celebrating the opening of our newest exhibition, Wonder: The Real, the Surreal, and the Fantastic! In this immersive experience, challenge your notions of reality and delve into the fantastical worlds presented in this exhibition. Discover artists that find magic and suspense in the unexpected, the uncanny, and the unconventional, and begin considering the power of unlocking your unconscious mind.

Day 2: Friday, October 13

Into the Vault: Lunch & Learn
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Tickets: $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13  

Take advantage of your Friday lunch breaks and join the AGH on October 13 or 20 for inspiring curator-led discussions and Vault tours!  

Pop-Up Performance: Bimbos in Space
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Tickets: Free 

Captain Shadowban and her rebel crew of degenerate space bimbos must save the galaxy from evil! Calling all campy freaks, sci-fi geeks, and disaster queers– join us for a stupid sexy satire, inspired by B movies and exploitation films of the 1960s. Jump to hyper-feminine hyper-speed as our cunning heroes encounter cowboys, dommes, an immortal tampon deity (used), Elon Musk’s cryogenically frozen head, and negotiate the true meaning of justice in an increasingly polarized galaxy. 

Winner of the 2023 Best in Fringe Award, and 2023 Best in Series: Indie Venues Award

Fruit Salad x Wonder Dance Party
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 8:00 pm – 12:00 am
Tickets: GA $40, Student/Senior $36, Member $34

To celebrate the opening of the new Wonder exhibition, join us Friday night in the AGH Pavilion for a fantastical night of partying in collaboration with 2SLGBTQIA+ event organizer Fruit Salad! Create your own surrealism-inspired mask, enjoy a performance by Oposu Aerial Arts, tarot readings by Clarity Tarot and dance the night away. Attire: Surrealism-inspired dress is encouraged in celebration of Wonder! 

Day 3: Saturday, October 14

Block Party: Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop 
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 11 am – 5 pm
Tickets: Free 

2023 marks 50 years since the birth of Hip Hop! Join the AGH in learning about, and celebrating, this resilient and multi-faceted music genre with an all-day party featuring breakdancing demos, DJ sets, live mural painting, and an artisan market featuring BIPOC-owned Hamilton businesses.   

Screenprinting Workshop
Location: Centre 3
Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Tickets: $125, Student/ Senior $120, Member $110 

The AGH is thrilled to present this introductory-level Screenprinting Workshop in partnership with Centre[3]. With guidance from screen printer Michael Schnittker, explore the art of screenprinting and design your own T-shirt. All printing materials are provided, including one T-shirt. Extra shirts will be available for purchase. 

Pop-Up Concert: Whitness 
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton Lobby
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Tickets: Free 

Join us in the AGH lobby for an afternoon performance by Hamilton R&B artist, Whitness. Whitness captivates listeners with her rich and soulful voice and stands firmly for authenticity and inclusivity. She invites listeners on a journey of discovery and connection.

Hip Hop Evolution Screening & Panel Discussion
Location: The Music Hall
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13 

Join us at New Vision Music Hall for a screening of the award-winning series, Hip Hop Evolution, followed by a panel that will share behind-the-scenes details and discuss the Canadian hip-hop scene at large. 

Day 4: Sunday, October 15

Family Fun Day: Hamilton’s Got Talent
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 11 am – 5 pm
Tickets: $15 per family General $15,  Member $13

Join us at the AGH for our Hamilton’s Got Talent-themed family day. This event welcomes people of all ages to explore the AGH, with child-friendly tours throughout the day. Stay for activities like a family yoga class, crafts, a dance party, and music performances by local artists and youth. Guaranteed FUN for the whole family!

Introduction to Weaving Workshop
Location: Hamilton Craft Studios
Time: 2 – 4 pm
Tickets: GA $60, Student/ Senior $55, Member $50

In this hands-on class, you will have the unique opportunity to create a woven artwork. Under the guidance of a professional craftsperson, learn new techniques as you warp the tapestry loom, practice the hemstitching process, and incorporate unique materials into your designs.

Day 5: Monday, October 16

Sound Bath
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13 

Join us in the AGH Pavilion to experience the healing and meditative power of sound baths. Sound therapy is a harmonizing experience recommended for many physical and emotional ailments. Throughout the session, the body will release endorphins and serotonin, allowing a jump start to restore your entire system. It is recommended that participants bring a yoga mat, water, and a sweater or blanket.

Daily Art Practice: Mindfulness in Artmaking
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: $5 

With guidance from artist Breanna Shanahan, challenge yourself to create 10 drawings or watercolor artworks in 30 minutes and a short exercise with clay. This workshop helps practice mindfulness and steps away from the preciousness of a single idea, instead fostering healthy habits rooted in making. The event is open to all ages, and no experience is required! Art materials will be supplied. 

Pop-up Performance: For Your Entertainment
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 6 – 7 pm
Tickets: Free

How much control do you think you have outside of your algorithm? Seeking to cure boredom through idle scrolling initiates the vicious cycle of feeding the social media algorithms and having your sense of self and reality molded by them in return. Experience the blur between reality and virtual fantasy through the vaporwave-like soundscape of sirenic echoes from the past and the elusive resonance of what could be. It’s ‘For Your Entertainment’ after all.

Day 6: Tuesday, October 17

Pop-up Concert: Thomas Duxbury
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 6 – 7 pm
Tickets: Free

Thomas Duxbury is an independent artist based in Hamilton, Ontario, known for his unique blend of blues and indie rock sounds. Join us in the AGH lobby to witness his signature style that incorporates rhythms and melodies reminiscent of surf music from the 1960s, 1950s-inspired ballads, and rock and roll riffs; Duxbury has created a sound that is both familiar and fresh! 

Professional Artist Development with Alissa Sexton: What Galleries Want 
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13 

 In advance of the upcoming open call for submission for the 2024 AGH Art Sale, Art Sales + Services is pleased to present curator and artist consultant Alissa Sexton to share What Galleries Want. During this virtual workshop geared towards artists, Alissa will share valuable insight into preparing your online presence to be attractive to galleries and how to best put together a submission for a juried show. This event is offered in person and online. 

In Conversation with Britt Wray: Finding Purpose in the Age of the Climate Crisis 
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13 

The AGH joins forces with Epic Books and Toronto-based author Britt Wray to discuss her recent book Generation Dread and her ongoing research into the emotional and psychological impacts of the planetary health crisis. Learn how to recognize climate-related fears and anxieties and use these feelings to become an engaged steward of the planet.

Day 7: Wednesday, October 18

Introductory Hip Hop Dance Class
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13 

This year, Hip Hop turns 50! Join us for a Hip Hop dance workshop from Defining Movement Dance, where you’ll be introduced to the foundational grooves, culture, and history of this dynamic and feel-good social Street Dance style. 

Screen Printing Workshop
Location: Centre[3]
Time: 6 – 9 pm
Tickets: General Admission $125, Student/ Senior $120, Member $110 

The AGH is thrilled to present this introductory-level Screenprinting Workshop in partnership with Centre[3]. With guidance from screen printer Luther Griggs, explore the art of screenprinting and design your own T-shirt. All printing materials are provided, including one T-shirt. Extra shirts will be available for purchase. 

YAH Presents The Life-Sized City Film & Panel 
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 7 – 9 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13

 The Young Architects of Hamilton will be showing the TVO documentary The Life-Sized City: Hamilton, using it as a launch pad to discuss art, architecture, and community building as it relates to the Hamilton area today.

Day 8: Thursday, October 19

Mindful Drawing
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 1 -2 pm
Tickets: Free

Take a moment for yourself and create an artwork simply for the sake of making it. Let’s take some time away from the idea that artwork must have a purpose and look a certain way to be valid. Together, we will join lines, make marks, create patterns, and use these acts as a means of self-reflection, mindfulness, and meditation. There are no wrong ways to do this.  

Breaking Through the Vault
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 4 – 6 pm
Tickets: Free

High school and university students! Drop by The Gallery to join us for Breaking Through the Vault! A monthly poetry club that fosters connection, exploration, socialization, and creation alongside the AGH and Hamilton You Poets. This innovative program reimagines the world we live in through art and poetic liberty, offering collaboration on multi-channeled projects, podcasts, writing support, and an audio tour of the city. 

Pop-Up Performance: Discocab
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 6 – 7 pm
Tickets: Free

A cabaret night featuring artists who identify as Disabled/Neurodiverse/Deaf/Mad+ in their own performance medium. Witness dazzling daring disabled Hamilton voices. Enjoy accessible live performances of all kinds —fully-fledged, excerpts, and processes. Brought to you by the creatively strange brains of Carlyn Rhamey (The ADHD Project) and Kit Simmons (No Holds Barred), who just wanna make friends and be reminded that they aren’t alone in the world and neither are YOU. 

Day 9: Friday, October 20

Into the Vault: Lunch & Learn
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 12 – 1 pm
Tickets: General $15, Student/Senior $14, Member $13

Take advantage of your Friday lunch breaks and join the AGH on October 13 or 20 for inspiring curator-led discussions and Vault tours!

Fabulicious!
Location: ACCA Banquet Hall
Time: 5 – 10 PM
Tickets: $20 

The Afro Canadian Caribbean Association (ACCA) will be presenting a Fabulicious afternoon of Art, Music & Food at their Banquet Hall on Barton Street. *Please note this venue is not wheelchair accessible. 

BIPOC hArt Dance
Location: The Westdale Theatre
Time: 8 – 10 pm
Tickets: $10 suggested ticket price 

The BIPOC hArt Dance Series (BHDS), presented in partnership between Hamilton Arts Council and The Westdale, exists to support the professional ambitions of dance artists and develop infrastructure for professional dance presentations within Hamilton. On Friday, October 20th, The Westdale presents the screening premiere of short dance films, created by featured dance and movement artists.  

Day 10: Saturday, October 21

Print Expo
Location: The Art Gallery of Hamilton
Time: 11 – 5 pm
Tickets: Free

On our last Festival day, join us for an afternoon at the AGH and meet talented print-based artists from Hamilton and surrounding areas. Shop for comics, zines, prints, illustrations, and more from numerous unique vendors! Admission is free, but be sure to bring some cash to support the incredible artist.  

Blood and Water Film Screening & Panel
Location: The Westdale Theatre
Time: 1 – 4 pm
Tickets: Free

Join us at the Westdale for a screening of Layla Staats’ film Blood and Water, which documents Staats’ path as a generational survivor of residential schools to reclaim her Mohawk identity. A panel discussion will follow and feature Staats, RBC Artist in Residence Melissa General, and Speakers of Truth. 

The Closing Concert: Whitehorse and Golden Feather
Location: The Music Hall
Time: 7 – 11 pm
Tickets: $40, Student/ Senior $36, Member $34

We invite you to celebrate the final night of the 2023 AGH Festival with good music, good drinks, and good company! Bar opens at 7 pm, and music from the talented Golden Feather and Whitehorse begins at 8 pm!