Community

The Owens serves the local and wider community through a program of contemporary and historical exhibitions that highlight regional, national, and international artists. We present dynamic public programs that engage our community in art and artmaking.

Regular programs include monthly Make Something Sunday for families, artist talks, workshops, an open house with behind-the-scenes access, and a yearly fundraising art auction, The Sweetest Little Thing, held in partnership with Struts Gallery.

While most programs take place at the Owens, off-site programming takes us to various community locations.

In a large gallery, two adults sit together around a table making collages. Scattered across the surface of the table are many different colourful scraps of paper, magazines and supplies. Behind them, several collages are displayed pinned to strings on a wall.

Current Community Programs

MAKER MAKER

Seriously small after-hours art workshops

A group of students pose together in a photo booth with a background of red fabric and flowers. They are all wearing pink and red masks, or black bedazzled masks. In the centre they hold a white stuffed tiger and plush red heart.

The Sweetest Little Thing

Annual fundraising art auction

Two adults sit in arm chairs. Between them is a small table with a wooden display shelf that holds a selection of small publications. While one of them reads a publication, the other peruses the shelf. Behind them is a sign with text that reads "TEENY TINY ZINE LIBRARY".

Zine Library

An ever-growing collection of zines, artists' books, and handmade publications

A person in a green sweater draws on a large paper while an audience watches.

Artist Talks

Attend talks by local, national, and internationally recognized artists

Four people stand in front of a large artwork. It features two tall vertical, plant-like forms in red and black growing against a pink, grid-like background. Behind the plants a figure lays on their side.

Openings

Celebrate new exhibitions

Two hands hold a rectangular pamphlet. The cover has a photograph of a gallery with many paintings in gold frames on deep red walls. The title on the lower banner reads "The Salon Hanging Owens Art Gallery"

Publications

Exhibition catalogues, Occasional Papers, and special publishing projects

The walls of Mark's studio are covered by large paintings with orange bases, which has dripped onto protective sheets on the floor. On the left, there is an easel holding a canvas with papers attached. In the centre of the room, a large white table with drawers underneath holds paint tubes, brushes, and a palette.

Studio 360°

An up-close look at artists' working spaces

Past Community Programs

White snail silhouette with the text “SLOWENS” against a photo of a pink and yellow gradient background of the of the Owens Art Gallery's front doors.

Slow Art Study Break

Chill, snack, linger with art

A sepia-toned photograph shows a stone building with classical architectural features. Across the street from this building, two figures plow a field with a team of horses.

Celebrating 130 Years of Art at the Owens

Celebrate our past and look forward to our future

Two dice sit on a sea-foam green background. One dice has simple line drawings of a house, a car and a sail boat. The other shows images of a cat, a bird and a dog.

The Colville Drawing Dice

A drawing game for all ages

Kamaya sits on the grass near a garden, drawing in a sketchbook.

Sackville Sketching Walk with Kamaya Lindquist

A digital guide that leads you on a drawing exploration across campus

Two hands hold the cover of a Cloud Collection with "CLOUD COLLECTION DIANE BORSATO" in large uppercase blue type.

Diane Borsato: Cloud Collection

Observations of clouds and other ephemeral phenomena in the Owens Collection

A smartphone is held up in front of a lush green sports field. On the right side of the screen is a map with a point that reads, "Alex Colville, Running Dog". On the left of the screen is an image of a Wire Fox Terrier racing across a sports field marked with painted white lines.

You Are Here

Seeing Sackville through the Owens Art Gallery Collection

The words "MAKER MATIC" with colourful sprinkles on a cream background bordered by a thin grey outline.

MAKERmatic

Custom Maker Kits Designed for You

A circular vinyl decal is installed on the glass vestibule of the Owens Art Gallery. The stone building with copper siding sits atop a slight hill, with stairs leading to the entrance.

Let’s imagine our future together!

What is the Owens to you now? What could the Owens be in the future?

Umbrella Projects

Umbrella Projects

Artists, what have you always wanted to do?

A group of adults stand in an art conservation lab examining a framed portrait painting under ultra violet light. The whole scene is cast in a blue glow.

Owens After Dark

Get a special backstage pass to the Owens

Owens Open House

Owens Open House

Get a special backstage pass to the Owens

In a large gallery, adults sit together around several large tables making collages. Scattered across the surface of the tables are many different colourful scraps of paper, magazines and supplies. In the centre of the room is a large table piled high with books and magazines.

The Collage Party

A nomadic, public studio by Paul Butler

Symposium of Art

An annual festival devoted to performance and related art practices (1996-2011)

A hand picks up a pressed flower petal from a table, while another hand holds a paintbrush. On the surface of the table, there is an in-progress collage, cups of glue, loose pressed flower petals, plain white paper, and newspaper.

A Handmade Assembly

A community event to share a common thread—the handmade

On a cream background, yarn, candles, note books, pencils, pins and other small objects float inside and around the a line drawing of a transparent tote bag.

The Heart & Pocket Revue

Independent Craft Market

A close-up of a child’s hands using a tactile drawing tool to emboss lines of a drawing into a sheet of white paper.

Automatisme Ambulatoire Matinée

An afternoon of art and dance

A clothed figure model stands in the centre of a gallery on top of a wooden plinth, with their feet apart and arms outstretched. Adults sit in a circle around the model, drawing them from observation.

Drawing in the Galleries

An all-ages drawing extravaganza

A black box is slightly opened. Stamped on the front with silver foil are the words "œuvres fantōmes 1".

Entre les lignes : Incubateur de la pensée écrite

Ateliers de formation professionnelle en écriture

A student holds up a publication near a painting of a colourful grid on a gallery wall. The page on the left has several paragraphs of text. Two circles have been cut from the right page, allowing details of the painting to peek through.

Slow Zine

Discover what happens when you look closer and look longer