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.

Our partnership with Struts encompasses Umbrella Projects, conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, and past partnerships such as A Handmade Assembly.

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

A hand holds several small drawing of fruits (two peaches, a strawberry, an orange and a banana), while another points to the watermelon slice.

MAKER MAKER

Seriously small after-hours art workshops

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

Sackville Sketching Walk with Kamaya Lindquist

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

An image is split down the middle by a black bar with arrows pointing left and right. On the left a photograph of a large building with beige siding and burgundy trim. Storefronts occupy the ground level, while central portion of the building steps up to a third story with a peaked roof and half-moon window. In the foreground is a bench and a street sign that reads, “Willow Lane”. On the right in the foreground of the painting a milk truck wheels around a corner. A young boy stands on the running board of a truck, balancing himself with one arm through the open passenger-side window, while holding a bottle of milk in his free hand. Buildings, including storefronts line the far side of the street.

Colville In Situ

Consider Alex Colville’s work in the here and now

Against a black background, an ice sculpture of a fish melts, leaving a small puddle near the tail.

The Sound and Shape of Water

Workshops with artists Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky

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

Openings

Celebrate new exhibitions

Artist Talks

Attend talks by local, national, and internationally recognized artists

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

Studio 360°

An up-close look at artists' working spaces

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

Past Community Programs

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?

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

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

Umbrella Projects

Artists, what have you always wanted to do?

Colourful hand-drawn text that reads MAKER MATIC in red, blue and grey is animated to wiggle inside a hand-drawn box. An arrow moves around the edge of the box clockwise, and confetti appears periodically.

MAKERmatic

Custom Maker Kits Designed for You

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

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

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

The adults stand around a panel displaying four paintings. The person in the centre gestures as they speak.

Owens Open House

Get a special backstage pass to the Owens

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

The Collage Party

A nomadic, public studio by Paul Butler

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