LearnMORE Series
Image Detail Left to Right:
Paolo Veronese, Juno Showering Gifts on Venice, oil on canvas, c. 1554-56, Doge's Palace, Venice, Italy Canaletto,The Bacino di San Marco on Ascension Day,c.1733-34,Oil on canvas,Royal Collection Trust, London,UK Pietro Longhi, Il Ridotto, c.1757-60, Oil on canvas, Pinacoteca Querini Stampalia, Venice, Italy |
LearnMORE Series “La Serenissima – Venice In Art And History” with Penny-Lynn Cookson Join art historian Penny-Lynn Cookson for a virtual journey to this magical city that continues to enthrall us. Venice, city of myth, city of the sea, the city of secrets, the city as a work of art built on water, emerging, as if Venus, from the waves by celestial decree. Venice, the city of art, theatre, music, commerce and courtesans never failed to attract, dazzle and intrigue visitors over the course of centuries. From its early beginning, when barbarian invasions caused the Veneti to flee the mainland and seek refuge on the islands of the lagoon, the history of Venice has been written on water, identifiable in its art and architecture, its skies, light and colour captured by the most renowned and influential artists of a golden age: Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Tiepolo, Canaletto and Guardi. Even in decline, artists such as Turner, Monet and Renoir and writers, including Stendhal, Byron and Thomas Mann, continued to seek its elusiveness. Venice was a crossroads between the Orient and the Occidental, an outpost of the Byzantine Empire on the Adriatic, a powerful maritime empire, a city of merchants, traders in slaves and luxury goods, its citizens masters of ritual, display and the masquerade, surface and secrecy. Behind sparkling palace façades, lively festivals, sumptuous fashion, industry, wealth, society and class, lay a shadow world of concealment. Discover the hidden world of Venice and the Venetians! Thursdays, February 17 - March 24, 2022 11:00 am | Online via Zoom Members $80, General $95 The series will be offered through Zoom. If you have not yet used Zoom, you will have to download the app or program on to your device and create an account. Click here for more information. Generously sponsored by Craig and Sue Tallman |
Art TALK & RiverBrink TALKS
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Artist Talk with Danny Custodio
Saturday, June 25 at 2:00pm Labour of Love, an exhibition of photo-based images by Danny Custodio opened at RiverBrink this past April. Drawing together work from early in his career along with a new series developed with his young children, the exhibition explores themes of family, labour, and the immigrant experience in Canada. Please join us at RiverBrink for an in-person discussion between the artist and the Director/Curator of RiverBrink, Debra Antoncic, followed by a Q&A period and refreshments! Available by donation. Suggested donation is $25 but other custom amounts are accepted. Donate Here! If you are unable to donate at this time you can still Register Here! |
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Artist Talk with Melanie MacDonald
Saturday, March 26 at 2:00pm Lichen: Field Works, an exhibition of paintings by Melanie MacDonald opened at RiverBrink in November. This exhibition showcases MacDonald’s recent body of work and explores the world of lichen from the perspective of a non-scientist. Her paintings draw attention to the beauty and diversity of these highly complex organisms. Join us at RiverBrink for an in-person discussion between the artist and Director/Curator of RiverBrink, Debra Antoncic, followed by a Q & A period. Talk is available by donation. Suggested donation is $25 but other custom amounts are accepted. Donate Here! If you are unable to donate at this time you can still Register Here! |
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RiverBrink Talks Online
Lecture Series Saturday, March 5 at 2pm Lichen Field Work: Through a Scientific Lens Presented by Daniel McCarthy (Associate Professor in the Dept. of Earth Sciences, Brock University) This talk provides a scientific perspective on lichen field work, to compliment the exhibition Lichen: Field Work by artist Melanie MacDonald, on view at RiverBrink until March 26th 2022. “Lichens are usually ignored, but close-up views and paintings of their communities call attention to their amazing diversity and beauty. Lichens are pretty and amazing. Their biological makeup is complex – a merger of algae, fungus and bacteria. They are everywhere. Some live underwater, on rocks, inside rocks, on concrete, on soil and on trees. Many are highly sensitive to environmental change, some are ‘weedy’ and some are extremophiles that can tolerate air pollution, drought and extreme temperatures. Two common lichens have survived longterm exposure outside the International Space Station and there are many claims that specimens have lived for centuries. This talk explains how I met the ‘wrong people’ and got hooked on lichens. It describes some of what I’ve learned and done with lichens. This includes an explanation of how anyone with a plastic ruler and almost no knowledge of lichens can assign reasonably accurate ages to glacier retreat in the Canadian Rockies. It also describes how ‘citizen scientists’ identified tree dwelling lichens and used them to estimate urban air quality in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe. Finally, you’ll see how my 25yr long repeat photography project has challenged “pseudoscience” and very accurately documented lichen growth and survival.” -Dan McCarthy Saturday March 5, 2pm | Online via Zoom By Donation The talk will be offered through Zoom. If you have not yet used Zoom, you will have to download the app or program on to your device and create an account. Click here for more information. If you would like to attend but are unable to make a donation at this time, please click below to register and receive the link.
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Artist Workshops
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LAYERS: Photo-Transfer Collage Workshop with Jenn Judson
Saturday, June 11th at 2:00pm-3:30pm Join local Niagara artist and art instructor, Jenn Judson of Paper Bananas art collective, for this in-person collage workshop! Participants will explore a variety of layering techniques, including the use of photo transfers (using both wintergreen oil and packing tape techniques)! Jenn will present registrants with examples of collage artists that incorporate photographs in their work and lead them through a series of timed exercises. No experience necessary and welcome to all skill levels! Discover your inner collage artist and register today! Members $30, General $35 |
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En Plein Air Urban Sketching Workshop with Pete Malaguti
Saturday July 9th, July 16th, and July 23rd at 10:30am- 1:30pm Join art instructor Pete Malaguti for this three-week En Plein Air course where we will paint various landscapes in and around the scenic town of Queenston! Participants are free to choose the medium of either, Watercolour, Acrylic, Oils, Pastel or Pen and Ink. You’ll learn about identifying Shape and Colour, basics of Perspective and of course dealing with the weather! You can have as much equipment, (Pochade and Easel) or as little (small paint set and a brush), as you would like. Open to all skill levels! $80 Members, $95 General *Material list available upon registration |
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‘POTIONS’ WORKSHOP WITH DANNY CUSTODIO
Saturday, May 14, 2022, 10:30am-12:30pm Join local photo-based artist and instructor Danny Custodio for this family-friendly make your own potions workshop! Participants will spend the first half of this workshop viewing our current exhibition, Labour of Love, which includes a series of photographs documenting magical ‘elixirs’ assembled by Custodio’s children and their neighbourhood friends. This viewing will be guided by the artist himself. Registrants will then make their very own potions from plant materials gathered from the beautiful grounds of RiverBrink Art Museum! Each potion will be photographed on a polaroid to take home. This workshop was designed for ages 5-12, but all ages are encouraged and welcome to join. All materials are included in the cost. *Limited capacity of 25 people and subject to updated Covid guidelines $35.00 per registrant OR $105.00 for Family Bundle *includes up to 4 registrants *15% discount for RiverBrink members! |
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March Break Plant-Themed Collage Kit and Virtual Workshop with Jenn Judson
Looking for something fun to do over this March Break? Find your inner collage artist and get ready for Spring with this plant-themed collage kit and recorded workshop! Collage is a creative, relaxing and accessible activity for the whole family. Your collage kit will include a variety of pre-cut, plant-themed treasures, paper and found materials. The accompanying pre-recorded workshop will teach you some simple collage techniques through a series of timed exercises. We will also look at the work of different collage artists for inspiration. No experience necessary! You can pick up your collage kit from RiverBrink Art Museum during our opening hours: Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10:00am-5:00pm and collage anytime from the comfort of home! The link to the pre-recorded workshop will be sent upon purchase. Materials you will need: -Collage Kit (included) -Glue Stick -Pens and Pencils -Scissors -Any other magazines/craft paper you may want to use -A selection of plants from around the house (for inspiration!) Members $30, General $35 *If you cannot make it out to RiverBrink to pick up your collage kit, please email Asta to let us know and we will arrange a delivery method. |
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HERSTORY: Inspiring Women Artists Workshop With Lenore Walker
POSTPONED Join instructor Lenore Walker for this multidisciplinary workshop, inspired by the work of women artists in the collection of RiverBrink Art Museum. Participants will explore basic approaches to a range of mediums, including painting, drawing and mixed media. Each session will include an educational presentation on different artworks and subject matters, as well as active artmaking and collaborative dialogue. Some of the artists we will draw inspiration from include (but are not limited to) Emily Carr, Mary Cassat, Eva Theresa Bradshaw, Ghitta Caiserman-Roth and Elizabeth Munro. Whether you work in portraiture, landscape or abstraction, there will be something for everyone to enjoy! This workshop is open to all skill levels and is designed to incorporate accessible materials that you likely already have at home. Develop your art practice while learning about the unique and creative contributions that women artists have made, and continue to make, to Canadian art. Here at RiverBrink, we are committed to highlighting and celebrating the work of both historical and contemporary women artists, all year long. The full materials list will be made available upon registration. $50 Members, $60 General Image Detail:
Top: Eva Theresa Bradshaw, The Green Kerchief, n.d., Oil on Canvas Bottom: Elizabeth Munro, Lake Scene with Mountains in the Distance, n.d., Oil on Canvas |
Coffee with the Curator
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Coffee with the Curator with Director/Curator Debra Antoncic
Join us, Friday March 11, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person, curator-led tour of RiverBrink Art Museum's current exhibitions! We will be discussing Lichen: Field Works by Melanie MacDonald. To register please email Sara at manager@riverbrink.org |
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Coffee with the Curator with Director/Curator Debra Antoncic
Join us, Friday October 8, at 11:00 a.m. for an in-person, curator-led tour of RiverBrink Art Museum's current exhibitions, Power and River with Director/Curator Debra Antoncic. Participants of this event must provide proof of double vaccination to attend. To register please email Sara at manager@riverbrink.org |
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Virtual Coffee with the Curator with Director/Curator Debra Antoncic
We hope that you will grab your favourite mug and join us, as we revisit the 2019-20 exhibition Picturing Indians with Director/Curator, Debra Antoncic! While representation, and naming, of Indigenous peoples are approached with sensitivity today, this was not always the case. Both systems supported the process of colonization in North America. An enduring and popular subject for European-trained artists, depictions of First Peoples convey the world view of the colonizers. These representations are not innocent, but provide specific information about land, family structure, customs, and social organization, from the perspective of a European observer. Join us on zoom for an in-depth discussion of the representation of Indigenous peoples in the RiverBrink collection. Email manager@riverbrink.org to request to join. The program will be offered through Zoom. If you have not yet used Zoom, you will have to download the app or program on to your device and create an account. Click here for more information. Friday August 20, 2021 | 11 a.m. This program is made possible by the generous support of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake through the NOTL Discretionary Grant
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RiverBrink Reads
Looking for some art-related books to read? Check out one of these recommendations and join a virtual discussion. Discussions take place every six weeks on a Thursday evening.
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Grant Hayter-Menzies Woo, The Monkey Who Inspired Emily Carr: A Biography (Douglas & McIntyre, 2019)
Although Emily Carr is now considered a Canadian legend, the most enduring image is that of her pushing a beat-up old pram into downtown Victoria, loaded with dogs, cats, birds—and a monkey. Woo, a Javanese macaque, was adopted by Carr in 1923 and has become inextricably linked with the artist in the popular imagination. But more than that, in her short lifetime Woo became equally connected to Carr’s life and art. Hayter-Menzies approaches his subject from a contemporary perspective on bringing wild animals into captivity while remaining empathetic to the unique relationship between artist and monkey. Join us for a virtual discussion led by Barbara Seeber (Professor of English Language and Literature, Brock University) Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm- 8:00pm via Zoom Generously sponsored by Some Day Books *Let Some Day Books know you are participant of RiverBrink Reads and receive a 15% discount when you order the book from through them This book is also available as a book and audio book through The St. Catharines Public Library Email Sara to register and receive the zoom link |
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Olivia Laing The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone (Picador, 2016)
Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism. A dazzling work of biography, memoir, and cultural criticism on the subject of loneliness, told through the lives of iconic artists, by the acclaimed author of The Trip to Echo Spring. Join us for a virtual discussion led by Barbara Seeber (Professor of English Language and Literature, Brock University) Tuesday, April 19th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom Generously sponsored by Some Day Books More info here *Let Some Day Books know you are participant of RiverBrink Reads and receive a 15% discount when you order the book from through them Also available through The St. Catharines Public Library Email manager@riverbrink.org for the zoom link. |
If you are looking for an art-related title to add to your reading list, check out some of the books we have previously read for RiverBrink Reads:
Ross King, Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, (Douglas McIntyre 2010)
Ross King, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lillies (Penguin Random House, 2016)
Katherine Ashenburg, Sofie & Cecelia (Penguin Random House, 2018)
Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red (Penguin Random House, 2010)
Blake Gopnik, Warhol, (Harper Collins Canada, 2020)
Emma Donoghue, Akin, (Harper Collins Canada, 2019)
Jane Urquhart, The Underpainter, (Penguin Random House, 1997)
Robertson Davies, What's Bred in the Bone, (Penguin Random House Canada, 1985)
Patrick Radden Keefe Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, (Picador, 2021)
Dominic Smith The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, (Sarah Crichton Books, 2016)
Ross King, Defiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven, (Douglas McIntyre 2010)
Ross King, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lillies (Penguin Random House, 2016)
Katherine Ashenburg, Sofie & Cecelia (Penguin Random House, 2018)
Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red (Penguin Random House, 2010)
Blake Gopnik, Warhol, (Harper Collins Canada, 2020)
Emma Donoghue, Akin, (Harper Collins Canada, 2019)
Jane Urquhart, The Underpainter, (Penguin Random House, 1997)
Robertson Davies, What's Bred in the Bone, (Penguin Random House Canada, 1985)
Patrick Radden Keefe Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, (Picador, 2021)
Dominic Smith The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, (Sarah Crichton Books, 2016)
Film Screenings
Image Credit: Photograph by Glauco Bermudz
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Dust: A Sculptors Journey (2011)
This intimate documentary explores the life and work of Montreal's late great sculptor and printmaker Stanley Lewis. Filmmaker Jeanne Pope chronicles the last years of Lewis’s unconventional life as he struggles with his health and creative legacy. This film is intended as a tribute to the artist and portrays his love for his beloved Boulevard St. Laurent, affectionately known as the Main. His cluttered dusty studio and his vagabond friends all serve as a backdrop for the perseverance of his artistic vision and the cultural landmarks fading around him. This film is presented in conjunction with the exhibition The Sprit Within the Form: Stanley Lewis, opening at RiverBrink on April 8, 2022. Directed by Jeanne Pope Produced by TELLASTORYFILMS & ONTIC MEDIA INC Sunday May 29, 2022 at 2:00pm Admission by donation. Suggested donation is $25 REGISTER NOW! |
Bus Trips
Check back for upcoming dates.
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Queenston Walking Tours
*note: this tour is seasonal and runs throughout the summer. Join RiverBrink summer staff for a scenic, guided tour of the village of Queenston. Learn about it's vast history from its importance to Indigenous peoples for millennia, through its settlement in the late 1700s and the turmoil of the War of 1812, to the citizens' roles in shaping their village, and, their country. Learn about the important Canadian figures who got their start, made history or lost their lives in Queenston. If you are interested in joining a walking tour, please inquire here or by phone 905-262-4510. Adults $10 | Students & Seniors $8 Price includes admission to RiverBrink Art Museum |
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Take a Black History Tour of St Catharines!
February is Black History Month, during which people from across the country recognize and celebrate the many achievements of Black Canadians and their contributions to making Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous nation it is today. Harriet Tubman is among the great heroes of the 19 century. A legendary conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet led hundreds of enslaved Blacks to freedom. The Underground Railroad and Niagara’s Freedom Trail were a network of people who hid and guided enslaved black people who were leaving the United States to seek freedom. St. Catharines was a final stop on the Underground Railroad. Tubman lived in here during the 1850s and many of the people she led to freedom stayed in St. Catharines and helped to shape our community. Follow the link to this self-guided tour to some of the significant Black History sites in St. Catharines! Put together by the City of St Catharines Economic Development and Tourism Services. |
Header image Detail: Tom Thomson, Twilight, pre-1914 Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Home Page Image Credits:
RiverBrink TALKS image detail: Cornelius Krieghoff, Settlers' Cabin in the Foothills (Early Canadian Settler), 1859. Samuel E. Weir Collection ©RiverBrink Art Museum
LearnMORE series image detail: Andre Lapine, Heavy Duty at Ste. Agathe in the Laurentians, Quebec, n.d. Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Artist Workshops image detail: Hippolyte Victor Sebron Niagara Falls from the Canadian Side, c. 1852. Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Virtual Programs image detail: Emily Carr, Indian Barn, Friendly Cove, 1929 Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Home Page Image Credits:
RiverBrink TALKS image detail: Cornelius Krieghoff, Settlers' Cabin in the Foothills (Early Canadian Settler), 1859. Samuel E. Weir Collection ©RiverBrink Art Museum
LearnMORE series image detail: Andre Lapine, Heavy Duty at Ste. Agathe in the Laurentians, Quebec, n.d. Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Artist Workshops image detail: Hippolyte Victor Sebron Niagara Falls from the Canadian Side, c. 1852. Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
Virtual Programs image detail: Emily Carr, Indian Barn, Friendly Cove, 1929 Collection of Samuel E. Weir ©RiverBrink Art Museum
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FACILITY RENTAL
Coach House Studio Board Room Other Rental Opportunities NOW OPEN: Tuesday - Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. |
RiverBrink Art Museum Inc.
116 Queenston Street P.O. Box 266 Queenston, ON Canada L0S1L0 905-262-4510 manager@riverbrink.org |
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© RiverBrink Art Museum Inc. 2020
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