Image of the basement studio

Artists-in-Residence Program

Art Activity Room (Level B1)

Each year, the Aurora Cultural Centre selects two artists to be assigned as our Winter and Fall Artists-in-Residence.

The selected artists receive full access to the basement studio in the Cultural Centre during their assigned residency period, which is equipped with a sink, easels, table space, and storage. During their residency, the selected artist provides one community-based workshop, and two “Artist in-Studio” events where the space is open for drop-in public viewing. Please note that outside of these public events, the residency studio is not permitted for public visits.

The end of each residency period is celebrated with a solo art exhibition in Lower Hall Gallery. Scroll down to learn about this year’s Artists-in-Residence!

2026 Artists-in-Residence

Winter: Brandon Baghaee

In-residence: February 1 – April 30, 2026

Solo Exhibition: May 7 – August 2, 2026

Brandon Baghaee is an Afro-Caribbean and Persian artist (b.2002) based in the GTA, holding a BFA from OCAD University. His work has been exhibited in numerous shows and commissioned by institutions such as Scotiabank Arena, Sports and the Arts, the City of Toronto, STEPS Public Art, the Richmond Hill Public Library, and CBC Toronto. Brandon has received an Ontario Arts Council Grant and completed a NIA Centre for the Arts residency. His art practice centres on hyper-realistic, surreal oil paintings merging memory with the fantastical. He employs the self, often hybridized, to navigate cultural inheritance, belonging, and diasporic identity.

Programming 

• Brandon Baghaee… in-studio! | February 14 & February 16, 11am-1pm | FREE
  • Drop in and and say hello to Brandon at work in the Art Activity Room (Level B1), open from 11am-1pm during the Town of Aurora’s Arctic Adventure in Aurora Town Square.  

• Youth Portrait Workshop (Ages 13-17) | March 17, 3-6pm | FREE (RSVP required) 
  • Experience the art of expressive and reflective self-portraiture from Brandon and create your own painted acrylic piece to take home.  
  • Click to RSVP (Coming Soon) 

Fall: Nancy Hallas

In-residence: September 1 – November 30, 2026

Solo Exhibition: December 3, 2026 – January 24, 2027

Nancy Hallas is a graduate of Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Art from York University. After graduation, she began to exhibit performance art, painting and textile art and was employed in art education and curatorial work at Cambridge Art Gallery. She was the Administrative Director of  Ed Video Media Art Centre, an artist-run centre in Guelph, and exhibited time-based media nationally and internationally, including at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the London Filmmakers’ Coop in England. Currently she lives in Aurora with her family, creating and exhibiting quilted textile art inspired by nature.

Programming 

• Nancy Hallas.. in-studio! | September 19 & 20, 12 – 2pm | FREE 
  • Drop in and and say hello to Nancy at work in the Art Activity Room (Level B1), open from 12-2pm.  

• Workshop: Monoprinting Leaves on Fabric | October 3, 1-4pm | FREE (RSVP required) 
  • Explore monoprinting of leaf designs on fabric. All materials provided and all ages welcomed, however, children 12 and under will require assistance from their guardian.  
  • Email Ashlyn@AuroraCulturalCentre.ca to RSVP 

Past Artists-in-Residence and Exhibitions

• Fall 2025: Julia Mobbs | Forever-22 
• Winter 2025: Jianming Chen | When Aurora Thaws: A Visual Soliloquy by Jianming Chen