Culture Days 2022

September 23 – October 16, 2022

FREE! All ages, drop-in community event, no registration required.

Saturday, September 24

10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Location: Aurora Town Park, 49 Wells St., Aurora, ON L4G 1S9

Spend Culture Days with the Aurora Cultural Centre during the Farmer’s Market at Town Park with two fun and interactive arts activities!

Activity #1: The Exquisite Corpse – Participatory Painting Activity with Chantal Hassard

Pick up a paint brush and “create an portrait of the collective subconscious”. Modelled after the surrealist drawing game, The Exquisite Corpse; participants are invited to contribute to a set of life-sized canvases. Throughout the festival, the canvases evolve into a collaboration of marks and brush strokes; a collective portrait of our community.

Activity #2: Family Take Home Activity – Community Love Signs

Create a colourful sign to celebrate your love for community, friendship, and diversity. We will be providing exterior paint – and glitter – so your sign can be displayed outside in your garden, on your porch, outside your door… a piece of public art for all to enjoy.

** Drying time is approximately 30 minutes. Use our complimentary “Art Drying” station to house your art piece while you enjoy the festival!

Saturday, October 1

8:00 am – 1:00 pm

Location: Aurora Town Park, 49 Wells St., Aurora, ON L4G 1S9

Spend Culture Days with the Aurora Cultural Centre during the Farmer’s Market at Town Park with two fun and interactive arts activities!

~~Lap Harp Circle with Sharon McCleave (B.Sc., M.Ed., PhD, MA)~~
**Cancelled, Stay Tuned for Future Offerings**

Try your hand at playing the lap harp, an acoustic handcrafted folk instrument played on the lap, as the name suggests. This compact instrument with Celtic roots can be quickly learned and enjoyed by students of all ages, producing a lovely heavenly sound. In just 20-30 minutes, you will learn the basics to help make a gorgeous collective sound among a group circle. Small drums and shakers will also be available to create back-up sounds that energize and sooth.

Create Your Own Mandala with Vicky Talwar (B.F.A., B.Ed., M.F.A.)

Mandala is a Sanskrit word that means circle. Mandalas have been used by many different cultures and religions to describe the universe – the circle is a symbol for the idea that life is never ending, and everything is connected. A mandala is a decorative picture made up of geometric shapes and patterns, representing something important to the person designing the mandala. In this free workshop, you will be introduced to a brief history of the mandala and encouraged to think about things that are important to you to create your piece. Templates will be provided to help you start your design; the rest is up to your imagination! While supplies last.

Looking for more fun during Culture Days? Check out

Gallery Exhibition: Backwards and Forwards: Reflections and Porcupine Quills

Date and time: July 27 – September 17, 2022. Gallery Open Wednesday, Fridays, Saturday from 10 am – 3 pm

Location: Aurora Town Hall; Entrance through Upper/North Parking Lot

A solo exhibition by indigenous artist Vanessa Dion Fletcher displaying recent quillwork (2020-present) and large mural installations. Gallery admission is free.

https://auroraculturalcentre.ca/backwards-and-forwards/

Opening Reception: Together in Spirit: Dialogue in Image

Date and time: Saturday October 1, 1-3 pm

Location: Aurora Town Hall; Entrance through Upper/North Parking Lot

Opening Reception of duo-exhibition with Dazaunggee (Paul) Shilling and Ted Fullerton. Each artist creates a statement in painting for the other, who responds reciprocally. In the gallery, pairs of paintings meet in truthful conversation and confession with each other, prompting discussion of honest and perhaps controversial topics at this current juncture in Canadian History. Through visual creation is an ongoing exploration and declaration for reconciliation. The exhibition is on view October 1 – November 19. The gallery is open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 am – 3 pm. Gallery & reception admission is free.

https://auroraculturalcentre.ca/event/together-in-spirit-dialogue-in-image/