Past event — This event ended 6 days ago.
Open Canvas Project: GATHER Public Reception and Zine Giveaway
About the event
Join us for the public reception of Open Canvas Project: GATHER on Saturday, September 26, from 1–4pm at Todmorden Mills Papermill Gallery.
Presented in partnership with Toronto History Museums, GATHER celebrates 25 years of Open Canvas Project, a participatory painting project created by Paul Aloisi and Charlie green in 2001. Since then, the project has invited people to pick up a brush and contribute to large-scale collaborative paintings in public spaces, cultural events, residencies, and community settings in Toronto and internationally.
The exhibition features two new paintings created through 2026 public activations at Todmorden Mills and Spadina Museum, alongside selected works from the project archive. Visitors will see collaborative paintings, archival photographs, documentation, works connected to Toronto’s independent music community, including Rhythmicru, and a large salon-style presentation of paintings from the 2006 Distillery District Residency.
The reception will also feature a limited giveaway of GATHER, a text zine by Lana Hoang, a Master of Inclusive Design student who participated in the project through an OCAD University Field Placement. Each zine has a unique cover cut from a one-to-one scale photograph of a giant Open Canvas painting and includes a limited-edition risograph centre-fold insert. The first 25 guests at the public reception will receive a free copy, limited to one per family or group. Additional copies will be available on a pay-what-you-can basis.
Artist Paul Aloisi will be present, and light refreshments will be served. Admission and parking are free.
Event Details: Public Reception: Saturday, September 26, 2026, 1–4pm Exhibition Dates: September 2–27, 2026 Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–4pm Venue: Todmorden Mills Papermill Gallery Address: 67 Pottery Road, East York, Toronto ON M4K 2B9 Admission: Free admission and parking Website: www.opencanvasproject.com Instagram: @opencanvasproject Contact: opencanvasproject@gmail.com
Acknowledgements: This exhibition is supported by the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario. Materials support provided by Above Ground Art Supplies.
