Fall 2026 Programming at the Aurora Cultural Centre

Arnie Lipsey, Ghosted, acrylic on canvas, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist.

Arnie Lipsey: Past. Tense.

August 27 – October 31, 2026
Homeroom Galleries

Suspended somewhere between the now and then, Arnie Lipsey’s narrative portraits navigate the porous space between inherited memory and imagination. Using painting to trace a family history shaped by immigration, trauma, and silence, the artist leans into the surreal to bridge the gap between what is remembered and what can only be imagined.

As a second-generation Jewish Canadian, Lipsey paints from a position of postmemory – a term that describes the ways in which the trauma of previous generations is internalized through stories, images, and cultural memory¹. His parents, European Jews who immigrated to Montreal before World War II, escaped Nazi persecution but lost many relatives in the Holocaust.

Drawing on his family archive, Lipsey reinterprets black-and-white photographs into fantastical compositions that bring into focus the cultural, historical, and personal circumstances that linger beyond the frame. Through complex symbolic language and unexpected juxtaposition, the works in Past. Tense. reveal the interpretive layers through which family narratives are continually reimagined.

Related Programming

Opening Reception
Thursday, August 27, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP encouraged.

Gallery Yoga + Sound Bath
Sunday, September 27, 10:00 – 11:00am
$25 +HST per registrant.
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)

In Conversation with Arnie Lipsey
Wednesday, October 28, 7:00pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP required.

Tracey-Mae Chambers, They are loved-an epidemic of grief (detail), 2024–ongoing. Image courtesy of Canadian Healthcare Museum at Kingston.

Tracey-Mae Chambers: They are loved-an epidemic of grief

August 13 – November 15, 2026
Lower Hall Gallery

They are loved-an epidemic of grief is a sculptural fibre installation by Tracey-Mae Chambers that raises awareness of the lives lost due to the opioid crisis in Canada. Functioning both as a site for commemoration and a catalyst for dialogue, the installation represents these lives materially by using textiles donated by families surviving the loss of a loved one.

Following the loss of her 23-year-old son Parker to drug poisoning in 2023, Chambers began to think about textiles as powerful representations of the individual. Working with textiles became not only a way to talk about her son’s death, but also a means of honouring and representing other families who have experiences similar losses.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Henry Moore Foundation.

Chambers is actively seeking textile donations from others who have experienced loss due to the opioid crisis in Canada. Families without a textile can participate by selecting a textile from the artist’s collection to represent their loved one. To learn more, visit traceymae.com.

Related Programming

Fall Halls Opening Reception
Thursday, August 13, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Lower Hall Gallery (Level 1) & Great Hall Gallery (Level 2)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP encouraged.

Elif Giray, Between Dreams and Tides V, collage, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist.

Remix

August 13 – November 15, 2026
Great Hall Gallery

Artists: Elif Giray, Kate Greenway, Catherine Marshall, Sheresha McIntyre, Alysha Rocca, Julia Spittel, Edward Tsui

Using collage as a metaphor for the construction and continual evolution of identity, Remix considers how collage-making mirrors the ways in which lived experiences, cultural influences, and memories shape our self-perception. The artists in this exhibition embrace collage not only as a technique, but as a perspective. By bringing together seemingly unrelated fragments, they articulate an understanding of identity as intersectional and, at times, contradictory.

Fall Halls Reception: Thursday, August 13, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Combined opening with Lower Hall Gallery exhibition, Tracey-Mae Chambers, They are loved-an epidemic of grief.

Events for Artists

Event: Open Studio
Wednesdays, 10am – 4pm | Beginning September 9
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, drop-in.

Event: Crit Club (Ages 18+)
Next Session: Saturday, September 26, 9:00 – 11:00am
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, registration required.

Event: Fall Artist-Poet Gathering
Next session: Saturday, September 26, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
Free, registration required.

Event: Nancy Hallas… in studio!
Saturday, September 19 & Sunday, September 20, 12:00 – 3:00pm
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, drop-in.

Aurora Cultural Centre
Aurora Town Square
50 Victoria Street, Aurora, ON
This is an accessible venue.
auroraculturalcentre.ca

Homeroom Galleries Hours:
Monday – Tuesday: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Wednesday: 9:00am – 7:00pm
Thursday – Saturday: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday: Closed

Great Hall & Lower Hall Gallery Hours:
Per Aurora Town Square Hours
Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 9:00pm
Saturday: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Sunday: 8:30am – 4:00pm

Admission is free. All are welcome.

Contact Us
Tel: 905-750-1745
info@auroraculturalcentre.ca

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