Spring 2026 Programming at the Aurora Cultural Centre

Jing Fu, Regeneration No. 1, mixed media on canvas, 2024. Image courtesy of artist.

Jing Fu: Unearthed – My Equilibrium

May 14 – August 13, 2026
Homeroom Galleries

Unearthed – My Equilibrium presents Jing Fu’s atmospheric landscapes in conversation with her ongoing explorations in abstraction. Informed by her training in shan shui (literally translated as ‘mountains and water’ paintings), the works on display balance Eastern aesthetics with local influences.

If Fu’s landscapes evoke the opposing yet harmonious forces of nature on a grand scale, her Roots series turns inward, offering a more intimate exploration of nature’s symbolism and symmetry. Together, these two bodies of work reflect the artist’s pursuit of both internal and artistic balance as she moves fluidly between Eastern and Western visual languages.

Related Programming

Opening Night
Thursday, May 14, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP encouraged

Gallery Yoga + Sound Bath
Sunday, May 24, 10:00 – 11:00am
$25 +HST per registrant
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)

Closing Talk with Jing Fu
Wednesday, August 12, 7:00pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP required

Brandon Baghaee, Osmond’s Sounds, oil on canvas, 2026.

Brandon Baghaee: In a Friendly Sky

May 7 – August 2, 2026
Lower Hall Gallery

In a Friendly Sky presents a new body of work by Brandon Baghaee created during his winter residency at the Aurora Cultural Centre. Building on his signature surreal, hyperrealist self-portraits, the paintings in this series move beyond the autobiographical to explore questions of diasporic identity, culture, and genealogy.

The artist explores his relationship to his Jamaican grandparents through self-portraiture, seamlessly weaving family history with broader cultural and historical references. By tracing the material ties of kinship and culture, Brandon simultaneously visualizes his connection to his grandparents while situating himself within an imagined past.

Related Programming

Spring Halls Soireé
Thursday, May 7, 6:30 – 8:30pm
Lower Hall Gallery (Level 1) & Great Hall Gallery (Level 2)
All are welcome to attend, RSVP encouraged

Parker McIntyre, Radiant, acrylic on canvas, 2025.

Within & Between: An Exhibition for Pride

May 7 – August 2, 2026
Great Hall Gallery

Artists: Serena Chagas, Jo Gomes, Rory Hope Gouthro, Kevin McBean, Parker McIntyre, Molly Steels, Rojhin Taebi, Natalie Rhys Turpin

Within & Between: An Exhibition for Pride brings together 2SLGBTQIA+ artists connected to York Region to reflect on their varied interpretations of Pride. Working across media, the artworks range in subject from a collage commemorating the history of Stonewall to introspective self-portraits visualizing gender dysphoria, alongside playful pop culture references. What emerges is a composite of Pride, cataloguing the breadth and diversity of queer identity experienced within and between the letters 2SLGBTQIA+.

Spring Halls Soireé: Thursday, May 7, 6:30 – 8:30pm. Combined opening with Lower Hall Gallery exhibition, Brandon Baghaee: In a Friendly Sky.

Youth Artists on the Rise
Sir William Mulock Secondary School Art Council

April 30 – June 24, 2026
Underground Gallery

Curated by Alysha Ragbar

Highlighting the works by art council students at Newmarket school, Sir William Mulock Secondary School. This exhibition touches on the themes of rebirth, change, and growth. It is curated by Art Council Vice President and former ACC co-op student, Alysha Ragbar.

Learn more >

Events and Open Calls for Artists

Event: Crit Club (Ages 18+)
Next Session: Saturday, May 23, 9:00 – 11:00am
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, registration required

Event: Spring Artist-Poet Gathering
Next Session: Saturday, May 23, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Homeroom Galleries (Level 1)
Free, registration required

Event: Open Studio
Wednesdays, 10am – 4pm | Until June 10
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, drop-in

Youth Study Studio
June 16 – 19, 12:00 – 3:00pm
Art Activity Room (Level B1)
Free, drop-in

Open Call: Youth Artists on the Rise – FOOD FOOD FOOD (ages 13-17)
Deadline to Apply: June 24, 2026, 11:59pm
Learn more and apply

Calling all youth artists ages 13-17! We are seeking artworks to be displayed in our Underground Gallery, a gallery space exclusive to youth.

Artists are invited to submit artworks that feature food, snacks, meals – anything related to consumption! What are your favourite foods, meals, and forms of eating? What other “foods” do you consume? (E.g. forms of media including books, music, social media) How do you digest what you consume? Creative interpretations are welcome.

Underground Gallery is part of Youth Artists on the Rise (YAR), a program for arts-impassioned youth to develop their skills in the arts, make connections, and build a community for collaboration and growth.

Accepted artworks will be on display from June 26 – August 27, 2026.

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
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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