Willow Arts Community

06/07/2026

Discover and Create topics for this week - drawing essentials! Join us at the Willow Studio in downtown St Catharines for these drop-in sessions.

Wednesday June 10 at 3pm - Colour Theory
Thursday June 11 at 1pm - Charcoal Techniques

Discover and Create are free programs for Niagara residents ages 55 and up, and all art supplies are provided.

Discover sessions are also open to Willow members of all ages.

06/03/2026

Join the Willow in celebrating our Annual Members' Exhibition on Thursday, June 4 from 5pm to 7pm at the Visual Arts Gallery of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts.

There are more than 40 artworks by Willow members on display and we will have a special performance by participants in this spring's Songs of Healing course.

05/31/2026

This week's Discover and Create drop-in session topics!
Wednesday 3pm: The History and Ritual of Kolam
Thursday 1pm: Kolam Drawing for Mindfulness

These programs are open to all Niagara residents and Willow members ages 55 and up. Willow members of all ages are welcome to join the Discover sessions.

No previous art experience is required and all supplies are provided. Both programs are free of charge. Both Discover and Create take place at Willow's studio at 366 St Paul Street, St Catharines.

Learn more about these programs at https://thewillowcommunity.com/explorations/

05/25/2026

This week's Discover and Create drop-in session topics!

These programs are open to all Niagara residents and Willow members ages 55 and up. No previous art experience is required and all supplies are provided. Both programs a free of charge.

Both Discover and Create take place at Willow's studio at 366 St Paul Street, St Catharines. Learn more about these programs at https://thewillowcommunity.com/explorations/

**Willow Members of all ages are welcome to join Discover sessions.

05/19/2026

SAVE THE DATE! Willow's annual Members' Exhibition will be on display from May 30 through June 20 at the Visual Arts Gallery and Exhibition Space of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

Join us for the Opening Celebration on Thursday, June 4, 2026 from 5 to 7 p.m.

This is a group exhibition sharing and celebrating the art of Willow members, people with lived experience of mental illness/substance use.

The gallery is open Thursday – Saturday, 1 – 5 pm, and admission is free.

Learn more about unscene 2026 at https://thewillowcommunity.com/whatwedo/annual-exhibition/

05/14/2026

Niagara residents ages 55+ and Willow members of all ages are invited to the Willow Studio on Wednesday afternoons this spring to learn about art in its many forms.

Discover sessions are an opportunity to learn about interesting topics in the arts. There will be lectures, demonstrations, and discussions about a new idea each week. These drop-in sessions are a time to explore new ideas and take part in artistic conversations. Discover sessions are intergenerational opportunities for learning and discussion, and they are open to all Niagara residents ages 55+ and Willow members of all ages.

Learn more at https://thewillowcommunity.com/explorations/

The Discover sessions are part of our Creative Explorations for Older Adults, supported by a New Horizons for Seniors grant (a program of the Government of Canada).

05/07/2026

Still time to apply! Exhibiting artists will be paid CARFAC rates. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

⏰ Just four days left in our 2SLGBTQIA+ Artists in every career stage living in Niagara region Call Out!
📢 City of St. Catharines is proud to extend our second-annual invitation to 2SLGBQIA+ Artists to submit original work, this year to our "Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Expression," group exhibition to be presented during Pride Month in June.
🙌 Leigh MacLeod, founder and director of Willow Arts Community, is the "Full Colour" curator.
📖 The 2SLGBTQIA+ artists call out asks artists working across disciplines to explore the many ways 2SLGBTQIA+ communities express identity, build connection, and imagine new possibilities.
🏛️ The selected artists' works will be included in the "Full Colour: A Celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ Art and Exhibition" on display in St. Catharines City Hall from June 5 to Aug. 14, 2026.
📅 Application deadline: next Sunday, May 10, 2026, at 11:30 p.m.
ℹ️ Details and apply now! ➡️ stcatharines.ca/CallstoArtists

05/06/2026

Mask Making and Performing with Glenys McQueen-Fuentes is a Creative Explorations course open to Niagara residents ages 55+ and all Willow members.

Course Dates: Fridays May 15 – June 19, from 1PM – 3PM

Explore the always surprising world of masks: both the personal and collective experience. Participants will make their own masks and learn to bring them to life through exploring self, surroundings, shapes, textures, gestures, actions, and eventually words.

Learn more and sign up at https://thewillowcommunity.com/explorations/

05/05/2026

Mythic Hands Sculpting with Suzie Dwor is a Creative Explorations course open to people ages 55 and up (all Niagara residents and Willow members).

Course Dates: Tuesdays May 12 – June 16, 1PM – 3PM

Create a one-of-a-kind 3D sculptural character using your own hand and arm as the starting point. In this hands-on mixed-media workshop you’ll cast your hand/arm in plaster gauze, sculpt imaginative character details, and finish with embellishment using paint, wire, fabric, feathers, and found objects.

To learn more and register, visit https://thewillowcommunity.com/explorations/