Thinking Rock Community Arts

06/05/2026

We’re excited for our upcoming programming at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site! We’ll be back there (800 Bay Street, SSM, ON) on Friday, June 12th from 2pm to 4pm for our next Social Fabric drop-in.
We’ll be bringing some hands-on activities to make and do together that are part of our larger, multi-year Social Fabric community art project. Participants can contribute to this project-in-process by sharing some stories, adding some stitches, and joining our circle to celebrate this special place we call home.
This program is for all ages! To register (especially for groups) or ask questions, please contact Artistic Director, Miranda Bouchard (miranda [at] thinkingrock [dot] ca or 705-542-1100) for details.
We’re grateful to our partners at Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site for hosting us! We’re planning more sessions here - check out our events calendar (in our Linktree, above, or on our website at www.thinkingrock.ca/https://www.thinkingrock.ca/events-calendar) for more details to come!
We acknowledge our funders and supporters - including the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Governments of Ontario and Canada, and of course, community donors!
[ID: 2 squares invite you to attend Thinking Rock’s Drop-In at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site (ECNHS) - the first sharing June 12th’s date above the Thinking Rock and ECNHS logos; the second with the date, time (2pm - 4pm) and address (800 Bay St., SSM, ON) above the Thinking Rock and ECNHS logos. Original graphics by Samm Pine-Bennett.]

06/05/2026

Join our next Social Fabric Lab, from 3:30pm to 6pm on Thursday, June 11th!
We’ll gather at Thinking Rock HQ (199 Main Street, Thessalon, ON) to participate in two gentle, co-creative artmaking activities:
🌞☁️ Using writing prompts to explore “light and shadow”
and
💙🧵 Stitching our words onto handmade, one-of-a-kind log cabin quilt blocks
No experience is necessary. Supplies and instruction will be provided. Caregivers should accompany and support youth participants under 12. Pre-registration is appreciated - email info (at) thinkingrock (dot) com for info and to register.
And be sure to watch our socials and our programming calendar (via our Linktree in bio, or our website at www.thinkingrock.ca) for more great events to come. For details, please contact us by email, or by calling (705) 542-1100.
Thinking Rock acknowledges our funders and supporters - including the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Governments of Ontario and Canada, and of course, community donors!
[ID: 9 squares, in a strawberry palette, with photos of our light and shadow log cabin blocks, invite you to our next Social Fabric Lab at Thinking Rock HQ, happening on June 11th from 3:30pm to 6pm.]

06/05/2026

With summer fast approaching, we’re re-launching Communi-Bees at Thinking Rock Community Arts!
Join us @ TRHQ on Tuesday, June 9th from 3:30pm to 6pm. We’ll be working together to finish some of our Social Fabrics-in-process, including UFOs and log cabin quilt blocks.
Communi-Bees are a great way to come together, channel our collective creativity, and craft community. We’re calling out and inviting everyone to join us: stay for as little or as long as you like, no experience is necessary, and supplies will be provided.
Watch our social media channels and our programming calendar (via our Linktree in bio, or our website at www.thinkingrock.ca) for more great events to come. For details, please contact us by email (info (at) thinkingrock (dot) ca) or by calling (705) 542-1100.
Thinking Rock acknowledges our funders and supporters - including the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Governments of Ontario and Canada, and of course, community donors!
[Image Description: 10 slides invite you to our next Communi-Bee, on June 9th from 3:30pm to 6pm in Thessalon, ON. We’ll work together on completing some of our Social Fabric works-in-process - colourful images of them are shared in these slides amidst event information. Supplies provided, no experience necessary, and drop-ins are welcome! Contact [email protected] or 705-542-1100 for details! Bee graphics by Jess Bouchard.]

06/05/2026

Have a confirmed public exhibition coming up? The Exhibition Assistance program supports:
✅ Professional visual, craft, and media artists, as well as artist collectives in Ontario
⏰ Applications open from early June 2026 to January 15, 2027, at 1 p.m. ET
ℹ️ Some participating organizations set their own deadlines, while others assess applications on an ongoing basis until their budgets are spent
👉 Learn more: https://ow.ly/O8gb50Z7eg9
Check out the list of recommenders: https://ow.ly/BQCl50Z7eg8
________________________________________
Vous avez une exposition publique confirmée à venir? Le programme Aide aux expositions soutient :
✅ Les artistes professionnels en arts visuels, métiers d’art et arts médiatiques, ainsi que les collectifs d’artistes en Ontario
⏰ Les demandes sont acceptées du début juin 2026 au 15 janvier 2027 à 13 h (HE)
ℹ️ À noter : certains organismes participants fixent leurs propres dates limites, tandis que d’autres évaluent les demandes en continu jusqu’à l’épuisement de leur budget
👉 En savoir plus : https://ow.ly/QAZv50Z7ege
Consultez la liste des organismes recommandataires : https://ow.ly/wSTC50Z7ega
📷 Jennifer Long

06/05/2026

📣 Did you know? 📣
Thinking Rock Community Arts is a Zone 5 recommender to the Ontario Arts Council’s Exhibition Assistance Program, which supports Ontario-based artists and artist collectives working in visual arts, craft and media practices with grants between $500 and $2000 towards the presentation of their artwork in a confirmed public exhibition.
This is a third-party recommender program. In addition to assessing applications based on program eligibility, priorities and criteria, Thinking Rock supports contemporary art practices and presentations/projects across all disciplines, with special priority given to artists and collectives living in the Algoma District of Zone 5, at all stages of their careers. We accept and assess applications at two deadline dates annually (October 1 and January 15). Recommendations are made by a committee of Thinking Rock staff, Board and community volunteers.
Applications are made and processed through OAC’s online granting portal, NOVA. Complete guidelines and instructions are available on the OAC’s website (www.arts.on.ca) and within the NOVA application.
For more information, please contact Thinking Rock by phone at (705) 542-1100, by email at [email protected], or visit our website at www.thinkingrock.ca/oac-exhibition-assistance

06/05/2026

There’s still time to apply to join our summer team! Read the post below and check out our website for additional details!
♥️ 📣

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

* NOTE: Adjusted timing for today! *
3pm to 4:30pm
We’re back at the Bruce Mines & Plummer Additional Union Public Library (33 Desbarats St., Bruce Mines) on Thursday, June 4th from 3pm to 4:30pm for our next Social Fabric drop-in!
We’ll be bringing some hands-on activities to make and do together that are part of our larger, multi-year Social Fabric community art project - specifically, some hand-stitched, foundation-pieced log cabin quilt blocks and prompts. Participants can contribute to this project-in-process by sharing some stories, adding some stitches, and joining our circle to celebrate this special place we call home.
This program is for all ages! To register (especially for groups) or ask questions, please contact Artistic Director, Miranda Bouchard ([email protected] or 705-542-1100) for details.
We’re grateful to our partners, Melissa Allard and the Bruce Mines & Plummer Additional Union Public Library for hosting us! We’re planning more sessions here - check out our events calendar (in our Linktree, above, or on our website at www.thinkingrock.ca/https://www.thinkingrock.ca/events-calendar) for more details to come!
We acknowledge our funders and supporters - including the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Governments of Ontario and Canada, and of course, community donors!
[ID: 2 squares invite you to attend Thinking Rock’s Drop-In at the Bruce Mines & Plummer Additional Union Public Library - the first sharing June 4th’s date above the Thinking Rock and BMPA Union Public Library logos; the second with the date, time (3pm - 4:30pm) and address (33 Desbarats St., Bruce Mines) above the Thinking Rock and BMPA Union Public Library logos. Original graphics by Samm Pine-Bennett.]

06/04/2026

Today (June 4th), we’ll be showing up with some heARTful activities at Central Algoma Secondary School’s (CASS) Relay for Life event. 💛
What is the Relay? In the words of the Canadian Cancer Society, it’s a global movement active in 36 countries and 6,000 communities worldwide which, for more than 20 years, has helped provide hope to those with cancer in our communities. This 6 to 12-hour walk is a powerful testament of solidarity that brings together friends, families, colleagues and the broader community. It is a unique opportunity for organizers - in this case, CASS students and staff - to raise funds, celebrate life during the Hope Tour, honour those affected by cancer at the Luminary Ceremony and fight against the disease.
We’ll be there, cheering on the movers and shakers as they round the track, offering a collaborative fence-weaving activity that will artfully amplify messages of hope shared by those who stop by our table. We’ll be on-site near the baseball diamond from 10am to 2pm today. 💛
We’re grateful to our friends at CASS - particularly, Amelia Pearson Solomon and Devaney Boulter, members of the Relay’s organizing team - for inviting us to join this very special community gathering, in this special way, this year!
[ID: 2 squares share the news about Thinking Rock’s activity at the 2026 CASS Relay for Life event - the first sharing June 4th’s date above the Thinking Rock and CASS logos; the second with the date, time (10am - 2pm) and location above the Thinking Rock and CASS logos. Original graphics by Samm Pine-Bennett.]

06/02/2026

Join us for tonight’s (June 2nd) Making Night - the first of three that we’ll host during this National Indigenous History Month, and Pride Month - from 6:30pm to 8pm, online via Zoom and in-person from TRHQ (limited seats available).
Drawing from the retreat we co-hosted this past weekend in partnership with Northern Skies Resort and Waasinodē Shkikii Gamik, tonight’s Making Night centres around the notion of “hope”: the hopes we have for ourselves, our families, our communities and our world.
It seems the perfect theme to kick off this significant month of June: a time when we come together to acknowledge and celebrate aspects of identity, tradition, history, culture and community that are unique and worthy of respect and recognition; and reaffirm our commitments to learn, love, advocate and act for the sake of weaving more just and equitable ways forward.
Join for as long or little as you’d like; keep your video on or off; contribute to the conversation, or listen and make along. Please come as you are, and host yourself well.
Registration is required for both in-person (limited spaces to join from the TRCA office) and online (Zoom link shared only with registrants) components. To secure your spot, please email info (at) thinkingrock (dot) ca
Save the dates: beyond tonight’s gathering, we’ll host more Making Nights on June 16th & 30th; July 14th & 28th; August 11th and 25th; and beyond! Check our events calendar (in our Linktree and at www.thinkingrock.ca/events-calendar) for more programming to come.
Thinking Rock acknowledges our funders and supporters - including the New Horizons for Seniors Program, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Governments of Ontario and Canada, and of course, community donors!
[ID: 2 squares invite you to attend Making Night - the first with the text, “Tonight is Making Night” against a photo of hopeful, in-season apple blossoms; the second with upcoming Making Night dates (June 2/16/30, July 14/28, August 11/25), registration reminder, and contact details - info(at)thinkingrock(dot)ca.]