Women's Art Association of Canada

10/07/2026

Ruth Upjohn Gallery is proud to announce the opening of VENUS PREVAILS, a solo show by the ceramic artist and WAAC member, Catharina Goldnau. On for few days till October 13, the exhibition explores the many forms of womanhood through expressive female figures that embrace both vulnerability and contradiction. The pieces examine the challenging conventional ideas about the female body and where beauty and value are found.

Born in Germany near the former Iron Curtain, Goldnau moved to Canada at 19. Following academic studies, raising four children and a teaching career, she pursued ceramics at Sheridan College, studying under Bruce Cochrane, Linda Sormin and Laura Kukkee. An award-winning graduate of Sheridan’s Bachelor of Craft and Design program, she received the Gardiner Museum Award at the 2018 graduating exhibition, followed by a solo exhibition at the Gardiner Museum.

October 7–13, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 10, 11am–1:30pm
Ruth Upjohn Gallery, 23 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto
Free admission.

Photos: Catharina Goldnau

10/02/2026

CLOSING SOON! Indinawemaaganidog /All My Relations: a contemporary Indigenous art show closes October 6. Call someone you care about and come se e this inspiring show before it ends.

Dignam Gallery, 23 Prince Arthur Avenue, Toronto
Tue-Sat, 11am -5pm

∞

10/01/2026

WAAC October Book Club 📚

This month we're reading Denison Avenue by Christina Wong, a book that is a journal, a poem and a work of art all in one!

A poignant meditation on loss, aging, gentrification, and the barriers that Chinese Canadian seniors experience in big cities, Denison Avenue beautifully combines visual art, fiction, and the endangered Toisan dialect to create a book that is truly unforgettable.

Thursday, October 8th
2 to 3pm
In the WAAC library

All members welcome! Cookies will be provided.

Hope to see you there!
Gillian Morden

09/30/2026

Constructing Memory with MORGAN JONES and ARTIST VOICES.

A journey through the creative process of making art from inspiration to finished work.

This presentation was made possible by the efforts of our devoted members and their willingness to contribute to a larger educational impact in the arts and culture.
Thank you to everyone who participated and stay tuned for more updates on upcoming sessions.

https://youtu.be/qgFvm8dHahA?si=mKLzZK_6xVxDWKaw

Nina Silver

Constructing Memory: From Inspiration to Image offers an intimate l...

09/29/2026

Celebrate the beauty of nature through the eyes of our lovely member and former Board member, Meral Altinbilek.

Just for few days from September 30 till October 3, "Focus On Nature" honours nature and the fluid movement and unpredictability of watercolour.

Meet the Artist on Saturday, October 3 from 2-5pm in Ruth Upjohn Gallery.

See you there!

09/28/2026

Member Monday: Natalia Shields

Inspired by travel, nature, architecture, and the visual character of the places she encounters, Natalia Shields creates fine art photography with a keen focus on composition. From landscapes and cityscapes to tree studies, architecture, and abstract imagery, her work reflects a curiosity for seeing the world from thoughtful and unexpected perspectives.

Natalia’s passion for photography began during her career as an art educator and has developed over approximately 25 years of practice. More recently, travels beyond Canada have become an important source of inspiration, allowing her to explore the history, culture, cities, countryside, and geography of the places she visits. Working with both Nikon and iPhone cameras, she carefully captures and processes her images, and prints many of her archival works herself using fine art photographic papers.

With a background in Fashion Arts from Seneca College, a BA with a Fine Arts theme from York University, and a B.Ed. from the University of Toronto, Natalia spent 30 years as a secondary school educator before retiring from teaching. She has been a member of the Women’s Art Association of Canada since 2010, was a founding member of Toronto’s f8 Photography Collective, and has volunteered with the Pelham Art Festival for more than a decade.

Swipe to discover Natalia’s photographic exploration of landscape, architecture, travel, nature, and the art of composition.

09/25/2026

•Friday, September 25 | 6:00 - 9:00pm
•Women’s Art Association of Canada | •Garden (weather permitting)
•$15 | RSVP required
•Burger + beverage included
•Outdoor film screening + Q&A key film crew
•Additional food & beverages available for purchase
•Bring a blank or lawn chair, dress for the weather

Proud to announce a cozy fall bbq and the outdoor film screening of A Group of One’s Own - The Untold Story of Mary Ella Dignam and the Women’s Art Association of Canada.

Produced and directed by Ingrid Hamilton
Produced by Kate Yorga
Written by Hope Thompson
Narrated by Jean Stilwell

A rebel artist in 1887, Mary Ella Dignam founded the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) because the art world refused to make room for women. This documentary short film follows her journey from rural Ontario to New York to Europe, and then back to Toronto where she built an art community on her own terms.

The film highlights WAAC’s landmark contributions, including the hand-painted Canadian Historical Dinner Service, now held at Haddo House, a historic museum operated by the National Trust for Scotland, to early ties with Emily Carr, and the Group of Seven, along with its trusted scholarship program that has supported many artists over the years, such as Karen Kain in ballet, and Measha Brueggergosman in opera.

Still housed in its 1916 Victorian home at 23 Prince Arthur Avenue in Toronto, WAAC remains a rare Canadian institution that continues to thrive and grow through its membership, donations and community support.

RSVP Here:

https://forms.gle/N3oqhCD5V7vWsLX98

Can’t attend in person? You’ll still be able to watch the YouTube premiere of Mary Ella’s inspiring story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDxZtZkCZeE

09/24/2026

Dignam Gallery is so proud to announce the opening of the awaited INDINAWEMAAGANIDOG/ ALL MY RELATIONS - a contemporary Indigenous art show.

On Now - October 6, 2026
Vernissage - Sept 26, 1-4pm
Dignam Gallery
Tue-Sat, 11am - 5pm
Everyone welcome. Admission is free.

Celebrate the voices of the Indigenous artists of Canada, a choir of authentic, determined and truthful perspectives of what interconnectedness celebrates.

♾️

09/21/2026

Member Monday: Marijean Harris

Inspired by the Canadian landscape, memory, and the emotional experience of place, Marijean Harris creates contemporary paintings that explore atmosphere, light, movement, and the passage of time. Rather than depicting specific locations, her imagined landscapes evoke the feeling of being within nature, inviting viewers into moments of reflection and discovery.

Growing up in the rural landscape of Caledon, Marijean developed an early connection to the natural world, spending hours drawing, painting, and exploring the fields and forests around her home. Her father, accomplished watercolour artist William Fowler Wells, introduced her to painting and taught her to observe the landscape with care and sensitivity. While her early work was rooted in realism and traditional techniques, exposure to contemporary art and abstraction at university gradually led her toward a more expressive approach.

After studying graphic design and continuing to paint alongside her professional career, Marijean returned fully to her artistic practice following retirement. Today, she brings together a lifetime of observation, memory, and creative exploration to create contemporary landscapes that balance the familiar with the imagined, capturing not simply how a place looks, but how it is experienced and remembered.

Swipe to discover Marijean’s evocative exploration of landscape, atmosphere, memory, and light.