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is one of my favourite places and where I spend most of my time while on campus. If you haven’t been to Agnes in a while, here is your reminder to visit often before they close their doors for their upcoming transformations called

What’s happening now at Agnes?

Making Home: A Love Letter to Katarokwi-Kingston is a series of solo exhibitions celebrating and highlighting local artists on now until March 28, 2024. As Emelie Chhangur, Director and Curator of Agnes states, “This season is Agnes’s love letter to Kingston”.

Exhibitions include:

, curated by Sebastian De Line, Associate Curator, Care and Relations. Audio and textiles weave together a celebration of the artists mother and stories of Ethiopian women into a conversation about community and belonging. Emebet Belete asks what do we hope for our future?

, Co-curated by Mark Birksted, Preparator and Alicia Boutilier, Chief Curator/Curator of Canadian Historical Art. This important retrospective spans 6 decades or Anne Clarks abstract paintings. Anne Clarke hopes we see something new every time we view her work. My favourite is on the far-right back wall.

, Curated by Emelie Chhangur, Director and Curator. Jay Bridges exhibition expertly captures ordinary, iconic landmarks of Kingston captured on large and medium format cameras. See if you can recognize a few of the buildings! Be sure to pop by for a coffee and to congratulate Jay Bridges on his first solo exhibition.

, Co-curated by Sunny Kerr, Curator of Contemporary Art and Suzanne van de Meerendonk, Bader Curator of European Art. Frank De Sa uses metal making processes in conversation with soft textiles and artificial flowers to reflect on his Portuguese Azores upbringing and the diasporic experiences.

Billie Kearns (aka Billie the Kid) and Jill Glatt Curated by Sunny Kerr, Curator of Contemporary Art. Billie the Kid and Jill Glatt ask, “what does it mean to be a local artist?” and “how can we honour the land with the stories we tell?” Together they tell stories situating Belle Island as a local artist. I would recommend setting aside time to hear all of these stories.

, Abby Nowakowski, Curated by Charlotte Gagnier, Program Coordinator. Agnes’ project space has been transformed into a fun, hand poked tattoo parlor with a focus on radical softness. Get on the waitlist to get your tattoo by Abby. Scared of needles like me?  Pop by the parlor for a free temporary tattoo with images of tea pots, chickens and flowers.

, Curated by Sunny Kerr, Curator of Contemporary Art. Enjoy Scaglione’s large scale installations and wall assemblages which are full of both controlled chaos and bright energy.

Visit Agnes’s exhibitions on a study break (admission is free or by donation) or join an in-person tour, 6–7:30 pm, 8 February, 22 February, 7 March and 21 March 2024, led by Agnes docents (45-minute tour and a 45-minute artmaking activity).

In addition and often in conversation with the exhibitions are a number of programs and workshops you can participate in. and Below I will highlight a selection of events happening in January that I think are a must attend:

January 11 – March 14, 2024, Thursdays 4 – 6 pm: . This is the perfect free program to de-stress and explore art as therapy.

January 11, 2024, 6 – 9 pm:   hosted by artists in residence, Wee Bit Off Centre: Tear Jerkers, a collaboration between artists Michelle Bunton and GHY Cheung. Come sing your heart out in the Etherington House.

January 18, 6 – 8:30 pm: is Also hosted by Wee Bit Off Centre: Tear Jerkers This workshop creatively re-works and annotates rejections that participants bring with them.

January 25, 2024, 7 – 10 pm: featuring Kingston’s Dare de LaFemme, Tyffanie Morgan and Rowena as they launch the  historical dress project curated by Alicia Boutilier. This is a must see!

January 27, 2 – 4:30 pm: including screenings of Kingston Is Burning (1995, dir. James Fowler, 22 mins) followed by a conversation. Bonus… snacks will be served.

January 29, 2024, 12 – 2 pm, . An Academic Drag Queen’s Critical Race Theory-Informed Response to Today’s Dragphobia and Transphobia. An important conversation not to be missed.

I hope you enjoy your time at Agnes as much as I do!