Ready, Set, Reopen: Activities and Performances to Explore as Ontario Opens up

Galleries are re-opening their doors, performers are back on stage, and audiences are flocking to institutions to experience the magic of the arts in-person. The province is bursting with creativity as we enter Step Three in Ontario’s Reopening Plan. To get the most out of this time, check out these upcoming activities from arts organizations and institutions in the province. 

 Missing gallery spaces?

Galleries and other arts spaces will be opening their doors through July, and The National Gallery of Canada is already open and ready for visitors! Check out their fantastic summer exhibitions, including Tau Lewis’s “Symphony,” where Lewis uses reclaimed fabrics to create a “mutable being, devoid of gender,” or stroll through the “Rembrandt in Amsterdam” exhibition, which explores the work and impact of the Dutch master. 

The Art Gallery of Thunder Bay is also open, and will be showcasing the work of students from Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Red Rock, and Dryden until July 31. The show highlights youth creativity in Northwestern Ontario, featuring works from across a variety of media.

Pop art fans will love the AGO’s Andy Warhol exhibit, opening July 21. For those looking for digital programming, check out the gallery’s Summer Pop, which features free online art classes inspired by the Pop art movement.

Catch a show

 Missing the thrill of seeing a show live on stage? Check out Canadian Stage’s Dream in High Park series, which will feature a variety of performances across dance, theatre, music, and comedy all summer long! Make sure you catch Blackout, a musical exploration of connection and community set during Toronto’s 2003 summer blackout.  

Audiences shouldn’t miss the shows at the Stratford Festival, which starts this month, and the performances at Fringe North and the brand-new Blyth Festival, both happening this August.  

Music fans should check out the Summer Days/Summer Nights series, which will feature 12 free outdoor concerts throughout the streets of Milton. 

Get Creative

Looking to get your hands dirty? Try the Gardiner Museum’s free, outdoor clay-bird making lesson, or the Art Gallery of Sudbury’s Art and Movement class, which is part of their ongoing Art in the Park series.