Exhibitions
(un)familiar / (up)rooted
Chelsea Brant
June 12 - August 30, 2026
(un)familiar / (up)rooted, is a collective body of work established in 2022 and now making its Ontario debut at the Grimsby Public Art Gallery. Through the evocative metaphor of tropical houseplants, artist Chelsea Brant explores themes of change, grief, displacement, resilience, and belonging, tracing the emotional experience of adapting to unfamiliar environments while questioning what it means to feel rooted in place, in relationships, and in oneself. Emerging from a deeply transformative period in the artist’s life, the work reflects on loss, memory, healing, and growth through imagery that balances both beauty and uncertainty.
The exhibition revisits Brant’s original paintings alongside a new series of 2026 collages created from the same source imagery used to develop the paintings. These works reveal fragments of the artist’s process and uncover the layered foundations behind the original body of work. A newly developed companion piece to Sweet Dreams further expands themes of care, vulnerability, and emotional unease.
Drawing on Affect Theory, the exhibition considers how emotional experiences are often sensed and processed before they can be consciously articulated through language. Through layered mixed-media works incorporating sewn canvas, clay, collage, and painting, Brant creates immersive environments that blur the boundaries between memory and reality, comfort and discomfort, stillness and chaos. Rather than presenting fixed narratives, (un)familiar / (up)rooted invites viewers to reflect on experiences of home, loss, adaptation, and the ongoing human capacity for resilience and growth.
Special thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for their support.
Community Exhibition Space (CES)
Creative Labours
Meghan Cade
July 29 - August 30, 2026
In Creative Labours, artist Meghan Cade explores decorative illustration and pattern work inspired by Greek and Roman mythology and the Twelve Labours of Hercules in this series of mixed-media paintings. It is a joyful exploration that showcases the dynamics of shapes and colour intersecting with negative space and decorative elements.
Cade's work is often inspired by mythology and folklore, drawing on ancient stories as a basis for thematic development. The original story of Hercules delves into themes of perseverance and retribution, with the hero undertaking twelve seemingly impossible tasks of strength, wit, and skill to seek forgiveness for crimes committed under goddess-induced madness. These tasks, involving classic mythological beasts, inspired the paintings, which used the beasts' forms as vessels to create playful patterns and shapes. Characters within the myth also inspired visual cohesion of themes such as docility and aggression through shapes and colour.
These paintings were inspired by the loose, joyful work typically found in a sketchbook, exploring the intersection of linework, pattern, and decorative shapes. The artist's creative process begins with a rough painting directly on the canvas, allowing forms and subjects to emerge organically, and by experimenting with acrylics, gouache, ink, and various coloured pencils and oil pastels. The mixed media enables exploration of textures and their interactions. This series of paintings provided the freedom to try new techniques and unconventional compositions.
Mixed media on stretched canvas
Cross Pollination
Clear Eyes Collective
September 2023 
True community is inclusive and nurtures everyone, providing a safe space for all.
Cross Pollination is a commissioned mural by Clear Eyes Collective for the exterior outdoor exhibition platform of the Grimsby Public Art Gallery and Library. Over the course of the summer, the collective collaborated with the community by asking them to generate key words to inspire the artistic development and content of the mural. Some words were reflective of the physical characteristics of the Town of Grimsby; its connection with agriculture, proximity to Lake Ontario, and the Niagara escarpment. Others looked to honor less tangible connections like culture, multiculturalism, and LGBTQ2S+ allyship. After reviewing each prompt, and drawing from their own connection to the area, the collective refined their final design, culminating in Cross Polination, which was live painted onsite during the second annual Grimsby Arts Walk, September 23, 2023.
Curated by Caitlin Sutherland
CLEAR EYES COLLECTIVE is a mural crew based out of Hamilton, Ontario made up of members Darian Poisson, Adam Bates and Josh Kellett. Their mission is to integrate the mysterious power of art into the plain cityscape, transforming ordinary spaces into an immersive gallery. Their approach to public art has always been rooted in creating vibrant visual environments that connect and uplift the community at large.
Clear Eyes Collective have been painting large-scale murals as a team for 10 years, and in that time they have had the opportunity to partner with local businesses, festivals, corporations and different municipalities and cities. They take tremendous care to make sure their designs are tailored to each project, while always maintaining a vibrant and bold style that naturally comes out of collaboration.
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