Ever visited the AGO, admired the beautiful art and felt inspired to make art? To help feed your creativity, we’ve opened an artmaking space for budding artists of all ages.

Our new Mindful Makers space, designed in collaboration with local artist and muralist Cindy Scaife, is in the Weston Family Community Gallery. It’s filled with recycled materials like paper, cardboard and paper straws so you can use your creativity to turn dreams (or nightmares) into works of art.

For even more inspiration, three reproductions of artworks from the AGO Collection that connect to the theme of turning dreams and nightmares into art are on the wall in the Mindful Makers space. These works include Canadian painter William Kurelek’s Reminiscences of Youth, which features the artist as a young daydreamer. This painting within a painting hangs above his head almost like a memory itself. Another is the nightmare-ish I am Half-Sick of Shadows, by artist John William Waterhouse, which portrays the fictional Lady of Shalott imprisoned by a curse in an isolated tower – she’s only able to see the world in the reflection of a mirror. The third painting, Satin Pillow, is by surrealist artist Yves Tanguy. The haunting landscape portrayed in this work offers a glimpse into the artist’s mind.

To learn more about the Mindful Makers space, we chatted with Paola Poletto, Manager of Studio and Group Learning. Watch the video below:

https://www.facebook.com/AGOToronto/videos/300144197254939/

The Mindful Makers space will be updated in the coming months with new themes, inspiration and materials to get your creative juices flowing. Why not make a day of it and enjoy the Mindful Makers space while visiting for Family Sundays or visit on a free Wednesday evening?

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