Applications for the 2027 season are now being accepted.

Interested exhibitors are invited to submit their work for review. Successful applicants receive a month-long exhibition at the RHCPA Visual Art Gallery. The exhibition space consists of two locations in the RHCPA:

• Main Lobby Gallery –  Suitable for wall-mounted 2D artworks, including painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media. Larger wall spaces make this gallery ideal for larger-scale works. 
• Lower East Side Gallery – Suitable for wall-mounted 2D artworks, including painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media. This gallery receives natural light and is best suited to works that are not light-sensitive.

Please note that three-dimensional works cannot be accommodated in either gallery.

Criteria for Exhibitions

• All artwork must be in ‘ready-to-hang’ condition.
• Exhibitors must ensure the work is securely wired for hanging, using the gallery’s track system. Instructions for appropriate hanging methods can be provided.  

Acceptable artworks include, but are not limited to 2-D paintings, drawings, prints, photography, watercolour and mixed media. Installation and sculptural pieces may be considered providing they do not extend more that 14cm (5 inches) from the wall when hung.

• Exhibitors of all levels of ability (student, emerging, mid-career and established) are invited to apply individually or as a collective
• Priority is given to artists who reside in Richmond Hill, however, all applications will be reviewed
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  • Artists must ensure that they have an adequate amount of artwork to cover the RHCPA Main Lobby Gallery and Lower East Side Gallery wall space
• Exhibitors are to consider the audience of the gallery. As the RHCPA is open to the diverse community of Richmond Hill, the City reserves the right to exclude work that may be deemed offensive or inappropriate
• The marketing and promotion of the exhibition is the responsibility of the applicant. The City of Richmond Hill will update the Visual Art Gallery webpage with a description and image of the exhibition, provided by the artist a minimum of two weeks advance notice. 

Applicants must submit: 

• A complete application form
• An artist’s statement and/or biography (maximum 500 words)
• An up-to-date CV that includes artistic experience, not limited to: education, exhibitions, publications, achievements that are deemed important to your art practice, etc.
• An exhibition proposal that lists the works to be presented in consideration of the space available. Include the name of artist(s), title of work, date made, medium, and size
• 10 – 15 images of artwork that demonstrates the body of work to be included in the proposed exhibition (.jpg format, maximum 1MB, maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels). Ensure photos are of good quality and accurately represent the artwork
• Preferred month of exhibition (e.g. 2027 - January, February, March, etc.)

Please indicate if you are a resident of Richmond Hill and/or the works feature a connection to Richmond Hill.

Please Note: As part of the City of Richmond Hill’s ongoing commitment to its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and Action Plan, we aim to prioritize showcasing artwork by artists from equity-deserving communities during the following commemorative months: 

• February – Black History Month
• March – International Women’s Day
• June – Pride Month
• September – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• December – International Day of Persons with Disabilities 

If your identity or artistic practice aligns with any of these themes, we warmly encourage you to share this in your application and consider submitting a proposal for the corresponding month.

Applicants are invited to indicate in their application if their identity, lived experience, or artistic practice aligns with any of these commemorative months and if they would like to be considered for exhibition opportunities during the corresponding month. 

All applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a selection committee, comprised of Richmond Hill staff and citizen representatives.  

Only successful applicants will be contacted to discuss the contract details and confirm the exhibit.  

Applications are accepted by submitting a completed Visual Art Gallery Application Form online.

Fees

There is no application fee when submitting an exhibition proposal to the RHCPA Visual Art Gallery.  

All successful applicants will be required to pay a fee that accounts for installation and administration costs. This fee is payable prior to the installation of the exhibition.

• Fee: $220.63 (+HST)

Exhibitors are invited to include work for sale at their exhibition. All funds from sales completed during the exhibit at the RHCPA will remain with the artist. The artist is responsible for managing sales during the exhibit. Funds will not be collected through the RHCPA Box Office.

Artist Receptions

Applicants who are interested in hosting an Artist Reception during their exhibition period must indicate this in their application.

Please note:

• Artist Receptions are subject to venue availability and must be scheduled around RHCPA programming and operational requirements. Guest capacity limits may apply.
• Receptions are organized and promoted by the exhibiting artist(s).
• A fee applies for Artist Receptions. Additional charges may be incurred depending on staffing requirements, services requested, and event setup needs. A basic reception format is recommended to help minimize costs.
• Alcohol service and sales are only permitted through the RHCPA and are subject to venue policies, licensing requirements, and approval.
• All refreshments are the responsibility of the exhibiting artist(s).

Exhibit on display Wednesday, June 10 to July 8.

Senior art students at Richmond Hill High School explore spaces of childhood nostalgia in our city. From playgrounds, elementary schools, and neighbourhood streets. Sometimes memories are clear and distinct, sometimes obscured and abstract; from sunny days at the park with parents, to loneliness and contemplation.

Students express their own unique artistic styles and identities to communicate these concepts as they  get ready to leave high school this June and bid farewell to a past that grows fainter by the day. We hope you take some time to reflect on similar feelings growing up in your own childhood spaces. Each title has a location association within Richmond Hill and beyond reflecting the diverse voices and experiences of our community.

Exhibit on display from Tuesday, May 12 to Tuesday, June 9.

Explore the beauty of the night sky through an Astrophotography Exhibit at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. This collection features a range of images, from quiet starlit landscapes to detailed views of nebulae, galaxies, planets, and celestial events such as eclipses and meteor showers, including photographs from the 2024 Solar Eclipse. Many of the photographs were taken in and around Richmond Hill, reflecting both the local night sky and more distant parts of our universe. Each image is accompanied by details about when and where it was captured, offering insight into the process behind the work and the dedication behind each photograph. Blending science and visual art, the exhibit invites visitors to pause, look up, and appreciate the complexity and beauty of the cosmos.

This astrophotography exhibit is presented by the Astrophotographers of Richmond Hill, a collective of passionate amateur and professional photographers united by a shared love of the night sky. As a branch of the David Dunlap Observatory Defenders, a local non-profit organization dedicated to astronomy education and outreach, our members bring together diverse expertise from education and science to IT and fine art photography, with decades of combined experience in capturing celestial wonders.

Exhibit on display from mid-March until mid-April.

The works in this exhibition reckon with the histories of Filipino and European ancestors settling in a North American place. They explore the seasons, the weather, and our connection to a land in which we are both inhabitants and guests.

The paintings evoke a range of moments: the passing of clouds, a storm arriving over a lake, flowers emerging in a garden. Native plants and creatures of Ontario appear as traces throughout the series, permeating layered expressions of memory and place.

How do we integrate and find our home within the natural world? What creatures mirror our growth and the renewal we experience when we finally connect?

This series strives to imagine a future where it is possible to nurture authentic connection between land, self, and community within an increasingly fraught world.

Exhibit on display from mid-February until mid-March.

Trendsetters: The Living Canvas is a visual art exhibition that reflects on Black memory, resilience, and ancestral presence. The collection honours history while focusing on what continues to live through culture, story, and shared experience. Monochrome and colour faces speak to endurance and survival, while vibrant textiles carry what could not be erased, ancestral knowledge, identity, and strength.

The exhibition invites visitors to slow down and engage with the work beyond first impressions. Through quiet power and intentional restraint, the portraits reflect leadership, continuity, and the grounding influence of knowing one’s roots. Trendsetters: The Living Canvas encourages reflection, connection, and unity within the community, offering Black culture as a living presence to be experienced rather than explained.

“For me, this work is about memory and presence. The faces hold history, but the colour lives in the fabric because culture is something we carry forward, even when parts of our story are interrupted. I want viewers to slow down, to feel calm, strength, and connection, and to remember that knowing where you come from can help you understand who you are becoming.”

- Ava Jasmine Dedier 

Exhibit on display from mid January until mid February.

Sanghoon Kang is a Korean artist based in Canada since 2021. Kang was an university professor of art and architecture in Seoul, Korea, and an art gallery director in Paris, France, he began his career as an artist in 2020 in France. Since then, his work has been showcased internationally.

He has always had a deep passion for music and painting, with Western classical music playing a particularly significant role in shaping his early life, having grown up in a musical family. Although music once seemed destined to be his life path, he ultimately pursued other fields, discovering a strong affinity for synthesizing complex, closely related ideas. He completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering, followed by graduate studies in architecture and architectural history.

Music and architecture serve as key sources of inspiration in Kang’s practice. In 2019, he opened an art gallery in Paris, France, creating a space for art lovers and fostering close collaboration with artists from around the world, an experience that helped prepare him to become a competitive artist.

His artistic practice is deeply inspired by Goethe’s words, “…architecture is frozen music.” As he listens to music, each piece narrating aspects of human life, nature, culture, or national identity, he perceives the movement of notes as an unfolding narrative. This perspective deepens his understanding of musical structure and encourages him to approach his work with a scientific mindset. Music arises from the interaction of diverse sounds produced by various instruments, all unified by fundamental musical principles, giving birth to distinct “musical images.”

Kang enjoys imagining his favorite music, including both classical and pop genres, in geometric forms. He seeks to capture the sounds and movements of music on canvas through geometric visualization. Believing that architectural concepts share fundamental ideas with musical composition, he hopes that viewers who appreciate both music and art will find inspiration and beauty within his artistic world.