Art Gallery of Burlington’s (AGB) Community Generator is a series of community-arts projects and activations geared to serve more artists and audiences.
The programs are dedicated to creating equitable and open processes for artists and community organizations across the Burlington, Hamilton, and Halton Region to apply for free access to exhibition spaces, arts education, and studios.
The AGB accepts annual proposals from artists, collectives, and organizations at various stages of their careers for exhibitions, residencies, and learning opportunities through an online application. We welcome proposals in all disciplines, backgrounds, and experiences from local and regional communities.
Submissions for the 2026/27 calendar opens May 4 and will close May 31 2026.
Please advise if any accommodations are needed to complete the submissions process to programs@agb.life
Community
Generator
Opportunities
AGB’s Community Generator offers welcoming, high-visibility areas designed to celebrate and share the work of artists from across the region.
We invite artists and collectives to exhibit in a range of spaces, including a spacious 41’ x 8’ feature wall in the AGB Lounge, an active, social and meeting hub within the Gallery, and a 17’ x 8’ hallway wall overlooking the courtyard, where natural light and foot traffic create an engaging viewing experience.
Additional display units located throughout the studio’s corridors provide intimate, flexible opportunities to showcase three-dimensional work.
Together, these spaces support diverse forms of presentation and encourage meaningful connections between artists and the community.
The Artist-In-Residency program offers a free, year-long, self-directed opportunity for a small cohort of artists at any career stage to develop and experiment within dedicated studio spaces.
Open to practitioners working in ceramics, fibre, photography, painting, and emerging forms, the program provides over 40 hours of weekly access to fully equipped, accessible studios, including tools, and storage, as well as access to the Gallery’s permanent collection.
Emphasizing exploration, the residency fosters creative growth through an independent yet collaborative environment where artists can research and create.
Residents benefit from connections with peers, visiting artists, and arts professionals.
The Community Generator Learning stream is a partnership-based initiative that works with local community groups to offer studio workshops.
In response to growing interest from organizations seeking free access to artists, educators, materials, and studio space, the program supports equitable and accessible arts engagement through a responsive and community-driven approach.
This outreach project provides free, artist-led programming to grassroots initiatives and organizations that recognize the important role art plays in fostering wellbeing, creativity, and connection.
Social agencies selected will co-design a series of workshops tailored to the needs and interests of their participants, with artists matched to support specific goals such as mental health and wellbeing, youth engagement, and environmental or sustainability education.
MEET THE 2025/26 COHORT
Community Generator Exhibitions
This year’s Community Generator Exhibitions highlight a dynamic range of artists and curators who are shaping conversations within the region’s creative community. The 2025/26 season features participants whose work spans diverse media, ideas, and approaches.
Exhibiting artists and curators: Dave Conlon, Lois Crawford, the Medallic Art Society of Canada, Kamaldeep Kaur, Natasha Martin, Maha Mustafa, Paper Pals Collective, Ibrahim Rashid, Zorica Silverthorne, Jamie Vardy, Nikola Wojewoda, Francesca Durham, and Hibah Mian.
Image credit: Kamaldeep Kaur, Blooming Hearts, 2025. Natural Colors and Gouache on hot press Arches Aquarelle sheet. 28″ X 34.5″ Courtesy of the artist
Community Generator Artists-in-Residence
Our incoming Artist-in-Residence cohort brings together a multidisciplinary group of makers exploring ceramics, fibre, photography, painting, and experimental practices. Throughout the year, they will be developing new projects and engaging with AGB’s creative community.
Residents for 2025/26: Mary-Ann Alberga, Oriana Confente, Habiba El-Sayed, Carly Franklin, Kamaldeep Kaur, Katherine A. Laird, Cathy Lorraway, Devina Lookman, Dominic Pinney, Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay, Ciara Rieder, Breanna Shanahan, and Jamie Vardy.
Image credit: Workshop with Brendan Tang at the AGB. Photo by Robin Yang.
Community Generator Learning
The Learning Outreach program continues to expand its partnerships with community organizations through collaborative, artist-led workshops designed to meet local needs and spark creative engagement.
This season, AGB is partnering with the Mood Disorders Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) and the Burlington Accessibility Advisory Committee (BAAC) to co-develop workshops that centre well-being, accessibility, and creative empowerment.
Image credit: Burlington Green wet felting, 2024
Community Generator Special Projects
The Special Projects series transforms the Incite Gallery into a site for experimentation and collective expression. Each project invites audiences to encounter art as a catalyst for reflection, conversation, and social exchange.
This year’s lineup includes new works by Maryna Salagub, and Pauline Halsey, whose projects will animate the space through participatory installations, performances, and creative interventions.
Image credit: Maryna Salagub, Our Fragile Neighbours, Watercolour workshop at AGB, 2025.