Day of Play: Celebrate, Explore, Create
Sat Apr 25 2026
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Free Admission
Chrysalis and Butterfly, Workshop view, Optica, Montreal, Leisure 2025. Courtesy the artists. Photo: Mike Patten.
Join us for a joyful day of discovery designed especially for families, celebrating an exhibition created with young audiences in mind.
Throughout the day, we invite you to gather for a welcoming blessing ceremony, take part in a lively theatre workshop, join a music jam session, and explore interactive, artist-led activities across the exhibition. Come play, create, and experience the artworks together—finding surprises and moments to share along the way.
Schedule:
Blessing Ceremony | 12:30 PM–1 PM
Anishinaabe Grandmother Kim Wheatley opens the exhibition with a blessing, welcoming children and families while sharing words to nurture, guide, and honour the next generation.
Meet the Materials | 1:30 PM–2:15 PM
Meet participating artists Leisure (Meredith Carruthers and Susannah Wesley) along with special kid “Materials Ambassadors.” Discover paper, water, pulp, sticks, and sand through hands-on engagement. Visitors are invited to become “material companions,” exploring new ways to connect with the elements of the installation.
Prompts for Future Visitors | 1:30 PM–2:15 PM
Find participating artists Leisure (Meredith Carruthers and Susannah Wesley) in the gallery to take part in Prompts for Future Visitors. Share a secret message for a future visitor or uncover messages left by past visitors. This playful exchange encourages connection and curiosity, forming an ongoing conversation across time in the gallery.
From Story to Stage: A Creative Parade | 2:30 PM–3:45 PM
Join the Toronto Theatre Collective for a lively storytelling and hands-on mask-making workshop inspired by Rivane Neuenschwander’s dream.lab. Our professional actors will guide kids in designing imaginative creations, culminating in a playful parade of their wonderful creatures. Perfect for curious, creative kids of all ages.
Mothership Improv | 4 PM–5 PM
Step inside Harold Offeh’s The Mothership Collective 2.0 and join an all-ages musical jam led by musician and educator Matias Recharte. Explore percussive and synth instruments, create collective rhythms, and experience the joy of improvisation and collaboration.
From left to right: Ashleigh Hendry / Matias Recharte / Leisure (Meredith Carruthers & Susannah Wesley).
About the Artists:
Grandmother Kim Wheatley – Anishinaabe Traditional Grandmother of Ojibway, Potawatomi, and Caribbean ancestry. A ceremonial practitioner, singer, hand drummer, author, and educator, Kim has worked with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across Canada for over 30 years. She is committed to reconciliation and fostering strong community connections.
Ashleigh Hendry – Toronto-based actor and Founder/Artistic Director of the Toronto Theatre Collective. With over 25 years in theatre, Ashleigh works with children, youth, and adults to create original performances. She trained at the University of Toronto, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (U.K.), and Stratford Festival’s Birmingham Conservatory.
Matias Recharte – Musician, educator, and researcher born in Lima, Peru. Specializing in drums and Afro-Latin percussion, he performs locally and internationally, including with Jesse Cook and KUNE – Canada’s Global Orchestra. Matias holds a PhD in Music Education from the University of Toronto.
Leisure (Meredith Carruthers & Susannah Wesley) – Collaborative art practice founded in 2004, based in Montreal. Their research-based work explores friendship, feminist cultural history, and children’s creativity as an antidote to climate anxiety. They have exhibited widely across Canada and are pursuing a collaborative PhD at Concordia University.
