Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) used the greenspace adjacent to Oshawa Creek for its summer camp activities. However, once the pandemic hit, and there was more demand for outdoor spaces, the RMG began to think about how the greenspace could be used for public engagement.
What began with funding from the City of Oshawa to build a fence for a dedicated space turned into the development of a community arts greenspace after additonal government funding was secured.
The RMG also wanted to ensure that the voices of unhoused people were represented in any creation of the space, due to the increase in homelessness during the pandemic. As a result, members from Oshawa’s Back Door Mission and The GAP Committee, two groups of volunteer service providers working to prevent and end homelessness, were included in the Community Advisory Circle which consulted on the project.
Through these consultations, the RMG learned that its all-concrete facade, designed by Arthur Erikson in 1987 and its art institution status proved to be “intimidating.” By acquiring multiple perspectives, the RMG realized that to help its neighbours, it had to welcome them. From this point, the project shifted from a fence building to something more.
LeuWebb Projects worked as lead artists in close collaboration with landscape architects Brook McIlroy and the RMG to reconsider the greenspace. With feedback from RMG’s Community Advisory Circle and staff, LeuWebb was able to reimagine the backyard as a new type of public space that incorporates creativity, play, and art within a natural environment.
The first phase of the project began with a rule to protect the trees on the site and use salvaged lumber from the City of Oshawa’s forestry department to build seating and garden structures. Another goal was to design and create infrastructure that allowed flexibility and freedom to create. An Indigenous medicine garden by Karyn Recollet and Jon Johnson, was given pride of place.
New place-making components include a performance space shaded by canopies. These and other metal elements were fabricated by LeuWebb’s collaborators, Punchclock Metalworks in Toronto, and shipped to the site. Bespoke community planters became another way to activate community connections and help foster an ongoing program of community stewardship of the site.
Visitors are now able to explore art and nature differently and connect with their community in new ways. When this artist-designed, community-developed project opened to the public this summer, the RMG expanded what is done indoors to the outdoors. By making it more welcoming and inclusive, it has brought neighbours together in a safe place.
Phase 2 development is currently in the approval stage. LeuWebb Projects, along with Brook McIlroy, will continue to expand the possibilities of the space and evolve the RMG’s programming.
The completion of Phase 2 is scheduled for summer 2026.