Critical Mass

A Centre for Contemporary Art

Welcome to Critical Mass!

We believe in Art for All!

Critical Mass is a not-for-profit contemporary art organization based in Port Hope, Ontario, on the traditional territory of the Mississauga Nations. We are grateful to co-exist on this land and acknowledge that the Williams Treaties First Nations have been stewards and caretakers of these lands and waters for millennia.

We believe that art changes how we see the world and our place in it. We bring contemporary art experiences to Port Hope so that everyone in our community can have the opportunity to see the world anew.

This year, we’re grateful to have the investment from Ontario Trillium Foundation to support 3 exciting projects! Two Seed grants have allowed us to pilot an Artist-in-Residence program, and develop a Sound Art Walking App. A Resilient Communities grant has also afforded us the opportunity to support our organization’s ability to stabilize through this pandemic, reimagine how we deliver our programming, and adapt our space to offer safe art experiences for the community!

Stay connected for updates to our residency line up and programming schedule, artist talks or spotlights, community engagement activities and challenges. Or have a look back on some of our past projects, and check in for artist calls, volunteer opportunities and membership updates.

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What’s On & Featured

Until Dec 20

Port Hope Arts Impact Survey

We’re considering some big ideas for making contemporary art more prominent in Port Hope, and we really want to hear what sort of arts activities and programming you would like to see, do, and experience!

RAIN DATE – TBA

Tracey-Mae Chambers: Hope and Healing Canada

RAIN DATE To be announced SOON – Hamilton-based Métis artist, Tracey-Mae Chambers will spread her message of Hope and Healing with red yarn installation on the front lawn at Port Hope Town Hall. Residents are invited to watch and to engage with Chambers as she works on her art installation throughout the day.

Nov 26 – Dec 18

2021 Candlelight Festival

We will host a nocturnal spectacle outside the Little Station in Lent Lane on November 26th. Join us for a projected and live-typed textravaganza An Eye For An Ear featuring local writers, poets and artists. PLUS, drop in to the Little Sation toget a behind the scenes glimpse at a whimsical winter artist workshop. Artist and puppet-maker, Kelly Kirkham will be working on creating a lot of puppets for her upcoming show Sightseer at the AGN, Jan 8 to Feb 26, 2022.

That’s a wrap! 2021 AIR Pilot Program

AIR Wrap Up Celebration Event

That’s a Wrap! Critical Mass celebrates the artists of our pilot Artist-in-Residence program, and our funders Ontario Trillium Foundation and Municipality of Port Hope who made it all possible. Join us Saturday, Oct 23rd at 5:30 p.m. for an early evening picnic to recap the highlights!

Mast Year Collective – July 2021

During their residency, Mast Year Collective will explore how food – from making, to sharing, to eating – is entwined and grounded in our physical environments both past and present.

2021 Artist-in-Residence Line Up

We are excited to announce our 2021 artist in residence line up! Made possible with funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Brian Hoad – August 2021

During his residency, Brian Hoad will explore personal narratives from his time coming-of-age in Port Hope, considering themes of memory, nostalgia, and an interest in how people connect with their envionment, both now and throughout history.

Susan Campbell – June 2021

During her residency, Susan Campbell will be mapping the evolving cultural palimpsest of what our community values and preserves. How we talk to one another through messages, notes, posters, and official signs can be mapped from our environment.

Lucas Morneau – September 2021

During their residency, Lucas Morneau will explore the cultural environment in sports (hockey in particular), and reclaim the racially charged and homophobic pejoratives often used to attack a player’s “manliness”.

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