Current + Upcoming
Exhibitions
Experience a kaleidoscope of artistic expression featuring both established artists and rising stars. From thought-provoking installations to visually stunning canvases, our exhibitions promise a journey through the ever-evolving landscape of the art world.
Evocative Landscapes
Justina Chan Lovatt
Quest Project Gallery
September 11th - November 2nd, 2026
Evocative Landscapes is a collection of abstract acrylic paintings by Justina Chan Lovatt that explores the emotional and atmospheric qualities of the natural world. Positioned between representation and abstraction, her work distills landscapes into expressive forms, colour, and movement, inviting viewers to experience the feeling of a place rather than a literal depiction of it.
Inspired by the ever-changing environment, the exhibition reflects on the landscape's shifting moods through changing weather, seasons, and light. Each painting captures an impression of the land, celebrating its beauty while encouraging reflection on its delicate balance and the importance of preserving it for future generations.
Lovatt's dynamic painting style is characterized by gestural mark-making, energetic compositions, and layered acrylic paint. She has developed a distinctive technique using a silicone Catalyst wedge, allowing her to move paint with fluidity and create bold, expressive marks across large-format canvases. This approach imbues each work with a sense of motion and vitality, drawing viewers into an immersive visual experience.
Justina Chan Lovatt trained for more than three decades under Lingnan artist Yip Kam Fong and Guangdong College master Shan Bai Qin while studying at the Toronto School of Art. She has been recognized as a finalist in Quest's Art Slam in both 2024 and 2025 and has also shared her expertise as an Artist-Led Workshop instructor at Quest. Evocative Landscapes highlights her unique artistic voice, celebrating both the power of abstraction and the enduring beauty of the landscapes that inspire her.
Opening Reception: Friday, September 11th (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
Close To The Water
Alexandra McLaughlin
Quest Main Gallery
September 11th - November 2nd, 2026
What is the water you love?
As human beings, we all begin in water. Beyond our biological need for it, many of us are instinctively drawn back to it throughout our lives. Across cultures and generations, people gather along shorelines to celebrate milestones, find respite from the demands of daily life, or simply reconnect with themselves. Spending time near water has well-documented benefits for our mental and physical well-being—a phenomenon the late marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols described as Blue Mind.
For artist Alexandra McLaughlin, that place is Georgian Bay, known in Anishinaabemowin as Mnidoo Gamii—the Great Lake of the Spirit. Having grown up along its rugged shoreline and now raising her own family there, her relationship with the Bay is both deeply personal and lifelong. This connection is evident in her expressive paintings, where movement, light, and layered colour invite viewers to experience water not simply as a landscape, but as something felt.
Close to the Water, McLaughlin’s first solo exhibition, brings together a body of work inspired by the restorative power of being near water. Through immersive, multi-sensory elements, the exhibition encourages visitors of all ages to slow down, reconnect with nature, and reflect on the waters that have shaped their own lives.
Please join us at Quest Art School + Gallery on September 11, 7:00–9:00 p.m., to celebrate the opening reception. Visitors are also invited to attend a related event on October 23 at 5:30 p.m., featuring an artist talk followed by a State of the Bay keynote presented by Georgian Bay Biosphere Executive Director Becky Pollock and Aquatics Manager and State of the Bay lead Katrina Krievens.
Alex will also lead kid and adult watercolour workshops during the exhibition, dates and times TBD.
Opening Reception: Friday, September 11th (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
FALLing In Love
Quest Members Exhibition +
Quest Mezzanine Gallery
September 11th - November 3rd, 2026
FALLing in Love is a celebration of transition. Of colour, emotion, and connection. As the landscape shifts and the air cools, this exhibition invites artists to draw inspiration from the richness of autumn, the feeling of falling in love, or the intersection of both.
Whether inspired by vibrant foliage, quieter moments of reflection, deep relationships, or personal transformation, this exhibition honours change as something beautiful and meaningful. Artists are encouraged to explore what they are drawn to — visually, emotionally, or symbolically — during this season of letting go and leaning in.
We invite our community at large to submit artwork that illustrates the concept of FALLing In Love.
Up to two pieces of art per artist. Artwork should not exceed 40 x 30 inches
Intake Day: Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 (9:00 AM - 4:00 PM)
Hanging Fee For Non-Members: $20 per painting
Hanging Fee For Members: Free
Opening Reception: Friday, September 11th (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)