April Open Studio+ and QT Artist Mixer

Date and Time
Wed, Apr 29, 2026 12:00 AM – 8:00 PM EDT

Location
Brampton Arts Organization
8 Nelson St W, Unit 301
Brampton, ON
Link to map

Join us for our monthly Open Studio+ and make BAO your studio for the day. Create and meet with fellow Brampton creative community members.

Why +
because it’s more than just an open studio. In addition to creating a space for community to gather, share work and support each other, we will also be hosting skill-building workshops during select Open Studio+.

+ is …

• A space to foster creativity and encourage experimentation in an atmosphere of exchange, conversation, and support.
• A place to encounter fellow creatives and learn about their work and practices.
• A chance to find future collaborators or reconnect with old friends.
• A studio to work on your own in-progress artworks and be inspired by someone else’s project.
• An opportunity to learn new skills and explore different art practices and tools.

Most importantly, Open Studio+ is FREE to attend and open to all skill levels.

As always, you can bring your own works in progress, use our art supplies and materials to start a new project, take pictures in our Photography Studio, find inspiration in our Community Library, record beats in our Recording Studio and so much more.

Drop in any time between noon and eight p.m. and make the most of this artistic environment.

QT Artist Mixer from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

The QT Artist Mixer is a new initiative for 2SLGBTQIA+ Brampton artists and creatives to gather, network and build community in a safe and welcoming space.

This initial gathering is a collaboration between local artists Gulzar and Jasmine Canaviri. They have organized a screening of Dionne Brand’s Long Time Comin’ followed by refreshments and a post-screening conversation. Long Time Comin’ is a 50-minute documentary focused on Black lesbian singer-songwriter Faith Nolan and multi-disciplinary visual artist Grace Channer.

Recording Studio

The recording studio is available from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m for the community to use for free during Open Studio+. NOTE: BAO staff and volunteers can not provide technical support. You must know how to use the equipment and software available.

Equipment available:

• Launchkey 49 MIDI controller keyboard
• Volt 2 USB Recording Studio
• 2 Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone
• Yamaha HS5 MP Powered Studio Monitors (Pair)
• Shure SRH240A Studio Headphones
• iMac
• Studio One software
• Ableton Live 11 Lite software
• Garage Band software

Book the BAO Recording Studio.

Photography Studio

The photography studio is available from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m for the community to use for free during Open Studio+. NOTE: BAO staff and volunteers can not provide technical support.

Equipment available:

• Canon Rebel T8i with a 18-55mm lens (requires an SD card)
• Kaiser Baas Real 1080 60FPS Action Camera (requires a micro SD card)
• Mobifoto Ring Light Creator Kit
• Foldable Photography Studio Light Box
• Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Colour All-in-One Printer (for photographic printing only)
• Green screen
• Tripods

DONATE – Your donation helps us support Brampton artists and expand free programming like this.

Accessibility: If you are a Brampton resident who needs assistance or support to participate, such as an ASL interpreter, please get in touch with us at info@bramptonartsorg.ca as soon as possible (minimum of five days in advance) so that we can make the necessary accommodations.

Transportation: We can provide all-ages Brampton Transit Tickets to Brampton residents free of charge to those who need them for all BAO in-person events. If you would like to pick up a ticket for yourself and others attending with you, please email info@bramptonartsorg.ca prior to the event and we will have them available for you onsite. Tickets work for both Brampton Transit and Züm buses.

Tickets

QT Artist Mixer Programmers

Gulzar (they/them) is a filmmaker and facilitator based in Brampton, Ontario. While working in the (hybrid) documentary medium, their films speak from the desire to be witnessed. Gulzar continuously explores their transness, the Desi diaspora, and themes of confession, privacy and memory, in and outside of their work.

Gulzar’s works have screened at Toronto’s Inside Out Film and Video Festival, New York’s NewFest, Montréal’s Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Vancouver Queer Film Festival, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, London’s Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Festival, TIFF Next Wave’s ‘Open Screen’, Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival and Toronto Youth Shorts Film Festival.

Jasmine Canaviri is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice engages with the love and labour that goes into textiles, ceramics, and the handmade as a way of self-healing. She’s inspired by those around her, both objects and people, alongside her lived experience and trauma.

Canaviri completed her Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts at York University. While there, she was a recipient of a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC-M). She was awarded an OAC Craft Projects grant in 2023 and was BAO x Brampton Library’s 2024 Brampton Artist-in-Residence.