August Open Studio+

Date and Time
Wed, Aug 27, 2025 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Location
BAO Office (3rd Floor)
8 Nelson Street West #301 Brampton, ON L6X 4J2
Link to map

Join us for our monthly Brampton Arts Organization Open Studio+ and make the BAO office your studio for the day.

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 each 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 practice.

A chance to find future collaborators or reconnect with old friends.

A studio to work on your own in-progress pieces 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 to Open Studio+. You can 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 anytime between noon and eight p.m. and make the most of this artistic environment.

BAO Studio Program Residency Lunch N Learn with Kairique Salmon and Sima Naseem from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Discover what BAO Studio Program residents Kairique Salmon and Sima Naseem have been working on during their residency at BAO.

Kairique Salmon – My Artist Journey Through Song
The journey of a young artist finding identity and community through song. Kai will share the songs and videos that have influenced him since childhood and how they lead him to where he is today, turning the BAO office into my studio setup.

Sima Naseem – Stop-Motion Puppet Creation
Learn Sima’s process of creating a stop-motion puppet, from learning how to carve wood to building intricate armatures.

Featured Workshop – Arts Advocacy Poster Printing with Sonali Menezes and Colour Code Printing from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Join artists Sonali Menezes and Jesjit Gill, co-owner of Colour Code Print, for a hands-on advocacy poster making workshop.

Participants will learn about the history of posters connected to social movements and discuss the use of slogans, imagery and colour. Sonali will share examples of posters, zines and patches she has made connected to issues that matter to her, using silk-screen printing, riso-graph printing and wheatpaste. Participants will design their own advocacy posters using drawing and collaging and then riso-graph print them.

Recording Studio Equipment (12 PM to 6 PM), all in a dedicated space, available to the community for FREE during Open Studio+:

• 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

You must book the Recording Studio in advance. The link will go live on the first of the month.

Photography Studio (12 PM to 6 PM), all in a dedicated space, available to the community for FREE during Open Studio+:

• Canon Rebel T8i with a 18-55mm lens (requires an SD card)
• Canon EOS R50 RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit (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
• Canon PIXMA G7020 Wireless MegaTank All-In-One Printer
• Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 Wireless Colour All-in-One Printer (requires downloading Epson Smart Panel™ app)
• 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

Workshop Presenters

Sonali Menezes (she/her) is a Hamilton-based artist and writer. Her zines live in zine libraries worldwide. She makes art as a way to find meaning under the weight of capitalism and the unending anxiety of the climate crisis. Her first book, Depression Cooking is forthcoming with ECW Press in 2026.

Jesjit Gill is a visual artist and printmaker. He graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design with a BFA in 2010. In his art practice he uses print as a medium to wed photographic collage and hand drawn elements that are arranged into dream-like scenes inspired by science fiction and surrealist art. Jesjit’s practice began in the late 2000s with gigposters and flier art and is still deeply influenced by the ephemerality and exigency of this work. He is the co-owner of Colour Code Printing, a Risograph & Screenprinting studio established in 2011, that he runs alongside his wife, Jenny Gitman. He is also a co-organizer of Zine Dream, a small press fair that began in 2007 and features over 90 exhibitors including small presses, self publishers, printmakers and illustrators.