Youth Outreach: Connecting to Community Through Art – for elementary and high school students with (dis)abilities

This program provides arts programming to youth with intellectual and/or developmental delays in elementary and secondary school in the Life Skills and LRC classes.  We meet students once a month throughout the school year at Centre Wellington District Secondary School, Elora Public School, John Black Public School in Fergus, Arthur Public School and Victoria Cross Public School in Mount Forest. These sessions offer guided art instruction and contemporary art ideas led by an ECFTA Arts Educator.

The program is free to students.  Project themes are centered around community building and emphasize collaboration and success through personal artistic expression. The goal is connecting students to the community in meaningful and creative ways.

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SUPPORTIVE ARTS | Weekly inclusive ART & mindfulness WORKSHOPS

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY classes for adults with varying abilities. September through June.

Please visit our PROGRAMS-ADULT WORKSHOPS page for more information or to register for FALL, WINTER, or SPRING session blocks.

SUPPORTIVE ARTS is a unique and inclusive program offering arts-based learning opportunities and compelling artistic experiences to individuals with varying abilities.

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2025 SUMMER CAMPS!

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 

SCROLL DOWN TO JULY/AUGUST TO SEE WEEKLY CAMP DESCRIPTIONS

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ARTFUL AGEING FOR SENIORS: CONNECTING TO OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ART FOR OLDER ADULTS IN LONG-TERM CARE AND RETIREMENT LIVING

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

DISCOVERING CREATIVITY AND CONNECTING WITH OTHERS!

 

ARTFUL AGEING is a pilot project for seniors offered through the Elora Centre for the Arts as part of our growing Outreach program.

Monthly guided art sessions are designed especially for long-term care and retirement living residents and are offered on-site at Heritage River and Wellington Terrace in Elora and at Caressant Care, Fergus.

 

Whether residents are new to art making, bring some artistic experience, or just love expressing themselves, we are here to serve our older adult community through the exploration of materials, artists, and ideas in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

 

Led by ECFTA Art Educators, each month offers a new and exciting program that’s playful, engaging, and full of learning!

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SUPPORTIVE ARTS WEDNESDAY MORNINGS

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

SUPPORTIVE ARTS SPRING

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS

10 AM – 12 PM

MARCH 19-JUNE 18, 2025  

 

Weekly inclusive art & mindfulness classes for adults with varying abilities. We offer Wednesday morning and Thursday classes, September-June! 

$280.00

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SUPPORTIVE ARTS THURSDAY MORNINGS

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

SUPPORTIVE ARTS SPRING

THURSDAY MORNINGS

10 AM–12 PM 

MARCH 20-JUNE 19, 2025 

Weekly inclusive art & mindfulness classes for adults with varying abilities. We offer Wednesday morning, Thursday morning & Thursday afternoon classes, September-June! 

$280.00

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SUPPORTIVE ARTS THURSDAY AFTERNOONS

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

SUPPORTIVE ARTS SPRING

THURSDAY AFTERNOONS

1 PM-3 PM

MARCH 20-JUNE 19, 2025 

 

Weekly inclusive art & mindfulness classes for adults with varying abilities. We offer Wednesday morning, Thursday morning & Thursday afternoon classes, September-June! 

$280.00

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HOW TO BUILD A PAINTING WEDNESDAY NIGHT OIL PAINTING

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

WEDNESDAY NIGHT OIL PAINTING WITH RICK WORTHINGTON

4-WEEK WEDNESDAY SERIES

How to Build an Oil Painting is designed to gently guides students through Elora artist Rick Worthington’s unique process of creating an oil painting from start to finish. Throughout the course, students will learn how to choose a color palette, sketch out a drawing, block in shapes, and layer oil paints to bring a piece to life!

$160.00

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DRAWING FOR ADULTS WITH EILEEN MACARTHUR

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join artist Eileen MacArthur April 27 and May 4 for this two-Sunday introduction to the basic concepts of studio drawing. Students will work with graphite, conte and charcoal and explore the use of line, shape, value, proportion and composition. Using a still life set-up, there will be time for group and individual critique. This class will focus on observational drawing from life and how to draw what you see.  All skill levels welcome!

$100.00

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COLLAGRAPHS FOR KIDS! PRINTMAKING WITH AHMRI VANDEBORNE

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Calling all budding artists! Interested in trying something new? Learn the basics of printmaking through the art of collagraphs!

Guelph artist Ahmri Vandeborne will show you tips and tricks on how to compose an image of your choosing, translate your image to a collagraph matrix (raised surface), and ink up your plate for some hot-off-the-presses printing!

$30.00

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The Art of Support: Creative Pathways for Caregiving

Join us for our third Vibrant Visions speaker series event!

The Art of Support: Creative Pathways for Caregiving will be an insightful panel discussion on the caregiving experience, the reality of compassion fatigue, where to go to find support, and the power of creative expression to foster meaning, connection and joy.

Are you caring for an aging parent, a spouse with a health condition, a child with special needs or another person in your life? 

If so, you’re far from alone: one in four Canadians are currently in a caregiving role, and 50% of Canadians will be in a caregiving role at some point in their lives.

$20.00 – $30.00

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POKEMON WORLDS!

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Pokemon kids! Join artist Eileen MacArthur for a half-day Sunday workshop celebrating the world of Pokemon! We will be making a Pokemon habitat using a variety of different materials and methods, including drawing, painting and sculpting!

$65.00

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PAINTING OUTSIDE! FAMILY PLEIN AIR

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join in our local celebration of plein air painting this May in this 2-hour quick-paint class with artist Eileen MacArthur! Family Plein Air is a fun indoor-outdoor, family-friendly paint for all ages who want to experience art-making together!

$25.00

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Annual Elora en Plein Air Festival

The annual Elora Plein Air Festival features selected artists from all over Ontario (and beyond!) who will be painting outdoors throughout Fergus, Elora and surrounding countryside.  Some even paint at night to capture the magic of nocturne views.  There are several events that take place throughout the festival, such as interactive painting opportunities, Quick Paint competitions, walking tours, film music and great food.  The week ends with a show & sale on May 18th in the gallery at the Elora Centre for the Arts.

Free Event

ABSTRACT EMBROIDERY WITH AHMRI VANDEBORNE

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Artist Ahmri Vandeborne joins us for a Thursday evening introduction to embroidery this May. Learn how to take an abstract idea from paper to fabric in this easy-going, loose and freestyle approach to embroidery!

$65.00

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Elora Plein Air Festival Show & Sale Event

This is the culmination of the artists' efforts throughout the week, and they will be on hand to share and celebrate the end of the event.  In the gallery, you can view and purchase the beautiful work created, meet the artists and vote for your favourites!  Everyone is welcome.  Admission is free.

Free Event

SCULPTURAL NEEDLE FELTED HARE

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for a transformative experience with fibre artist Megan Cleland into the world of Sculptural Needle Felting. Whether you’re an experienced felter or a curious beginner, this 2-day workshop promises an engaging blend of artistry and fun.

Don’t miss this opportunity to create, connect, and be inspired!

$225.00

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FREEFORM FIBRE SCULPTURE

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

COILING, WRAPPING & FREESTYLE WEAVING with Dianne Kennedy Cruttenden

Join Tapestry Weaver and Fibre Sculptor Dianne KC and let loose for a day of creative expression coiling, wrapping, twisting and creating your unique freeform sculpture!

$110.00

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Meet the artists of “Sticks and Stones” Opening Reception

Opening Reception: Olivia Mae Sinclair & Alek Bélanger
An Exhibition of Story, Resilience & Renewal
Admission is Free

You’re invited to join us for the opening reception of a compelling new exhibition featuring the works of two incredible artists: Olivia Mae Sinclair and Alek Bélanger.

This dynamic exhibition brings together Sinclair’s richly layered textiles, emotive paintings, and evocative photography with Belanger’s powerful visual reclamation—where poetic affirmations are embedded on pages pulled from gay conversion therapy books, alongside large-scale photographic works that challenge and inspire.

Free Event

BREAKING BOUNDARIES: USING LIMITATIONS TO EXPAND CREATIVITY IN PAINTING WITH AHMRI VANDEBORNE

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Find out how creative you can be when you set your own rules while painting! What happens when you only use two colours? Or when you have to use a tiny paint brush on a large canvas? Or when you use dice to choose what type of lines you paint and what colours you use?

In this workshop, participants will learn about the famous conceptual artist, Sol Lewitt, whose wall drawings have been recreated by all types of people based on his instructions. Each time the works are recreated, whether by the artist himself or other artists, volunteers, or assistants, they are a unique iteration - proving that following a set of guidelines can burst creative boundaries.

$65.00

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INTUITIVE ABSTRACT PAINTING

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

One spot left!

Join Stratford artist Sal Cucci for an introduction to intuitive abstracts and explore your personal expression in this  playful and inclusive weekend!

This immersive 2-day workshop will appeal to painters of any level, whether you are beginning your abstract journey, or would like to deepen your practice.

$290.00

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LET’S VAN GO! JUNE PA DAY FOR KIDS

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

One spot left!

Young makers! Take a stroll through the vibrant world of Vincent Van Gogh and explore his use of colour and line to create motion, emotion, and intensity! Let's explore the sunny side of painting and using LOTS of vibrant yellow, yellow, yellow and practice Impressionist methods of art-making, as we work together to recreate Van Gogh’s luminous sunflowers on canvas!

$70.00

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Ontario Craft Gin Festival 2025 (TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

TICKETS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE ONLINE BUT ARE BEING SOLD AT THE DOOR! Please join us today!

The Ontario Craft Gin Trail invites you to the Craft Gin Festival on the grounds of the Elora Centre for the Arts.  This is a 19+ event.

 Tickets available at the door for $20 cash only.

Gin Lovers Unite!

$16.82

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‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre – featuring The Jiggity James Band

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Welcome Back, Summer!
Get ready for warm nights, great music, and community vibes — our free OPEN SKY LIVE Summer Concert Series is back, every other Thursday starting June 12!

The series is presented in partnership with our friends at Tribute Homes, Sorbara Group of Companies and Storybrook Homes.

Starting us off is The Jiggity James Band, live on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage at the Arts Centre! This performance is presented in partnership with SV Law.  

Free Event

‘The Secret Garden’ presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening performance)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for an open-air performance in the beautiful yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented on the pavilion stage by the Elora Community Theatre!

$15.00 – $22.12

Click Learn More for ticket availability

‘The Secret Garden’ presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee performance)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for an open-air performance in the beautiful yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented on the pavilion stage by the Elora Community Theatre!

$15.00 – $22.12

Click Learn More for ticket availability

‘The Secret Garden’ presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening performance)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for an open-air performance in the beautiful yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented on the pavilion stage by the Elora Community Theatre!

$15.00 – $22.12

Click Learn More for ticket availability

‘The Secret Garden’ presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee performance)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for an open-air performance in the beautiful yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented on the pavilion stage by the Elora Community Theatre!

$15.00 – $22.12

Click Learn More for ticket availability

‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre featuring The D’eve Archer Chill Trio PLUS optional BBQ dinner

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

FREE concert with optional BBQ Chicken Picnic at the Pavilion!
Featuring The D'eve Archer Chill Trio on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage in the yard at the Arts Centre!

It's all part of our OPEN SKY LIVE Summer Concert Series — come and enjoy music under the open sky with friends and neighbours!

🍗 This is also an optional BBQ dinner night! Dinners must be ordered in advance — deadline is June 20 at 12 PM. See below for full details!

This performance is presented in partnership with MV Real Estate Brokerage.

The Open Sky Live series is presented and sponsored by Tribute Homes, Sorbara Group of Companies and Storybrook Homes.

Get Tickets $25.00 308 tickets left

FLOW+GLOW! ART & MOVEMENT CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

3-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 4-7

If your budding artist loves art, with a little get-up-and-go mixed in, this ART + MOVEMENT camp is for you!

We’ll invent our own junior yoga moves and get those ants in your pants dancing and singing, along with playful creativity and friend-making!

Get Tickets $210.00 3 tickets left

ART THEN+NOW! MINI MASTERS CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 7-12

Let’s time-jump into the art time machine and look at Art THEN + NOW! This camp is full-on art making, trying out new materials, and exploring the connections between art today and art of the past!

Sold Out $350.00

‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre – featuring Emma Cook & Cindy Doire

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for Emma Cook & Cindy Doire live on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage at the Arts Centre! This performance is presented in partnership with Wrighthaven Homes.

Emma Cook and Cindy Doire found a natural harmony in their shared love of lyrical storytelling and emotional resonance. What began as an impromptu musical exchange quickly grew into a rich creative partnership. Their collaboration weaves together personal narrative and poetic expression, grounded in friendship and a mutual respect for the songwriting craft. Together, they are crafting new songs that honour where they’ve been and where they’re going — inviting listeners into a space of connection, reflection, and shared wonder.

Free Event

ART TECHS! THE SCIENCE OF ART CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5 DAY CAMP FOR AGES 7-12

If you love to experiment, innovate, and collaborate then this camp is for you! This STE(A)M-injected camp brings super-sonic art making to young artists who love bright colours, bright ideas and are curious about how science and tech can POWER their ART explorations!

Sold Out $350.00

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ART! THE ART OF NATURE CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 4-7

Let’s answer the call of the wild in this nature-inspired camp, designed to bring out the WILD artist in you! We’ll use our creative nature to wander, wonder and engage with the wild world all around us in a week of fresh-air creativity, nature explorations and outdoor play!

Sold Out $350.00

‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre – featuring James Gray

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for James Gray live on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage at the Arts Centre! This performance is presented in partnership with Granite Homes.

James Gray is a contemporary version of an old-school traveling folk singer. In the past decade, Gray has toured Canada, Europe and Australia, seeing the world and sharing his beloved songs along the way. Galvanized by the idea to speak to the human condition through the creation and delivery of song, Gray draws from his deep love of legendary songwriters such as John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch, to guide him.

Free Event

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (evening)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 200 tickets left

‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ Shakespeare in the Yard presented by the Elora Community Theatre (matinee)

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

The Merry Wives of Windsor will be performed on the pavilion stage this summer - in the yard at the Elora Centre for the Arts, presented by The Elora Community Theatre.  Scroll down to view dates, times and purchase your tickets now!

Get Tickets $15.00 – $22.12 198 tickets left

ALEXANDER CALDER! KINETIC CIRCUS CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 7-12

Ready for a week of avant-garde awesomeness? This kinetic camp will introduce young artists to American Modernist, Alexander Calder’s 1931 Cirque! A moveable feast of characters, contortionists, fire eaters, hi-wire performers and circus animals. We will spend the week creating our own kinetic circus fun!

Sold Out $350.00

POP UP BOOKS! STORYBOOK ART CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

4-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 4-7

Junior artists! Turn your fave book into a power pop-up 3-D Diorama Story Box. We will start each morning with a story and then get to work exploring visual story-making and transform our own favourite stories from home into sculptural ART!

Get Tickets $280.00 1 ticket left

‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre – featuring The Vaudevillian

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for an engaging and interactive performance by The Vaudevillian - live on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage at the Arts Centre! This performance is presented in partnership with Long & McQuade.

Norah Spades & Jitterbug James make up The Vaudevillian as they bring you old Prohibition tunes, thank goodness PROHIBITION IS OVER. These 2 will make you laugh, blush and dance about, drinking mason jars of the moonshine as they play 1930's Jugband, Ragtime numbers with Washboard, Musical Spoons, Resonator Guitar, Tenor Banjo, Mandolin, Teapot Trumpet & Mouth Harp!  Shine your shoes & get ready to do the Skoodle Um Skoo!  You may even get the chance to play the washboard, thimble or musical spoons during the performance!

Free Event

POP UP BOOKS! YOUR FAVE KIDS-LIT CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 7-12

Young Makers! Turn your fave book into a power pop-up  Diorama Story Box. Let’s explore visual story making and transform each of our favourite storybooks from home into sculptural Kid-Lit ART!

Sold Out $350.00

EARLY BIRDS+NIGHT OWLS! RISE+SOAR CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

5-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 4-7

Birds of a feather flock together in this week of high-flying fun! Join us for creative making inspired by our feathery friends! Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl we’ll spread our art wings and soar together and make memories that take flight!

Sold Out $350.00

‘Open Sky Live’ – Live at the Arts Centre – featuring Chris Oday & Wild Bloom

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

Join us for Chris Oday & Wild Bloom live on the MacDonald Pavilion Stage at the Arts Centre! This performance is presented in partnership with Canada's Music Incubator.

Join us for a night of vintage R&B and soul with Chris Oday, followed by fiddle, folk and emotional three-party harmony of Wild Bloom!

Free Event

DARK SHADOWS! THE IMAGINARIUM OF EDWARD GOREY CAMP

Elora Centre for the Arts 75 Melville Street, Elora, Ontario, Canada

4-DAY CAMP FOR AGES 7-12

Love to draw and shadowy storytelling?! Join us for some old-timey illustration inspired by American Gothic writer and illustrator Edward Gorey. Let’s explore the world of fancy-fine-line drawing, graphic story-telling and dark humour in this week of drawing and doodling.

Sold Out $280.00