The KAC Newsletter | January '26 Issue 1

KAC's Newest Board Members, The 2026 Pocket Gallery Cohort, New Exhibit by KHAC, Upcoming Events, and Job, Opportunity, & Grant Board Highlights!

January 15, 2026

KAC NEWS & UPDATES

Welcome To Our New Board Members!

The KAC is excited to introduce the four newest members of our Board of Directors! Please join us in welcoming Megan Morris (Treasurer), Sol Castañeda (Director), Caroline Hogan (Director), and Alex McLean (Director). Each brings a wealth of experience, different perspectives, and a passion for arts and culture in Kingston.

They join our current Board members: Joe Pagnan (Interim Chair), Amanda Baker (Vice Chair), Nevena Martinović (Secretary), Clelia Scala (Director and Past Chair), and Diane Black (Director). Together, this dedicated group will help guide the KAC as we continue to support artists, champion creative development, and build a strong, sustainable arts ecosystem in Katarokwi/Kingston.

To learn more about our board, its members, and how you can get involved, click the button below.

Announcing the 2026 Pocket Gallery Exhibitions

We are delighted to announce the artists selected for the 2026 Pocket Gallery cohort. These exhibitions showcase a remarkable range of artistic practices and voices. They reflect the talent, different perspectives, and creativity of our local arts sector. We are proud to support these artists as they bring their work to the Pocket Gallery throughout the year.

KHAC - Letters Between Us
January 19 - March 13

Letters Between Us is an interactive exhibition that facilitates an anonymous exchange between KHAC artists and the wider community through handwritten notes. By inviting visitors to read, respond, and reflect, the project fosters empathy, reduces stigma, and creates a space for honest expression and connection.

Peggy Fussell - Dipping Lace into Honey
March 23 - May 15

This immersive installation combines handmade lace, beeswax, and projected animation to explore generational memory, caretaking, and women’s labour. Drawing from a family doily, Fussell transforms domestic textiles into moving images that honour craft, history, and the stories embedded in material objects.

Harvey Tolentino Doniego - Q(we’re)
May 25 - July 17

Pronounced queer, Q(we’re) is a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring identity, liminality, and queer futures. Through photography, poetry, painting, and participatory elements, the exhibition creates an unapologetically queer space rooted in community, joy, and lived experience.

Portia Chapman (Love Art by Po) - Being Seen
July 27 - September 18

Being Seen is an immersive rawhide and light sculpture installation inviting participants to step into a glowing environment of circular forms. Centred on affirmation and belonging, the work celebrates individuality, togetherness, and the power of being recognized and present.

Ann Decker - Do You Know Me Now
September 28 - November 20

This interactive exhibition pairs portraiture and abstraction through colour, sound, and digital engagement. QR codes connect physical paintings to virtual works and audio stories, encouraging viewers to reflect on how we perceive, know, and represent one another.

Abby Nowakowski - Abundance Dance Party
November 30 - January 30

Rooted in reciprocity and collective care, Abundance Dance Party transforms the gallery into a space of shared making and exchange. Through participatory installations and textile works, the exhibition explores rural queer knowledge, mutual aid, and hopeful, community-driven futures.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all six selected artists. We invite all of you to visit the Pocket Gallery throughout 2026 to experience these exhibitions, engage with the ideas they offer, and celebrate the artists whose work continues to shape and strengthen Katarokwi/Kingston’s arts sector and cultural landscape.

POCKET GALLERY

OPENING SOON: Letters Between Us by Kingston Hidden Artist Collective

Date: 19 January - 13 March 2026
Location: Kingston Arts Council | Unit 115, 370 King St W, Kingston

Letters Between Us is an interactive exhibition by the Kingston Hidden Artist Collective (KHAC) that invites a quiet, two-way exchange between artists and the wider Katarokwi/Kingston public.

Displayed alongside original artwork by KHAC members are two glass jars that form the centre of the exhibition. One contains anonymous handwritten notes from KHAC artists. These messages share things the artists wish the public knew about them, or words they have carried privately, including reflections, memories, truths, and moments of humanity. The second jar invites visitors to respond by leaving their own handwritten message of encouragement, reflection, or gratitude.

Letters Between Us emerges from a growing interest among KHAC artists in sharing their stories in their own words, alongside the very real barriers created by stigma and fear of judgment. By offering an anonymous platform, the exhibition enables artists to speak honestly, while inviting viewers to slow down, listen, and respond with intention.

Through artwork, writing, and shared reflection, Letters Between Us centres dignity, trust, and connection, and asks what becomes possible when artists feel seen and what responsibility we carry, as a public, when we are invited to listen.

EVENTS

ReelOut
Date: 29 January - 7 February 2026

This year’s festival theme is “Exploring Space” as many of our official selections touch on what it means to hold, save, and/or create spaces for communities that need them.

We are showcasing over 65 exciting Narrative and Documentary feature-length and short films from Canada and 15 other countries. While all of the films are about 2SLGTQ lives (real and imagined), our intended audience is anyone who enjoys independent film and media. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet the talents behind the films at many of our audience engagements directly after the screenings.

Union Gallery x Modern Fuel x The Agnes
Date: 20 January 2026

Led by arts administrator Rysia And, this beginner’s workshop will demystify some of the language and functions of Excel (or Google Sheets) with a specific eye to features most useful to an arts practice.

Most tutorials for Excel come from a business/math perspective, and artists struggle to align themselves with this mentality. Together, you’ll explore Excel’s capabilities outside of the looming shadow of capitalism, dive into the artistic side of the program, and learn Excel tricks that are not only approachable but also open up the possibility for creativity within the medium of data and spreadsheets.

There are always plenty of arts events happening in Kingston and the surrounding area. Check out our Arts Events Calendar to view our full list of upcoming events!

JOBS

Culture and Events Assistant (Loyalist Township)
Remuneration: $20.02/hourly
Deadline: 25 January 2026

Graphic Designer (Frontline Systems Inc.)
Remuneration: $50,000 - $60,000/anually
Deadline: 31 January 2026

Marketing Assistant (Kingston Destination Group)
Remuneration: $24.00/hourly
Deadline: 1 February 2026

Onboard: Tour Guide (Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises & Trolleys)
Remuneration: $19.05/hourly
Deadline: 8 April 2026

School Photographer (Edge Imaging)
Remuneration: $19.00 - $21.00/hourly
Deadline: Until Filled

Upper Strings Teaching Artist - Part-Time (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $30-$35/hour
Deadline: Until Filled

Choir Teaching Artist - Part Time (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $30-$35/hourly
Deadline: Until Filled

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Submissions:
Syphon Publication (Modern Fuel)
Deadline: January 15

Call for Submissions:
2026 TK Fringe Festival (Theatre Kingston)
Deadline: 20 February 2026 | 6:00 PM

Call for Artists:
Permanent Outdoor Artwork (Toppling Monuments - Queen's University)
Deadline: 22 February 2026

Call for Artists:
THIRDSPACE Emerging Artist Residency (OCAD University)
Deadline: 2 April 2026

Call for Artists:
Get Sketchy: An Urban Sketch Carousel (Sumera Khan)
Deadline: Until filled

Call for Volunteers:
Volunteer (Kingston Canadian Film Festival)
Deadline: Until Filled

GRANTS

Below is a snapshot of upcoming grant deadlines. To view our more comprehensive and fully navigable database of grant opportunities at the local, provincial, and national levels, please visit the KAC Grants Board!

Arts Across Canada and Abroad: International Residencies (Canada Council for the Arts)
Deadline: 28 January 2026

Theatre Projects (Ontario Arts Council)
Deadline: 5 February 2026

Winter Gift Competition (Davies Charitable Foundation)
Deadline: 11 February 2026

Media Arts Projects (Ontario Arts Council)
Deadline: 13 March 2026

SUPPORT THE KAC

Love the arts? So do we!

When you support the Kingston Arts Council, you’re helping empower an arts sector that drives innovation, fuels the local economy, and enriches the lives of everyone in Katarokwi/Kingston.

Your donation – whether one-time, monthly, or annual – enables us to deliver impactful programs and services that support the artists and creatives shaping our cultural industry.

As a registered charity, we’ll provide a charitable tax receipt for your contribution. Join us in building a thriving, sustainable arts sector.

THE KINGSTON ARTS COUNCIL IS PROUDLY FUNDED BY