Long Term Exhibits and Events

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events, Galleries, Museums

January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026

Art Gallery of Hamilton

Hidden Gems // Sonder: HWDSB Secondary School Exhibition
June 4 – July 5, 2026 

Explore the works of HWDSB students in this wonderous virtual exhibition. Titled Hidden Gems and Sonder, bask in the collaborative talents of young artists, teachers, and the AGH.

The Shape of Curiosity
Permanent Exhibit 

This exhibit explores elements of the natural world by contrasting indoor and outdoor elements, encouraging us to look outward with a new perspective.

Kim Adams: Bruegel-Bosch Bus
Permanent Installation 

Experience this visual masterpiece along the back of a 1960 Volkswagen. 

The Collection
Permanent Installation 

Come explore the AGH's renowned permanent collection.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

Making Freedom Fly
Ongoing 

Immerse yourself in stories from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian home front during the Second World War through archives and technology, bringing historic moments to life. 

1939 - 1945: Collection Highlights
Ongoing 

This exhibit showcases the museum's unique World War II artifacts from its 15,000-piece collection, each carrying a special meaning and personal story from the donors. 

McMaster Museum of Art

Meryl McMaster: Bloodline
November 25, 2025 - March 6, 2026

This exhibit showcases McMaster's large-scale photographic works exploring her mixed Cree/Métis, Dutch, and British ancestry. 

Hamilton Artists Inc.

Hard Black love potions from a golden glass
June 5 – August 1, 2026

Taken from an absurdist and Afrosurrealist framework, this exhibition explores blackness in visual culture through this ongoing, time-based photographic project featuring the complexities and mundanity of Black life.

We Return
June 20, 2025 - June 20, 2026

This billboard project weaves together words and imagery that speak to the importance of returning love to our communities. 

Ode’imini-giizis: Strawberry Moon
June 5 – August 1, 2026

Connected by four generations of women, this exhibition explores intergenerational knowledge passed down through story, ceremony, and tradition, honouring the labour of women and the value of artistry & land-based practices.

Clusters
June 5 – November 5, 2026

This exhibit explores the practice of mindful observation through the imagery of glasswork, encouraging viewers to slow down and take in the sights and details before them.

Bloom
June 5, 2026 – May 31, 2027

As a love letter to the trans community, this exhibit explores the beauty that flourishes in spite of a stifling world, establishing a space to celebrate and inspire self-identity, queerness, and expression.

Workers Arts and Heritage Centre 

Work In Progress: Fightbacks!
December 19, 2025 – December 17, 2028

Consisting of a series of interactive exhibits, you're invited to share your experience of work, labour, and activism through guided encounters. 

Solidarity Forever: Workers’ Sounds and Songs
March 7, 2026 – January 1, 2027

Explore the history of labour songs through showcased moments of music from WAHC’s permanent collection. To this day, music and protest remain intertwined in the battle for progress, inspiring individuals to rise and take actions to better their communities and the future.

Off The Beaten Path: Mapping Labour and Race in Hamilton
April 2 – December 18, 2026

Crafted by the students from the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University, this interactive mapping project explores Hamilton’s history in the lens of labor, race, and diversity.

Solidari-TEES: T-Shirts of the Labour Movement
April 7 – December 24, 2026

This exhibit explores tools of political and cultural communication, specifically in the use of t-shirts. Used as a symbol of unity and solidarity, t-shirts are forums of public communication to spread awareness about campaigns, strikes, or issues of concern.

Thin Spaces: The Porous Places Between
May 8 – August 1, 2026

Through textiles, photography, and auditory media, this exhibit explores the politics of care work through multisensory functions, encouraging audiences to adjust their notion of empathy in a world caught between narratives, cultures, and experiences.

Work In Progress: Survival and Dignity
August 5, 2026 – December 17, 2027

This exhibit is a multi-phase project honouring workers, activists, artists, land defenders, and organizers for all the work they have done to better our community and our future. Utilizing photography, snapshots, and an evolving collaborative process, this project reimagines the narrative storytelling of working people, their history, and their ongoing effort. 

Tourism Hamilton Visitor Experience Centre

Punching In: The Work of Hamilton Music
January 27 - December 31, 2026 

Curated by the Hamilton Civic Museums, this exhibit celebrates the explosive talent, legendary venues, unforgettable concerts, and musical icons like Jackie Washington, Borris Brott, the Arkells, and more that have defined Hamilton's vibrant music scene throughout the years.