Celebrate Black History Month, Chinese New Year and Family Day with programming and exhibitions at PAMA

BRAMPTON, ON (January 29, 2025) – This Winter, Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) invites you to participate in events, workshops, and activities in celebration of Black History Month, Chinese New Year, and Family Day. Don’t miss our annual FREE Family Day celebration on Monday, February. 17, where you can explore over 10 engaging exhibitions, historic spaces and participate in family friendly activities and performances!

What’s on this February

DIY Studio Time 
Saturdays and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. 
Explore exhibitions and connect over self-guided art projects that inspire creativity. Do-it-yourself studio time activities change every month. 

February Activity: Create art inspired by Newfoundland's beautiful oceanside landscapes and imagery of seafaring communities. This activity is connected to PAMA’s David Blackwood: Ode to Newfoundland

Chinese Paper Cutting Workshop 
Feb. 9, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Celebrate Lunar New Year by learning the art of Chinese paper cutting with Kris Yun Xie. Create intricate designs, including the 2025 zodiac sign (the snake), and explore the heritage of this traditional craft.

$15 + HST General, $12.75 + HST Member

Connections Art and Book Club 
Feb. 13, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Join Brampton Library and PAMA for February’s book club, featuring The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson. This exciting book is a darkly humorous family drama that explores themes of art, sacrifice, toxic family politics, queer desire and personal freedom. The book discussion will be paired with a tour of the exhibition In Love and in Art: Jim Reid, Gina Rorai, Peggy Taylor Reid, and David Urban, which considers the artmaking of artists in intimate and long-term relationships, and questions whether that may have an impact on the trajectory of the individual artist’s practice. This program will take place at PAMA.

Free registration required with Brampton Library.

Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum at PAMA 
Black History Month Event Series
Feb. 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
As part of PAMA’s Black History Month event series, we welcome the Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum, the pop-up exhibit: International African Inventors displays groundbreaking innovations from around the world, ranging from the eggbeater to space shuttle retrieval and more. Also, don't forget to explore their significant contributions to railway history in the connected exhibition All Aboard! The Railways of Peel.

Free Admission to event. No registration required.

Film Screening of The Road Taken, National Film Board 
Black History Month Event Series
Feb. 14, 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.
Compliment your exploration of Black history and technological innovation at the International African Inventors pop-up exhibition. Following, enjoy a screening of The National Film Board’s film The Road Taken, and enjoy a nostalgic ride through history to present the experiences of Black sleeping-car porters who worked on Canada's railways from the early 1900s through the 1960s. 

Connected to the railway history explored in PAMA’s Exhibition All Aboard! The Railways of Peel.

Free Admission to film screening. No registration required.

Family Day at PAMA 
Monday, Feb. 17
This annual, free admission celebration is a wonderful opportunity to tour PAMA’s historic spaces, diverse exhibitions, unique events and activities!

• Head in the Clouds Craft Station
  10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Pastel’s Imaginarium
  Scheduled main performances: 10:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m.
• Storytelling with Yolanda T. Marshall
  Performance times: 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. (30-minute performances)

Artist Talk: Apple A Day 
Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 – 2:30 p.m. 
Join PAMA and the Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) for a conversation about the outdoor banner project titled Apple A Day by local artist Meegan Lim who will be joined by an exciting panel of special guests. Her artwork draws attention to food insecurity in today’s economic reality of high inflation and rising cost of living.

To receive free admission, we ask that you please bring a non-perishable item to donate to Knight’s TableFood Bank in Peel Region.

Panel Talk: Celebrating Black-owned Artisan Businesses 
Black History Month Event Series 
Sunday, Feb. 23, 1 - 2 p.m.
Gain insight and inspiration from local Black entrepreneurs during a panel talk hosted by PAMA’s Community Engagement Supervisor, Ann Pennicooke. Explore the creativity, vision, drive, and community impact of local businesswomen and artisans including Navern Nash-longshaw of Castle 9 Couture, Chantale Abbott-Keith of Cakestries, and Eshe Simba of Sugarplum Scrubs. Be inspired by the uniqueness of their products and the story of their brands. Part of PAMA’s Black History Month celebration.

Free Admission to event. No registration required.

About PAMA

PAMA is a place to explore and learn about Peel region’s diverse culture and heritage highlighting important local, Canadian, and global narratives. Art, artifact, and archival collections, exhibitions, and programs help visitors make new and fascinating connections to the surrounding community. Join us throughout the year for tours, events, workshops, and public programs for all ages. Operated by Peel Region, PAMA is located at 9 Wellington Street East in Brampton. Visit pama.peelregion.ca to learn more.

Media contact

Jonell George 
Marketing Specialist, PAMA
M: 437-249-1576