Immediate Calls to Artists! If you know of any other shows it would be great if you added them in the comments section. Thanks!

Deadline Sept. 22. Insomnia. Red Head Gallery yearly salon specially created for Nuit Blanche. Theme is insomnia. Show runs Sept 28 – Oct 2. www.redheadgallery.org 
Deadline September 23. Timeless An Exhibition Curated by Moses Znaimer. In collaboration with the Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts. Exhibition at Zoomer Show 2011 & Twist Gallery http://www.propellerctr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=230:call-for-submissions-timeless-an-exhibition-curated-by-moses-znaimer-deadline-september-23-2011&catid=29:submissions&Itemid=27
Deadline Sept. 30. Canadian Federation of Artists 70^th Anniversary Open Juried Show. For members. Non- members & emerging/ student artists. http://artists.ca/submissions/index
Deadline September 30. Colour and Form Society 59^th Annual Open Juried Art Show. Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery. Show runs Nov. 3 – 25, 2011. www.colourandformsociety.org
Deadline October 4. Shirley Dilworth Jaychuk Competition. Elora Centre for the Arts. http://www.eloracentreforthearts.ca/index.cfm?page=gallery_dilworthCom

A bit more time to submit to these shows!

Deadline December 1, 2011. 2012 OCAD University Alumni Exhibition: Open to all alumni from the Faculty of Design and the Faculty of Art. This juried exhibition & sale encompassing all of the university's twelve disciplines. Opens March 9, 2012 at the Gladstone Hotel. 2012 Jurors:  Dr. Patrick Shaw Cable (Chief Curator and Curator of European Art at the Art Gallery of Hamilton), Simon Glass (Associate Dean, Faculty of Art, OCAD University) and Tony Taylor (Multidisciplinary artist). Submission deadline: December 1, 2011. Contact http://www.ocad.ca/alumni.htm

Deadline December 20, 2011 Visual Arts Mississauga 34th ANNUAL JURIED SHOW OF FINE ART. Art Gallery of Mississauga. http://www.visualartsmississauga.com/news.php
Visual Arts Mississauga 4th Annual Juried Show. http://www.visualartsmississauga.com/news.php

Deadline January 24, 2012. Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) 139th Annual Open Juried Exhibition. Theme: Darkness & Light”. John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto. Show runs March 6-30, 2012. www.ontariosocietyofartists.org

Have a story to share online? Visit:

Peel Heritage Complex & Art Gallery of Peel: http://www.peelregion.ca/heritage/passages/#/l

Lakeshore Arts (Toronto) acts of arts http://1000acts-of-art.ca/category/acts-of-art/

Being a visual artist in Canada is a rough haul, but there are certain wonderful people one meets along the way that lighten the load, and encourage the journey. There are also certain art shows and venues that enlighten the path. Here's how an upcoming art show, A Lasting Gift: The John & Gisela Sommer Collectio n January 8th - Feb 6th (Opening Jan. 16th) carries the five fold whammy of John & Gisela Sommer, The Sommer Collection, Art Gallery of Peel, Sybil Rampen, and Joshua Creek Heritage Arts Centre. For many years, Georgetown's John and Gisela Sommer have been enthusiastic supporters of visual artists in the GTA*, particularly in the western region of Halton Hills and Peel. Many a visual artist has been the lucky recipient of their generous support either in word or deed. The Sommers not only collected art, they exhibited it at Gallery Sol, their home turned gallery, in Georgetown, Halton Hills, Ontario.

I first met John, when, as juror, he awarded my painting Top Award at a juried art show. A few months later, I discovered that this soft-spoken and lively gentleman, and his charming wife Gisela, were popular visitors at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre in Glen Williams, where I just opened a studio. John often made reference to the Gallery Sol, which was, at that point, after decades of being open, was winding down.

My mistake was in assuming it was a showcase for regional artists. What I didn't realize was that the Sommers had an incredible collection of contemporary printmaking, painting, sculpture and photography that included Andy Warhol, Jack Chambers, Leonard Hutchinson and David Hockney. Luckily, I will get a another chance to see this art, and so can you!

The Sommers have recently generously donated their art collection (ensuring their legacy as well as that of many regional artists) to The Art Gallery of Peel (Peel Heritage Complex, Brampton). This art gallery, in the midst of transformation into a remarkable new venue across from Brampton's Gage Park, is temporarily closed. Until then, 200 of these art works will be on exhibition at Joshua Creek Heritage Centre in Oakville, Ontario.

The grand opening of this art show and opportunity to meet the very wonderful John & Gisela Sommer is Sunday, January 16, 2011, 2 - 4 pm. Joshua Creek Heritage Centre Gallery . Click here for map.

Oh, and as for Joshua Creek Heritage Centre, and artist & visionary Sybil Rampen, who created it, that my friends, is a whole other incredible story of inspiration, generosity, and legacy! Click here to read more.

*Greater Toronto Ontario