The Manor Park Community Council (MPCC) endeavours to provide opportunities for members of the community and beyond to develop their minds, bodies, and community spirit. Below you can see programs for Teens and Adults that are open for registration right now!
MPCC programs, events and activities do change with the seasons. Continue scrolling to get a feel for seasonal programs that we offer throughout the year.
Fitness & Yoga
Art Classes
Craft: Knitting & Sewing
Workshops
Manor Park Art Sale
Manor Park Strings
Manor Park Talks
Fitness & Yoga
All Fitness & Yoga programs now take place in The Studio, located at 1805 Gaspe Ave, in Manor Park. Something for everyone! Our bright, beautiful and newly renovated location provides the perfect setting for your next fitness or Yoga practice. Connect with us for your first FREE trial class today!
Our full fitness schedule has now resumed as of September 1, 2023.
View the registration calendar online here!
Find full class descriptions here!
Qualified and enthusiastic instructors will guide you through daily workouts or yoga practice.
Art Classes
Drawing: Fundamentals with Lindsay Watson (in-person)
Dive into the learnable skill of drawing accurately and expressively! Hone your understanding of form building, shading, rendering, and perspective, through landscape, still-life, and figure drawing. Pencil, pen, and conte will be explored. All skill levels welcome.
Course instructor Lindsay Watson, BFA, brings her extensive experience as both an art teacher and professional artist to the Manor Park family. Watson sees teaching as "curating people", and enjoys helping students gain the skills and knowledge needed to realize their creative endeavours.
Wednesdays for 6 weeks
Starting September 20 2023
1:00 - 3:00 PM
$135
Register Online
Wednesdays for 6 weeks
Starting November 1 2023
1:00 - 3:00 PM
$135
Register Online
Acrylic Painting: Fundamentals with Lindsay Watson (in-person)
This class can be taken alone or continued from the previous session. Get the most out of your acrylics! Learn the fundamentals of colour mixing, composition, and paint application while exploring traditional and non-traditional subject matter, such as landscapes, portraits, and abstraction. All levels welcome. Supplies not included. Course instructor Lindsay Watson, BFA, brings years of art and teaching experience.
Course instructor Lindsay Watson, BFA, brings her extensive experience as both an art teacher and professional artist to the Manor Park family. Watson sees teaching as "curating people", and enjoys helping students gain the skills and knowledge needed to realize their creative endeavours.
Wednesdays for 6 weeks
Starting September 20 2023
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
$135
Register Online
Wednesdays for 6 weeks
Starting November 1 2023
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
$135
Register Online
Watercolour Painting with Laurie Hemmings (in-person)
Laurie's popular classes are known to sell out, due to her friendly and in-depth instruction. In this program individual style is encouraged with lots of one-on-one instruction. Learn all there is to known about watercolour painting. Enjoy exploration of the medium and learning new skills. All levels welcome. Supplies not included.
Instructor: Laurie Hemmings, OWS. Laurie has painted in watercolour for the last 35 years and has taught art to the local Ottawa community for 30 years. Winner of president’s, Jurors’ and Public Choice awards at juried exhibits with the Ottawa watercolour Society and Arteast, Laurie was also represented by Galerie d’Art Nicholas Art Gallery from 1982 to 1997.
Saturdays for 8 weeks
Starting September 16 2023
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
$180
Register Online
Calligraphy with Laurie Hemmings
Make all your occasions extra special by bringing back the tradition of calligraphy! Learn 2 different scripts so that you can apply your calligraphy to greeting cards, place settings, gift tags and more! This 4-week course is for anyone wanting to learn the basics or hone their skills. Explore this beautiful medium in a safe and supportive environment. All skill levels welcome. Supplies not included.
Instruction is by popular local artist and experienced art instructor, Laurie Hemmings. Laurie's classes at Manor Park have gathered a large and loyal following of artists - and are known to sell-out!
Date: TBD
The Magic of Drawing - with Laurie Hemmings
Master your techniques in drawing in order to open doors to your creativity! This is a basic course in the essentials of drawing. Whether it be to do outdoor sketching or to develop further skills in using graphite mediums, this course will enable you to understand the artistic values of the pencil. Topics include understanding shape, value and texture of subject matter and will touch on perspective and planning your composition. The pencil can truly open doors to further creativity!
Date: TBD
Craft: Knitting & Sewing
The Manor Park Knitting Circle (No presently running)
Have a project you're working on? Need help getting something started or learning a new stitch? Say 'hello' to Manor Park's new Knitting Circle. Join Marianne van der Jagt, Christine Bloch & Nina LePage for a weekly social knitting club. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Attending is free! But a small weekly donation is welcome!
Free to attend
Donations Welcome: here
Sew Amazing Sundays
This group of sewists will meet every other Sunday at the Manor Park Community Center to work on, and assist each other with, various projects and skills. Need somewhere to sew with likeminded individuals? Need some assistance with a difficult pattern? Join the group and share your love of fabric hoarding, project starting and the immense gratification that finishing the perfect project brings!
Returning Winter 2023
Workshops
Cacao Ceremony & Ecstatic Dance with Sophia Wood Massicotte
What is a Cacao Ceremony? It is a spiritual ritual that involves consuming ceremonial-grade cacao in a group setting to facilitate connection, healing, and self-exploration. It originates from ancient Mayan and Aztec traditions and has gained popularity in modern times for its ability to promote mindfulness and personal growth. (https://www.whitakerschocolates.com/.../what-is-a-cacao.../)
Cacao is more than just a delicious ingredient for chocolate lovers - It's a powerful plant medicine. In fact, indigenous cultures in Latin America have revered cacao for centuries for its numerous health and spiritual benefits. We gather in ceremony as a powerful way to bring the Nature-matrix outside and inside of us into order, harmony and balance. This sacred medicinal plant that calms and connects us to the heart centre is a gift from Mother Earth to help raise heart-centred consciousness and connect to deeper enlightenment and higher self. This coming New Moon we will use the medicine of Cacao to connect to intentions and manifestations aligned with our heart and souls.
About the facilitator: Sophia Wood Massicotte is a certified Life Coach, 500hr Yoga Teacher, Ayurveda Practitioner and Tantrika. Her passion for holistic wellness stems from her fascination with the power of the mind, intelligence of the body and wisdom of Nature. Sophia has devoted her life to living out her mission: to empower and inspire individuals to awaken their thirst to live a life that feels authentic and fulfilling. Her methodology is based around the ancient healing science of Ayurveda mixed with the theory and practices of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and Tantra.
Sunday December 10 2023
5:00 - 7:00 PM
1805 Gaspe Ave
$35 advance tickets only
Register Online
Sound Bath Experience with Sound Therapist Jennifer Bell
Deeply relaxing. Meditative. Healing. These are some of the words that people have used to describe their Gong/Sound Bath experience. You are invited to take an hour for yourself, and let the sounds of gongs, singing bowls, ocean drum, rainstick (and more) take you on a restorative journey towards greater health.
Experience deeply relaxing and calming sound vibrations. Drift into a tranquil space that will leave you feeling grounded and relaxed.
Bring your own mat (yoga mat, camping matress) pillow and a blanket or two. Wear comfortable clothes. Then just lie back, relax and enjoy the healing experience.
(Please note that if you are in the first trimester of pregnancy or have broken or fractured a bone in the past 6 weeks, a Gong/Sound Bath is not suitable for you at this time.)
Session is lead by Jennifer Bell, a trained Sound Therapist through the College of Sound Healing in the U.K. where she is still a member. Jennifer worked as a Sound Therapist in the U.K. and then, after moving back to Ontario, she established a private practice called Ottawa Sound Therapy. She offers treatments at her in-home studio for individuals and groups of 2 and 3. She also works outside of her studio, offering public group treatments and private sessions for individuals and groups. In her treatments, Jennifer uses instruments she has gathered through the years -- gongs, Tibetan singing bowls, rainstick, ocean drum, chimes-- and her voice. She loves using these instruments to create safe and healing spaces and she has a strong belief in the power of sound to help people move to a place of greater physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
7:45 - 8:45 PM
1805 Gaspe Ave
$25
Register Online
Tuesday, November 28, 2023
7:45 - 8:45 PM
1805 Gaspe Ave
$25
Register Online
It Starts With the Soil: Building Better Gardens (and a better world) from the Ground Up
Cole Etherington of The Good Sh*t joins us this March for an incredible and educational talk on soil health and building better gardens for a better yield this year!
Learn from a local expert about soil health, organic gardening, sustainability (did you know soil health helps fight climate change?!) and tips for optimizing the gardening space you have for maximum food production - which of course starts with healthy soil! Cole will also cover how to add chicken manure (aka. BROWN GOLD) to your soil for your most productive growing season yet!
Educational talk will be followed up with a Q&A, so make sure to arrive with all your questions! Some gardening materials and seeds will be available for sale post discussion.
Wednesday, March 1 2023
7:00 - 8:00 AM
100 Thornwood Road
$10
Register Online
Manor Park Strings
Manor Park's chamber orchestra is looking for people who play violin, viola, cello and bass. United by their enjoyment of learning and playing a classical repertoire, this group meets bi-weekly at the Manor Park Community Centre for guided rehearsals. Brigitte Amyot (Masters in Chamber Music, University of Ottawa), directs the group and guides with years of expertise.
New players welcome. Approximately Grade 5 Royal Conservatory of Music or Suzuki Book 4 levels are recommended. The conductor will quickly assess each participants playing level to be sure the group is right fit - this is not an audition.
manorparkstrings.com
Postponed until further notice.
Manor Park Art Sale
Now accepting submissions for display in early 2024.
We have expanded the Manor Park Art Sale. Gallery walls are now found at 100 Thornwood Road, Manor Park Community Center and 1805 Gaspe Ave.
Art created by local artists are proudly displayed. Great viewing for residents and visitors. Most pieces available for purcahse.
Artists wishing to have their pieces considered must apply.
To apply, submit via email to ssears@manorpark.ca the following:
- high quality .jpg or .png file of art work
- artist's name
- contact information
- brief biography
- artist's statement (200 words maximum)
- title of the work
- year
- medium
- exact size (including frame, if applicable) and
- price
All mediums accepted for consideration (photography, painting, mixed media, textile, sculpture, etc...)
Sale transactions will be handled by MPCC and 25% of the selling price will be taken by the MPCC as commission.
Unsold artwork will be returned to the artist after a period of approximately 12 months. Artwork that has been sold will be available to the buyer for pick-up no later than the end of the 6 month-term that works will be on display. Amateurs and professionals are welcome to submit their work for consideration. Only those whose work is selected for display will be contacted.
Manor Park Talks
Do you have a story to tell? The MPCC is looking for people from all walks of life wanting to share their stories. Storytelling predates writing. It brings people together. It is a means of entertainment, cultural expression, education and can teach lessons or moral values. Celebrate storytelling in 2020 with us at the Manor Park Community Centre.
We want to hear your story! Silly, sad, heartfelt, passionate, heartbreaking and everything in between.
Contact ssears@manorpark.ca for criteria and availability.
Information and opinions expressed by speakers at Manor Park Talks or at workshops are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Manor Park Community Council.
National Gallery of Canada: New Perspectives with Gary Goodacre, Officer, Education & Public Programs
Join Gary Goodacre, Chief, Education and Public Programs at the National Gallery of Canada for a one-time online presentation, to discuss a selection of artworks in your national collection. This interactive presentation will centre on ways of finding meaning in artworks, and sharing new perspectives these works can bring to us. We’ll also look at online resources so that you can explore what’s new at the Gallery.
Feb 22 2021
How I learned to be Fearless and Vulnerable in the pursuit of the Impossible with Melanie Rebane
A local Manor Park Mom, beat all the odds when she competed in the British Columbia Bike Race.
"Have you ever just set the wheels in motion to achieve something so impossible that you don’t tell a soul for months for fear they will talk you out of it or affirm your negative self talk for all the reasons that it’s unreasonable? Like deciding to race in an 8 day mountain biking stage race in BC with olympic and pro riders, people who live and breath mountain biking - and you just got back on your back after 15 years and it might as well be the first time.?
With plenty of road blocks and really good reasons to quit many times, I pushed myself to my physical and mental limits in a fearless pursuit to prove to no one but myself that I was stronger than I thought. I needed to know the answer to “what if?” - what if I just kept going? What if I just embraced the vulnerability of a process that would be new and push new boundaries every day. Where would it take me and how might it change me?
Join me as I share the experience of journey to Riding the BC Bike Race - it has almost nothing to do with a bike and everything to do with with reaching past who you think you are to become something new."
January 2020
Key Concepts in Àbadakone: Continuity, Relatedness and Activation with Gary Goodacre, Chief of Education and Public Programs at the National Gallery of Canada
Learn about the newest exhibition in the National Gallery of Canada’s series of presentations of contemporary international Indigenous art, Abadakone. Discover how gallery programming, artist performances and community activities engage us with the creativity, concerns and vitality of contemporary Indigenous art from around the world.
February 2020
Father, Daughter Hike through Camino De Santiago with Mark Lowry
The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimages, totalling 800km, leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. In 2015, Mark completed this trek with his daughter Taylor. Before, during and after they took on this endeavor they were often asked - Why? Mark will share his top ten reasons for taking this challenge, including his most personal and unexpected discovery, which was the deep bonding and reshaping of his relationship with his daughter.
March 30, 2020