Image: Winnipeg Art Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq is set to host the third annual 'Black Garden' on August 14, bringing a night of Black music, culture and art to the Rooftop Sculpture Garden. The event runs from 7 to 11 p.m. and is presented by Black Artists Winnipeg and WAG-Qaumajuq. According to the gallery’s event listing, tickets are priced at $30, with a pay-what-you-can option also available.
The program centers on local Black performers, artists and vendors, with the rooftop space activated as a site for live performance, shopping and community gathering. Rising artist Tommyphyll will perform with his band, while DJ DeLulu is scheduled to keep the music going after sunset. WAG describes the evening as an opportunity to celebrate Black creativity, culture and connection in a social setting that combines art and nightlife.
The event page notes that vendors will include Shirom Arts Collection, A$hes and Black Artists Winnipeg artists, offering jewelry, handmade clothing, art prints and other work. The gallery’s email newsletter similarly describes the evening as one in which visitors can shop, dance and experience the rooftop transformed by local Black performers, artists and vendors. The emphasis on vendor participation places Black-owned and Black-led creative businesses at the center of the event rather than as an adjunct to the performance lineup.
Tommyphyll is identified by the gallery as a rising star, and the event page offers a broader artist profile: the Nigerian-Canadian performer is described as an Afrobeats artist whose work blends Afrobeats, R&B and contemporary African influences. WAG also notes that in 2025 he was named Afrobeats Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. DJ DeLulu, listed on the event page with Winnipeg as her base, is described as an up-and-coming Canadian DJ who has played recent events including BPM x WAG-QAUMAJUQ for Black History Month and Little Brown Jug’s Casual Friday.
'Black Garden' appears in WAG-Qaumajuq’s August programming alongside a busy schedule of classes, tours and exhibitions. The gallery’s newsletter also highlights 'Terra Cognita/Incognita: Revisiting the Landscape', which opens August 19 during WAG Wednesday Nights and runs from August 20, 2026 to November 1, 2027. That exhibition brings together more than 125 historical and contemporary works from the permanent collection, while also including work by local artists Anna Binta Diallo, Sarah Fuller and Debra Frances Plett, plus a new commission by Lourdes Still.
Within that broader calendar, 'Black Garden' stands out as one of the gallery’s rooftop events for the season. The listing places it in the WAG-Qaumajuq Rooftop Sculpture Garden, where the gallery says the evening will bring the space to life with music, art and community. The event is scheduled for Friday, August 14, 2026, from 7 to 11 p.m.
