The sun is shining and the weather is warm – time to get outside and join in on the fun at dozens of cultural activities across Ontario!
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EVENTS THIS WEEK
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RCM’s Koerner Hall 21C Festival – opened May 20!!
Last night was the launch of the 21st Century Music Festival at beautiful Koerner Hall! 21C is thrilled to welcome Kaija Saariaho, one of the world’s great composers, alongside nights with Stewart Copeland (The Police), the Gryphon Trio, DJ Skratch Bastid, and other fresh, dazzling new voices.
For more information including tickets, schedules and hotel packages, visit http://performance.rcmusic.ca/21c
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INSIDE OUT Opens Tonight – For the 25th time!
In 1991, Inside Out celebrated its first film and video festival with a small community of people who yearned to see film and video created by and about lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans (LGBT) people.
25 years later, Inside Out is the largest event of its kind in Canada; the Festival entertains film buffs of all stripes, showcasing the best and most diverse work of interest to LGBT communities.
For more information, including full programme details, click here
Happy Anniversary! Here’s to another 25 years!
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Monster Rock Orchestra at YD2 on May 22!!
“The spectacular songs, live orchestra, awesome lasers and all the good vibes the Monster Rock Orchestra is known for are ready to rock Yonge-Dundas Square for the first time! This one of a kind, face-melting experience is the only show of its kind in Canada. Designed to entertain audiences of all ages, this monster of a show takes audiences on a pop and rock roller-coaster: from current chart-toppers like Bruno Mars and Lorde to classic favourites such as Elvis and Aretha Franklin.”
– Vikas Kohli, Artistic Director
NOT TO BE MISSED!
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CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2015
Art Takes Over Toronto
The CONTACT Photography Festival has taken over Toronto! With 116 exhibitions showcasing local and international artists, there’s something for everyone! Take a step outside and you might just spot exhibits like Sara Cwynar’s Flat Death, located at a billboard at Dundas and Lansdowne.
For more information on this and other exhibits at the festival, visit http://scotiabankcontactphoto.com – or check out our very own Facebook page to discuss art around the city. CONTACT Magazines are also available at all festival venues.
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THE GAMES ARE COMING
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THE COUNTDOWN IS ON – TORONTO 2015 IS COMING IN 50 DAYS!
DID YOU KNOW?
The Pan American Games are the world’s third largest international multi-sport Games; they are only surpassed in size and scope by the Olympic Summer Games and the Asian Games.
The first Pan American Games were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951 and the inaugural Parapan American Games were held in Mexico City in 1999. Both the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games are held every four years for the athletes of the 41 PASO member nations, in the year preceding the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.
Find out more fun facts about the games in the next newsletter!
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PANAMANIA: A CONTEMPORARY FESTIVAL OF THE AMERICAS
Join in on the celebration at PANAMANIA – an arts and cultural festival with more than 250 unique performances and exhibitions across Toronto this summer! PANAMANIA showcases the diverse cultures and artistic excellence of Ontario, Canada and the Americas through music, theatre, dance, visual arts and fashion.
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PAN AM PATH HAS LAUNCHED!
Friends of the Pan Am Path has officially launched and is gearing up for their Art Relay event on May 16 from 1-5pm. More details below.
Up Next on the Path!
Freedom Fridayz Festival & Born This Way Mural
See a new community artwork and celebrate the achievements of young Toronto artists with dance, music and food. Experience the unveiling of a new mural by Essencia Art Collective and the Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples, and join Freedom Fridayz for a party in Pine Point Park. Free food while quantities last. Rain or shine / indoor area. May 23 1:00pm – 7:00pm
Pine Point Park, 4 Conan Rd
Don’t forget – the Pan Am Path has new events now featured online! Check out a few of the highlights below.
Activate! Weston-Mount Dennis
Join UrbanArts and Dan Bergeron as they explore the history of Weston-Mount Dennis. The result of their collaboration is a multi-part mural, created through engagement with local residents and youth. An unveiling will take place alongside a community-led event featuring dance, music and food in Cruickshank Park. May 30, 2015 from 1-4pm at 2196 Weston Road, Toronto.
Walking, Biking and Bus Tours
From June 20-26, First Story Toronto leads a series of walking, biking and bus tours along the Lakeshore. On June 20 from 10am-2pm, tours connect the Indigenous Arts Festival at Fort York to the Live Art Festival at Underpass Park. Register for tours and download the app at www.panampath.org.
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20 is a big one to celebrate – so the Bata Shoe Museum has gone all out with special programs and events this month.
The Map Project
For the past two decades the BSM has strived to use shoes to tell stories – stories about cultures, history, society and people. Join the BSM in telling your stories to help create a map of the world that reflects what shoes look like and represent to the cultures, societies and people who wear them. What corners of the world have your shoes taken you to? What does footwear mean in your culture? What have you accomplished in your favourite pair of shoes? Use the interactive map o become part of the narrative of the story of shoes and share with us what has happened to you when you have taken the time to discover “the world at your feet”.
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UPCOMING at AGA KHAN
June 06, 2015, to October 18, 2015
In an exclusive Canadian showing, A Thirst for Riches: Carpets from the East in Paintings from the West points to the active history of trade between Europe and Muslim civilizations while exploring how beautiful objects acquire new meanings as they are exchanged.
Drawing from the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – supplemented by loans from other institutions – the exhibition pairs mid-17th-century Dutch paintings featuring Eastern carpets with actual carpets produced in the Near and Far East during the same period. Did these carpets symbolize wealth and worldliness – or did they signify vanity and excess? A Thirst for Riches: Carpets from the East in Paintings from the West is a powerful reminder of the cultural impact of trade.
Visit the Aga Khan Museum soon for this and other fantastic exhibits.
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ROM and CONTACT join forces for
Generations
June 6, 2015, to October 18, 2015
What is a family photo? How do they work to shape our memories? What can they really tell us about history?
Generations features six evocative bodies of work created by contemporary artist Annu Palakunnathu Matthew between 1996 and 2015.
With a uniquely creative approach, Matthew not only studies the connection between the past and present, but also addresses the silences and absences in family photos; where histories do not get preserved, and memory and fabricated histories become blurred.
Click here for more info.
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IN THE COMMUNITY
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THE GRAND OPENING IS ON ITS WAY!
Paint the Town RED at Party on the Promenade!
Celebrate the Grand Opening of Toronto’s Revitalized Waterfront
Summer’s almost here and Toronto’s ultimate outdoor weekend-long celebration is on its way! The 2015 Redpath Waterfront Festival Party on the Promenade, gets the party started on Friday June 19 at 6:00 p.m. with the Official Opening of the revitalized Queens Quay, featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony like no other at the Simcoe WaveDeck.
Three days of free entertainment and events along the Queens Quay Boulevard from Spadina to Lower Sherbourne. That’s five events, four parks, three days, two kilometres, one giant party!
General admission to the festival is free – For a weekend of dance, dogs, music, fun, food and more visit www.towaterfrontfest.com.
Want to volunteer? The Festival needs you! Email volunteers@towaterfrontfest.com for more information.
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BLOOR ST. CULTURE CORRIDOR CELEBRATES ITS ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
New Members Welcomed to Culture Corridor
The Bloor St. Culture Corridor, Toronto’s most diverse arts and culture district, celebrated its one year anniversary in April 2015 and is pleased to announce the 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media + Education and the Toronto Reference Library as new Bloor St. Culture Corridor Associates.
The 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media + Education presents a variety of visual art exhibitions, music concerts and other performing arts programming, as well as educational programs. The Toronto Reference Library presents a wide array of literary and cultural experiences for Torontonians, including art and cultural exhibitions at its TD Gallery, showcasing the library’s vast special collections; and lectures, talks and readings from national and international authors, thinkers and newsmakers at its Appel Salon.
Uniquely Torontonian in cultural richness and diversity, the Bloor St. Culture Corridor proudly launched with 12 partnering organizations representing Bloor St. W.’s most celebrated arts and culture venues. To find out more, www.bloorstculturecorridor.com.
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Mark Ruwedel, Sally Mann, Berenice Abbott and more…
Lots of great exhibits coming up at the RIC – click here for the full programme, and join them on Facebook for all the updates you need to keep in the loop.
Mark Ruwedel, Splitting, 2013. 2 gold toned gelatin silver prints in handmade book. Courtesy of the artist, Gallery Luisotti and Art 45
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Don’t miss DX’s first-ever design auction!
May 29, 2015
Mark your calendars for May 29 for the first-ever Design Exchange Design Auction. Get in on this rare and exclusive opportunity to purchase a singular and spectacular item for your home or cottage. All proceeds benefit Design Exchange educational programs, curatorial initiatives, and permanent collection.
Auction items include unique furniture and decorative objects from world renowned brands and coveted pieces from the personal collections of international design stars and personalities.
Click here for a preview of items available at auction.
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