2020 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SHELLEY PETERSON STUDENT ART EXHIBITION: A MEETING PLACE FOR STUDENT ARTISTS

Heritage Moments | Carly Wolowich and Muskoka Dittmar-McCallum

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The University of Toronto Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition (SPSAE) is a space for exchange. An annual exhibition which celebrates the artistic excellence of University of Toronto’s tri-campus undergraduate Visual Studies students, the 2020 SPSAE offers a meeting place for students to voice ideas through their diverse artistic practice.

Originally founded by the University of Toronto’s 32nd Chancellor, David Peterson, the exhibition was an opportunity to support and exhibit the works of student artists at the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus. The exhibition—named for Shelley Peterson, an artist, author, performer, businesswoman, and the spouse of David Peterson—has continued after Petersons’ retirement, evolving from an intimate event hosted in the Chancellor’s Office at Convocation Hall to a gallery-based exhibition at the Art Museum. As curators for this year’s exhibition, our aim is to not only honour Peterson’s legacy but also cultivate new approaches to exhibiting student art.

An inquiry into contemporary art forms, the exhibition brings together works by Jasaña Alleyne, Meech Boakye, Chantel Briana Campbell, Jasmine Canaviri, Regina Caeli Dela Cruz, Gian Lorenzo Giannone, Yara Matta, Sean Morello, Liam Mullen, Purvi Qadri, sameda, Beenish Shahab, Isabella Varrasso, Jessica Velasco, Zi Yan Bai, Lana Yuan, and Agnes Zeng. The 2020 SPSAE offers nuanced reflections on contemporary issues both locally and globally. Texts, images, and stories have been transformed by these artists into installations and interventions that address themes of identity, cultural belonging, and displacement. All the artists offer gestures of questioning, of exploration, and of disturbance, inviting viewers to question the space they occupy. The exhibition abandons the traditional role of the spectator, as visitors are greeted with a multi-sensory experience and encouraged to participate with the art.

Beenish Shahab, They All Look Alike, 2019. 18x24. One of Four Photo Paper Prints. Image Courtesy of the Artist. 

Artist Beenish Shahab, a Pakistani-Canadian multidisciplinary artist, currently studying at the University of Toronto Scarborough, innovatively challenges racial stereotypes in They All Look Alike. Working with the concept of identity, challenging Western ideologies with her perspectives and experiences of South Asian culture, Shahab draws inspiration from artists like Shirin Neshat and Maria Qamar. In her sculptural photography-based project, the artist physically weaves together images of two people from the same race. Shahab’s work “examines cross-race effect, where members of one race might metaphorically perceive that members of another race all look alike” by photographing eight students from the University of Toronto who have experienced the effects of the cross-race phenomenon. 

Jessica Velasco, Statements, 2019-Ongoing. 180x120. Ink on Paper. Image Courtesy of the Artist. 

Statements, is an ongoing series by Jessica Velasco, a student from the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Velasco notes, “being mixed race or interethnic often invites micro transgressional racism. These comments are just “subtle” enough that most who offend don’t even realize that they are doing it”. ​Statements​ explores the racist micro-transgressions that the artist has experienced throughout their life to visually assert the absurdity of “subtle racism” and just how often it occurs in today’s society, even to white-representing interethnic people. Velasco will activate this work with a performance piece, Hindi ako nagsasalita ng Tagalog, on the opening night of the exhibition.

Liam Mullen, Flat, 2019. Installation. Image Courtesy of the Artist. 

An artist and student from the University of Toronto St. George campus, Liam Mullen, experiments with photography and personal narrative. Flat​, looks to compress original pictures to create an aura-less image by way of creating a reproduced reality in a repeated pattern that obscures narrative offers an insight into the tragedy of reproduction as a means of stripping away detail in a picture. Flat is a twenty-first century reply to the writings of cultural theorist Walter Benjamin. The installation is composed of heirloom negatives, an Epson printer, and 8 ½ by 11’’ printer paper. Mullen’s work is often accompanied with a documentary video which records his installation process.

The above works are only three of the seventeen works activated in the University of Toronto Art Centre. The exhibition displays a variety of media, including; photography, works on canvas, kinetic sculpture, film, participatory art, performance art and more. Works are displayed unconventionally as they are installed on the floor, hung from the ceiling, and camouflaged into the architecture of the gallery space. Collectively, the artworks on display present current representations of contemporary art practice from across Toronto.

The University of Toronto Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition is projected to open April 16th and run until May 17th 2020. Due to the national response to COVID-19, the exhibition reception and opening date may change. Please consult Art Museum’s website for current information.

OPENING SEQUENCE: LISTENING TO SNOW AT THE U OF T ART MUSEUM

Exhibition Reviews | Mary Wallace

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It’s hard to judge a show based on its opening. Openings are often only tangentially related to the art on display; they’re more about the experience of experiencing art. I know a lot of people find contemporary art intimidating and Listening to Snow is exactly the type of show they are thinking about when they say that. I can see how self-referential sound-art would be a tough sell for many but I enjoyed the show and think it was an interesting experience even if I’m not sure if I completely “get it”.

(Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

And so, I’ve decided to create this part-review-part-how-to-guide to work through some of my art opening related anxiety and hopefully some of yours too.

Part One: Dressing for the occasion

View from my window the afternoon of the opening. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

Dressing for an opening is always a challenge; the level of formally is often left up to the imagination of the attendees and will vary greatly between them. On the evening of this particular opening, Toronto was hit with a thematically appropriate blizzard. A universal truth of wintertime openings is that no one will be wearing the shoes they wanted to wear and that evening at the Art Museum almost everyone was in winter boots. It was a strangely communal feeling, all of us standing in puddles of snow melting onto the floor.

Ultimately, it does not matter what you wear to the opening because there will always be someone wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and someone else wearing a designer gown, thus everyone else will fall somewhere in the middle.

Part Two: Refreshments

Most openings will have some kind of charcuterie board or cheese plate hanging around and all openings will have $5 cups of wine (always cash only). The Art Museum, to its credit had quite the spread prepared. I felt no shame in refilling my tiny plate (where do they even get such tiny plates?) several times with free food. I used to be shy about doing this but after volunteering at these types of events, it is shocking how much is left over at the end of the evening.

My advice to you, always bring cash to an opening and don’t be shy about snacking.

Part Three: Watching yourself look at the art

Michael Snow, Waiting Room, 2000. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace)

One of the strangest things about art openings is that they usually get in the way of actually seeing the art on display. It’s crowded, lots of people are talking at once, you are stuck holding an empty plastic wine cup with a napkin crumpled up inside it, etc. Looking at the art ends up feeling performative, as though everyone is watching your reaction (they are not). The good thing about Michael Snow’s work in this show is that it often undermines this feeling. When you enter the main room of the show, a sign invites you to take a number from a receipt printer and wait on an adjacent couch for your number to come up on a digital display. This faux waiting room, appropriately titled Waiting Room (2000), only involves a few seconds of actual waiting but having some kind of instructions for interacting with the art and with my fellow gallery goers was a great way to break out of the initial awkwardness.

I missed my number coming up on the screen but you get the idea. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace)

Part Four: Networking

Lots of people use openings as networking opportunities but I have always found it hard to achieve this. People don’t generally wear name tags at openings so there’s no way to know who is the gallery director and who is a friend-of-a-friend that has been dragged here. The only strategy that has worked for me is striking up conversations at random until you find someone who can introduce you to the artist/director/board member. In the case of Listening to Snow I did not even attempt to network and it was a welcome break.

Safety first. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

One of the standout pieces for me was Diagonale (1988). In this piece, several speakers have been placed in a darkened room, each is playing a humming sound that descends in tone as you walk deeper into the darkness. The initial effect is somewhat eerie; the darkness and the dissonant harmonies make the room feel like a minimalist haunted house. However, once I had a moment to let my eyes adjust, I felt strangely relaxed. There was no one to watch my reaction nor could I see anyone else’s and no sane person would attempt to network in this room, I could just stand and let the piece happen around me. It made me wish every opening had some form of sensory deprivation room from which to escape the usual cocktail party chatter.

Michel Snow, Diagonale, 1988. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace) 

In conclusion, art openings, much like art galleries, can be what ever you want them to be, there’s no right or wrong way to engage with them. I encourage all of you who feel like you’re not an “art person” to try checking one out at least once. Trust me, coming from an “art person” everyone there is just as confused as you are.

Listening to Snow will be at Art Museum until March 21, 2020. Also on that day at 4 pm you can see a solo piano performance by Michael Snow himself (registration is required).

TOWERING EXHIBITS: BEYOND TRADITION ON CAMPUS (PART TWO)

BEYOND TRADITION

BY: AMY INTRATOR

Welcome back to Beyond Tradition on Campus, a series where I explore innovative museum spaces right here at the University of Toronto! In my second edition of this series, I am exploring the exhibition space in the Jackman Humanities Institute. My last edition focused on Talking Walls, located in the heart of UofT, so today I’m looking at a far less visible campus space.

The latest exhibit at the Jackman Humanities Institute is titled Morning Star, which seems pretty fitting given the exhibit’s location. In the exhibit, Morning Star (otherwise known as the planet Venus) acts as a symbol to explore Indigenous agency and renounce naïve impressions of reconciliation. On a more literal level, the exhibit is situated in the sky, or at least in a high-rise building. The Jackman Humanities Institute is located on the 10th floor of a high-rise building, and the exhibition space is also situated on the 10th floor, far higher than most exhibits on campus. 

Exterior shot of the Jackman Humanities building. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

If you’re like me, you may have absolutely no idea what a humanities institute does. The Institute is described as creating networks for interactions between humanities scholars across different disciplines. The Institute’s interest in collaborative, interdisciplinary learning isn’t so different from a museum, but the Institute takes a more academic approach to collaboration through organizing seminars, lectures, fellowships. Every year the Institute’s programming revolves around a theme, and this year the theme is Indelible Violence: Shame, Reconciliation, and the Work of Apology. The theme also structures the Institute’s annual exhibition.

This year’s exhibit, Morning Star, is a collaborative effort between the Art Museum and the Jackman Humanities Institute. While most exhibition spaces on campus are located in high-traffic areas, the exhibition space in the Institute is more of a hidden treasure. The space is unusual as it is located on the 10th floor of a high-rise, but even within the space, the art is displayed differently than most campus exhibitions. Rather than visibly displayed artworks in one area, the artworks in the exhibition are dispersed across connected offices, seminar rooms, and lounges, and the pieces are often displayed on the periphery of the room. 

One of the exhibition spaces in the Jackman Humanities Institute. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

The exhibit unfolds across various rooms and hallways, which transforms the process of passively viewing art into more of an exploration. Although the layout was a bit unexpected the first time I visited the space, I came to appreciate the unusual design. As I travelled between the lobby, the lounge, and a couple of the seminar rooms, I started to think about how the various artworks on display related to one another. Some of the pieces demand your attention, like Joi Arcand’s work, ēkāwiya nēpēwisi, a neon sign in Cree that translates to read “don’t be shy”.

Joi Arcand's piece, ēkāwiya nēpēwisi, on display at the Jackman Humanities Institute. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

While Arcand’s piece hangs larger than life in the lounge of the 10th floor, other works are hidden in plain sight. The first time I visited the exhibit, I completely missed the Alex Janvier print. The print is tucked in a hallway off the main corridor, so it’s not exactly front-and-center. The semi-hidden art makes the viewing experience interesting, as you have to be hyper-aware of your surroundings or else you risk missing major pieces in the exhibit!

Image of the Alex Janvier print, Key to Everyone, semi-hidden in a hallway in the Jackman Humanities Institute. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

The artwork within the Jackman Humanities Institute space really forced me to think about the relationship between the artworks on display. The exhibition wasn’t about asserting one curatorial voice, or presenting one representation of Indigenous identity today, but rather, the various artists with pieces on display seemed to be in conversation with one another. For me, the space was integral to bringing the artistic dialogue to life. The display of the artwork required me to explore the space more than I’m used to in a gallery, as there isn’t a linear pathway between the pieces, rather you have to explore the area and try to draw connections yourself.

My overarching question after exploring this campus space: Are campus exhibits better when they are extremely visible to all, or when they activate certain classroom environments? Luckily, at the University of Toronto, we have the best of both worlds, thanks to the numerous on-campus exhibitions.

THROUGH DARKNESS AND LIGHT: CURRENT EXHIBITIONS AT THE ART MUSEUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

EXHIBITION REVIEWS

BY: SADIE MACDONALD

This week, I decided to take a break from studying and visit the exhibits up for offer at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto. At the moment, there are two major exhibitions: Figures of Sleep and Morning Star. One exhibition, dimly lit and shadowed in quiet darkness, investigates concepts of sleep; the other, located on a brightly-lit upper floor, focuses on illuminating Indigenous artists.

Figures of Sleep is on display at the University of Toronto Art Centre location. Curated by Sarah Robayo Sheridan, this exhibition “considers the cultural anxieties manifest in the popular and critical imagination around the collapsing biological function of sleep under economic, social and technological transformation.” I must say, as a graduate student with an utterly wrecked sleep schedule, the topic of sleep has been a personal concern for me for a while, so I was interested in visiting this show.

When you first walk into the Art Museum, you'll notice that the the gallery has black walls and very little lighting, creating a unique exhibition experience as you explore the space in darkness. This is an interesting and highly appropriate design choice for an exhibit that's all about sleep. This strategy does have its drawbacks, however, as some of the labels are faintly lit. In any case, even if you are able to read them, they will not tell you much about the context of the works on display. 

Insomnia Drawings by Louise Bourgeois. Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald.

Some of the images may not need context, and will be bolstered by the visitor’s own interpretations. Louise Bourgeois’s Insomnia Drawings certainly evoked for me the feelings of an overactive, tired mind struggling to fall asleep. For other works, I was keen to learn more about what I was seeing. On Kawara’s I Got Up series consists of a collection of postcards, written and sent between 1968 to 1979; in this series, Kawara recorded the times he woke up each day as he travelled around the world. I recognized that the postcards on display in this exhibition were collected in Halifax (one even featuring my alma mater!). I wish that more in-gallery context had been provided regarding the artist’s journey and goals, which certainly intrigued me as I examined the postcards.

Dream Catcher by Rebecca Belmore. Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald.

Lack of context aside, the exhibition will make you think as it offers explorations of other themes branching off from the basic topic of sleep. Rebecca Belmore’s Dream Catcher caught me in my tracks. This textile image depicts an Indigenous person sleeping on a concrete sidewalk, and has several details speaking to the urgency of current Indigenous activist movements such as Idle No More.

Figures of Sleep features many works that confront ideas related to sleep, from many different times and places. This exhibition may be all about sleep, but it certainly will not put one to sleep.

Untitled (old woman in bed) by Ron Mueck almost gave me a heart attack. Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald

If you want to visit Morning Star, you will have to make a journey to the Jackman Humanities Institute. The exhibition is so called because it “ascends to shine light on presence, visibility and collective Indigenous agency to renounce naïve impressions of (re)conciliation that continue to be discussed throughout much of the settler culture across Turtle Island.” Curated by Jason Baerg and Darryn Doull, Morning Star features the works of established Indigenous artists such as Alex Janvier and Garry Todd as well as contemporary artists like Adrian Stimson. My colleague, Amy Intrator, will write about this exhibition in depth later this week, but I will briefly introduce it here.

ᐁᑳᐃᔹ ᓀᐯᐃᓸ (ēkāwiya nēpēwisi) by Joi T. Arcand. Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald.

Joi T. Arcand’s neon channel signs capture one’s eye immediately. They are not translated for non-Indigenous comfort of viewing. As such, the illuminated text perfectly encapsulates the exhibition’s themes of “shining a light” on Indigenous agency. The photography of Nadya Kwandibens, which features Indigenous people fearlessly walking the streets of Toronto, likewise challenges settler perceptions. 

One captivating work on display is Bracken Hanuse Corlett’s animated film Ghost Food. There is no dialogue, just a soundtrack of haunting music, but the story of two characters attempting to hunt for food in an urban wasteland offers an intriguing visual journey nonetheless. You can view the video below.

Morning Star was created in partnership with the Jackman Humanities Institute, but the 170 St. George Street location may not have been the most visible space for displaying this exhibit. Housed on the tenth floor of the building, it is only open from 9am to 4 pm from Monday to Friday. Fortunately, Morning Star has a long run, ending later this summer, which does provide more opportunities for seeing it. The Jackman Humanities Institute is also not a typical gallery space; you might have to squeeze past chairs and tables to get a closer glimpse at some of the work on display, which gave me reason to worry about its accessibility. Once you are able to engage with the works on display, the results are worth it.

Though both exhibits have logistical flaws, the works that compose the exhibit are powerful and captivating. Figures of Sleep’s run will end on March 3rd, so I suggest that you see it sooner rather than later. Drop-in tours are offered every Friday at 2pm. Morning Star will run until August 14, 2018.

TALKING WALLS AND ACTIVATING HALLS: BEYOND TRADITION ON CAMPUS (PART ONE)

BEYOND TRADITION

BY: AMY INTRATOR

Welcome to a new year of Beyond Tradition! Last term, our column focused on new practices informing museums, and our columnists took us to the realms of VR, department stores, and even zoos! This term, I’m exploring new practices even closer to home, right here on campus. University of Toronto boasts a couple of nationally renowned museums, but the campus is also full of lesser known exhibition spaces. Join me for a term of exploring campus spaces, big and small, that are working to bring exhibitions and programs that push museum boundaries and incorporate innovative practices.

Hart House seems like the perfect place to start an examination of campus spaces. Hart House is home to the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, but the whole building feels like a museum. Hart House is only one year shy of its centennial and in that time, it has hosted soldiers training for wars, a soon-to-be queen, and JFK!

Exterior of Hart House. Source.

The building is absolutely brimming with history, but Hart House isn’t just a historic wonder. Hart House remains socially engaged through programming with a focus on contemporary issues. Talking Walls is one example of Hart House’s dedication to addressing current issues. The wall is an informal art exhibition space located in the main corridor of Hart House. Talking Walls features rotating exhibits that address a range of topics. Unlike many exhibition spaces, Talking Walls is not organized by a single individual or group. Any individual, community group, or campus group is encouraged to submit proposals for a Talking Walls exhibit, so long as their intended exhibit features “socially engaged works.” The wide-ranging, inclusive mandate transforms an unassuming wall into a starting point for cross-community engagement.

The last Talking Walls exhibit, For People of Colour Who Suffer From Mental Illness And Have Been Silenced, was organized by a UofT Scarborough Campus group, Future Black Physicians. The group is aimed to support racialized students working towards a career in medicine, and the exhibit featured a photo series aimed to “represent the way people with mental illnesses have been silenced in the Black community.” The first time I walked the hall of the exhibition, the bright colours of the photo panels jumped out at me and demanded my attention. I hadn’t come to Hart House in search of the exhibit, but the photos captured my attention and required me to look closer and engage with the subject. The photo panels in the exhibit were often unexpected, as they contrasted the serious topic of mental health in the Black community with bright colours and cartoon images, but the contrast is part of what made the exhibit so striking. 

Panel from the Talking Walls exhibit: For People of Colour Who Suffer From Mental Illness And Have Been Silenced. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

Talking Walls is proof that unconventional museum spaces can create unique, stimulating experiences. While a somewhat narrow hallway may not sound like an ideal exhibition space, the hallway actually bolstered the subject of the exhibit. The central hallway space meant anyone passing through the halls had the opportunity to engage in a conversation about mental health in the Black community, whether they’d intended to join the dialogue or not. 

Panel from the Talking Walls exhibit: For People of Colour Who Suffer From Mental Illness And Have Been Silenced. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

The exhibition space is also an example of the sort of inclusive programming museums strive for today. The exhibition is part of the programming for the annual Hart House Hancock lecture. This year’s lecture is titled Black and Educated? Unveiling The Contradictions and Redesigning The Future. The exhibition complements the theme of the lecture, while also expanding the conversation in new directions and allowing for multiple voices to participate in the dialogue. Talking Walls allows contributing groups to author their own narratives, and turns a typical hallway into an engaging experience. In an age where museum professionals are working to create more inclusive, engaging spaces, Talking Walls offers some important lessons in the power of inclusion and visibility. 

If you’re on campus, check out the latest Talking Walls exhibit, In Their Own Words. The exhibit is organized by the Hancock Lecture Advisory Committee in an effort to give marginalized students on campus a chance to voice their experiences, in their own words. 

Panel from the current Talking Walls exhibit: In Their Own Words. Photo courtesy of Amy Intrator.

RESPONSE, REJECTION, RECONCILIATION: EXHIBITING CANADA 150

GREATEST HITS

BY: AMY INTRATOR

Welcome back to the final edition of Greatest Hits 2017! Writing for this column has allowed me to look to the recent past to make sense of developments in the museum world today. With the end of the year quickly approaching, I thought it would be fitting to turn to the very recent past to make sense of the year-long “celebration” that’s about to end: Canada 150.

Official logo for Canada 150. Source. 

The Government of Canada has been planning Canada 150 for years as a celebration of the 150-year anniversary of Canadian confederation. From the very beginning of this project, however, many communities in Canada have rejected this celebratory narrative of Canadian history. The Government of Canada includes reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as one of the themes of Canada 150, but the celebration of Confederation is at odds with most Indigenous peoples’ experience. Indigenous peoples have lived in “Canada” for hundreds of years, so this year marks 150 years of colonial persecution, not nationhood.

Tweet from the artist who designed Colonialism 150 logo, a response to Canada 150. Source.

Where do museums fit into this Canada 150 narrative? Over the past year museums across the country have hosted exhibits that critically reflect on Canada 150. For many curators, artists, and creators, museums have provided a space to stage a counter-narrative and incorporate non-celebratory perspectives on the 150-year anniversary of Confederation. Since there have been so many fantastic exhibits that reflect on Canada 150, for my last Greatest Hits post I have included not one, but three Musings posts, all of which reflect on exhibits that challenge Canada’s sesquicentennial celebration.


Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience 

Miss Chief Eagle Testickle in front of the Fathers of Confederation. The Daddies, Kent Monkman, 2016. Collection of Christine Armstrong and Irfhan Rawji. Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald. Source.

In February, Sadie MacDonald reviewed the Art Museum at University of Toronto’s exhibit Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience. The exhibit was on display at the Art Museum from January until March 2017 and is slated to tour museums throughout Canada until 2020. Kent Monkman organized the exhibit, which spanned 300 years and included hundreds of works. I used the word “organized” because Monkman played the role of creator, artist, and curator in this exhibit as several of his own paintings, dioramas, and other pieces were included, but he also put these objects in dialogue with pieces from museums across Canada. I had to visit the exhibit four times to completely take in the exhibit’s objects and text. Sadie’s review of the exhibit immediately picks up on the fact that Monkman organized a narrative that responds to Canada 150 by exploring the Indigenous experience with colonizers that began long before 1867. Even the timeline in the exhibit is a commentary on Canada 150, as Monkman cleverly begins his narrative 150 years before confederation in 1717. Monkman uses the museum as a stage for his narrative that contests Confederation as the beginning of life in Canada.


Jane Ash Poitras: New Acquisitions of Contemporary First Nations Art

Buffalo Seed by Jane Ash Poitras. Photo courtesy of Natania Sherman. Source.

In March, former Musings Editor-in-Chief Natania Sherman reviewed a display at the ROM entitled Jane Ash Poitras: New Acquisitions of Contemporary First Nations Art. Unlike Monkman’s exhibit which spanned centuries and included numerous works, the display Natania reviewed was extremely small in scale. The display included four new acquisitions by the Indigenous artist, Jane Ash Poitras, and while this form of display is common, Natania examined how the works were positioned to stage an anti-colonial dialogue. Poitras paintings feature colonial symbols, like the Hudson’s Bay stripes, in dialogue with symbols of traditional Indigenous knowledge. The paintings themselves were staged next to objects like a school desk and a basket to gather herbs to create a dialogue between the art and the ethnographic objects in the ROM collection. Natania’s thoughtful review of a small exhibit proves that there are many ways to challenge Canada 150 narratives in museums.


Witness Blanket

An unknown boy in from of the Chesterfield Inlet Residential School (top). Photo courtesy of Sadie MacDonald. Source.

For the final exhibit review I’m including in my Canada 150 retrospective, we’re returning to Sadie but leaving Toronto. In June, Sadie reviewed Witness Blanket after visiting the exhibit at Museum London. The exhibit has been touring Canada since 2015, and currently the exhibit is slated to continue touring the country until 2021. The exhibit is composed of 887 artifacts from residential school survivors, which were collected by Carey Newman, a Kwagiulth sculptor and carver. Together, the hundreds of pieces create a patchwork of lost narratives from survivors of the schools, and in the process hundreds of narratives of loss and pain emerge. Sadie’s review examines the power of these objects curated together, both as a way for residential school survivors to heal and remember, but she also examines the power of this exhibit for the non-Indigenous population of Canada. The exhibit may have begun touring two years before Canada 150 celebrations began, but the powerful counter-narratives take on another layer of significance when remembering confederation. 

I tried to provide a brief snapshot of some of the important, challenging, and brave exhibits that have responded to Canada 150. If you have the time please read the amazing reviews of each exhibit! The exhibits take different approaches to staging a counter-narrative in the museum, from a small display of new acquisitions, to creating a dialogue between artifacts and contemporary art, to creating a collage of objects of trauma. These counter-narratives in museums are likely to continue for years to come, especially with many of these exhibits touring years into the future. Museums may help shift the legacy of Canada 150 from a celebration of nationhood to a rejection of colonial glory.

CELEBRATING CANADA 150

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: EMILY WELSH

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the January edition of What's Happening Wednesdays! Today is #MuseumSelfie Day! Are you celebrating? Post your selfies on social media and continue reading this edition to explore five upcoming Canada 150 events and the resources you can use to stay up to date with events taking place throughout the year.

Throwback to one of my favourite selfies - on the roof of St. Peter's Basilica. 

1. Canada on Screen - Toronto International Film Festival 

Start the car! This commercial for Ikea Canada is included in Canada on Screen's list of 150 essential works of moving-images. Source.

TIFF and their partners are celebrating Canada's moving-image heritage through Canada on Screen, a program of FREE events, screenings, guest talks and more all based on a list of 150 essential works. This list, compiled from polls of industry professionals, includes animation, commercials, documentaries, features, shorts and television series. The program began in January, with works from the list included in TIFF's Canada's Top Ten Film Festival which runs from January 13th - January 26th. The events will continue throughout the year in Toronto and in other cities across Canada.

To learn more visit http://www.tiff.net/canadaonscreen/?tab=about

Click here to download the full press release detailing when events will take place and the complete 150 list.

2. Winterlicious - City of Toronto

This year's Winterlicious includes culinary events celebrating Canada 150. Source.

The City of Toronto's winter celebration of all things food takes place January 27th - February 9th at more than 220 restaurants. As part of 2017's celebration, diners are invited to explore Canada's history through food, with ticketed culinary events such as Casa Loma's Celebrating 150 years of Canadian Cuisine and FUSE's Elements of Soul - 150 years of Caribbean Influence. At Casa Loma, visitors will enjoy Canadian dishes of the past and present while at FUSE diners will explore "contributions made by generations of Black Caribbeans to Canada's soul food and music offerings."

To learn more about the restaurants participating in this years Winterlicious and the special culinary events available visit http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=e0e8a417e9dd2410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

3. Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience - University of Toronto Art Centre

Kent Monkman's exhibit, Shame and Prejudice: A Story of Resilience, begins at the University of Toronto Art Centre on January 26th with a reception from 6:30pm - 8:30pm. Through Monkman's artistic works and historical artworks and artifacts from other collections, the visitor explores Canada's history, from the present to 150 years before confederation, and First Nation's resilience. The traveling exhibit will premiere at the centre until March 4th.

Public lecture by Kent Monkman: February 1st, 2017, 4:30pm - 6:00pm, University College Room 140

Curatorial tour with Kent Monkman: February 4th, 2017, 2:00pm.

To learn more visit: http://www.artmuseum.utoronto.ca/
and http://canada150.utoronto.ca/event/kent-monkman-shame-prejudice-story-resilience/

4. Our Journey - Spadina Museum

Spadina Museum asks visitors to contribute to Our Journey, on at the museum from February 4th - December 31st 2017. Source.

From February 4th - December 31st, 2017, the Spadina Museum invites visitors to contribute to Our Journey, an exhibit exploring the diversity of Canadians. Visitors are invited to share their family's origin and share some of their family story by creating stories and/or art that answers questions including: "When did you or your ancestors first arrive in Canada? What does indigenous Canadian mean to you? What is the best thing about living in Toronto?"

*The art map is free but there is a charge for admission to the museum.

To learn more about Spadina Museum and the project visit here and here.

5. My City My Six - Cultural Hotspot 2017  

This year, from May to October, the Cultural Hotspot program is highlighting and celebrating the arts, heritage, cultue, businesses and communities of East York. As part of the program comes My City My Six, a public art project celebrating Canada 150 and the diversity of Toronto. Torontonians are invited to submit six word stories that describe essential aspects of themselves and their lives. Submissions will be accepted from January through May after which a jury will select submissions to be displayed in the fall exhibit; the exhibit will take place city-wide in transit shelters, on billboards and in other public spaces.

To learn more about the Cultural Hotspot program and My City My Six visit here.       

Canada 150 Online Resources

Canada 150 events will be taking place across the country throughout the year! Here are some of the resources you can use to keep track of what's happening:

TO Canada with Love is the city of Toronto's Canada 150 program with information on exhibitions, celebration and commemorations. Check their event calendar throughout the year.

Ontario150 will give you details on how Ontario is celebrating it's and Canada's 150th anniversary.

The Government of Canada's Canada150 page will give you information on events, programs and social media links.

The University of Toronto has a website for it's Canada150 events, history and programming.

And of course there is social media! 

Source.

City of Toronto Historic Sites has released this summary of Canada 150 hashtags to help us follow along and participate with Canada 150. You can also follow the Government of Canada's Canada 150 accounts on twitter, instagram and facebook.

City of Toronto Historic Sites has produced this summary of Canada 150 hashtags. Source.

If you know of any additional upcoming Canada 150 events, online resources, or hashtags, please add your comments below!