WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAY

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Well everyone this is it: today marks my final What's Happening Wednesday post for Musings. You have my permission to grab a box of kleenex and lament the fact that your life no longer has purpose, it's really the only appropriate thing to do. However before we lower the MMSt flag to half mast and have a bugler play the Last Post, let's do one final roundup of what you can do this week in Toronto's museums and art galleries shall we?

First up, happening today (April 1st) at the AGO is Back and Forth, an event that requires some audience participation. Everyone is invited to come and play ping pong at the tables set up in Walker Court and enjoy some of the free chips and drinks. However, there is one caveat; if you want to play ping pong you have to be willing to engage in a conversation of your choosing with a group of artists present at the event.

Also this is legitimately how the AGO is promoting the event.
http://www.ago.net/assets/images/555/backandforth-ping-pong.gif

The event runs from 6-8pm and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Perhaps even more importantly, it's free. This seems like it might be a fun little event for people to unwind, especially as it is crunch time for many of us students.

Next up, on Thursday April 2nd, we have the opening reception for Youth are Revolting at the Gladstone Hotel. The show features works from student artists at the Oasis Skateboard Factory, and involves custom designed skateboards. The purpose of the show is to raise money for the artists to travel with their work to New York, so you can feel good about supporting your fellow starving artist stereotypes/friends.

Revolting is perhaps too strong a word...unpleasant perhaps?
http://www.gladstonehotel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Screen-Shot-2015-03-16-at-4.51.59-PM.png

The event runs from 7-10pm in the 2nd floor gallery. The opening also involves a silent auction to raise the funds for the trip to NY, so if you are so inclined you can go home with a custom-designed skateboard of your choosing. Further details about the show can be found here.

Finally, on Monday April 6th, there is the opening reception and awards ceremony for the Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition at the U of T Art Centre (UTAC). The exhibition is meant to showcase some of the best student artistic talent at U of T, and has been curated by some of your esteemed colleagues at the iSchool; i'm sure they would appreciate the support. The event itself runs from 5-7pm, with the award ceremony beginning at 5:30. Also, because it is a classy event, an RSVP is required and can be sent to ovps@utoronto.ca.

Thank you so much to all of you who have steadfastly read this column over the past few months, your support means a lot to both myself and the Musings team. Whether you are reading from here in Toronto, or perhaps a small village in rural England, I hope you have had as much fun as I have. Keep visiting museums and never stop being curious!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Hello to all of you keyboard jockeys and welcome to this week's edition of What's Happening Wednesdays. The column will be fairly condensed this week due to the frazzled mental state of the author at this time of year, so let's jump straight into things shall we?

You might imagine that March Break is the perfect time to visit a new gallery, or perhaps even to take a leisurely stroll through one at your favourite museum. However that is decidedly not the case. March Break means you will be up to your eyeballs in the strife that is overtly excited children that are being poorly corralled through exhibitions by their stressed parents, like so many delirious sheep and neurotic border collies. With this in mind we have three events here that are (likely to be) mercifully free of March Break side effects.

First up on Sunday March 22nd, there is a curator's talk by Syrus Marcus Ware at The Power Plant Gallery to discuss their current exhibition The Unfinished Conversation: Encoding/Decoding. The exhibition discusses the physical manifestations and mind-set of specific visual dynamics post-WWII. This subject matter basically ensures that there will be no whippersnappers to cause problems in the gallery.

Someone appears to have mistaken this forest for a living room.
http://www.carrollfletcher.com/custom_images/800x500/usr/images/news/main_image/168/screen-shot-2015-02-04-at-11.40.44.png

Admission is free, with the talk starting at 2pm at the gallery. Further information about the exhibition itself can be found here.

Next up is a rather interesting and unique lecture/performance hosted by the ROM called ROM Speaks: Stories Without Borders. Bringing performance artists from diverse locales such as Congo and Yukon, these storytellers intend on taking you on a journey to where they consider home.

Tickets are $20 with the event running from 7-9:30 on Tuesday March 24th. Further details about the event can be found here.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is a new temporary exhibition called Faith & Place opening at the Ismaili Centre Toronto (49 Wynford Drive) in conjunction with the Aga Khan Museum. Through a series of original 19th century photographs of religious sites in Northern India, the exhibition showcases the rich diversity and stunning architecture extant in India.

Here's a sneak peek of one of the photos in the exhibition. Consider yourself lucky that I have these strings to pull to get you the VIP treatment.

The show runs from March 18th-April 8th and is absolutely free. Other reasons you should consider visiting the show are as follows: the Aga Khan Museum is open for free on Wednesdays from 4-8:30 (so you get to kill two museological birds with one stone), and that I have it on good authority that the curators of the show have poured their heart and soul into the exhibition and would greatly appreciate your support. Also the curators will know if you haven't seen the exhibit and you will effectively be dead to them.

Until next time, enjoy your museum visits and try to keep your sanity at this time of year!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Hello to all of you keyboard warriors in the blogosphere, thanks for stopping by Musings! More importantly, thank you for your continued support of What's Happening Wednesdays. There are plenty of events happening in the city this week to keep you entertained and off of our slush covered streets. Without further ado, let's jump right in!

First up, happening tomorrow (March 5th) at the AGO is this month's edition of First Thursdays. This particular First Thursday focuses on the work of noted graphic novelist Art Spiegelman in the show CO-MIX: A Retrospective. The evening's festivities and performances have been curated by Criticism and Curatorial Practice Students at neighbouring OCAD U. If you want to see museum theory and practice related verbal fisticuffs between U of T and OCAD students, this is the place to be.

If your first name is Art, you basically have no choice but to become an artist.
http://www.ago.net/assets/images/555/01-Print-Magazine-660.jpg

As always, there will be live music, performance art, and plenty of food and drink. The event runs from 7-11:30pm and is 19+. Ticket prices and booking information can be found here.

Secondly, this weekend is the last chance to see Fashioning Life: Wear Your Story at the Design Exchange. The exhibit showcases the potential for fashion to create life experiences and features 14 dresses that have each been individually decorated by different women to illustrate a crucial experience from their lives.

http://www.dx.org/site/design_exchange/assets/images/FashioningLife_595.png

The show is concluding its run this Sunday, March 8th. Further information on the exhibition, as well as opening times at the Design Exchange can be found here.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that this weekend is the iSchool Student Conference: Share Connect Discover. The conference runs from Friday, March 6th at 9am, until Saturday, March 7th at 5pm. It includes a gala event (swanky!), keynote addresses, presentations, and workshops run by your peers in the museum world. All of the events are free, however registration is required and space is limited. Further information and online registration can be found here.

With that, we come to the end of another What's Happening Wednesday. I hope you all have some free time to go and enjoy these events! Until next time.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

If you are reading this I assume you are the sole survivor of our recent frigid temperatures. To reward you (and ensure your continued survival), Musings has curated some indoor activities for you this coming week. That being said, if you do get frostbite in transit to one of these events, Musings assumes no responsibility for any adverse health related issues.

First up we have an event that will simultaneously get you in the mood for spring, whilst allowing you to sit in front of a wood fire and soak in the ambiance (such as smoke inhalation) associated with that particular activity. This coming Saturday February 21st, Fort York is hosting their annual Mad for Marmalade event between 10am-4pm in the historic kitchen. This particular activity is for all of the foodies out there; perks include a citrus themed lunch, as well as the opportunity to attend various workshops and the option to buy various homemade preserves using historic recipes.

All of this deliciousness if withing your grasp.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/btoimageupload/events/2014/01/27/fb_event_1458661287689242_jpg_615x9000_q95.jpg

If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can even enter the marmalade making competition for a chance to win prizes. Or you could just be a freeloader and eat a bunch of what everyone else makes; the choice is yours. Pre-registration is required and will cost you $56; further information and registration options can be found here. From prior experience, I suggest stocking up on the preserves on offer as you won't find anything half as good anywhere else in the city.

Also happening this week is the opening of a new combined exhibition at the Aga Khan Museum. Both exhibitions showcase works from the Howard Hodgkin collection of Indian art housed at the Ashmolean Museum. The first, Visions of Mughal India, exhibits historic paintings and portraits from the Mughal court, Deccan Sultans, and the Rajput kingdoms. The second, Inspired by India, showcases the contemporary works of Howard Hodgkin himself which are inspired by the artists' time in India and his passion for Indian art.

Maharaja Bakhat Singh has a considerably more impressive moustache and sideburns than you ever will.
https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions

The exhibits run jointly from February 21st-June 21st and are included with the cost of general admission ($20 for adults or $15 for students). Further information about the artist and the paintings can be found here.

Finally, happening at our very own iSchool on February 23rd is a talk by Professor Jon Ippolito from the Digital Curation Institute (DCI). As part of the DCI's 2015 lecture series, Prof. Ippolito is speaking about digital preservation and the search for renewable culture. The lecture will include a question and answer period moderated by the Director of Museum Studies at the iSchool, Prof. Costis Dallas.

I'm hoping Prof. Ippolito wears his leather jacket to the discussion.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/btoimageupload/events/2014/01/27/fb_event_1458661287689242_jpg_615x9000_q95.jpg

The lecture will take place between noon-1:30pm in room 728 of the Bissell building and entry is free. Further information can be found about the event here.

Whether it be enjoying artistic depictions of fantastic facial hair, eating unreasonable amounts of jam, or bettering your academic side, Musings has plenty of events for you to enjoy. Now go forth and learn something new!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Characterised by monochromatic landscapes and unrelenting cold, February is usually a month where there is very little to be excited about. Not so for this particular portion of the month however. In an exciting turn of events, there are three exhibition openings happening throughout the city, each more tantalising than the last.

First we have Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now's the Time opening at the AGO on Saturday, February 7th. Basquiat is famous for confronting and discussing issues of racism and social tension through his paintings. This is also the first major retrospective of Basquiat's work in Canada, after the untimely death of the artist in New York in 1987 at the age of 27.

Do as fever-dream Batman commands you, and go see this show.
http://www.ago.net/assets/images/555/E-01175-660.jpg

The show opens to the public at 6pm; tickets cost $25 for an adult, or $16.50 for a student. Tickets and further information can be found here. If the AGO does not consider you cool enough to let you in on opening night, do not fret about your street cred. The show runs until May 10th, so you will have ample time to post your perfectly composed instagram shots from inside the gallery.

Second, at the Gardiner Museum we have Women, Art, & Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise, an exhibition jointly organised by the Smithsonian and Newcomb College at Tulane University.The exhibition showcases the efforts of a group of women in the Southern US who achieved financial independence through making and selling pottery. Set against the backdrop of post-Civil War New Orleans, this exhibition tells a story of entrepreneurship through beautiful objects.

Every entrepreneur needs a hammer. Although why one might need a hammer for ceramics seems counter-intuitive.
http://www.gardinermuseum.on.ca/designedit_inc/photogalleries/1419/l/Womanhammeringbowl.jpg

The show opens to the public on Thursday, February 5th and admission will cost you $15 for an adult or $9 for a student. Alternatively it will cost you NOTHING if you are Musings Administrator and Contributing Editor, Meaghan Dalby (*cough* WEASEL *cough*). Tickets and further information can be found here.

Finally, we have Squared2 opening today, February 4th. Hosted at the Steam Whistle Roundhouse located at 255 Bremner Boulevard, this exhibitions brings together three dozen works from three Toronto area photographers. The exhibit is meant to explore beauty found through happenstance from all over the world.

Photography! Beer! Novelty advertising vehicles!
http://i3.stay.com/images/venue/596/9/6db16ea4/view-from-steam-whistle-brewery.jpg

The opening reception is tonight from 7-11pm, and you will be pleased to know that entry is free. Better still is the fact that this exhibit is hosted at a brewery, so i'm sure there will be plenty of....beverages. Further information can be found here.

It is quite unusual to get a brace of openings like this occurring at the same time, so you should make hay while the sun is shining (proverbially, not literally, it's miserable outside). See you next time!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Good morning dutiful and faithful readers, and may the blessings of Wedenesday be bestowed upon you! I have quite the list of events happening in the museum and cultural institution world in Toronto this week, so make sure you have an agenda/electronic device/pen and paper/slate to hand and take notes!

Firstly, today is the most important day of the year no matter what calendar you follow. More important than a loved one's anniversary or birthday; it's Museum Selfie Day! If you find yourself in a museum, art gallery, historic house or similar, please feel free to post a picture of yourself grinning like an idiot as an eternal cyberspace monument to human vanity/love for museums.

Johannes Vermeer's slightly less well known work Girl with a Panasonic Camera.
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/534980029155790848/W-A_TJHa.jpeg

Just make sure you tag whatever institution you are visiting in your tweet, and be sure to use the hashtag #MuseumSelfie. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, or would just like to learn more about it, all of your questions will be answered here.

Secondly, this Friday the 23rd at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is the launch party for the upcoming winter group exhibition. The exhibit is titled The Unfinished Conversation: Encoding/Decoding and runs from January 24th-May 18th, and discusses the physical manifestations and the mindset of specific visual dynamics of the post-World War II era.

Just so much mingling happening at the Power Plant. Hone your mingling skills, they are invaluable.
http://www.thepowerplant.org/ProgramsEvents/Events/Opening-Party/Winter-2015-Opening-Party.aspx

Doors open at the Power Plant for the launch party at 8pm and admission is absolutely free! There will also be live music, a cash bar, plenty of interesting contemporary art, and a healthy amount of mingling. Further information on the exhibition and the opening event can be found here.

Next up, we have Come Up To My Room at the Gladstone Hotel. This is an annual alternative design event and exhibition hosted at the hotel, and is the Gladstone's signature, self-produced event; this year the artists and designers have been asked to use the event as a platform to showcase what goes on inside their heads. By that sentence alone, you know it will be entertaining at the very least. The show runs until January 25th and admission is $10. Further information about the event can be found here, and here.

Finally, this Friday the 23rd at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), between 6-7pm a group of performance artists will be showcasing Bouncy Highrise which involves "a performance event in which a small crew of people will attempt to stack a tower of bouncy castles, one on top of the other" in a critique of the Toronto condo building boom. For editorial objectivity I make no comment on the above statements...however it might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a performance artist get maimed by a collapsing multi-level bouncy castle.

This is the actual picture used on the MOCCA website. This event is bound to be entertaining, and a sharp commentary on the hubris of humanity.
http://www.mocca.ca/event/bouncyhighrise/

The event is free, and further information can be found here. I suggest bringing a hard hat and a camera that shoots in slow motion to capture the inevitable demise of Bouncy Highrise.

With that I bid you adieu until next time, and I hope you all enjoy this very diverse group of events!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

Good morning faceless internet readers! I trust you all had an enjoyable and relaxing break, and that you managed to avoid the stressful situations unique to large family gatherings.

I realise that now that the holidays are over, your time is no longer punctuated by a steady stream of celebratory events that largely revolve around eating obscene amounts of food. As a result you are likely directionless; adrift in a sea of free time with only your doughy post-holiday physique to comfort you. With that in mind, I am here to get you off the couch and into the world of cultural heritage with some exciting (and cerebral) events happening this week!

First off, we have the Museology and Cultural Theory Colloquium happening today (January 7th) at noon in room 538 of the Bissell building. The event features three presenters, Katie Methot, Robin Nelson, and Nicole Ritchie, all of whom are in their second year of the MMSt program. The colloquium allows us to get a sneak preview into the beginnings of several thesis projects to be completed this year. The event is open to anyone in the iSchool community and includes free pizza (while supplies last)! I encourage anyone to attend if they have the time. All three presenters have spent a considerable amount of time and effort researching their chosen subject matter and are worthy of your support!

This week also marks your last chance to see Michelangelo: Quest for Genius at the AGO. The show ends on Sunday January 11th and centres on 29 drawings from the private collection of the artist himself. As it is the closing days of the show, don't come crying to me if it is exceptionally busy in the galleries.

"Can you not?"
The exact look Michelangelo would give to people who wait until the last minute to see a museum exhibit and then complain about how long the line is.
http://www.michelangeloago.com/assets/gallery/2/E-00715.3.jpg

Tickets can be purchased online via the AGO website here. An adult ticket will cost you $25, whereas a student ticket is $16.50, and includes general admission to the rest of the gallery. If you are feeling particularly lazy however, you can also view an online version of the exhibit here.

I hope these events help start you in the right direction for the beginning of 2015 and that you all have an enjoyable week. I look forward to hearing about how well all of your new years resolutions are coming along in my next post!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

T'is the season Musings readers! And by that I mean t'is the season for perilously close deadlines, unceasing cold, and the relentless assault on our ears that is festive-themed music. With these horrors in mind, please see below for some stress relievers in the upcoming week!

First up is the Mix with Museum Masters event happening Wednesday November 26th (that's today!). The event will allow you to mix with MMSt alumni and current students, as well as blow off some steam. Now for the next sentence, I want to make sure you are sitting down because I am about to utter the sweetest words in any language; the event includes free food and one beverage of your choosing (followed by a cash bar.)

This is the face you should be making when informed there is free food at an event.
Source: http://www.tiff.net/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/stanley-kubrick/about

It is open to both first and second year MMSt students and will be hosted at the Elephant & Castle pub at 212 King Street West between 6-9 p.m. Between 8-9 p.m. the event organisers have also rustled up some $12 tickets to get a tour of the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. You can register for the event here.

In the interest of keeping you relaxed throughout the week, the AGO has an event that might be of interest. On Friday the 28th the AGO will be screening four movies in Jackman Hall. First is Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell at 2 p.m., followed by Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom (Bill Murray is in this movie, what a surprise...) at 4:30.

Basically I want you to be as relaxed as Bill Murray is in this picture. Or as relaxed as the three children are, especially considering they are being confronted by a shirtless man with an axe and a bottle of wine. Either level of relaxation is acceptable.
Source: http://www.virginmedia.com/images/billmurray-moonrisekingdom-590x350.jpg

If these movies don't have enough themes of melancholy and horror for your taste, then you can wait until 6:30 for the Coen brother's No Country for Old Men, or Stanley Kubrick's The Shining at 9. Tickets cost $10 for members, $12 for students, and $8 for students. Further information about the screenings can be found here.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the poster session run by the students of the iSchool's Curating Science class, occurring next Wednesday, December 3rd (especially since my editor is presenting on that day, gotta keep the boss happy!). The session runs between 6:30-9:30 on the 7th floor of the Bissell building and features the work of the students from throughout the year. Each project is like a miniature museum exhibit, and I can speak from experience that the students put in a lot of work, and would appreciate the support for their informative and entertaining projects.

So dear readers, I wish you the best of luck in the coming weeks. Stay strong, and don't let work get the best of you! See you next time!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

For the MMSters who are reading this, I hope you had a productive reading week and that you are well prepared for the upcoming onslaught of projects (i.e. you didn't binge watch nature documentaries and ignore your responsibilities as an adult). If you're already working in the field, the past week was likely the status-quo for you. Congratulations, you spent another week with your hopes and dreams receding imperceptibly into the past, with the drudgery of your 9-5 job as a backdrop. Don't worry though, no matter which of the above groups you belong to, Musings will comfort you!

First up there is an exciting exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. On now until January 25th, TIFF is hosting Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition, which includes photographs and letters, original props and costumes, screenplays, and other ephemera from the career of the distinguished film maker. Even more exciting however, is that TIFF is showing movies spanning Kubrick's career throughout the run of the exhibit. On November 13th they are showing his happy-go-lucky 1987 classic Full Metal Jacket. Told you I would cheer you up!

YOU WILL NOT LAUGH. YOU WILL NOT CRY. YOU WILL READ WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS MAGGOTS.
http://1001afilmodyssey.blogspot.ca/2012/12/full-metal-jacket-1987.html

Tickets solely for the exhibit can be purchased for $12.50. Film and exhibition combos can be bought for $20. Further information on the exhibit and films, as well as further ticket information can be found here.

Changing gears drastically now to Islamic art. This week is your last chance to see In Search of the Artist, a temporary exhibit at the Aga Khan Museum. This particular exhibit showcases Islamic art from Iran, India, and Central Asia between the 15th and 17th centuries. The main idea is that a visitor will be able to walk out of the exhibit and be able to name influential artists from the Muslim world while also having a greater appreciation for Islamic art. A highlight is the Court of Keyomars, a folio from an early 16th century Persian book of kings known as the Shah-Nameh, and widely considered one of the finest examples of Islamic art anywhere.

This picture does not even come close to doing this painting justice; all the more reason you should go see it in person.
https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/collection/artifact/court-gayumars-folio-shahnameh-book-kings-shah-tahmasp

The exhibit ends on Sunday November 16th so catch it while you still can! Entry to the museum is $20 and includes access to both the permanent and temporary galleries. For an extra $10 you can receive a guided tour from one of the talented and handsome guides (i.e. myself and a few other select MMSt students). Further information about the exhibit can be found here.

I hope this sufficiently equips all of you with enough cultural activities for the week, and I wish all of you the best of luck with work. Until next time!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

It's that time of the year where everyone is increasingly stressed about work and compensates by loading up their already caffeinated beverages with obscene amounts of pumpkin flavouring. My advice to you is the following. First, have some self control and step away from the Pumpkin Spice Latte; they make people even more jittery and irritable than normal. Second, read this blog about what you can get up to in the city this coming week. It might not calm you down, but it will probably distract you long enough to stop you from drowning some poor unfortunate foodstuff in pumpkin flavouring. 

Now as some of you may be aware, this Friday is Halloween, one of our most beloved faux-holidays. As such, many cultural institutions are jumping on this heathen bandwagon and running Halloween themed events. One example of this is at Colborne Lodge, run by the City of Toronto and located in High Park, who are running a haunted walk. The walk takes place within the 1830's lodge itself and the surrounding grounds.

Colborne Lodge in High Park. Black and white pictures make everything look scarier.
Original source: https://tayloronhistory.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/1912.jpg 

Admission includes the requisite ghost stories as well as period-accurate refreshments. The tours are occurring on October 30th and 31st from 7-8:30, and cost $17.50. Further information can be found here.

Now if spooky stories or gorging yourself on an obscene amount of candy (the point of Halloween) isn't your style, I have you covered. This Thursday, Montgomery's Inn (a small community museum in the west end of the city) is running their monthly Thirsty Thursday event. The event is set in their original 1847 barroom, and includes live music, a cash bar, bowls of traditional Irish stew for $5, and FREE admission. 

A little known site in the city that is well worth a visit. Did I mention it's FREE! Also you cannot resist the siren song of beer and $5 stew on a cold fall evening.
Original source: https://tce-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/media/media/0e78b376-3f86-4221-ba7d-c2b9d3b066eb.jpg

The museum itself is a short walk from Islington TTC station, and further information about the event and the museum can be found here.

Now it is also worth pointing out that the ROM is also running a special Halloween Friday Night Live this week for the same price as a regular FNL event. Even more exciting is that the Museum Studies Student Association (MUSSA) is going to FNL this Friday (in costume I might add)! These are the events that Museum Studies students live for, so act quickly. You can find more details and RSVP here.

Having been to FNL on Halloween (and at other times), I can assure you it is a fantastic night out. My only warning is to make sure there is no incriminating evidence of you having too much fun...

Look upon this and despair. Also, please note this picture does not reflect my actual personality.
Original source: Meaghan Dalby 

Either way, I wish you all an enjoyable week, spooky or not. See you next time!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Hello and welcome to Wednesday everyone! At this point of the week most of us are looking for a shred of hope on the horizon that will coax us towards the weekend without resorting to committing grievous bodily harm on our friends and colleagues. As always, Musings will save you and those you love from that scenario. Tell your parole officer that you're safe for at least another week; there is plenty happening in the city to keep you occupied. Here's an idea of what you have to look forward to in the next seven days.

For our hardcore intellectual readers (I hear "nerd" is not politically correct anymore), the AGO is a running an event this evening that may be of interest to you. From 7-8:30 pm in Baillie Court the gallery is hosting Hugo Chapman, the curator for Italian Drawings at the British Museum, for a talk on the sketches and drawings of Michelangelo and what these works can reveal about the artist himself.

Admittedly this Michelangelo fella was rather good at drawing people.
http://www.ago.net/assets/images/555/E-00579.JPG

The event will allow you to interact with a curator from a globally-renowned institution, and will also give you the opportunity to see sketches by Michelangelo from the AGO's own collection. Tickets can be bought here and will cost you $10 for a student, or $15 if you are a member of the public.

However, if you want to meld your interests in museums and cultural institutions with an appreciation for drinking and street food, there is only one place to be this week: Friday Night Live at the ROM. For this Friday, October 17th, the theme for the evening is Africa Alive! which will emphasize the ROM's collections from Africa. Activities include talks by curators from the World Cultures and Palaeontology departments, live musical and dance performances from Toronto based African artists, and a wide assortment of food like perogies...I admit the theme unravels a bit there, but who doesn't like perogies?

Adrian X is going to be there performing on the guitar, and apparently he produces music for some guy called Drake?
http://musicrising.org/wp-content/uploads/adrian.jpg

Tickets will cost you $10 as a student or $12 as an adult and can be bought here. Doors open at 7pm and the museum closes at 11pm.

Finally, for those of you out there who enjoy making things, the Bata Shoe Museum is running a unique workshop this Sunday, October 19th from noon-4 pm. In conjunction with their exhibit Fashion Victims: The Pleasures and Perils of Dress in the 19th Century, the museum is running a DIY workshop in which you can make your own 19th Century fascinator with a 21st Century twist.

It's so beautiful, it's like looking into the sun. Plus you would really be the talk of the town wearing this to a party.
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/events/2014_fall_passtimes/Fascinator.jpg

Now the price is a little steep at $50, however it includes materials, admission to the museum, and a tour of the exhibit itself. Plus you get to keep what you make! Tickets can be bought here.

So whether you want to create some fancy headgear or eat perogies with a museum curator there is plenty for you to do this week. Hope you enjoy yourselves!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

Would you like to know what is happening at cultural institutions in the city of Toronto for the coming week? Of course you do! Otherwise you wouldn't be reading this fantastic blog post. However if you did reach this post in error, why don't you stay awhile? Your page views still count towards our total anyway.

There are two major events happening in the city in the coming days, both of which are of a social nature. So, with that in mind, this is a good week to get a group of friends together and dip into the portion of your budget marked "miscellaneous expenditures".

First up we have Nuit Blanche Toronto happening on Saturday, October 4th from 6:53pm (avoid the social faux pas of showing up at 6:50, you'll never live down the embarassment) until sunrise. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Nuit Blanche, some brief background information. This event has occurred in Toronto annually since 2006, and involves transforming public spaces and local institutions into contemporary art exhibits for one night only.

Ai WeiWei's installation in Toronto last year.
http://i1.wp.com/metronewsca.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/image.jpeg?crop=64px%2C0px%2C5320px%2C3513px&resize=618%2C408

This year there are 4 featured exhibitions, and over 100 independent and special exhibits occurring across the downtown core at venues such as the Gardiner Museum, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Fort York, and Nathan Phillips Square. A detailed event map and background on the exhibitions and artists can be found here.

Most importantly however is the fact that all of these events are free! So grab some friends and take in a night of culture outdoors while the weather is still nice. Whether you decide to critically engage with the artwork, or laugh at someone dressed as a metaphor for urban decline get their foot stuck in a streetcar track, I guarantee you will have fun.

Next we have this months' First Thursday at the AGO. Similar to the ROM's Friday Night Live program, this is a once a month event where the AGO throws a party in the galleries replete with dancing, dining, and drinking.

Interior of the Galleria Italia. Don't miss out, this could be you.
http://www.blogto.com/upload/2013/06/201367-1stthursdays-window.jpg

Unsurprisingly, this event is happening Thursday, October 2nd from 7-11:30pm. Advance tickets will cost you $12 ($10 if you are a member), or $15 at the door ($13 for members). That being said, if you are willing to fork over an extra Sir John A. Macdonald you will also get entry to the Alex Colville exhibition. Tickets can be bought here, and they do sell out so get on it!

This particular First Thursday also guarantees to be special as it is the two year anniversary of this event. To celebrate, the AGO is offering sneak peeks of some of the aforementioned Nuit Blanche exhibits, as well as acrobats in Walker Court from 7:30-9:30.

So get out there and attempt to be social this week, cultural connoisseurs. Because if there is one demographic who isn't occasionally socially awkward and thrives in loud environments, it's people who like art galleries and museums. Thanks for reading!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: CAMERON CRAWLEY

What’s happening everyone? As you may have realised, it is Wednesday, which can mean only one thing. I am here to tell you what is going on in the (museum and cultural institutions) world this week, and we are really throwing caution to the wind for this inaugural What’s Happening Wednesday of the school year.

It is very rare that one museum is opening its doors to the public in Toronto, let alone two museums. However, that is the situation we are currently facing, and I am very excited.

First up is the Aga Khan Museum at 76 Wynford Drive which opens to the public this Thursday, September 18^th. This museum houses a stunning collection of Islamic art and architecture from every corner of the Muslim world. If you want to know more about the museum, you can read a review of the galleries at the VIP opening here.

The main entrance of the Aga Khan Museum from the Gardens.
Photo taken by Cameron Crawley.

Admission will cost you $15 if you are a student, or $20 for an adult. For that you get entry into both the permanent and temporary galleries. For the budget-conscious, it is worth noting that entry to the building and gardens is free, as is a small exhibition gallery in the building known as the Bellerive Room, which houses art objects from His Highness the Aga Khan’s personal collection.

Having been able to take a sneak peek of the galleries myself, it is well worth a visit. The attention to detail, throughout what is already an impressive building, is incredible. Moreover, you won’t find a collection of this calibre anywhere else save for the Met or the Louvre.

The second museum opening in Toronto this week is Fort York’s new visitor centre at Fort York Blvd. and Bathurst on September 20^th and 21^st between noon and 7pm. Entry is free both days, and includes admission to the rest of the site.

A sneak preview of the new visitor centre at Fort York. It is meant to look like a bunker, don't worry.
http://torontoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Fort-York.jpg

The opening happily coincides with Fort York’s annual On Common Ground festival, so activities include music from all over the world, guided tours of the site, and delicious food from the Forts’ historic kitchen. It is also worth noting that the new visitor centre, although decidedly modern, does not diminish the historic character of the rest of the site due to some clever architecture.

Now I know some pedants reading this right now are probably furiously mashing their ham sized fists into their keyboards, writing hate mail to my editors about how Fort York already existed as a museum, and that a new visitor centre doesn’t count. To the pedants I say this: let me, let us, have this one. It is exciting to see museums and cultural institutions get such love and attention in this city, so please don’t be a spoilsport.  

So, museum aficionados of the GTA, get out there and support these two great institutions! It isn’t often that you get to experience two museum openings in the same week in the same city, and I know firsthand how excited both of these institutions are to welcome all of you through their doors.

On a final, and shamelessly self-promoting note, this Friday September 19th are the Ignite sessions discussing all of the internships that Museum Studies students participated in over the past summer. The sessions take place in room 728 of the Bissell building from 9am-3:10pm. All of the second year students would love to see you there, and if you come to my session you get to hear how I learned that radiation is bad the hard way.