SPREAD THE LOVE: WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS FEBRUARY EDITION

WHAT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAYS

BY: KELLY MANIKOTH

Hello friends! Welcome to the February edition of What’s Happening Wednesdays and my first Musings post of 2018! February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s jam packed with so many things to do. It’s time for the Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s Day, and Black History Month. Along with these events, MUSSA is hosting a plethora of trips and activities for us MMSters to have some fun and get over the winter blues together!

1. Super Bowl Sunday at the Elephant and Castle 

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If you’re a football fan (or just enjoy watching all the Superbowl commercials while eating nachos like me) then you can’t miss the big game this upcoming Sunday! A fun place to catch the Superbowl is at The Elephant and Castle, an English-style pub which opened in 1977. The pub has 2 bars and 40 flat screen TV's, 2 wide screen projectors, and seating for over 300 people to ensure you have an incredible viewing experience. Enjoy classic pub food such as wings, nachos, beer and pretzel bites while you cheer on your team. There will be prizes, games and lots of giveaways such as NFL jerseys and Super Bowl Memorabilia throughout the day. Whether you’re an Eagles or a Patriots fan, or just want to enjoy some wings, it’s sure to be a great time! For more information, visit Elephant and Castle

When: Sunday, February 4, 2018, 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Where: 212 King St W.

Cost: Click here to reserve a table

2. Toronto Fashion Week

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Toronto Fashion Week takes place this month! The bi-annual Festival, in partnership with THE COLLECTIONS and RE\SET, spans three days and takes place in the swanky neighborhood of Yorkville, along Hazelton Avenue and Yorkville Avenue. The festival will look at the intersection between fashion, art and culture and features amazing Canadian talent, including emerging designers and industry experts. Keep your eye out for Christopher Bates, Hilary MacMillan, and Pedram Karimi, to name a few. Along with the runway shows, there will be a speaker series and special presentations in partnership with the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) and Fashion Talks that will cover topics such as Fashion and the Royals; Fashion, Costume and the Handmaid’s Tale; and Fashion and Pop Culture.

When: February 5 – 7, 2018, All day

Where: Yorkville Village, various venues. For a list of venues, click here.

Cost: Various Prices. You can reserve individual tickets, or 1 and 3 day passes here.

3. Women in Leadership Panel

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Vahey, MUSSA.

This month, the Master of Museum Studies Association (MUSSA) is holding an amazing event! For the first time ever, MUSSA will present their panel titled Women in Leadership: A Discussion on Challenges, Successes, and the Future, which will be hosted February 9th. Women in different museum leadership positions will talk about their obstacles, successes, advice, stories, and more! Panelists include Gaëtane Verna, Director of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Shelley Falconer, President & CEO of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Dara Solomon, Executive Director of Ontario Jewish Archives, and Gracia Dyer Jalea, Co-Founder of The Toronto Ward Museum.

When: Friday, February 9th, 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Where: Floor 4 of the Inforum, Claude T. Bissell Building

Cost: Free!

4. Going Back to New Orleans Mardi Gras 2018

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It’s Mardi Gras time! The celebration of Fat Tuesday, the day before the commencement of Ash Wednesday and Lent, can be traced back to Medieval Europe, originating in Rome and Venice, then to Bourbon France and their colonies. The tradition of colourful processions and masquerade balls have continued to the present day, and we can take part in the celebrations in Toronto! St. Andrew's Church is hosting a Mardi Gras concert which features traditional Mardi Gras street beat music, beads and a parade! Some of the musical performances include Patrick Tevlin on trumpet, Jacqueline Chia on trombone, Paul Neufield on the sousaphone and Jordan Klapman, the music director, playing the Bosendoffer Imperial grand piano. After the concert, there will be a New Orleans-themed reception in the Great Hall of historic St Andrew's Church.

When: Saturday, February 10, 2018, 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Where: St Andrew’s Church, 73 Simcoe Street

Cost: $20 - $25. You can purchase tickets here.

5. Toronto Black Film Festival

Image of Recy Taylor from the critically acclaimed The Rape of Recy Taylor. Source.

Celebrate and support Black History Month by attending the The Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF). Launched in February 2013, TBFF is devoted to celebrating the cinematic work of Black filmmakers and talent, and in providing the opportunity for filmmakers from all ethnic groups to share and promote authentic stories that reflect the true reality of Black people around the world. It is a sister festival to Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF). The opening film for the festival is The Rape of Recy Taylor, which centers on African American woman Recy Taylor, who was raped by a group of white men in Louisiana in 1944. Rather than stay silent, Taylor stood up and identified her rapists. The critically–acclaimed film first played at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and won the Human Rights Nights Special Prize, will play on February 14th at the Isabel Bader Theatre. Other movies include Amelia’s Closet and Service to Man. For a full list of screenings, visit festival film selection. There is also a multitude of special talks and panels, one of which takes place at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The Movie-Talk with Lamman Rucker, Morgan Auld and Aaron Greer discusses the film Service to Man in the AGO’s Jackman Hall after a screening of the film.

When: February 14 – 19, 2018, all day. The Service to Man Q&A discussion takes place on Saturday, February 17th, at 9 pm.

Where: Multiple Venues. Click here for a full list of venues. The Service to Man Talk takes place at the Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St.

Cost: Varied prices. You can purchase individual tickets or passes here. The tickets for the AGO Talk are $30, and can be purchased here.

6. MUSSA ‘Spread the Love’ Movie Night

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Vahey, MUSSA.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with your much-loved museum colleagues this year! We will be watching one of my favourite films, Moulin Rouge, the iconic musical of a young writer who falls in love with a cabaret dancer. We’ll even have chocolate and imaginary champagne! Spread the museum love and hang out with your museological buddies this romantic month. 😊 💘

When: Monday, February 12th, 4:30 pm

Where: Claude T. Bissell Building, 7th Floor Student Lounge

Cost: Free!

7. Valentine’s Day with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra 

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Looking for something exceptional to do with a loved one on Valentine’s Day? This year the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis will present selections from Prokofiev’s timeless Romeo and Juliet. The Orchestra’s Principal Harp is featured in Reinhold Glière’s thoroughly romantic Harp Concerto, and an overture by 19th-century Russian composer Mily Balakirev opens the program. These amorous tunes will ensure that you have the most swoon-worthy Valentine’s day with your special someone.You can get more information on the performance here.

When: Wednesday, February 14, 2018 8 pm – 10 pm Thursday, February 15, 2018 8 pm – 10 pm

Where: Roy Thompson Hall, 60 Simcoe Hall

Cost: Ticket prices range. You can purchase tickets here.

8. Closing Keynote of Dior at the ROM Tuesday, February 20, 2018 

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Enjoy a talk at the end of the month on the ROM’S stunning exhibition, Dior. The co-curator of Christian Dior’s 70th anniversary exhibition in Paris discuss the brevity of the House of Dior’s designs and what “the future holds for Dior”. The lecture includes a post-event reception with one host drink.

When: Tuesday, February 20, 2018, 7 pm – 8 pm

Where: Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park

Cost: $20 public, $18 members

9. MUSSA Trip: Markham

Varley Art Gallery. Source.

I am so pumped for the last  MUSSA class trip this year! We will be headed up to Markham to visit the Markham Museum and the Varley Art Gallery.

The Markham Museum is an open-air museum that spans 25 acres. The site was established as a museum in 1971 and includes nineteenth century barns, churches, and a train station, with the oldest building constructed in 1824. Named after Frederick Varley of the Group of Seven, The Varley Art Gallery began in 1977. The Gallery features local, national and international contemporary art while hosting educational programming and lectures.

While touring these institutions, we will have opportunities to speak directly to staff members about exhibitions, collections, education, and programming!

When: February 23rd, all day. The group will meet at 8:30 am.

Where: Meeting Spot: The Claude T. Bissell Building Lobby

Cost: $10 deposit. Contact Kathleen at kathleen.vahey@mail.utoronto.ca to sign up.

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This year, let’s not wait for a groundhog to determine how soon we’ll break out of our winter hibernation. I hope everyone has a February complete with love in all its forms, whether that be sharing moments with your significant other, getting together with the MMSt squad, or taking some time for relaxation and self-love during Reading Week. 

LOVE DON'T COST A THING (OR DOES IT?)

(FUN)DRAISING

BY: MAYA DONKERS

Happy Valentine's Day, romantics. One of the things V-Day is best known for, is adding pressure to a what would otherwise be a regular day. Reservations must be made in advance, flowers triple in price, and all of a sudden pink and red blouses emerge from the depth of the closet.

Choosing how to celebrate with your loved one can be a challenge. Do you stay in and cook? Do you go to dinner and a show? Or do you ignore the whole day and celebrate your love a week later?

Option 3.5: Live vicariously through some Bieber action. (Source)

I would like to introduce a fourth option: attend a museum valentines-themed event so your hard earned cash goes to celebrating love AND to supporting the arts.

Here are some examples of museums that know how to capitalize on where the money is coming from and where it is going:

1. Valentine's Day Dinner 

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada hosts the "ultimate Valentine's Day dinner" for a healthy $275.00 per couple. There are two separate dinner seatings that include a cash bar, music, three course dinner in one of the galleries, access to most of the Aquarium, and one Valentine's Day photo. 

2. Wines and Valentines 2017: A Winemaker's Dinner

This special fundraising event hosted by the Museum on Main features "wine exquisitely paired with a multi-course dinner." In its 10th year of the event, the menu features a unique collection of wines from one family estate. 

For a mere $85.00 US (per person) you and your loved one can enjoy a delicious dinner and wine pairing with a live auction and a raffle. 

3. Night Shift: Wild Romances 

The Royal BC Museum's adult-only event has you and your loved one covered with a photo book, live music, a scavenger hunt, craft stations, food, and more. The program includes "Sex Talks on Stage" and an "Erotica Dance Performance."

Tickets are $35.00 (per person) and covers all program events (and food) from 8p.m. - 12a.m.

4. Valentine's Fireside at the Inn

Spend Valentine's Day evening at the Inn near a roaring fire, listening to live music and enjoying a mulled beverage with the perfect dessert. 

A relatively inexpensive $40.00 per couple includes a plated dessert and a mulled wine beverage each.

5. Valentine Luncheon 

The Valentine Luncheon hosted by the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University is "a wonderful fundraising event benefitting the Museum." This event is sponsored by Neiman Marcus, Downtown Dallas

Yes, yes we will. (Source).

There you have it! With the 365 days left until next Valentine's Day, there is ample time to find the best museum V-Day event near you. 

There are lots of events out there, post below if you have plans to attend one! 

HAPPY DAY OF LOVE ALL! 

STORIES OF LOVE AND LOSS AT THE MUSEUM: THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS

MUSEUM MONDAYS 

BY: EMMA HOFFMAN

Hey y'all! Today I'm back with a special Valentine's Day edition of Museum Mondays. Whether your V-day plans include spending some one-on-one time with your boo, telling your family and friends how much you love them, and/or practicing self-care to show yourself some love, join me this Monday for quick power-walk through the history of heart day and a visit to the Museum of Broken Relationships.

This was too appropriate. Source.

From the seasonal decor aisle at your local dollar store to the proliferation of diamond commercials on T.V., the facade of love has been used and abused to advertise chocolate, candy, and sparkly things. Despite this, Valentine's Day's origins are in fact not found in consumerism. The ancient Roman fertility festival: Lupercalia, was appropriated by the Catholic Church and turned into "Saint Valentine's Day". The saint-day memorialized Saint Valentine of Rome: a priest who was executed for performing marriages for people who were prohibited from tying the knot, for a variety of reasons. In Europe, Valentine's Day notes and letters were first exchanged during the fifteenth-century, and this trend transformed into the act of exchanging Valentine's Day cards that has remained popular throughout the past few hundreds of years.

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Now that we know that Ancient Roman parties, martyrs, Christianity, and letter-writing have all contributed to the development of the Valentine's Day we experience today, let's check out The Museum of Broken Relationships together.

I first came across The Museum of Broken Relationships while surfin' the old 'web last year. The museum is "a global crowd-sourced project," that consists of online exhibits as well as two physical locations in Zagreb, Croatia, and in Los Angeles, California. The objects displayed are regular, everyday items belonging to everyday people, but their shtick is that these items are representative of donor's romantic relationships, break-ups, and heartbreak. The objects are donated to the museum's physical collection, or images of personal items can be uploaded to the museum's website.

Object from the Museum of Broken Relationships' online collection. Source.

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The visitor-centred model that the Museum of Broken Relationships uses is backed by theories in current museological discourse, such as Nina Simon's 'the participatory museum'. Simon argues that the display of 'social objects' can encourage participatory experiences in museums: objects that, can engage visitors by, "tapping into pre-existing stories and connections between visitors and collections." Stories discussing matters of the heart are something that the majority of potential visitors can relate to, and therefore, an exhibit made by visitors, for visitors, can both attract visitors through the museum's active effort to make their collections relevant to visitors' lives, and can encourage visitors to participate in the experience by sharing artifacts from their own break-ups.

Although the objects and accompanying labels from the Museum of Broken Relationships can be both funny and devastating, they acknowledge the similitude between people's experiences, regardless of location, and provide an example that the people sharing their break-up stories in the Museum's exhibits are not actually alone in their feelings of loneliness.

Would you ever contribute an object to the Museum of Broken Relationships or take part in a similar participatory experience? Let me know in the comments and Happy (almost) Valentine's Day to all the readers out there.

Bonus: Nick Viall and some of the Bachelor season 21 cast at the Museum of Broken Relationships in L.A. Source.

Resources:
Hanes, E. (2013, Feb. 14). "6 Surprising Facts About St. Valentine." History. Retrieved from  http://www.history.com/news/6-surprising-facts-about-st-valentine .
Simon, N. (2011). The Participatory Museum. Retrieved from  http://www.participatorymuseum.org/chapter1/.