Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 7

Rothko meets Morrisseau, as AGO celebrates great Moments in Modernism - Opens June 14

From a media release:

Rothko meets Morrisseau, as AGO celebrates great Moments in ModernismMark Rothko’s No.1, White and Red on view when exhibition opens June 14

In advance of new Dani Reiss Contemporary & Modern Gallery, exhibition features Canadian, American, Indigenous and Brazilian modernist artists in dialogue

Check It Out

TORONTO — Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, from Toronto to São Paulo, painters began rejecting figuration and perspective, embracing colour, scale and line, in pursuit of a more expressive and immediate experience. Opening on June 14, 2024 at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Moments in Modernism presents more than 50 works from the AGO’s collection of modern art, ranging from Minimalism to Pop Art, by some of the era’s most influential artists, including Jack Bush, Alex Colville, Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Ellsworth Kelly, Rita Letendre, Norval Morrisseau, Tomie Ohtake, Robert Rauschenberg, and Andy Warhol.

L-R: Artists Rita Letendre taken by Misterlobat (25 March 2014/cropped/CC BY-SA 3.0); Andy Warhol at the Jewish Museum, 1980 (Library of Congress Call Number: LC-GB05- 4532.This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID gtfy.04532.digital ID gtfy.04532.); Photograph of Mark Rothko, painter, by Conseulo Kanaga, circa 1940s (Gelatin silver print/Public domain/from the Brooklyn Museum collection)

Offering visitors the unique opportunity to see influential Canadian, American, Indigenous and Brazilian artists in dialogue across time, Moments in Modernism is organized as a series of encounters, between individual artists and styles. Co-curated by Stephan Jost, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO, AGO and Debbie Johnsen, Manager, Modern & Contemporary Collections, AGO, highlights of the exhibition include conversations between Agnes Martin and Kazuo Nakamura, Rita Letendre and Jack Bush, and a meeting of Mark Rothko and Norval Morrisseau’s signature styles.

Moments in Modernism, marks the return to view of several AGO masterworks, including Mark Rothko’s No.1, White and Red, which since last fall has been on view in Paris, a jewel in the celebrated Rothko retrospective at The Fondation Louis Vuitton. Also, back on view for the first time in more than a decade are large scale works by Jack Bush, Robert Motherwell, Jules Olitski and Gerhard Richter.

"Seeing a great Warhol, Rothko or Letendre in person can be a very powerful experience,” says co-curator Stephan Jost. “When we look back, it is clear that the AGO acquired the right works by the right artists.”

“In pursuit of a new, expressive style of painting, these artists pushed the limits of what we think of as art,” says co-curator Debbie Johnsen, AGO Manager, Modern & Contemporary Collections. “Modernism takes many forms and it’s a privilege to showcase that here, through these larger-than-life paintings from Brazil, New York, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Toronto. The brilliance that produced modernism’s biggest moments, requires so much space and thought – we so are excited to share these landmark paintings with audiences.”

On view through autumn 2025, Moments in Modernism anticipates the forthcoming Dani Reiss Modern and Contemporary Gallery, which is currently in the initial stages of construction. When completed in 2027, the expansion will increase exhibition space for the museum’s growing modern and contemporary art collection.

The Details

Moments in Modernism opens to AGO Members on Friday, June 14 at 5 p.mFriday, June 14 at 5 p.m., and to Annual Pass holders and the public on Tuesday, June 18. 

Admission is free for all Ontarians under 25, all Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members and Annual Passholders. Same day tickets can be booked in person and online. For more details on how to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit ago.ca .

Art Bash, the AGO’s signature fundraising event—and the city’s premier celebration of art, culture, and community—returns Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Inspired by the energy and colour of Moments in Modernism, Art Bash is presented by Tricon Residential. 

Tickets go on sale June 18, 2024. For more details and to purchase, click HERE .

Additional programming – including talks and courses – will be announced in the autumn.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art presents "Myths, Secrets, Lies, and Truths: Photography from the Doug McCraw Collection"

From a media release

The Power of Photography
The Boca Raton Museum of Art presents
"Myths, Secrets, Lies, and Truths: Photography from the Doug McCraw Collection"On view June 12 through October 13, 2024

Featuring the work of five artists: Sheila Pree Bright, Liesa Cole, Karen Graffeo, Spider Martin, and Hank Willis Thomas 

The exhibition of 100+ works from the Doug McCraw Collection is an original presentation by the Museum, and was curated by Kathleen Goncharov, the Museum’s Senior Curator. The works explore themes of survival, exposure, concealment, exploitation, race, and cultural-defining design.

They include still photography and installations, capturing moments that transcend boundaries of insight, and reveal how fabricated myths can shape our perceptions and distort our beliefs.

Slack Power, by Hank Willis Thomas (Lightjet print). Original ad photo from 1969; re-conceptualized by Thomas in 2006 (from the Collection of Doug McCraw).


Doug McCraw is the co-founder of one of South Florida’s cultural gems: the FATVillage Arts District which is McCraw's project that promotes creativity, artist residences, exhibitions, research, and education. McCraw loaned these 100+ works from his collection to the Boca Raton Museum, for this new exhibition.

“Myths, Secrets, Lies and Truths presents five distinct voices that delve into and illuminate so many aspects of life," says Irvin Lippman, the Executive Director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. "Our thanks to Doug McCraw who has built an extraordinary and stimulating collection that will facilitate insightful conversations.”

The Boca Raton Museum of Art is located at 501 Plaza Real in Mizner Park, a shopping, dining, entertainment, residential and arts district in downtown Boca RatonHank Willis Thomas (b. 1976)

Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist based in Brooklyn whose work focuses on identity and popular culture. He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as a Museum Studies student. He received a BFA in Photography and Africana studies in 1986 and was awarded honorary doctorates from the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts.

Thomas’ work has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography, NYC; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain; Musee du qua Branly, Paris; Hong Kong Arts Centre; and the Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Netherlands, among others.

Thomas is included in the public collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Whitney Museum of American Art (New York); Brooklyn Museum; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; and the National Museum of Art, Washington, D.C. among others. Awards include the Guggenheim Fellowship (2018), AGO Photography Prize (2017), and the Soros Equality Fellowship (2017). Thomas is a member of the New York City Public Design Commission. 

Now there's a doll that can make a real difference in her life: Shani, the first Black Barbie, by Hank Willis Thomas (Lightjet print). Original ad photo from 1991; this ad photo was re-conceptualized by Thomas in 2007 (from the Collection of Doug McCraw).
From his series "Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America"

Hank Willis Thomas is known for exploring American consumer culture, and the history of how corporate imagery in advertising campaigns showed a lack of respect towards African Americans through the years via print advertisements.

His series investigates the subtle and not so subtle ways in which this influential imagery reinforced ideas about race and race relations. Most of the works in this exhibition are from his series titled Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America.

The series explores fifty years of ads that targeted a Black audience or featured Black subjects. Ads starting in 1968 (the year of social and political protest and the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.), through 2008 (the year when the first African American president was elected). 

Now there's a doll that can make a real difference in her life: Shani, the first Black Barbie, by Hank Willis Thomas (Lightjet print). Original ad photo from 1991; this ad photo was re-conceptualized by Thomas in 2007 (from the Collection of Doug McCraw).

The end result is a re-imagined version of each original ad, showing how white ad executives at the time got away with creating these depictions for marketing campaigns.

Writing in The Guardian, the art critic Arwa Mahdawi stated: "Thomas's work 'unbrands' advertising: stripping away the commercial context, and leaving the exposed image to speak for itself." 

Thomas then pairs a befitting title for each re-imagined work, further underscoring how disrespect, stereotypes ‒ and, in some cases, outright racism ‒ were prevalent in advertising aimed at Black Americans.

Brother in Arms, by Spider Martin (Archival digital print on exhibition fiber paper), 1965 (Collection of Doug McCraw).James “Spider” Martin (1939-2003)

James “Spider” Martin was an American photojournalist best known for his documentation of the American Civil Rights Movements, in particular, 1965’s Selma to Montgomery marches. He was born in Fairfield, Alabama. At 5’2”, he was nicknamed “spider” as he would climb trees and church towers to obtain optimal angles for his photographs.

Martin’s photographs were published in major national and international publications, including: Life Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Time Magazine, Der Spiegel, Paris Match, and more. His photographs are in many permanent collections including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, National Museum of American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., and the Dolph Briscoe Center for American Art in Austin, TX.

Martin’s historic images from the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March documented protests by African Americans demanding the right to vote.

While working as a young new photojournalist at The Birmingham News, Martin captured the historic photo Two Minute Warning (pictured below), showing state troopers about to attack peaceful marchers with batons and tear gas, after the marchers crossed Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma into Dallas County. The incident was pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement, and is known as Bloody Sunday. 

Two Minute Warning Sequence Frame 1, by Spider Martin (Archival digital print on exhibition fiber paper), 1965 (Collection of Doug McCraw).

Three of Martin’s photographs from that day in 1965 were enlarged to serve as the centerpiece for this exhibition, providing a powerful large-scale emphasis that expresses the drama of this critical moment in history.

They are part of a series of photographs titled Selma Is Now. Martin's collection contains thousands of photographs, clippings and other notes — much of it previously unpublished before it was acquired by the University of Texas. The producers of the movie Selma used Martin’s photographs to recreate scenes for the film.

Dr. King himself credited his photos with playing a major role in passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. stating in his quote below:

“Spider, we could have marched, we could have protested forever, but if it weren’t for guys like you, it would have been for nothing. The whole world saw your pictures. That’s why the Voting Rights Act passed.” — Martin Luther King, 1965

Shanae Rowland, by Sheila Pree Bright (2007), chromogenic print (from the Collection of Doug McCraw).Sheila Pree Bright (b. 1967)

Sheila Pree Bright is an Atlanta-based award-winning photographer known for portraying large-scale works that combine a wide-range knowledge of contemporary culture. She received a BS from the University of Missouri in 1998. She moved to Atlanta in 1998, and received an MFA from Georgia State University in 2003.

She created a “clean room” in the museum – an enclosed, transparent box with two holes equipped with gloves used by the viewer to flip through a blank journal that visually transforms into a magic book and then into a spy craft technical manual before one’s very eyes. 

In 2006, Bright was awarded the Center Prize at the Santa Fe Center of Photography, and had her first solo show at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta in 2008 which featured the series Young Americans.

Her work has also been shown at The Wadsworth Atheneum of Art, in Hartford, CT and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH. Bright’s work is included in the collections of National Museum of African American History, Washington, D.C.; The BET Collection, NYC; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; de Saisset Museum, Santa Clare University, Sata Clare, CA; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland KS; The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT; The Paul Jones Collection, Birmingham AL; and Spellman Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, among others.

From her series"Young Americans"

Sheila Pree Bright presents works from her Young Americans series, in which she invited young people, of all backgrounds and in cities across the country, to pose with the flag in ways that felt comfortable (while recording their personal stories of what the flag means to each of them).

Bright wanted this series to focus on diverse young Americans who are new to the voting system, and who are still exploring ideas of what it means to be American. In some ways, this series by Bright may be the most timely of the exhibition, due to the impending elections and the pivotal youth vote.

Shawn Ole T. Evangelista, by Sheila Pree Bright (Chromogenic print) 2006.

Bright has appeared in the 2016 feature-length documentary film “Election Day: Lens Across America.” The artist encouraged her subjects to use their own clothing, props and poses to "give them a platform to speak for themselves.”

The artist encouraged her subjects to use their own clothing, props and poses to "give them a platform to speak for themselves.”

Bright is often described as a "cultural anthropologist." She especially wanted to examine the attitudes and values of Millennials/Generation Y, (people born in the 1980s through the late 1990s, most often the children of Baby Boomers).

The photographs in this series respond to negative portrayals of Millennials in our culture. 

Museumgoers will hear audio recordings alongside each photo, recordings of her subjects expressing their personal feelings toward the flag. 

Sugar Baby, by Liesa Cole (2019), dye sublimation on metal (from the Collection of Doug McCraw).Liesa Cole (b. 1965)

Liesa Cole is a photographer, cinematographer, and creative director. Liesa received a degree in Fine Art Photography at Louisiana State University, and enhanced her studies of Fine Art Photography at the University of Alabama.

Her work has been awarded numerous accolades including: the “International Photographer of the Year” award from London’s Photography Master’s Cup; Grand Prize at the International Photography Master’s Conference (Italy); and the International Photographer of the Year award from Photo District News.

Liesa Cole’s photographs, projections, and installations are about those who share secrets and those who keep them. Her works follow the theme that most people are uncomfortable sharing secrets unless they know they can trust someone to keep their confidence. Visitors will hear anonymous people telling secrets that can be funny, tragic, ridiculous, surprising, or sometimes raw and visceral.

The exhibition also features “Truth” (a blown glass neon sculpture by Cole, pictured right); her video titled "This is Life;" several archival photographs printed on metal; a projection video titled "Sharing Secrets;" and an installation room of foam and metal, titled "Secrets Room."

Havana XOX, by Karen Graffeo (2021), from the Collection of Doug McCraw.Karen Graffeo (b. 1955)

Karen Graffeo Based in Birmingham, AL, Graffeo is a multi-media artist working in the fields of photography, performance, and installation. She holds a BA from Jacksonville State University and an MA in art education from the University of Alabama, where she also earned MFA degrees in photography and painting. She is a Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Montevallo.

Graffeo is the recipient of a Tanne Foundation award for humanitarian documentary projects within her art practice, and was awarded a Fulbright Senior Scholar appointment to Romania. She has also been awarded grants by the Warhol Foundation and the Alabama Arts Council. Her work is included in public and private collections in Japan, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Ireland, Italy, and Hungary, among others.

Karen Graffeo’s Cuba series is part of an ongoing project expressing the beauty and inventiveness of a culture experiencing many challenges, hardships, and poverty.

She photographs moments of everyday life in Cuba with an eye to the vibrant designs, colors, patterns, and textures that reflect the unique spirit and aesthetics of the islanders.

Graffeo has traveled extensively, choosing to make work within cultures that both match and contrast her ancestry. She considers her art to be “cultural diplomacy devoted to trust and intersectionality, in service of story and raw, honest visual truth.”

One of Graffeo’s works in this exhibition is titled “Santero: saint maker,” taken in Cuba in 2020 (pictured below). This photo was honored with the Boynes Artist Award. The striking image is about Afro Cuban worship and pilgrimage rituals. 

Santero: saint maker, by Karen Graffeo (2020), from the Collection of Doug McCraw.

Also featured is Graffeo’s photograph titled “Roma girl: no ticket, train of life,” (pictured below). Since 1999, Graffeo has been documenting Roma populations, sometimes called “Gypsies.”

Through the lens of her camera, Graffeo has documented their culture at caravans, slums, housing projects, and refugee camps.

“It is the poorest of the poor who most need a voice,” says Graffeo. These photos follow the lives of the Roma in Romania and Italy, living in homes they are forced to build by hand from scavenged materials. In her photos, the artist strives to portray the courage and inspiring humanity of the Roma peoples.

Roma Girl: no ticket, train of life , by Karen Graffeo (2015). From the Collection of Doug McCraw.

Toronto Summer | Canadian Stage Presents Shakespeare's Hamlet Dream In High Park

From a media release

Toronto Summer
Canadian Stage Presents Shakespeare's Hamlet
Dream In High Park

Tickets On Sale May 21 2024

TORONTO - Dive into the electrifying world of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece Hamlet, helmed by Jessica Carmichael (Stratford, Shaw, Blyth) with a fantastic ensemble of players. Performances takes place July 21 to September 1, 2024 in Toronto's High Park. 

Set amidst the tumultuous backdrop of political intrigue and familial betrayal, this iconic tale follows the tormented Prince of Denmark as he grapples with existential questions of life, death, and revenge.

Director Jessica Carmichael

An artist of mixed Abénaki/Euro heritage, Jessica trained at the National Theatre School of Canada (Acting), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art & King’s College London (MA Text & Performance Studies with Distinction), the University of Alberta (MFA Directing with Distinction) and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction (Stratford Festival, 2014 & 2016).  

Selected recent directing credits:

Directing (select): The Clearing (Shaw Festival of Canada 2023) Grief (Concordia University Theatre Department, 2023), Middletown (The National Theatre School of Canada, 2023), The Rez Sisters (Stratford Festival of Canada's 2021 Season); Medicine Wheel, Dream Girl, Across This Body, Dark Matters all responding to the 2019 report on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls for New Harlem's commissioned Embodying Power and Place (New Harlem Productions in association with Nightwood Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts 2021).

She is a past artistic associate with Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto and was Program Director of their Creators Unit Animiikiig.

Canadian Stage - Dream in High Park (Photo courtesy of Canadian Stage)

The cast for Hamlet includes:

Prince AmponsahRaquel DuffyChristo GrahamStephen Jackman-TorkoffSam KhaliliehQasim KhanBreton LalamaBeck LloydDiego MatamorosDan MousseauAmelia SargissonJames Dallas Smith

Fast Facts

Most seating is on the grass; blankets and pillows are welcome. Limited accessible seating is also available (contacting the box office is recommended). Lawn chairs are available to rent.Audience members are welcome to bring along picnics, snacks, or enjoy concessions on site.The production is appropriate for adults and kids of all ages.In the event of rain or severe weather during the show, Canadian Stage may delay, pause, or cancel the performance. Please note: we very rarely make rain cancellations prior to 8pm.

Culture and Arts: Kassem Istanbouli brings cinema back to Beirut

From a media release:

Culture and Arts:
Kassem Istanbouli brings cinema back to Beirut
through the establishment of the Lebanese National Theater

BEIRUT - After the experience of rehabilitating and opening the closed cinemas in the south and north of Lebanon and turning them into independent and free cultural spaces, the Tiro Association for Arts and the Istanbouli Theater began rehabilitating the Le Colisée Cinema in Beirut, with the aim of transforming it into the Lebanese National Theater in Beirut. 

Le Coliseé theatre in Beirut (Photo courtesy of Kassem Istanbouli)

The goal is to create an independent free cultural space for people, in which training workshops, festivals, and artistic performances are organized, as well as the establishment of a public library and an artistic cafeteria.

The founder of the Lebanese National Theater, actor and director Kassem Istanbouli, comments, "The goal of the project is to establish a link between the south, the north, and Beirut, as it is a complement to our dream, which began with the establishment of the Lebanese National Theater in Tyre seven years ago -  the first free theater and cinema in Lebanon. 

Thanks to the efforts of young volunteers, we will achieve our dream that art is a right for all, break the virtual wall between the Lebanese regions through the arts, and link them together through cultural spaces. We are happy to live this dream in Beirut, which is considered the second-most cinematic city in the history of Lebanon. About 29 halls were located in Al-Burj Square and 16 halls in the Hamra area. That’s where many theaters were founded and witnessed by the most important playwrights in Lebanon and the world."

The Tiro Association for Arts (TAA)

Tiro Association for Arts (TAA) was established in 2014 as a non-governmental organization under license n° 2633, located in the Lebanese National Theater in both cities, Tyre and Tripoli, in South and North Lebanon. TAA works on encouraging the local communities to engage with culture and the arts outside of religious and political framework.

Led by youth and volunteers, the organization aims to establish free and independent cultural forums in Lebanon. That is, by renovating Al Hamra and Stars Cinema in Nabatieh and Rivoli Cinema in Tyre, which became the Lebanese National Theater, the first free theater and cinema in Lebanon, as well as Empire Cinema in Tripoli, which became the Lebanese National Theater in that city. 

TAA also implements artistic training workshops for children and youth; opens and renovates cultural forums; and organizes festivals, activities, and artistic exhibitions. In addition to this, the association screens artistic and educational movies for children and youth and works on maintaining partnerships with international festivals, as well as granting young directors the opportunity to screen their movies and letting people get acquainted with the history of cinema and local and international performances, as well as screening films for the blind and deaf and training workshops for people with special needs. 

The Lebanese International Theater Festival, the Watch Lebanon in Mobile Cinema Festival, the Tripoli International Theater Festival, the Tyre International Music Festival, the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Storytelling, the Tyre International Fine Arts Festival, the Tyre Cultural Days Festival, the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Women’s Monodrama, the Lebanese International Theater Festival for Contemporary Dance, the Tiro International Arts Festival, and the Tyre International Theater Festival are among the festivals that TAA implements.

News from Venice Biennale: Belmond Announces L'Observatoire, A New Train Carriage Designed by Artist JR

From a media release

News from Venice Biennale:
Belmond Announces L'Observatoire
A New Train Carriage Designed by Artist JR

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe presents L'Observatoire, a new carriage designed by artist JR

APRIL 2024 | The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe is proud to present L’Observatoire, an exclusive sleeper carriage with interiors conceptualized and designed by world-acclaimed artist JR. 

L'Observatoire, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe; credit - JR

Joining the rake in 2025, L’Observatoire is the first carriage to be designed by an artist on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and will become the most spacious accommodation type onboard the train. The private carriage will feature a bedroom with double bed, an ensuite bathroom, wardrobe, reclining day bed, lounge area, library with book selection by French publisher Gallimard, and secret tearoom with a fireplace.

Art In Motion

JR's passion for the rails, sparked off as a child, largely informs the inspiration behind the creation of L’Observatoire. The artist was also influenced by the design of his personal art studio in Paris, the charm of century old crafts, astronomical observatories and the cabinets of curiosity of Renaissance Europe. 

The carriage interiors unfold through the different environments from the bedroom to the lounge area to the hidden tearoom, and guests will be encouraged to explore these worlds of incredible detail while the rounded windows and oculus skylight on the ceiling will allow them to engage with the exterior landscapes of Europe. 

Each of the spaces, designed with the utmost respect for timeless crafts, feature hidden details that JR curated to drive curiosity and instill a sense of imagination. From hidden compartments to secret messages layered in the intricate marquetry, guests can uncover the wonders of L’Observatoire as they crisscross the continent on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. 

“With L’Observatoire, people can enter my imaginary world. I envisioned the carriage primarily through shapes, with curved corners and round windows, so guests have little places to daydream. Guests can now stay in an artist’s private space while being in the most iconic train in the world – experiencing this creative crossroads for the duration of a journey is very special and hasn’t been seen in this way before,” comments JR, February 2024.

He adds, “I wanted to create so many hidden details and layers that can help inspire that sense of wonder,​your inner child – whether that’s hidden compartments or secret messages that some guests will notice, and others will miss. There’s so much in this carriage that will be impossible to explore in a single trip.” February 2024.

JR in L'Observatoire, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe; credit - JRFor the Love of Trains

A passion for trains and century-old crafts attracted JR to this project onboard the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. Sparked off during his childhood, the interest in trains is evident in JR’s career from his seminal work ‘Women Are Heroes’ (2007) - which involved the installation of his instantly-recognizable pasting of eyes on the roofs and sides of trains as they travelled through the Kibera slum in Nairobi - to ‘Mind the Gap’ (2017) which saw a giant installation of 700 miniature trains depicting faces, looping in an endless circle. 

JR comments, “I have a very long story with trains – they’ve always been a canvas for me. When I was a kid, I would sit by the window and just watch the world go by. There is something about viewing the changing landscape from a bubble, as if you are travelling through different worlds. Then when I started creating art, I realised that trains were a way to make my work travel, so I started replacing Metro maps with my photography. It allows me to send my work into the unknown like a message in a bottle.” February 2024.

Custodians Of Craftsmanship

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is formed by 17 carriages, built in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, the most acclaimed designers and exponents of the Art Deco movement, like René Prou and René Lalique (who created the train’s iconic ‘tulip lamp’ and the glass panelling of the Côte d’Azur restaurant car), were commissioned to decorate these historic carriages. Almost a century later, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express chooses leading artist JR to infuse new life into one of its original carriages, Sleeping Car 3553, through a meticulous restoration of the interiors. 

L'Observatoire, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train, Europe; credit - JR

A task for a true visionary, JR used artisanal century-old techniques to preserve the train’s look and feel. At the same time, he was able to create something powerfully immersive, an artwork in motion that invites guests to embrace observation, curiosity, adventure and listening - all core tenets of the artist’s universe. 

“I would never have dared to imagine this collaboration, because the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is such a historic train. Working with artisans and discovering motifs that respect the era [in which the train carriages were built] was not a constraint, because I was interested in making this a timeless artwork – as if I was an artist from the 1920s. The fundamental craft is timeless,” comments JR, February 2024.

Gary Franklin, Vice Presidents Trains & Cruises at Belmond also says, “The team and I are thrilled to be working with JR, who shares with us a real passion for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. L’Observatoire is a testament to our company’s prominent role in reinventing the railway experience as we perpetuate the art of slow luxury across our growing portfolio.”

In celebration of Biennale Arte, Belmond will give the public the unique opportunity to peek inside this historic carriage in Venice between April 17-22, 2024. L’Observatoire will be on display in Venice where guests can peer through several viewpoints located on the carriage windows in order to discover JR's design as it unfolds through the different environments.From April 20-22, it will be on display at Riva Dei Sette Martiri and open from 10:00AM-6:00PM.

L’Observatoire will join the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express in 2025. To register interest in experiencing a journey onboard this new carriage, please click here .

The Blyth Festival Celebrates 50 Years In 2024

From a media release

The Blyth Festival Celebrates 50 Years In 2024

Ticket Information Here

On June 12, 2024 the Blyth Festival will open its 50th season of all Canadian plays. Running both indoors and outdoors, from June 12th to September 7th, in the cherished Blyth Memorial Community Hall and on the newly built outdoor Harvest Stage. A Homecoming season.

Image courtesy of Blyth Festival

Artistic Director Gil Garratt says, “This is a season of celebration: 50 years since its founding, the Blyth Festival is boldly mounting five brand new World Premieres, and offering one technicolor look back at the inspiration for it all.

Back in 1975, Blyth’s founders dreamed of building a theatre that would put local stories, Canadian stories, centre stage. Fifty years later, that dream burns brighter than ever. All of the plays in the 2024 season were created and developed right here, in Huron County, and tell the stories, fictional and historic, of lives lived in this community. These are your stories, your neighbour’s stories, your family’s stories, the stories of your town, your farm, your county, and your country. This is really a season of homecomings.”

50 Years of 100% Original Canadian Plays

Having welcomed more than a million patrons through the doors, the Blyth Festival has grown into a hub of Canadian playwriting, boasting more than 150+ world premieres.

Outdoors on the Harvest StageThe Farm Show: Then and Now by Theatre Passe Muraille with additions by the 2024 Company June 12 – Aug 4

Arguably the most influential play in Canadian theatre history, The Farm Show was originally produced in a barn just fifteen minutes outside of Blyth, and was directly responsible for the founding of the Festival. This gentle adaptation brings you the original in all its glory, and shines a light on its singular legacy in our community. Come see the show that inspired the very dream of the Blyth Festival.

Premiere
Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: The Farmerettes by Alison Lawrence Aug 14 – Sept 7

Inspired by the book by Bonnie Sitter and Shirleyan English

This nostalgic play dramatizes the incredible stories of Canada’s Farmerettes; young women all over the country who left the big cities to work as farm labourers on Canadian farms as part of the war effort during WW2. Many of these young women learned a lot more than how to dig potatoes, pull carrots, and muck a stall; they learned essential truths about who they were, who they wanted to be, and what true and lasting friendships looked like. A play about coming of age as young women in a time of change.

Indoors at Memorial HallPremiere
Saving Graceland by Gil Garratt June 19 – Aug 3

It’s 2019 in Clinton, ON. Newly retired and ready for adventure, Gord and Orillia have been Elvis fans since they were teenagers. In twenty-five years, they’ve never missed their annual pilgrimage to the Collingwood Elvis Festival. Just as they’re readying to embrace nothing but Presley and the CPP, their young grandchild arrives unexpectedly on the doorstep, upending their future plans in ways they never dreamed. A love-me-tender family drama about the King and kincare.

Premiere
The Golden Anniversaries by Mark Crawford July 4 – Aug 4

From the author of The New Canadian Curling Club and The Birds and the Bees comes a new play about love and laughs in the golden years. For as long as they have been married, Glen and Sandy Golden have been celebrating their wedding anniversary by coming to the same cottage on the lake for an annual weekend of quiet romance. And this year marks a major milestone: 50 years of wedded bliss. Well…mostly bliss…er…there was that one time…oh, don’t get me started! Join the Goldens for a night of he-said, she-said, remember-whens, what-happens-now, and a long-term love for the ages.

Premiere
Resort to Murder by Birgitte Solem July 24 – Aug 31

A laugh-a-minute murder mystery. When Brett and Viv inherit an old family mansion on Lake Huron, they dream of starting a country resort, but the couple have very different visions of what a tourist destination should be. For Viv: a spa, and quiet retreat. For Brett: a murder mystery-themed escape room…obviously. Just a few nights before they welcome their first guests, Brett and Viv gather their reluctant staff in the attic for a trial run. When a sudden storm rolls in off the lake, the lights go out, and the doors lock, their light-hearted game suddenly turns into an electrifying night of murderous confessions, and twists and turns that will leave you breathless. Enjoy your stay!

Premiere
The Trials of Maggie Pollock by Beverley Cooper July 31 – Aug 29

Seer? Swindler? Sorcerer? The true story of the last woman in Canada to be convicted of witchcraft…and who just so happened to have been born in Blyth! Arrested on her home farm just outside of town, held in the historic Gaol near Lake Huron, and tried in Goderich court, her case went all the way to the Supreme Court of Ontario. Long after the arrival of the telephone, the motor-car, and the electric light bulb, Maggie Pollock faced off against official superstition in Canada’s courts.

Season Details

The 2024 season will run June through September, 2024. 

Tickets available by phone and online; more information here .

The will be a number of events and activities planned over the course of the season to celebrate the 50th anniversary milestone. Check the website for updates.

Bonanza Weekend will run Aug. 2-4, 2024 and will also include a number of special events to celebrate the 50th season.

Glenfiddich Announces New Brunswick Artist Julie Forgues As Recipient Of Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program For 2024

From a media release

Glenfiddich Announces New Brunswick Artist Julie Forgues
As Recipient Of Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program For 2024

TORONTO, ON: Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt scotch whisky, proudly names Julie Forgues of Moncton, New Brunswick as the 2024 recipient of the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program for Canada. The prestigious residency consists of a three-month all-expenses paid residency at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. Forgues is the 19th Canadian recipient of the annual Glenfiddich Artists in Residence program.

Andy Fairgrieve, Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program Co-ordinator, Julie Forgues, 2024 Glenfiddich Artists in Residence winner, Dave Dyment, Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Consultant, and Derek Liddington, 2023 Artists in Residence winner.
Julie Forgues obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts at the Université de Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1995, followed by her MFA in Studio Arts – Photography at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. She joined the faculty of Université de Moncton in 2000 as Professor of Photography in the Department of Visual Arts and took position as Head of the department in 2016. She has participated in several artist residency programs internationally, including in China, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, and the Arctic Circle. She considers her photographic research as an intermediate between a space and a place.

“In the past few years, I have been working on photographic research about how a space can be transformed into a place but can also fluctuate between both states,” articulates Forgues in her proposal. 

“These in-betweens in landscapes are fluctuating states that I then render into photographic images. At every site I have photographed, I think of what was there, what is there now and what will be there in the future: spaces that are now places, but mostly places-spaces that are in limbo-ing states. My work therefore makes this process of fluctuation visible.”

During her residency at the Glenfiddich distillery, Julie plans to explore spaces and places created by the Glenfiddich craftsmen in and around the historic distillery landscape with photographic image. The project will reflect and pay homage to the people and community of the distillery incorporating the use of cast-off liquids, malt, and other natural elements found at the distillery.

“Julie’s focus on space and place is wholly pertinent to the Glenfiddich Residency, which is itself all about a particular place, the Valley of the Deer. A space made into a place by the founder William Grant in 1887,” comments Andy Fairgrieve, Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program Co-ordinator. “I am sure the residency will be a rewarding experience for Julie and I am looking forward to seeing how she engages with the locality this summer.”

Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program

The Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program is recognized and celebrated in global art communities as one of the world’s most prestigious of artist residencies, receiving hundreds of applications annually. The program transports winning artists from across the globe to the historic Dufftown setting, deep in the Scottish Highlands, to foster the creation of original work directly influenced by the Glenfiddich Distillery grounds, its processes, and its rich environment. Year after year, the artist pieces created during the residency are of unique tone, ambience and medium, and are displayed at the distillery for ongoing years.

“The Glenfiddich Artist in Residency program continues to capture the imagination of artists across the country,” comments Dave Dyment, Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Consultant & artist. “This year we had a record number of high-quality applications, and anyone from the shortlist would’ve made a great selection. Julie’s proposal to examine how culture shapes geography will resonate nicely with the opportunities at the residency. It reminds me of a quote from Scottish writer Alasdair Gray: ‘If a city hasn't been used by an artist, not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively’.” 

The 2024 residency marks the 23rd anniversary of the global Glenfiddich Artist in Residence program and the 19th anniversary of the program in Canada.

“Glenfiddich in Canada is honoured to support the Canadian arts community through the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Program,” adds Claire May, Senior Brand Manager, Glenfiddich in Canada. “We are excited to award Julie this year’s residency and look forward to viewing the body of work she creates.”

Applications for the 2025 Artists in Residency program are scheduled to open in December 2024.For more information about the Artist in Residence program, please visit THIS LINK . 

Exhibit A: Investigating Crime And Footwear Opening At The Bata Shoe Museum Toronto April 18 2024

With material from a media release:

Exhibit A: Investigating Crime And Footwear
Opening At The Bata Shoe Museum
April 18, 2024

More Info & Tickets Here

Curated by Dr. Alison Matthews David, Professor at the School of Fashion, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator, Bata Shoe Museum, this exhibit looks at the links between footwear and crime investigation.

Forensic shoeprints for criminal analysis - image by Zalman952 (CC by-SA 4.0 Deed)

There are few items more revealing of social history than the clothes we wear, and, I think, shoes in particular. They've been linked to the idea of criminality by cultural associations and myths, as well as by forensic science in the modern era. 

The show includes such gems as the shoes worn by Henry Edward Vickers, aka Flannel Foot, in the 1930s in the UK. He'd wrap his shoes in flannel so as to avoid scrutiny from the growing field of forensics of the era. However, he tended to leave strips of the fabric at the crime scene. 

Exhibit A: Investigating Crime and Footwear examines both the development of footwear forensics as a means of solving crime, and the social constructions of criminality from the nineteenth century to today. It also considers how clothing and footwear play roles in cultural ideas of criminality, informed by assumptions and bias. 

It will take visitors on a journey to sleuth out the central but complex role of footwear in crime, policing, the judiciary system and our cultural ideas of criminality. 

Special Events

FREE Community Weekend on April 20 and 21 with free admission all weekend to celebrate the opening.Dramatic Soles: A Beginner Playwriting Workshops welcomes new and emerging playwrights to explore the writing process as inspired by footwear and crime with Canadian Playwright Steven Elliott Jackson on April 27. Participants will learn play constructing, formatting, character construction, plot development, and theme devices that make great plays.

Global Orchestral | Tree Adams' New Symphony: Elements 4

With material from a media release

Global Orchestral
Tree Adams' New Symphony: Elements 4

A Symphonic look at climate change through the lens of air, earth, fire and water

Conducted by Tree Adams with a 75-piece orchestra at Budapest Scoring Featuring Mark Robertson concertmaster/1st chair violinist, Ölveti Mátyás solo cellist, Bassekou Kouyate solo Ngoni and Chris Bleth solo Duduk

Stream It From Your Favourite Service Here

Composer Tree Adams is perhaps best known for his work in film and TV, including scores for The 100, Belushi, Legends, NCIS New Orleans and NCIS Hawai’i, Lethal Weapon, Redemption Road, Californication and Swelter, among others.

Tree is also well known as a producer who's worked with Cyril Neville, Taj Mahal, and many other artists.

His latest work, a symphony, is an ambitious culture-crossing project.  It was recorded with a 75-piece orchestra at Budapest Scoring, with soloists play instruments ranging from cello to ngoni, a West African stringed instrument.

The new music could be described as neo-romantic in style, with a cinematic sense of drama. It illuminates the theme through musical storytelling.

Tree Adams

Tree comes from a musical background where classical music played an important role. His grandfather, violinist Seymour Solomon, co-founded Vanguard Records with brother Maynard Solomon, a musicologist and author. Tree's father is jazz drummer Chicken Hirsh. 

Classical music is, for Tree, a return to his roots. In the album notes, he says he was inspired by a trip to the Biennale in Venice in 2023, where he saw the work of architects and engineers working on green tech.

 “Their work gave me a new feeling of hope and a belief in the resilience of humankind. I was inspired to capture this feeling (along with the wonder, the mystery, the tension and the horror of climate change) musically in a large work with international scope like a symphony and then I began to search for a construct that might fit the traditional 4 movement format. Later that week my wife and I walked past a church where they were performing the 4 seasons and we had the idea why not approach the climate change issue through the lens of the roiling 4 elements and our struggle to innovate and survive. Hence the title “Elements 4.””

The work's four movements correspond to the four elements:  Air on “Venti Allegro” in the sonata form, Fire “Fuoco Adante” in large ternary ABA form, Earth “Terra” with drum interlude and world minuet, and Water “Acqua Rondo Finale” in the rondo form, molto allegro. 

In a release, he comments, “I was listening to a lot of Mahler and Stravinsky around the time that I wrote the symphony. Perhaps Mahler’s 9th and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite had the most influence on me in the process.” 

While he has written a great deal of work that encompasses both orchestral and world music elements, this is the first where he tells his own story. 

The symphony was recorded in Budapest with the symphony. Bassekou Kouyate (ngoni) recorded his parts in Mali, Africa, and Chris Bleth‘s feature solo on the Duduk was recorded in Arizona. 

A portion of the proceeds from the album will go towards Earth Percent, a charity connecting musicians with environmental and climate justice organizations.

The Symphony has won several awards so far:

Debussy International Music Competition: Grand Prize Winner 2024 S1Debussy International Music Competition: Absolute First Prize Winner Orchestra 2024 S1World Classical Music Awards Diamond Prize in the Composition and Sonata categoriesWorld Classical Music Awards "Visionary Innovation Special Award"

From Neuma Records: New Chamber Music

Neuma Records: New Chamber Music
Galan Trio - Kinesis, Vol. 2
Ewart Asplund Ricks Trio - Emphatic Now
Hanna Hurwitz / Colin Stokes / Daniel Pesca - The Night Shall Break

Buy Galan Trio Buy Ewart Asplund Ricks Trio Buy Hanna Hurwitz / Colin Stokes / Daniel Pesca

Three recent releases on the Neuma Records label offer a glimpse at current chamber music. 

Galan Trio: Kinesis, Vol. 2 (February 16, 2024)

Based in Athens, Greece, the Galan Trio (Petros Bouras on piano, Babis Karasavvidison violin, and Marina Kolovou on the cello) bridge the gap between the Mediterranean and the US via ten works for piano trio. The composers are based in various geographical regions of the United States. The first volume was highly acclaimed, and this is the follow-up.

This two-disc set includes works from the Midwest (CD1), South Central (CD2) regions of the US. 

CD1, Midwest, is a showcase of drama and expressivity. Of particular note is the atmospheric Before the Gradual Throne of Night by Daniel Powers. The darkly emootional piece relies heavily on a minimalist kind of interplay between the instruments. I also loved Alex Lubst's Elusive, with its lovely use of the piano's dark end, and the sympathetic voice of the cello.

CD2, South Central, opened with the rhythmic intensity of Larry Alan SMith's Piano Trio No. 1. Dominic Dousa's Three Sketches on the Artwork of Tom Lee are quite melodic, even contrapuntal in style where the paintings take us to a meeting between a Franciscan monk and Native Americans. The CD ends with the virtuosic Persian Dances by Brian Bondari, peppered with a sense of humour. 

Ewart Asplund Ricks Trio: Emphatic (January 19, 2024)

The Ewart Asplund Ricks Trio, and Emphatic, the album, is essentially the result of one long jam session. It took place between Douglas R. Ewart (woodwinds, didgeridoo, percussion, voice, texts), Christian Asplund (viola and piano), and Steven Ricks (trombone and electronics) during Ewart's 2022 residency at Brigham Young University. 

The album is the result of their musical encounter, in eight tracks that take their names from Ewart's poems (either the title, lines taken from them, or words suggested by them).

The approach varies from track to track.In Isness of Love and Water Song, Ewart's spontaneous spoken work talks about social concerns, themes that permeate much of his work. “Is love something we find or something we cultivate, or is it manifold?” he asks. The unusual combination of instruments blends into a unique, yet seamless sonic stew. Each adds its own character, from the fluidity of the flute to the humming digeridoo and staccato of percussion. 

Ewart, central to all the tracks, explores the limits of expression in each.

   

Hanna Hurwitz - Colin Stokes - Daniel Pesca: The Night Shall Break (February 16, 2024) 

Hanna Hurwitz, violin, leads this effort, with the help of Colin Stokes, cello, and Daniel Pesca, piano. Hurwitz has a reputation for championing new works, both on her own and as a member of Grossman Ensemble and Ensemble Dal Niente.On this release, however, she wanted to delve into the music of about a century ago, looking to unearth neglected jewels. 

 “I wanted to highlight my orientation toward collaboration through the presentation of intimate chamber works composed in the 1920s and 30s. This album is the first to showcase my performance of full-length works from past eras. I believe that staying active in both new and old music strengthens my overall musical approach and interpretation.” 

The release includes works by Florence Price, Rebecca Clarke, Carlos Chávez, Olivier Messiaen, and Bohuslav Martinů.

Price's Romantic lyricism is tinged with drama in her Fantasie No. 1 for Violin and Piano. The work is challenging for both instruments, weaving elements of Americana and European classical idioms together to create her unique orchestral voice. 

Clarke's Piano Trio is dark and cinematic in scope, covering a wide emotional gamut from spritely to ethereal to moody.Chávez' rhythmic Sonatina for Violin and Piano ranges from moments of delicate beauty to powerful and frenetic, whizzing through four movements in less than seven minutes. Messiaen's Thème et Variations pour Violon et Piano is among the lesser known of the French composer's works, but is characteristically haunting and atmospheric. 

Bohuslav Martinů's Duo No. 1 for Violin and Cello, H. 157, reflects the uncertainties and turbulence of the era in a mode that approaches dissonance, although not absorbed in it entirely. 

It's an interesting musical walk through a fraught era of history between the European wars.