25 Canada-born artists contribute to an Exhibition that features many variations of art installations, sketches, sculptures, live performances, screenings and more. 15 newly commissioned pieces will accompany existing works of art dating back to the 1960s.

Organized by guest curators Ebony L. Haynes and Toleen Touq and MOCA Curator Kate Wong, the exhibition will include works of contemporary art from Alexis Kyle Mitchell, Catherine Telford Keogh, Ésery Mondésir, G.B. Jones, Jean-Paul Kelly, Jes Fan, June Clark, Kamias Triennial, Lisa Myers, Lotus L. Kang, Mani Mazinani, Matthew Wong, Michael Thompson, Nobuo Kubota, duo Oliver Husain and Kerstin Schroedinger, Oreka James, P.Mansaram, Richard Fung, Sharlene Bamboat, Sin Wai Kin, Sukaina Kubba, Theo Jean Cuthand, Tim Whiten, Timothy Yanick Hunter, and Wendell Bruno.

The showcase runs from Friday, March 22nd, to Friday, July 28th. A list of further events (X) includes Live Talks, Performances, and Screenings. General admission is $14, but always check if you’re available to attend during a free period or through a community-led program. Some events take place at the central location of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) on Sterling Road Toronto, and others at community spaces in the surrounding area. Check if there’s an event near you or your workspace for an afternoon or evening of spectacular enlightenment or entertainment.

“The Triennial was originally conceived in 2021 to look more closely and consistently at artistic production within the Greater Toronto area, as well as to remain intellectually and emotionally engaged with art and with people during a time of in great isolation. Three years later, we are proud to have this project and its accompanying publication, Continue Our Vision, through a new curatorial team and the imaginations of a selected group of artists, performers, and designers. […] These new commissions and site-specific works underscore MOCA’s deep commitment to supporting artists in the development of new ideas and in the creation of new work.” – MOCA Executive Director & CEO Kathleen Bartels

GTA24 is an exciting display of Toronto art with mixed mediums. Walking through the three floors takes you on an adventure from spectacle to spectacle. You truly don’t know what might be around the corner with every step you take.

“By its own name, the GTA presents the city as too much, as both great, greater than what, and they, what constitutes an area. And yet this capaciousness doesn’t mean that everyone fits or can fit. This capaciousness simply opens things up and makes it possible for there to be more rubbing up against each other for more contact and for more friction. For us, when you go through the floors, we really wanted to bring different work from different time periods in dialogue with one another, thinking about friction, thinking about rubbing up against one another.” – MOCA Curator Kate Wong

The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto is an exceptional organization at the heart of Toronto’s art scene. Its drive and mission are to expand the margins for emerging and established artists in the Toronto and Greater Area communities. The museum presents rotating exhibitions and programmes that prioritize twenty-first-century artistic production, primarily through commissioning new work. Its 2021-2026 Strategic Plan is all about inclusivity and evolving the role museums have in an ever-diversifying world.

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Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.

The Toronto Railway Museum is the repository of the City’s vibrant railway history. Our mission is simple: to connect people to the secret history of rail in Toronto and tell the story of those who propelled the city from sleepy town into our nation’s economic engine. We maintain the large railway artifacts in the park from a large Steam Engine to a handcar. There are many volunteers that keep the Museum going. Primarily, we have a restoration crew of about 20 folks who maintain the railway cars and engines in the park. We also have numerous other volunteers who help keep the enterprise going from Finance and Fundraising, and everything in between. It takes a lot of people to keep the Park in operation.

What problem does it aim to solve?

We are the keeper of the Railway artefacts that reside at the Heritage Roundhouse in the heart of the entertainment district. We are mostly self-funded through our Mini Train Ride during the summer and Museum visitors (indoors). With that said, we sorely need funds to support the maintenance of the grounds and restoration of the artefacts that the public uses for free.

When did you start/join it?

I joined as a director in 2022 to help guide the Association over the next few years as many of our founders are retiring from service.

What made you want to get involved?

I have a passion for Railways that began when I was a child. I figured out what better way to volunteer my time at a Railway Museum and give back to the community at the same time. Our Association is not always at the top of the giving list, so it is also a challenge to try and make a difference in the Museum presence Downtown.

What was the situation like when you started?

A number of key volunteers had taken ill and the Museum Manager decided to move to New Zealand. Keeping a long story short – we needed people who could contribute and money to pay for restoration. We have 4 paid staff and they are inundated with work – we are very grateful for that, but it needs to change.

How has it changed since?

There is now a dedicated Board of Directors who are active in many areas where we need help. Our Strategy has been narrowed down to focus and align the team on what the right things are to do. As such we have reorganized to align with Strategy.

What more needs to be done?

We need to hire more staff to address the long list of activities to maintain and operate the museum and we need funds to jumpstart the restoration needs after the pandemic. A longer-term need is to rebuild the inside of the Museum to make it more conducive to a modern museum with protected artefacts and facilities for school programming and exhibits.

How can our readers help?

First and foremost if any of your readers are great at fundraising and grant development we would love to have help us raise money! Additionally, our volunteer needs list is long and includes an IT Person, a safety and security person, recruitment specialists, Finance staff, communications specialist, project managers, meeting organizers and restoration staff. Of course: money always helps!!

Do you have any events coming up?

The next events are:

– December Online Lecture: Roger Sarty will present a lecture on the topic of the Halifax Explosion with railway tie-ins on December 14.

– Christmas at TRM: Planning is underway for an onsite holiday event at TRM on Saturday, December 16 from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm (earlier time to get the most daylight possible; Stall 17 will remain open until 5:00 pm as usual).

Where can we follow you?

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn

PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?

Habitat for Humanity. It was always a joy to help build places for people to live. It is especially relevant in these times of housing shortages.

The post Charitable Choices: Pat Ressa of the Toronto Railway Museum appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

What is on display? Original puppets including The Grogs and Muffy The Mouse as well as a few replicas and set props like The Friendly Giant’s Window are there. Vintage televisions are throughout the exhibition where visitors can take in a few episodes. It’s also exhibition to inspire conversations with today’s kids. Immersive and interactive stations offer more ways to explore how children’s television shows were made and enjoyed. Learn how puppets were made and how they came to life. Master puppeteer Nina Keogh was at the opening night and had mentioned how she had offered performers tips on ways to make the hand puppets come to life.

There’s even a Polkadot Door and a Mr. Dressup’s Tickle Trunk for photo opps! Visitors can also learn about the history of Canadian children’s television throughout the space. There’s a timeline on display as well as morsels of information   thoughtfully positioned.

At the opening I also had a chance to chat with actor Mark Kersey who played “Mark the Repairman” for 10 seasons of Mr. Dressup.

Kersey recalled auditioning for the show. “One of the writers of the show had in the script for a yo-yo expert to come on the show to do some tricks. At the time, I was also the Canadian National Yo-Yo Champion and actually when I was eleven years old I was the All-City Yo-Yo Champion,” said Kersey. “But when I got on the set I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I was also an actor. I was also writing songs and could play a lot of different instruments. I think that really charmed everybody. So, instead of one episode they had me stay on for 10 years!”

The show writers created the role for him and “Mark the Repairman”  became a regular character in Mr. Dressup’s universe to help fix whatever was broken. “My character was reoccurring and I was fortunate to stay on because most visiting characters would come and do one show and we’d never see them again. But this guy kept showing up and fixing the sink or something in the shed. He would show up with his toolbox and  help Mr. Dressup but the funny thing was there always was a yo-yo in the toolbox,” said Kersey with a big smile.

Kersey also mentioned that he was also a writer on the show. “I would write my own scripts and songs. Because it was a national TV show we knew there were big residuals on our songs. All the writers did the same.”

Aside from his work on Mr. Dressup, Kersey entertained Canadians in his various in-person shows including a popular Duelling Pianos act. He also was the organist for the Toronto Blue Jays for four years and has appeared in many television commercials in Canada and the US.

Fondest memory as being part of the Mr. Dressup family?  “It actually happened near here when Jani Lauzon had a CD release party at The Horseshoe and several of us from the show had dinner at Peter Pan. Then, we went across the street to her concert. Imagine this bunch of characters and crew, including Ernie (Mr.Dressup) from this popular kids’ show at the Horseshoe? It was a lot of fun. I’ll never forget it,” said Kersey.

Jani Lauzon has an extensive career in the Canadian entertainment scene as a multidisciplinary artist and was a puppeteer on Mr. Dressup and went on to win a Gemini for her work on the show.

Fun fact…Ernie Coombs who played the iconic Mr. Dressup was a former understudy for Fred Rogers. Mr. Dressup was Canada’s longest-running children’s show (1967 to 1996) The preschool audience were taught subjects using puppets, games, songs, and costumes discovered in his Tickle Trunk.

“I’m very, very impressed with this exhibition. A lot of work when into this and I’m so glad that it covers so many of the iconic children’s shows,” said Kersey. “It brings back a lot of great memories for me and I hope the same goes for those who grew up watching us. It’s also great for parents and their kids today to visit and see what it was like to create a show back then.”

Mr Dressup to Degrassi: 42 Years of Legendary Toronto Kids TV exhibition is now open to the public at Myseum 401 Richmond in Toronto. Admission is free. More information can be found here.

Myseum is known as Toronto’s museum. Dedicated to tell the history, evolving stories and experiences that are truly about Toronto and the people who live and work here.

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The change comes as a response to the historical and growing negative connotation associated with the term ‘Uncle Tom’ and gives greater recognition to an important figure of the abolition movement in the U.S. and Canada.

Harriet Beecher Stowe published the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. The main character’s trials, tribulations and courage were inspired by Josiah Henson’s autobiography, published in 1849. Stowe wrote the novel to express, fictionally, the hardships of those enslaved. However, the character Uncle Tom was twisted by racists putting on minstrel shows. Now, canonically, the term “Uncle Tom” refers to a grotesque, offensive caricature of a black man used for comic relief.

Sadly, this connotation buried the success of Stowe’s novel that helped propel the American Civil War. Even sadder, the success of Stowe’s novel buried the important legacy of Josiah Henson’s endeavours on the Underground Railroad as well as later in life when he helped found a haven in Canada for newly freed enslaved people.

“We’re continuing to correct the myth behind ‘Uncle Tom’ and will use this as a teaching tool to talk about anti-Black racism and the challenges Black people are still facing today.” said museum manager Steven Cook.

While a conductor of the Underground Railroad, Josiah Henson led 118 people from slavery to freedom in Canada. Near where Dresden, Ontario, stands now, Henson helped establish a community for refugees seeking a better life: The Dawn Settlement. At this settlement, Henson also helped establish the British American Institute where refugees of slavery and the free Black population were given an education and trade skill training. From his memoir, The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, and his public speaking Henson became a spokesperson for the available prospective livelihoods of freedom seekers should they choose refuge in Canada.

The Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History is a five-acre complex that includes the Josiah Henson House, a pioneer church, and an interpretive centre. Their collection contains artifacts and buildings related to Dawn Settlement and the British American Institute. In 1948 the museum opened as a tourist attraction by the name “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, in 1964, it became “Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Museum”, then in 1995, it became “Uncle Tom’s Historic Site” which it has stood as until today.

“Josiah Henson is not well known in Canadian history. He should be,” said Beth Hanna, CEO of the Ontario Heritage Trust. “His story sheds light on the realities of slavery and on those who fought for freedom for themselves and others. He worked to provide a place of safety, where Black refugees from slavery could thrive and build lives based on the opportunities provided by community, education, land and personhood.”

The museum was acquired in 2005 by the Ontario Heritage Trust. The Trust ensures that Ontarian history is preserved, accurately interpreted, and shared with the public. Moving forward this name change effort is part of an extensive overhaul by the Trust to review and potentially adjust remaining properties and programs through an inclusive, anti-racist lens.

The Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History’s summer hours are Tuesdays to Saturdays 10 am to 3 pm. The season ends on October 21st, 2022. Private tours are available by appointment from November 1st, 2022, through April 30th, 2023.

Check out their website for more details.

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The entire exhibition isn’t about a straight line of  progression from prehistoric whales to modern day whales, here we are richly rewarded with recent findings when it comes to the evolution and diversification of the species. The exhibition presents conversation inspiring topics including the evolution, the life of a whale from birth to death, what happens to a whale after it dies, their relationship with humans, and and conservation efforts.

The first section is an introduction to whales and talks about how the Royal Ontario Museum became involved in the research. Then, the focus is on different whale species that are common to the Canadian coasts. “There are many species of whales and what we’re showing is pretty diverse,” said Mark Engstrom, Lead Curator of the exhibition. “Here we picked five major lineages of fossil whales and offer a closer look at well documented ones from each group.”

There are three life-size skeletons on display in this exhibition: the blue whale, sperm whale and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Included in the exhibition are multi-sensory interactive experiences.

“One of the reasons we wanted to do a Great Whales exhibition was to talk about the differences between toothed whales and baleen whales. For example, we explore the sperm whale, which is a toothed whale, and how they are related to dolphins and porpoises. Then, there are the baleen whales that are a smaller group but  includes some of the world’s biggest whales and they have a very different evolution.”

And the story of evolution is fascinating. If you think all whales have evolved in the water, you may be surprised that DNA discoveries have pointed toward some species evolving from hoof land animals. Engstrom mentioned about Darwin’s thoughts on the evolution and how he was laughed at for his hypothetical ideas. In the exhibition we can see that he wasn’t far off. Large teeth? Hindlegs? And what about the blowholes?

“Hind legs were discovered and were reduced and lost pretty early but the Dorudon, which is related to the modern whale still had the hind limbs and it was fully aquatic whale and examples are shown in this part of the exhibition,” said Engstrom. “And then you see things like the blow hole which is on top of the head on whales. That’s actually a fairly recent phenomenon.”

Another part of this exhibition focuses on how the whales consume their food.  A toothed whale tend to dive deep below to feast and finds prey by echo-location. As this whale gets closer to its prey it increases the clicks, likened to sonar, to pinpoint the prey in the darkest waters. A sperm whale, for example, can dive 3000 ft deep or more and will use this skill and they feed a lot of squids and octopus.

Baleen whales are shown with their bristle like filters instead of teeth that are made of keratin much like our hair and nails. In the whale’s mouth they are arranged almost like plates located inside their mouths on the upper jaws and act like sieves to help filter prey. They feed very different from the toothed whales. Engstrom explained that the Blue Whale, for example, has a pleated throat almost like a pelican. They can get a good feed in one scoop full and able to sift through feed using their baleen. Engstrom tells us the whales would do this several times a day and get enough that they can go a while without eating if there’s no food available. The Humpback whales out west have a different feeding strategy by blowing bubbles causing schools of herring to cluster into a tight ball and thus making feeding more efficient in one big gulp.

To gain an understanding about how impressive and grand this is, visitors can walk into the jaws of the whale skeleton for an ideal photo op. Around the corner visitors will also find a life-size preserved whale heart on display which was a real attraction when it was on view in the ROM’s 2017 exhibition that shared the incredible journey of nine Blue Whales that died tragically in 2014 in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Engstrom led the team of researchers from the ROM and travelled to the location for the unprecedented opportunity with goals of providing research to the global scientific community.  This actual heart has a remarkable story of it’s own as it travelled from Canada to Germany for preservation. If you see Engstrom in the exhibition hallways, ask him about the story.

Other features include an extensive look at what happens to a whale after it dies and the decades of service its remains has for many other sea creatures.

An eye-opening display of just how many whales are in existence along the East Coast is also on display. Engstrom tells us efforts are underway to help to get North Atlantic right whale out of the endangered list. There are approximately 300 whale species in the world. Each one is being monitored but repopulating is not easy. He tells us that currently there is a lower female population and coupled with how long it takes for them to mature, and one female can only produce one baby every two or three years, the process is slow. However, things are better along the West Coast.

Conservation is a great part of this exhibition and learning about how global warming has repositioned the great whales into more dangerous and higher traffic waterways has in turn contributed to the mortality rates. There are ongoing efforts happening that can help whales who often get trapped in fishing gear or injured by large ships travelling during the peak seasons.

The new Great Whales exhibition is really grand and offers more insight into the most recent scientific research, but what does Engstrom wish people to know?

“One of the things is the evolution. For me that’s such a great story. If you think about how evolution works and see the evidence here, I really feel that whales have a really great story. They’ve been such a mystery to us and now we can see how the body has transformed over time with such great resources is pretty interesting. But I guess my thing is if someone who is twelve years old and comes through this exhibition, I hope they would realize that science is really exciting and they could not only make a career out of this but also make their mark.”

Great Whales: Up Close and Personal (ROM Original exhibition) is now open. Timed entry tickets can be purchased online. Limited number of visitors allowed at any given time during opening to allow for proper distancing. Any hands on surfaces are constantly cleaned by staff. Also check for ongoing opportunities to listen in to guest speakers and other upcoming events virtually. In person events to come as government pandemic protocols will allow. More about this exhibition can be found at www.rom.on.ca.

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