The Bloor St. Culture Corridorm Toronto - February 2024
Blackhurst Cultural Centre
Blackhurst has several programs available to you to celebrate the open-ended year of 2024. Discover their events for Black History Month and celebrate the Bloor Street community. Interested in entrepreneurship, history, and the arts? There’s something for everyone - Come by to learn about the rich cultural history of the Annex and tell your story. They are excited to meet you! Visit their website for more information.
Alliance Française de Toronto
This month, Alliance Française Toronto is delighted to offer a diversified cultural program. On February 3, Les Marcels will be performing “Et on campera sur la lune”, a poetic and humorous show in French for young audiences. They will honour Black History Month on February 4 and 22 with the screenings of “The Golden Ball” and “Caméra d’Afrique: Twenty years of African Cinema, 1983”. Join them online on February 10 for a lecture by art historian Gilles Genty in collaboration with the Toronto Public Library and an in-person lecture on February 14, by historian and political scientist, Patrice Dutil. Discover the beats of African music as French and African artists collaborate for “Nyna Valès, African encounters” on February 15 and Guinean-born Alpha Yaya Diallo takes to the stage on February 24. Claudia Luz Doare, the winner of Young Artists of Toronto, will present her first solo exhibition in our Galleries from February 24 onwards. Visit their website for more details.
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
This month, step into the transformative world of Giotto, the luminary painter who reshaped Western art by seamlessly merging realism with spirituality, bridging the earthly and the divine. Art enthusiasts will embark on an extraordinary journey through Giotto's magnum opus, the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, courtesy of an immersive virtual experience, at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, February 8-29. Also in February, the Istituto will present the film Dante by renowned Italian director Pupi Avati. Dante is an evocative biographical exploration delving into the tumultuous life of Dante Alighieri. From his solitary childhood to his demise in exile, the film unfolds the poignant narrative through the eyes of Giovanni Boccaccio, who embarks on a heartfelt journey to rehabilitate his memory, shedding light on the tormented soul behind the legendary poet (February 28). For information on these and other events, visit the Istituto's website.
Women's Art Association of Canada
Dignam Gallery & Ruth Upjon Gallery present the 2nd annual Black & White Members Exhibition, exploring a world where the absence of colour doesn't limit expression but rather enhances it.
WAAC Education Committee presents ARTIST'S VOICE speakers series with Lorraine Roy, LIVING LANGUAGE LAND: Word portraits from the Earth on February 15; Spinoffs, a 4-week ART ZOOM with Margaret Rodgers on Wednesdays from February 7-28; and ARTIST'S HAND Workshop with Ed Pien, Drawing Workshop “Pushing the Boundaries” on March 1. All programs are now open for registration. Visit their website for more information.
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
JFT welcomes guests to visit its new exhibition, From Edo to Meiji: Transformation of Japanese Ceramics, with materials on loan from the ROM, now also featuring an additional display of Kutani-ware -- ceramics from the earthquake-affected Ishikawa Prefecture. Book Tree is back at JFT! Until March 30, help the Book Tree bloom by commenting on 5 or more borrowed items and enter a ballot to win an exciting prize. Looking for a good read? The next JFT Hybrid Book Club is on February 13, where participants will dive into Mild Vertigo by KANAI Mieko. On February 15, stop by for an in-person screening of Mantles of Transience, a documentary tracing the philosophical ideas behind the Japanese fashion brand “Matohu,” followed by a Q+A with Matohu’s designers. For more information about both in-person and virtual events, film screenings, classes, and gatherings at JFT, please visit their website.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
In February, Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema's lineup will showcase hot premiere titles, insightful retrospectives, captivating author talks, and more. In honour of Black History Month, delve into The Space Race, a reflective illumination of Black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice and reach for the stars; experience Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes, a celebration of the groundbreaking sounds of the bebop pioneer, virtuoso percussionist and pioneering cultural activist; and join influential writer Ijeoma Oluo as she digs deep into her new book: an eye-opening and galvanizing look at the current state of anti-racist activism. Experience a one-night-only culinary delight with Frederick Wiseman's latest doc MENUS-Plaisirs Les Troisgrois, granting you full access inside a French restaurant that has held three Michelin stars for over 50 years. The Herzog retrospective continues, featuring a curated selection of documentaries from the filmmaker and pop culture icon. Curious Minds Author Talks welcomes award-winning author Sheila Heti and bestselling author, screenwriter and journalist Dolly Alderton. Families can partake in the special screening of Howl's Moving Castle. Visit the Hot Docs website to view their programming schedule.
The Royal Conservatory
The Royal Conservatory's February concerts start with the return of the iconic jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman on February 2 with a compelling new project. A second concert has been added on February 3 for pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Peter Sellars, Grant Gershon, and singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale reunite on February 7 with a deeply personal yet uplifting performance. Violinist Isabelle Faust, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, and pianist Alexander Melnikov perform piano trio ‘hits’ by Schumann, Brahms, and Elliott Carter on February 10. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with The Hot Sardines and a tap-dancing soloist as they perform standards from the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s. Additional concerts this month include conductor Joshua Weilerstein with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra on February 9, rising jazz sensation Samara Joy on February 24 and 25, and more. Head to their website to learn more.
ROM
Take full advantage this February to celebrate at ROM, whether it’s Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Family Day, the leap year, or anything else. RAD returns February 16 with Lunar Love. Bring in the Year of the Dragon with your loved ones. CONTEST ALERT! Interested in immortality? While they can't grant that, they have the next best thing: an exclusive giveaway prize pack! The prize includes a Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery themed prize pack AND a 1-year ROM Membership. Enter to win and save on your next visit to the Death: Life’s Greatest Mystery exhibition before it meets its end on April 7. Ponder life’s biggest questions through artifacts, specimens, and immersive media experiences. Experience how life goes on after death—and could not without it. Learn more at their website.
VEMU Estonian Museum Canada
VEMU's Estonian language cafés will be continuing on February 7 and 21 at 7pm at Tartu College. These are suitable for beginners who want to practice their conversation skills. There will also be a film screening of the family film "Supilinna salaselts" ("The Secret Society of Souptown.") with English subtitles, on February 11 at 3pm. This will be a hybrid event screened both at Tartu College and online. Finally, University of Toronto professor and author Mihkel Tombak will be speaking at Tartu College on February 14 at 7pm about Estonian Entrepreneurship. More information can be found at their website.
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
The Miles Nadal JCC presents “Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month” (JDAIM) this February! Attend their LGBTQ+ Community Friday Night Dinner on February 2 in celebration of JDAIM. On February 29 come to a STEPS Public Art presentation, “Transforming our Neighbourhoods and Community”, which focusses on STEPS’ “Accessible Art and Placemaking” project in the Annex, with the Bloor Annex BIA, artist Alex Bulmer, and ReDefine Arts. In their Gallery for JDAIM: We See Toronto: An Inclusive Viewpoint of Our City, their “Disability/Visibility” photography project by young adults who identify with the lived experience of disability, February 3-29. A three-part series “The Playful Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein” led by Art Historian Nancy Klotz starts February 1. At “Bringing Jewish Directors Into Focus” lectures, film critic Adam Nayman discusses Mel Brooks on February 5 and James Gray on February 12. Discover Inclusive and Accessible arts-based community programming, ECE, Aquatics, Wellness and more at their website.
Bata Shoe Museum
Round up your besties and sweethearts! The Bata Shoe Museum is stepping back in time for the raddest 1980s-themed Prom Party on Valentine’s Day (Wednesday, February 14 from 7-11pm). Grab your epic prom outfit (80s-inspired of course), tease that hair, layer on the blush, and get your dancing shoes on for a totally tubular night out. From now until February 1, they will also be offering a limited-time deal where you can purchase 4 tickets for $180. Join them on Sunday February 4 for crafts and a special performance from Lion Dance Toronto to commemorate the coming Lunar New Year. Lion Dance Toronto will be bringing the museum to life with two colourful, energetic performances at 1pm and 1:30pm. Spend your Family Day by painting your own mini wooden clog. Learn about the history of clogs and how they became such a widely known and adored shoe. Take a self-guided tour of their current exhibitions, have some family fun in their Try-On Shoes area, and play iSpy around the museum with our exhibition-themed activity cards available at Visitor Services. They’ll also be hosting a Boots & Blades workshop at The Bentway inspired by their online exhibition about Canadian figure skating. There’s always so much to do at Toronto’s favourite shoebox so be sure to stay updated on their website.
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Renowned and "perpetually fabulous" (Boston Globe) Canadian violinist Aisslinn Nosky directs Passions Revealed, a program designed to stir the depths of the soul. Baroque composers believed in music's profound ability to evoke emotions, and this performance is a testament to that conviction. Journey through the peaks and valleys of human emotion, from the wistful yearning of Locatelli's Concerto Grosso in C Minor to the buoyant cheer of Telemann's Orchestral Suite in B-flat Major. Vivaldi's evocative Concerto for Bassoon "La Notte" transports you to phantoms and dreamscapes, featuring Tafelmusik's own Dominic Teresi. In the grand finale, Bach's masterful Concerto for 2 Violins spotlights Nosky and Tafelmusik's Johanna Novom. Don't miss Passions Revealed from February 23–25, at Jeanne Lamon Hall, before Tafelmusik takes this captivating program on a U.S. tour. Tickets available at their website.
The Toronto Consort
The Toronto Consort presents Songs of the Palace, February 9 & 10 at 8pm at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. In the year 1492 three caravels set sail from Spain. In the search for new trade routes, the discovery of the Americas had far-reaching consequences and profoundly affected both European societies and the Indigenous communities of the “New World”. Concurrently, other significant changes unfolded across Europe, including the surrender of Granada and the expulsion of Muslim and Jewish populations in Spain. Their program aims to explore the sounds of European art music as it reached the shores of Central America, with a particular focus on the Spanish manuscripts Cancionero de Palacio and the Codex Segovia. A time of new musical development, coming out of the late Middle Ages and transitioning to the Renaissance, the end of the 15th century is characterized by a strong polyphonic tradition and the use both of voices and of instruments. Find out more here.
The Bloor St. Culture Corridor, Toronto's most diverse arts and culture district, is a true creative cluster, an arts and culture destination, and a collaboration between some of Toronto's most dynamic arts and culture organizations.
The Bloor St. Culture Corridor offers the public a wide variety of arts genres, from museum experiences to films, art exhibitions to music concerts, and opportunities to experience some of Toronto's cultural diversity, including Aboriginal, French, Jewish, Italian, Japanese, Estonian, African and Caribbean arts and culture.
All Bloor St. Culture Corridor organizations present arts and cultural events for the public year-round in destination venues located in a cluster along a vibrant stretch of Bloor Street West. Each year more than three million members of the public go to Bloor St. Culture Corridor arts and culture destinations, and attend exhibitions, performances, and events. Together, the Bloor St. Culture Corridor organizations employ more than 5,500 culture workers and generate more than $629,500,000 in economic impact each year. In 2016, The Bloor St. Culture Corridor was successful in working with the City of Toronto to have the Bloor St. Culture corridor section of Bloor St. West designated an official City of Toronto cultural corridor.
The Bloor St. Culture Corridor includes:
918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education: 918 Bathurst St. 918bathurst.com
Alliance Française de Toronto: 24 Spadina Road alliance-francaise.ca
Bata Shoe Museum: 327 Bloor Street West batashoemuseum.ca
Blackhurst Cultural Centre: 777-779 Bathurst St. blackhurstcc.org
Gardiner Museum: 111 Queen's Park gardinermuseum.com
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema: 506 Bloor Street West hotdocscinema.ca
Istituto Italiano di Cultura: 496 Huron Street iictoronto.esteri.it
The Japan Foundation, Toronto: 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 300 jftor.org
Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre: 750 Spadina Ave. mnjcc.org
The Music Gallery: 918 Bathurst St. musicgallery.org
Native Canadian Centre of Toronto: 16 Spadina Road ncct.on.ca
The Randolph Centre for the Arts: 736 Bathurst St. randolphcentreforthearts.com
The Royal Conservatory of Music / Koerner Hall: 273 Bloor Street West rcmusic.com/performance
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM): 100 Queen's Park (Entrance on Bloor St. W.) rom.on.ca
Soundstreams: various venues on the Bloor St. Culture Corridor soundstreams.ca
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Chamber Choir: 427 Bloor Street West tafelmusik.org
The Toronto Consort: 427 Bloor Street West torontoconsort.org
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library: 120 St. George St. fisher.library.utoronto.ca
Toronto Reference Library: 789 Yonge Street torontopubliclibrary.ca
University of Toronto Faculty of Music: 80 Queen's Park music.utoronto.ca
VEMU Estonian Museum Canada: 310 Bloor Street West vemu.ca
Women's Art Association of Canada: 23 Prince Arthur Ave. womensartofcanada.ca
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Sandra P. 2/1/2024 |
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