Launch of Us.Here.Now & A Hundred Paths Home @ Union Station, Toronto, ON - Tues Feb 5th!

Toronto, we're converting Union Station (the busiest building in Toronto - 300k people walk through there daily) into Wakanda on Tuesday February 5th, 7-9pm for the FREE ADMISSION launch of the exhibit Us.Here.Now curated by Wan Lucas featuring the original photography of SoTeeOh, Brianna Roye, Gillian Mapp. This exhibit showcases notable Black Torontonians from different neighborhoods throughout the GTA including dancer/choreographers (Esie Mensah, pictured), curators (Ashley McKenzie Barnes), wordsmiths (Ian Kamau), fashion designers (Adrian - Too Black Guys), DJ's (Bambii), musicians (Just John, Witch Prophet), comedians (Kenny Robinson), filmmakers (Charles Officer) and visual artists (Michelle Pearson Clarke), all the way over to theatre directors (Weyni Mengesha), jewelry makers (Asia Clarke), literary entrepreneurs (Miguel San Vicente + Itah Sadu), and photographers (Yasin Osman). The event will be hosted by Jemeni (G98.7 fm), with DJ Agile providing the music + there will be a panel discussion with the assembled artists.

Plus, we're premiering a fantastic new exhibit A Thousand Paths Home, a presentation of the work of Yung Yemi commissioned for Union's Connection exhibit, featuring digital art interpretations of the late Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond, alongside select Afro-futurist icons like Janelle Monae and others. Yemi adopted the aesthetic of Afrofuturism, that borrows from pop culture, African adornment, and science fiction to cast these contemporary artists alongside a revered Canadian historical figure.

For more info about the exhibit & media interview opportunities, contact Dalton Higgins.

Location:  Union Station, 65 Front Street West, Toronto, ON (Street Level West Wing and Oak Room)

Time:  7p - 9p

Hosted by Jemini

Music by DJ Agile

Artist Talk at 7:30p

The Heard Festival: The Sawubona Project @ The Artscape Lounge, Daniels Spectrumm, Toronto, ON - Tues Aug 23rd - Sun Sept 4th!

Toronto will be experiencing a #BlackOut from August 23rd to September 4th.

To close the summer, The Sawubona Project will display exclusive work from 30 of city’s most renowned visual storytellers at Daniels Spectrum as part of The Heard Festival, sharing varying views on life through the Black lens.

The collection of stirring stills curated by SoTeeOh, Jalani Morgan, Zun Lee and Zviko Mhakayakora will serve as a timely reminder that BLACK ART MATTERS.

The Sawubona Project will be on display from Tuesday, August 23 - Sunday, September 4 in The Artscape Lounge at Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto, ON

Tickets for the opening are on sale now, Don’t sleep.

For tickets click here

40 Years of Hip Hop - A Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival Featured Exhibition and After Party @ The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, ON - Fri May 2nd!

Che Kothari & The Gladstone Hotel Present:
40 Years of Hip Hop
- A Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival Featured Exhibition

1974. 40 years ago. A movement of epic proportions begins to unfold.
Civil war in Ethiopia has broken out. The crew of Skylab 4 return to Earth after 84 days in orbit. The Rubix Cube is invented. The first issue of People Magazine is released. Happy Days and Jaws are first hitting screens and Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the most storied boxing match in history. In the South Bronx, New York City – an important story is beginning to be written; one that will forever impact humanity’s cultural identity. Hip Hop is being born.

From its humble beginnings to today, Hip Hop has evolved from a voice for the voiceless to a dominant global youth culture occupying mainstream media and generating billion dollar revenues. A paradoxical juggernaut, Hip Hop is at once co-opted for corporate and personal gain while remaining the primary galvanizer in the fight against oppression and for community building movements around the world. This exhibition explores a sliver of the evolution of this cultural phenomenon through large scale photographic prints from some of the culture’s pioneer documentarians alongside some of its contemporary image-makers.  From the youthful and rebellious street cultures that shaped Hip Hop’s essence and style, to artists who’ve reached the highest echelons of commercial success – the exhibit focuses on a North American perspective and fixes its lenses on the most prominent figure from this multi-elemental culture – the emcee. The exhibit does not aim to act as a chronological or definitive recounting of the movement (to do so would require multiple museum shows, books, documentaries, retrospectives and more) – rather it aims to celebrate a collection of iconic portraits that serve as vital contributions to the immortalization of some of the legends of Hip Hop – and the legend of Hip Hop itself.

Featuring select works by:
Ernie Paniccioli
Jamel Shabazz
Jonathan Mannion
Nabil Elderkin
Janette Beckman
Charlie Ahearn
Estevan Oriol
Che Kothari
Mike Schreiber
Matt Barnes
Steve Carty

Curated by Che Kothari & Ryan Paterson

Opening May 2nd 2014 | Exhibit Runs May 2-May 30

Opening Night "In Conversation with... Jonathan Mannion" | 6 - 7pm

Opening Night Exhibition Hours | 7 - 11pm

Opening Night Party | 10pm - 2:30pm

with:

Mel Boogie
Mastermind
DJ X
Wristpect
Nino Brown
DJ Law

Location:  Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St W, Toronto, ON

#40years

40yearsofhiphop.com
Buy Tickets Here:

The Sum of Her Parts: A Photo Exhibition Reception by Dwayne Morgan @ Bluffs Gallery, Scarborough, ON - Thurs Feb 13th!

Tonight! Come to the Bluffs Gallery at 7 p.m. for "The Sum of Her Parts" exhibition reception. This exhibition is a striking photopoem about female body image created by Dwayne Morgan, and is part of the larger "Akwaaba" series of exhibitions celebrating Black History Month.

Location:  The Bluffs Gallery, 1859 Kingston Road, Scarborough, ON M1N 1G8
Canada

Thursday, 13 February 2014 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST)

RSVP for the reception here: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-sum-of-her-parts-exhibition-reception-tickets-10486690975

This exhibit runs February 10-14. Gallery hours are 9am-5pm.

For more information: www.ScarboroughArts.com or (416) 698-7322

Who Shot Ya? Three Decades of Hip Hop Photography @ Ricky Ricardo`s, Toronto, ON - Sun Dec 1st!

We are proud to have Ernie Paniccioli
with us to tell the stories behind the
photos from his popular book
“Who Shot Ya?” Three Decades of
Hip Hop photography.

He will be presenting a slide show
and conducting a Q & A thereafter.
This is a cant miss event as it is
the first time he will be sharing his
work in this format and also a rare
opportunity to meet a respected artist
that is a profound contributor to
hip hop roots, arts and culture.

There will be a live performance
of “Noitulover” - Unknown Mizery
and KDB’s new project. As well as
performances by Que Rock and
Black Da Plague. Music
provided by DJ Dun.


$10 advance tickets comes
with a “Noitulover” cd.
$10 at the door.

“Who Shot Ya?” live show
7:30 - 9:30 pm

Music performances
11:00 - 2:00 am

Location: Ricky Ricardo's, 423 College Street, Toronto, ON

Opening Reception for Outreach 2013 - Flux Photo Exhibitiion @ Gallery 44, Toronto, ON - Fri Jun 21st!

OUTREACH 2013

Exhibition Dates:

June 21 to July 26, 2013

Opening Reception:
June 21, 6 to 9 pm

David Barker Maltby Award presented at 7pm

2013 Community Partners
519 Church St. Community Centre
Eva’s Phoenix
Native Learning Centre (NLC)
Nia Centre for the Arts
UrbanArts

OUTREACH is Gallery 44′s award-winning education program designed specifically for under-served youth, as a medium of creative self-expression. OUTREACH breaks down barriers to the arts and encourages youth to develop their creative voice and understand the power of the photographic image. Through OUTREACH, Gallery 44 works in collaboration with five community organizations to offer black and white photography workshops to over 50 young people in the G.T.A. The workshops have a different thematic focus each year, which guides the youth from concept, through to production and exhibition at Gallery 44.

Every year, Gallery 44 awards two participants from our OUTREACH program, the David Barker Maltby Award in keeping with his commitment to education, community activism and documentary photography.  Award winners, nominated by instructors and selected by a committee, have excelled within the OUTREACH program.  Recipients are awarded based on their talent and commitment to continuing with their arts practice.

Through the OUTREACH program, Gallery 44 provides photography education outside of the formal school system and builds relationships with other non-profit community organizations by offering photography workshops free of charge to youth. These workshops are designed to meet the specific needs of each youth group involved, and are taught by qualified photographers who have a personal relationship with each community organization.

Location:  Gallery 44,  401 Richmond St W, Suite # 120, Toronto, ON

More info:   http://www.niacentre.org/gallery-44-outreach-2013/

Syncopation: Life in the Key of Black Opening Reception @ Daniels Spectrum, Toronto, ON - Sat Feb 2nd! & Photo Exhibit, Feb 2nd - Mar 2nd!

There is the official history of Canada’s music industry, and then there’s the actual history.

From its beginning, the intriguing history of Canadian music has been told largely by−and for−a White population. For too long the accomplishments of individuals such as Cy McLean, Syd Blackwood, Alf Coward, the Wright Brothers and many others have been overlooked. Time for an accurate retelling. This fascinating photo exhibition and accompanying biographical sketches, Syncopation: Life in the Key of Black sets the record straight.

Syncopation: Life in the Key of Black celebrates the achievements, recognizes the struggles and solutes the underappreciated contributions of countless Black entertainers.

On display at the gallery during Black History Month 2013

http://regentparkarts.ca/event/syncopation-life-in-the-key-of-black/

Tickets are $10 and available only at the door.


Location:  Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto, ON
Time:  3:30p - 7:30p
For more information please visit www.aasf.ca or call 647-853-7345

The Photo Exhibit will be on display on the 2nd floor gallery during Black History month from Feb 3 - Mar 2

 
About Archie Alleyne: The Archie Alleyne Scholarship Fund (AASF), honouring award-winning Canadian jazz legend Archie Alleyne, provides financial assistance to young musicians pursuing postsecondary music education.

Kamshuka Gallery Show - My Exotic Eye -The South African Collection Exhibition and Reception @ Mirage Grill & Lounge, Toronto, ON - Thurs Jul 14th!

Media Advisory: Photographer & Motivational Speaker hits Toronto with her 3rd Annual KAMSHUKA Gallery Show 2 ~"My Exotic Eye ~the South African Collection" for a Worthy Cause

Award Winning Photographer, Belinda Barrocks will exhibit her works on Thursday in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. The predominately Exotic Art captures various images of landscapes, foreign lands and emotional expressions of people, this year being the beautiful South Africa. The media is welcome to join many influential figures in Toronto including Songstress & Writer “Kim Davis”, Motivational Educator AL St. Louis, Artist Jessica Sheppard & R&B singer Ray Rob.

This unique event will also include photos that bring your senses to a level of excitement to want to travel this beautiful world. We are also excited to have the Toronto Firefighters be apart of this event. Upon your arrival look out for the truck outside the location bearing the Canadian Cancer Society banner & our friendly firefighter friends to great you at the door.

WHO: Belinda Barrocks of “Kamshuka” partnered with the Fundraising Coordinator at Canadian Cancer Society

WHAT: My Exotic Eye ~The South African Collection Exhibition and Reception

WHEN: Thursday July, 14, 2011 6:30pm

WHERE: Mirage Grill & Lounge 117 Eglinton E, Toronto, ON

Visit http://www.kamshuka.com