City marks black history
Date: Thursday, February 16 @ 00:00:00 UTC
Topic: Black Habits Articles


With a variety of events taking place across the city, from art exhibits to film screenings, the public has the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month by immersing themselves in the historical and present contributions of African Canadians.

Running through to March 11, the NFB (National Film Board) Mediatheque is one of a number of organizations recognizing local and international African-Canadian artists.

Kirsty Evans, a spokesperson for the NFB Mediatheque, says they’re presenting an exhibition called Perspectives which will be showcasing the artistic talents of Toronto-based artists Dionne Simpson, Sandra Brewster, Stella Fakiyesi and Wayne Salmon, as well as selections from the collection of Dr. Kenneth Montague, collector, curator and director of the Wedge curatorial project.

“Part of what was appealing to us about the exhibit is that there are a number of very active, very prominent African Canadian artists … whose work, while very well respected is not necessarily something that the general public, the non-typical art go-er would normally have access to,” says Evans. “So we loved the idea of sharing this tremendous visual art in a space that isn’t a gallery, since the Mediatheque is a cinema.”

This month also features a variety of film screenings and talks, including an event with Michael Chambers, an internationally renowned Toronto-based photographer on March 11 to close the exhibit.

The City of Toronto is also celebrating Black History Month with events and exhibits exploring the heritage, traditions and culture of African-Canadians.

An educational exhibit, Journey To The Present, follows the history of peoples of African descent and consists of nine components, each focusing on a different era. This year, the exhibit is making its home at Hart House, University of Toronto, from Feb. 1-10; Scarborough North Social Services, from Feb. 13-17; Wellesley Community Centre, from Feb. 20 -26; Masyrk- Cowan Community Centre, from Feb. 20–26; and Smithfield Community School, from Feb. 27- March 3. Toronto Historic Museums and Arts & Cultural Centres are also offering an array of learning opportunities. For more information, go to www.nfb.ca/mediatheque or www.toronto.ca/blackhistory





This article comes from Black Habits
http://www.blackhabits.com

The URL for this story is:
http://www.blackhabits.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=158