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ARTS: Culture Corridor adds members (May 2019)

May 28th, 2019 · No Comments

Women’s Art Association and Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library join

The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is the newest member of the Bloor Street Cultural Corridor. Among their treasures is this decorative binding from the 1601 book Instructionis sacerdotum libri septem. It is covered with block-printed paper with an elaborate floral design, and is an example of the binding technique known as ‘drawn-on solid’. COURTESY THOMAS FISHER RARE BOOK LIBRARY

By Meribeth Deen

The Bloor Street Culture Corridor offers some of the richest and most diverse cultural opportunities anywhere in Toronto, all within a subway-accessible 1.5 kilometre strip. Each year, more than three million members of the public go to Corridor exhibitions, performances, and events.This spring we are pleased to welcome several new partners to the group. 

The Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC) is one of these new partners. This not-for-profit has been supporting Canadian artists for more than 130 years by providing scholarships and a haven for writers, musicians, and visual artists. The Mary Dignam Gallery (23 Prince Arthur Ave.) hosts openings, receptions, and member exhibitions. During the month of May, the gallery will display the work of thirteen member photographers who find beauty in obscure places. The show is called Beauty is Where You Find It, and it is a part of the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival.

Another Corridor newcomer is the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. The library is the largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts in Canada. 

On May 21, the library will launch its latest exhibition, Uncovering the Book: An Exhibition in Honour of Greta Golick. Every book tells its story in its making. Books reflect their makers, their readers, and their users. This exhibition will feature the covers or the bindings of books as a reflection of their production and consumption – or, in other words, it will show the material book as witness to its manufacture, use, and survival.

More rare books will be on display at the Toronto Reference Library’s exhibit Retro Futures, which launches May 18. These books, alongside magazines, art work, and ephemera from the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, will explore futures that might have been – inspired by the 50th anniversary of NASA’s first successful lunar landing. Guided tours will be available.

If you’ve got a Friday evening open, be sure to head over to the ROM for a Friday Night Live (#FNLROM). In the second half of May, you can enjoy the feature exhibition Treasures of a Desert Kingdom, alongside entertainment by DJ Parthobeatz and the Shiamak Toronto Dance Team. You can also just go to dance, and be inspired by forms of dance from around the world.

On the film front don’t forget about the Reel Abilities Film Festival (May 24 – June 2). This is Canada’s largest film festival showcasing disability and deaf cultures. Film screenings take place at the Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadal JCC and Innis Town Hall at the University of Toronto. Buy your tickets at reelabilities.org.

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Tags: Annex · Arts · Columns