Sunday 26 March 2017

PRESS PREVIEW WEDNESDAY AM ONLY IN BRAMPTON AT PAMA


Charles Pachter and Sikh Heritage Month Festivities 
(this April) 


BRAMPTON, ON  – The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA), and,  the Sikh Heritage Month Committee invite you to a sneak peek of Sikh Heritage Month festivities planned for April along with a preview of PAMA’s upcoming art exhibitions: What Makes This Country Tick? Selected Works by Charles Pachter and Komagatu Maru: A Journey to Canada

Interview Opportunities at PAMA Wednesday, March 29 


Sikh's aboard the ill-fated Komagatu Maru

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. 

Interview opportunities with spokespeople for the Sikh Heritage Month celebration this April: 
 Gurratan Singh, and members of the Sikh Heritage Month Committee 
 Curator Annemarie Hagan and guest Curator Lally Marwah 
 Artists from the Sikh Heritage Community Curated Art Exhibition 

Charles Pachter and his flag paintings

11:30 – 12:30 p.m. 

 Contemporary Artist Charles Pachter and Curators Tom Smart and Gerrie Loveys 

Light refreshments will be provided 
 Exhibitions on at PAMA

 April 1 – June 11 - “What Makes this Country Tick?” Selected Works by Charles Pachter 
  •  Colourful, contemporary, iconic emblems of Canadian history and identity
 April 1 – June 11, Komagatu Maru: A Journey to Canada 
  • A 1914 Canadian story of immigration denied
  April 1 – 30, Sikh Heritage Month Community Curated Exhibition 
  • Showcasing the artwork of local Sikh artists

Sikh Heritage Month in Downtown Brampton
April 1 – April 30
Sikh Heritage Month at PAMA provides everyone with an opportunity to learn about Sikh and Canadian culture and history through art, history, performances and workshops.Opening Event at PAMA: April 1 from 6 – 10 p.m. 
Closing Event at Brampton City Hall: April 29 from 6 – 10 p.m
  • FREE General admission at PAMA in April is sponsored by the Sikh Foundation of Canada. *Groups of 10+, fees will apply
Visit ontariosikhheritagemonth.com, pama.peelregion.ca to learn more

PAMA is a place to explore and learn about Peel Region’s culture and heritage, as well as use conversation, questions and stories to help make new and fascinating connections to the surrounding community. Throughout the year, PAMA offers a variety of workshops and programs for all ages, families and adults. With so many different programs to choose from, PAMA has something for everyone. Operated by the Region of Peel, PAMA is located at 9 Wellington St. E.in Brampton. 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

ERIN FERNANDES 
Marketing Co-ordinator 
Peel Art Gallery, 
Museum and Archives 
905-791-4055, ext. 7596 
erin.fernandes@peelregion.ca

STEPHEN WEIR
Stephen Weir & Associates 
| stephen@stephenweir.com
Tel: 416-489-5868 | cell: 416-801-3101
 twitter: sweirsweir 

Tuesday 7 March 2017

YOWronto Music Festival presents


Michie Mee

The Women of YOWronto 
is a FREE evening of performances showcasing  Michie Mee and the talents of many other community women

This Friday, March 10th, from 7-10 pm there will be a free evening of reggae music and inspirational female speakers at Woodbridge's Belleeny's Restaurant, 4000 Steeles Ave. West. The event is to provide an opportunity for the community to meet and network with female leaders, in a friendly and fun environment.
'Women of YOWronto' includes motivational speakers, live music performances and a turntablist, all led by local women who believe in the betterment and celebration of womanhood. Scheduled to perform are popular rapper Michie Mee, Kandice Kash, Jay Harmony and Kim Davis. The emcee is well-known DJ Baby G. Inspirational speakers include Allison Harvey, CEO of the Networking Diva Group and Woodbine Mall’s Michell Barker.
Belleeny's Restaurant is a popular restaurant and nightclub unique to Canada. West Indian and Italian Fusion food are their specialties, and complimentary snacks will be available at the Friday night event.  
The March 10 event is a lead up to this summer's YOWronto Music Festival which is an annual International musical extravaganza which this year embodies a celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation. YOWronto is a tribute to Canada, boasting a diversity of activities. This two-day musical event takes place at the Woodbine Mall on Saturday July 1 and Sunday, July 2, 2017.
The YOWronto Music Festival will have performances from various music genres including Reggae, Gospel, R&B, and Soca. Other performances will include Spoken Word, drumming and dancing. The festival is perfect for the entire family, music lovers, artistes, or the person who just wants to experience something unforgettable.

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To contact Yowronto:
Twitter @yowronto 
phone 416-668-0945

Media contact:
Stephen Weir
Stephen Weir & Associates
416-489-5868
Craigg Slowly
647-572-2314
CraiggSlowly@gmail.com



Monday 6 March 2017

Ross King Wins the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize for Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of Water Lilies

Ross King holds his RBC Taylor Prize trophy - Tom Sandler photo

The Winner of the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize is Ross King (Oxford, England) for his book Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of Water Lilies by Ross King (Oxford, England), published by Bond Street Books. The $25,000 award was announced today by Prize founder and Chair Noreen Taylor during a gala luncheon celebrating this year’s finalists at The Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto. In addition to the cash prize, Mr. King received a crystal trophy and a leather-bound version of his book.

Vijay Parmar (l), Ross King and Prize founder Noreen Taylor - photo Tom Sandler

Noreen Taylor, prize founder and chair of the Charles Taylor Foundation expressed her delight, stating: “Well-crafted prose assumes even greater prestige and authority as we face a near-daily barrage of ‘alternative facts’ and things that read ‘as if’ they are true. The RBC Taylor Prize is proud to continue our tradition of support for this essential branch of our national literature. Of course, the task of championing the best in non-fiction reading is a whole lot easier when you have such fine writers as the 2017 finalists.”

Vijay Parmar, president of RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, added: “On behalf of RBC Wealth Management, congratulations to Ross King on this remarkable achievement. He joins an impressive list of authors who have played a part in shaping our country’s literary non-fiction landscape. We are proud to partner with the Charles Taylor Foundation in recognizing the amazing talent of Canadian non-fiction writers as Presenting Sponsor of the RBC Taylor Prize.”

In its citation of the winning book, the jury notes: “Claude Monet’s Water Lilies paintings in the Musée de l’Orangerie at the Jardin Tuileries rank among the greatest masterpieces of world art. Their creation came late in Monet’s life when cataracts marred his sight, death struck his wife and son, and war raged close to his lily ponds at Giverny. Ross King brilliantly captures the furies of Monet and the enormous challenges he overcame in painting the twenty-two panels of lilies that surround l’Orangerie. An exceptional art historian, King grasps the political tempests of wartime France, and his portrait of Monet’s close friend, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, will be essential reading for all who want to understand the intersection of politics, nationalism, and culture in France during the First World War. In this elegantly written and superbly researched book, Ross King illuminates Water Lilies and Monet as no one has before.”
About the winner: Ross King is the author of The Judgment of ParisBrunelleschi’s DomeMichelangelo and the Pope’s CeilingDefiant Spirits: The Modernist Revolution of the Group of Seven and Leonardo and the Last Supper. His work has twice won the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction and has been shortlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize. Born and raised in Canada, he holds degrees from the University of Regina, York University in Toronto and University College, London. He now lives near Oxford, England.
The four remaining finalists — Max Eisen (Toronto, ON) for By Chance Alone: A Remarkable True Story of Courage and Survival at Auschwitz, published by HarperCollins Publishers; Matti Friedman (Jerusalem) for Pumpkinflowers: An Israeli Soldier’s Story, published by Signal/McClelland & Stewart; Marc Raboy (Montreal, QC) for Marconi: The Man Who Networked the World, published by Oxford University Press; and Diane Schoemperlen (Kingston, ON) for This Is Not My Life: A Memoir of Love, Prison, and Other Complications, published by HarperCollins Canada — each received a $2000 honorarium, a leather-bound version of their book, and extensive publicity.
Noreen Taylor and Ross King - Tom Sandler photo
The jurors for the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize are John English, Ann MacMillan, and Colin McAdam. They read and evaluated 101 books written by Canadian authors and submitted by 29 Canadian and international publishers to determine the winner for this, the sixteenth awarding of the prestigious prize.
Established as a biennial prize in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation, 2017 marks the sixteenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $25,000 for the winner and $2,000 for each of the remaining finalists, as well as promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries.
Sharing a commitment to emerging Canadian talent, the Charles Taylor Foundation and RBC will also grant the fourth annual RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writers Award. Shortly after the announcement of the 2017 Prize, its winner will name their choice of emerging author to receive this $10,000 award.

The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are: Michael Bradley, Vijay Parmar, David Staines, Edward Taylor, Nadina Taylor, and Noreen Taylor