Canada Day Photo Op at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Canada Day Celebration at the McMichael – large crowd expected at opening of the Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast exhibition. Plus Charlie Pachter’s The Painted Flag will be on view, performances by musical groups, First Nations dancers, and more…

CANADA DAY PHOTO OP

June 25, 2009 Kleinburg, ON — The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is expecting a very large crowd to be on hand July 1st – Canada Day – for the official opening of the Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast exhibition. Canada Day celebrations at the McMichael will include musical and dance performances by First Nations artists and the installation of The Painted Flag, the iconic painting of the Canadian flag by well-known Toronto artist Charles Pachter.

Canada Day at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection begins at 10:00 am and runs until 6:00 pm – with the outdoor launch ceremony and formal remarks occurring at 2:00 pm with gallery Executive Director & CEO Thomas Smart, curator/author Ian M. Thom, and McMichael Board of Trustees Chair, Noreen Taylor. There will be an outdoor cash bar and barbeque, a book signing by author and exhibition curator, Ian Thom, First Nations music by Eddy Robinson and Morningstar River drummers and singers, dance performances by Dancers of Damelahamid (beginning at noon), and the gallery’s latest art purchase, Charlie Pachter’s The Painted Flag, will be on display in the McMichael Grand Hall.

Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, organized by the McMichael and guest curated by Thom, features seventy-five contemporary works of art created by forty of Canada’s most talented First Nations artists living in Canada’s Northwest Coast. The exhibition runs until September 20th, 2009 and will then travel on a domestic and international tour. Tour details will be announced shortly.

Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast will be a landmark exhibition and publication (co-published by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and Douglas & McIntyre) that examines the rich diversity and creativity of art in this region of Canada. In the last forty years, the art of the Northwest Coast has re-emerged as one of the most vibrant varied and expressive art forms practised by any of the indigenous peoples of the world. The forty artists included in the exhibition have been selected by Ian Thom, the foremost curator and author of historical and contemporary Northwest Coast Canadian art. Each artist has built a substantial and important career. They address, in their own ways, an important visual and cultural tradition in a unique, personal voice.

One of the many artists represented in the Challenging Traditions exhibition and publication is Don Yeomans, a Haida artist from B.C.’s Northwest Coast whose works are installed in the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology, the Royal British Columbia Museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and the Seattle Art Museum. The public gallery has commissioned a full-scale totem pole by this artist that will be installed in the Grand Hall. The official ceremony to celebrate the unveiling of this artwork will take place at the McMichael later this summer.

The McMichael recently acquired The Painted Flag, the iconic painting by well-known Toronto artist Charles Pachter, for its permanent collection. The artwork will be on view to the public for the first time on Canada Day, July 1st, as part of the gallery’s opening celebration of the summer exhibition season. The artist will be attending as a special guest at the gallery on Canada Day.

The timing of this art purchase is ideal as the McMichael gallery prepares to open Charles Pachter and Margaret Atwood: The Journals of Susanna Moodie, on July 18th. This exhibition is organized by the McMichael and curated by Chris Finn. It will explore the unique collaboration between Pachter and Atwood and will include a collection of approximately thirty original prints with the accompanying poems from Atwood and Pachter’s livre d’artiste, a limited-edition artist’s book. This exhibit runs until October 11th, 2009.

Also opening on July 18th is Diana Thorneycroft: Canada, Myth and History, organized by the McMichael and curated by Sharona Adamowicz-Clements. Winnipeg artist Diana Thorneycroft is known for creating provocative and controversial photographs that challenge her audience’s viewing experience. Her seemingly comical images composed of innocent subjects—dolls and toy figurines—set against the landscape paintings created by Canada’s most beloved artists reveal, upon a closer examination, a deeper and darker meaning. Through her compositions of modern-day life and historical events set against the landscapes of the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, Thorneycroft explores notions of Canadian identity and cultural ideologies, while deconstructing mythological narratives. This exhibit will remain on display until November 29th, 2009.

About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations and Inuit artists. The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. On Canada Day the gallery will be open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery, visit www.mcmichael.com.


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For further information or to receive high resolution photographs, contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868 / Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com

CUTLINE: CHARLIE PACHTER'S CANADIAN FLAG WAS RECENTLY PURCHASED BY THE McMICHAEL. IT GOES ON DISPLAY JULY 1.

Snakes on a Pane (of glass) - Museums, Galleries, Events and Festivals go trolling for media

Trying to Get Attention While Toronto's Media Industry Is Busy Running Away And Hiding

It is hard to get pre-event media coverage for just about anything these days. And given the state of the economy it is not hard to figure out why.

Newspapers have few inches to spare for puff-pieces on new shows at the galleries, updates on festivals and launches of websites. Look whats going on. The Globe and Mail writers' guild is set to go on strike in ten days, the Post is shutting down its Monday edition and the Star and Sun have had their share of job cuts too. In TV land Global owners, CanWest, is technically bankrupt. CTV is so broke its asking its viewers to help lobby the CRTC for an increase in cable fees. The CBC is in the process of shedding programmes and employees both on TV and radio.

So, with that in mind what is a publicist to do to get the attention of the media? You pimp up your media event!

In the old days, one could usually get a few reporters, camera crews and radio guys to come out to a launch provided there was some meagre attempt to put on a show - and - tell. Tools of the trade were pretty basic - a golden shovel for the sod turnings, a giant pair of scissors for the ribbon cutting and of course, the giant cheque for the funding presentation.

Nowadays no one in the media - not even an ad rep looking for business - would take time to show up at a giant cheque ceremony. They want sizzle, and if you are a publicist, you had better deliver! Don't even think of simply having a speaker at a podium and expect the media to show up en mass.

Over the past two weeks I have been involved in the planning of three different events - a festival funding announcement (Scotiabank Caribana), the opening of an art exhibition for Northwest Coast Contemporary First Nations (McMichael Canadian Art Collection) and a juried show of the work of Black Canadian Artists (ROM). As well I have to attend the launch for Nuit Blanche and followed the launches for Luminato and for a Library and Archives Canada Internet announcement.

One of my events has already taken place (see next blog entry below) - an announcement of Federal Government funding for Scotiabank Caribana. The Feds, worried that there could be an election call this week, wanted Caribana to immediately announce that it was receiving funding support.

The Festival usually gets $100,000 a year from the Federal Government to help run North America's largest outdoor event. This year, the Feds increased the funding to $416,000. With that sort of money the Festival was only too happy to put on an instant press conference.

Ex-Broadcaster Peter Kent, a Minister of State for the Conservative Party, came to a Friday morning press conference at the Harbour Castle Hotel along Toronto's waterfront. No giant cheque at this event, instead, the Minister, the head of Tourism Toronto, a Scotiabank VP and Joe Halstead, the head of Caribana, were surrounded by beautiful Mas Dancers bedecked in skimpy Caribana costumes. It was a well attended event and no one questioned why the girls were there.

Yesterday I attended the launch of the Ontario Science Centre's summer exhibition of Lizards and Snakes: Alive with Toronto photographer David Tollington. The week-day media launch had everything an assignment desk would want - a compelling news story, good speakers, and great visuals (school children gingerly touching snakes, museum people feeding small animals to hungry boas and a menacing looking 4 metre long Burmese Python).

The show itself has 50 live lizards and snakes from four different continents. It runs all summer long and if the Science Centre's clippings are as good as the media turn-out, it should be a very successful exhibition.

The launch of Nuit Blanche didn't have snakes or skin. Instead the breakfast launch depended on a central location (The Art Gallery of Ontario) and a cavalcade of well known artists, business leaders and politicians to announce the line-up for this annual one-day art festival. The press conference was jammed, reporters working in three different languages (English, French and Mandarin) listened as Mayor David Miller outlined what would be happening this fall in the all-night citywide art happening.

Although the media event was a success, the actual coverage that Nuit Blanche received was much smaller than what it received at its pre-recession 2008 media launch.

And finally, there was the Library and Archives Canada's Wednesday media conference to celebrate world-first online launch of the complete Historical Canadian Censuses, 1851-1916. It appears to have been talking heads and computer screens - no dancing girls, blue tongued skinks or art gallery curators (they did have Mayor Miller though) to attract the media.

Who won the prize for holding the best press conference over the past two weeks? If the award is based on attendance, Nuit Blanc won easily. In terms of ink and broadcast minutes ... both Scotiabank Caribana and the Ontario Science Centre did better than expected. And the big loser? The Library and Archives Canada -- it is hard to make the launch of a website newsworthy, sexy or even memorable.

Cut line: Green Emerald Tree Boas, kids and the snake handler all part of the draw of a June media event to announce the new exhibition Lizards
&
Snakes:
ALIVE!
at the Ontario Science Centre. All three photographs taken by Dave Tollington.

Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast. June 27- September 20, 2009. www.mcmichael.com
Lizards & Snakes: ALIVE!June 17 - September 7, 2009,www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
Scotiabank Caribana. July 14 - August 3. www.caribanafestival.com

Feds give Scotiabank Caribana $416,000.00

Scotiabank Caribana 2009 is set to receive significant funding from Federal Government

June 12, 2009 (Toronto) – At a Westin Harbour Castle Hotel morning press conference, Scotiabank Caribana and the Federal Government announced that the festival is receiving a $416,000 contribution from the Government of Canada. The announcement was made by the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) and Joe Halstead, Chairman of the Festival Management Committee, Scotiabank Caribana Festival.

Peter Kent, MP for the riding of Thornhill, Ontario explained to the media that the $416,000 contribution to this year’s Scotiabank Caribana Festival is coming from the Federal Government’s Marquee Tourism Events Program (MTEP).

"We are very pleased to receive the support of the Government of Canada for our festival. In general terms, it is an investment in our community," said Joe Halstead, Chairman, Festival Management Committee, Scotiabank Caribana. "It will afford us the opportunity, not only to better market the festival in Canada, the US and internationally, but also provide enhanced programming, and therefore bring about a stronger tourism sector for Canada."

At the press conference, Mr. Halstead explained that the Marquee Tourism Events Program funding will make it possible to enhance the festival's marketing efforts both nationally and internationally, as well as to introduce new and enhanced programming. This will serve to facilitate a richer tourist experience during the festival season.

The Festival Management Committee will use a portion of the funds to support Feel de Vibe of Carnival Spirit and Mini Caribana Villages. These programs include the development of information kiosks at tourist 'hotspots;' giving the festival an opportunity for performers to entertain the public as they enjoy the parade.

Although the Federal Government has long been a supporter of the annual festival, the size of the grant announced today is over four times larger than last year’s allotment.

Corporate sponsors of this year’s festival include:CTV, CP24 Toronto's Breaking News, The Canadian Federal Government, The Province of Ontario, the City of Toronto, Tourism Toronto, Scotiabank, Research In Motion (RIM)/BlackBerry, State Farm Insurance, The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the Royal Ontario Museum, Liberty Grand, Westin Harbour Castle, Ed Mirvish, The Toronto Sun, CFRB, Sway Magazine, Toronto-Lime.Com, and the Caribana™ Arts Group. More company names are expected to be added soon.

Large crowds are expected as more GTA residents migrate toward the city during the summer, along with long-time festival fans in US border states that traditionally attend in large numbers as the festival is an affordable vacation destination in the middle of the summer heat.


CUTLINES:
TOP MP Peter Kent
BOTTOM - Minister Kent with costumed Mas dancers following the Friday morning press conference. Photo by Sandi Destonis Photographer Copyrt09

About Scotiabank Caribana

The Scotiabank Caribana Festival is an exciting two-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts. Now in its 42nd year, it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. As Caribana is an international cultural phenomenon, the great metropolis of Toronto and its environs will come alive as the city explodes with the pulsating rhythms and melodies of Calypso, Soca, Reggae, Chutney, and Steel Pan music.

The Festival Management Committee oversees the running of North America’s largest outdoor festival. This year the Official Launch for the Festival will take place at Noon on Tuesday July 14. The main parade will be staged Saturday, August 1, 2009; 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. For a complete listing information, visit www.caribanafestival.com


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Scotiabank Caribana 2009 Festival Office is located at 263 Davenport Avenue, Lower Level; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tel: 416-391-5608; Fax: 416-391-5693; Email: info@caribanafestival.com


Stephen Weir Alicia Sealey
Publicist Publicist
Tel: 416-489-5868 or 416-801-3101 Tel: 416-599-0644
Fax: 416-488-6518 Fax: 416-599-5056
Email: stephen@stephenweir.com Email: atchp@the-wire.com

Press Conference Scotiabank Caribana 2009 Westin Harbour Castle hotel June 12, 11am

.

Scotiabank Caribana
263 Davenport Rd , Toronto , ON . M5R 1J9
416-391-5608, 416-391-5693
info@caribanafestival.com/ stephen@stephenweir.com

Media Alert
Important Funding Announcement & Press Conference
A Big Boost for Scotiabank Caribana 2009
Friday, June 12, 11.00 am sharp
Westin Harbour Castle Hotel
DOCKSIDE ROOM # 3
1 Harbour Square (Queen's Quay) · Toronto
On Friday the Festival Management Committee and the Government of Canada will be making a joint announcement regarding the 2009 Scotiabank Caribana festival. The press conference is scheduled to last one-half hour. There will be opportunities to interview both Minister Kent and Joe Halstead. Costumed Mas Dancers in attendance. Live Pan Music.
Scheduled to speak:
• The Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs ( Americas )
• Scotiabank Caribana Chairman Joe Halstead
Q&A to follow
For further information contact:

Stephen Weir publicist
416-489-5868
416-801-3101
stephen@stephenweir.com
www.caribanafestival.com

Media Preview: June 25th, see the Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast exhibition before it opens

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MEDIA PREVIEW

A McMichael Exclusive! Exhibition of Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast will be on display this summer.

When: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 10365 Islington Avenue, Kleinburg (just north of the Major Mackenzie Drive, Islington Avenue intersection)

Why: Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and guest-curated by Vancouver-born Ian M. Thom – the resident expert on British Columbia’s art and artists – will be exclusively shown at the McMichael this summer before it goes on tour. The McMichael and Douglas & McIntyre have co-published a landmark book by the same name, written by Thom. The forty artists included in the exhibition have been selected by Ian Thom and each artist has built a substantial and important career. They address, in their own ways, an important visual and cultural tradition in a unique, personal voice. Lastly, and perhaps most controversially, each artist produces work of remarkable depth, beauty and quality. Moreover, the curator has attempted, wherever possible, to select recent, newly created work in direct consultation with the artists themselves.

Who: Meet exhibition curator and author, Ian M. Thom; meet McMichael Executive Director and CEO, Tom Smart.

What: This summer, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, renowned for exclusively showcasing Canadian art, will feature an extraordinary exhibition of Northwest Coast contemporary art. Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast explores the re-emergence of the art of the Northwest Coast. View over seventy works by 21st-century contemporary First Nations artists who have taken traditional Northwest Coast artistic practices and infused them with modern cultural influences.

Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast has been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, a program of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation. The publication and accompanying curatorial research has been generously funded by the Audain Foundation.

About the Gallery

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is the foremost venue in the country showcasing the Group of Seven and their contemporaries. In addition to touring exhibitions, its permanent collection consists of more than 5,500 artworks, including paintings by the Group of Seven and their contemporaries, First Nations, and Inuit artists.

The gallery is located on Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors/students and $30 for families. There is a $5 fee for parking. For more information about the gallery visit www.mcmichael.com.

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Image credit: Bill Henderson (Kwakwaka’wakw, b.1950), Sun Mask,2007–2008, yellow cedar, cedar bark rope, acrylic, 147.3 x 147.3 x 9.1 cm, Private Collection, Courtesy of Inuit Gallery of Vancouver Ltd. Photograph by Kenji Nagai

To RSVP, for further information or to receive high resolution photographs, contact:

Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com, stephen@stephenweir.com