Marilyn Monroe Comes to the McMichael

Spend the Family Day Long Weekend exploring the legend of Marilyn Monroe
Special programming based on two new,intriguing art exhibitions at the McMichael!

For Immediate Release
February 7, 2011 Kleinburg, ON – When the McMichael Canadian Art Collection opens two special exhibitions on February 19, 2011, based on the late iconic American film star Marilyn Monroe, it will be a weekend filled with guided tours, films and music along with special programming every day based on these shows, all included with gallery admission. Plus on Sunday, February 20 only, the gallery will waive its entrance fee for visitors who dress in Marilyn Monroe attire! The public gallery in Kleinburg is expecting a large turnout to see the new exhibitions, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe (curated by Artoma, Hamburg, Germany and tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC) and Marilyn in Canada (organized by the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and curated by Chris Finn, Assistant Curator). Contemporary art and artists, celebrity, notoriety, fame and fortune are key ingredients to these two Marilyn Monroe exhibitions on show at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection from February 19 to May 15, 2011.

A weekend of programs to celebrate the opening of the Marilyn Monroe exhibitions will take place on the Family Day Long Weekend, February 19 to 21, 2011. Over the weekend the gallery will feature movie theatre lobby décor and there will be Marilyn movies playing in the gallery’s theatre, plus a special Marilyn prix-fixe menu will be served in the gallery’s Seven Restaurant. Here is detailed information on what will take place at the McMichael from February 19 to 21:

All weekend long, join McMichael educators and docents for a series of twenty-minute-long tours of Marilyn’s Fragments and Fabulous 1950s, documentary films about Marilyn, and music by DJ Goin’ Steady, and more, all included with gallery admission.

Saturday, February 19:
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lecture by Hal Niedzviecki: Celebrity to Cewebrity: How Marilyn Ushered in the Age of Peep Culture
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Join the McMichael’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, for a tour of his exhibition, Marilyn in Canada.

Sunday, February 20:
Get in the spirit and dress up like Marilyn for free admission all day at the McMichael! Then, at 1:00 p.m., we invite you to strut your stuff on the “Red Carpet” in the gallery’s Grand Hall!

Monday, February 21:
11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Celebrate Family Day by taking a tour or join a family silk screen workshop at 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.

These exhibitions capture the making of a celebrity and the myth behind the woman the world knew as Marilyn Monroe. Nearly five decades after her death, Monroe remains undisputedly one of the most famous movie stars in the world. Her intriguing personality and the aura surrounding her tragic death continuously attracted many artists, who responded more acutely to the creation of a legend.

“Although it has been fifty years since the death of Marilyn Monroe, worldwide interest in her life and career has sustained,” said McMichael Chief Curator, Katerina Atanassova. “Our two exhibitions examine how the art world has been motivated by the myth and legend of this iconic actress. Life as a Legend is an internationally touring exhibition which has been additionally curated by McMichael staff to enhance its content for our visitors. The uniquely McMichael-curated show, Marilyn in Canada, provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada as well as her popularity among Canadian artists.”
Her mystique is an inspiration in many genres as currently several projects are in the works, or have just recently been released, which feature Marilyn Monroe. Two feature films are in production: My Week with Marilyn starring Oscar® nominated actress Michelle Williams and, Blonde, starring another Oscar® nominated actress, Naomi Watts. A collection of writings by the Hollywood icon was released in October 2010. The book, Fragments, includes poems, letters, and other writings dating from Monroe’s teenage years to shortly before her death.

The internationally acclaimed touring exhibition, Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe, makes its final stop of a successful tour at the McMichael. The exhibition explores the incredibly diverse array of artistic responses to Marilyn’s image. An impressive grouping of paintings, photographs, and prints by world-renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, and Eduardo Paolozzi, along with unforgettable snapshots by the most famous photographers of the day such as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Bernard of Hollywood make this exhibition a true revelation for Monroe’s fans.

Curated especially for the McMichael by the gallery’s Assistant Curator, Chris Finn, Marilyn in Canada provides an intriguing glimpse into Marilyn’s experiences while filming in Canada as well as her popularity among Canadian artists. Works by artists such as Shelley Niro, John Vachon, and George S. Zimbel are some of the highlights of this unique Canadian-content based exhibition. Both shows demonstrate the broad range of artists who responded creatively to Marilyn’s life – from a constellation of great fashion photographers of her day to the champions of the Pop Art movement in North America to well known artists in Canadian contemporary art.

ABOUT THE McMICHAEL CANADIAN ART COLLECTION

The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is an agency of the Government of Ontario and acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Tourism and 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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For further information or to receive high resolution images, contact:

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


Images above, Bert Stern, “Here’s to you” from The Last Sitting, 1962/1978, C-Print, © Bert Stern; Milton H. Greene, Marilyn Monroe, New York City, “Ballerina Sitting,” 1954, Inkjet print, © Joshua Greene www.legendslicensing.com; John Vachon (1914– 1975), Untitled (Marilyn with Mountie), 1953, photographic reprint, 61 x 51 cm, Courtesy of the Estate of John Vachon and Dover Publications Inc.

20 minutes of fame - Andy Warhol's 15 minutes goes into Caribana overtime

I have just finished -- well almost, there is still that horrendously long media report to complete -- a very successful campaign in promoting the Caribana Festival in Toronto. This is the fifth time in 10 years I have worked on Caribana. The parade attracted over a million spectators and aside from one "accident" was incident free. I don't have to explain what Caribana is because chances are, anyone looking at this Blog, no matter where they live, will know what it is (we did that good a job).

Even without a clipping service, my clipping file is huge -- 750 seperate media stories about the parade and the many other Caribana events that were held during the Festival. Myself and my four associates got Caribana positive coverage in every major media outlet in Toronto and in/on most English language media outlets across Canada. We also go break through coverage in Buffalo, Chicago and Trinidad thanks to the help of Metro Toronto Tourism.

So how good was it? I use a very publicist-generous formula to evaluate the worth of a campaign. In the case of Caribana I look at the size or length of the news story or clipping or web piece and figure out, using the outlet's ad buy rate, how much that item would have cost Caribana to purchase. I then multiply it by the number of times that that item appeared (some of the TV stations ran clips six times before retiring them). I then multiply that figure by a factor of 4. The quading of the figure is to add a value that recognizes that readers / viewers / listeners are four times more likely to believe a positive news item then they are to look at a similiar sized advertisement.

Some of the TV stations did morning long remotes from our events. CITY TV has an ad rate of $2,400 per 30 seconds for its highly rated morning Breakfast TV show. Multiply that ad rate by two hours and then again by the PR factor of four and it doesn't take long before coverage, from just that one station, is in the millions. Although it has no real meaning, I estimate that this year's positive coverage of the month long Caribana Festival in Toronto garnered a PR value in excess of $30 million.

Of course not all that PR is a direct result of my team's work. Caribana's marketing team did quite a bit, so did various groups around town and of course, there was just a large province-wide interest in the festival that didn't need any PR stoking to get coverage.

With such dramatic PR results one would expect a happy customer. No so. The festival has been over for almost a month. I am owed a bundle. No one is talking to me or indicating if and when I get paid. My contract is simply emailed notes between the festival COO and myself. I have put out more in wages than I have collected. I am too frightened to open my Visa bill, my Mastercard statement or my Amex (the true funders of the PR efforts of Caribana). I pride myself in getting people that extra five minutes of fame. Gotta work harder on getting my invoices paid.

Tonight is recycling night. Might go out and look for returnable empties (price of gas just went up) ... not kidding. Taking it on the chin and in the wallet for a parade. Sigh.

Over the next few weeks I will be talking about the positive promotion of Caribana. The good. The bad. And a rant about SEAN PAUL.

photograph - I took this picture of myself while I was talking on the phone to Diver Magazine in Vancouver. This was during the Launch of the Parade at Toronto's city hall. The magazine wanted to know if I was goofing off - asked these three Mas dancers to help them show the magazine I was busy.