McMichael Gallery recieves 7,500 Hallendy slide photographs on Cape Dorset

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The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is given the
Norman Hallendy Collection of Arctic images,
a significant donation that will enhance the public gallery’s Inuit holdings.

April 12, 2010 Kleinburg, ON—The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is proud to announce that it is the recipient of the Norman Hallendy Collection of Canadian Arctic images. The extensive collection of almost 7,500 colour images is the fifth significant donation made to the gallery over the past twenty years by internationally recognized ethnographer, author and photographer Norman E. Hallendy.
The images in the Norman Hallendy Collection are original 35-mm Kodachrome colour slides photographed by Mr. Hallendy over the past fifty years. He has made many expeditions to the Canadian Arctic to interact with and observe traditional Inuit communities and document their world. The images range in subject from inuksuit (stone figures), ancient and sacred sites, landscapes, seascapes, icebergs, natural environment and campsites, to the people of the Arctic, including artists—many of whom are represented in the art collection of the McMichael. As a respected and trusted friend to the Inuit elders, Mr. Hallendy has been granted the privilege of seeing and photographing inuksuit and ancient sites that others do not have access to.
“In terms of understanding the art and people of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), this is a defining moment for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection,” said Thomas Smart, Executive Director and CEO of the gallery. “It is the largest single donation of photographs, both in size and value, to come to this public institution. The slides brilliantly capture the essence of the people, the land, and the history of Kinngait.”
Since 1989, Mr. Hallendy has been donating his photographic work to the McMichael. Earlier donations include a smaller representation of colour slides taken in the Eastern Arctic, and a collection of rare black and white 35-mm negatives and photographs of Kinngait artists from 1968. He has also donated Inuit art including drawings, prints and sculpture. Norman Hallendy has transferred copyright for the images in this collection, and the earlier black & white photograph collections, to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection which will oversee the use and licensing of the Hallendy images in the future. This comprehensive photographic resource has significant research, documentary and educational potential, as well as spectacular aesthetic value.
“The acquisition of these images greatly enhances and supports our existing holdings of Inuit art, including the historic Cape Dorset archival collection on loan from the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative,” continued Mr. Smart.
According to Mr. Smart, the Norman Hallendy Collection is a perfect complement for the approximately 100,000-object Cape Dorset collection of drawings, prints and sculpture. For the past twenty years the McMichael has been the custodian of this national treasure. Kinngait is a hamlet located on Dorset Island off the southwest tip of Baffin Island in Nunavut. Named after the mountains which make up the region (Kinngait means “high mountains”), Cape Dorset has become a centre for Inuit drawing, printmaking, and carving since the 1950s.

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 at 10365 Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For directions and information, visit www.mcmichael.com.

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Media 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

Cutline: Inuksuit at Inuksugalalait, Southwest Baffin, 1990
Norman Hallendy Collection
Gift of Norman E. Hallendy
McMichael Canadian Art Collection Archives

Five days later, the bar is raised again. Griffin adds an extra $100,00 in poetry prize money

Short List announced today at Le Select in Toronto

No sooner did I write that the Scotiabank had raised the bar for Canadian art prizes by creating a $50,000+ annual prize for photographers (see story below http://20minutesoffame.blogspot.com/2010/04/scotiabank-now-title-sponsor-of-contact.html), Scott Griffin goes and doubles it all down on his own dime five days later! Griffin announced at a press conference held in the back salon of Le Select Bistro in Toronto that he and his wife will be giving an extra $100,000 to poets this year!
Scott Griffin, founder of the privately funded Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry told a SRO press conference today that the annual Griffin Poetry Prize will be doubled from $100,000 to $200,000 in recognition of the prize's tenth anniversary.
In a press release handed out at the end of the 30-minute media event, Griffin explains how the extra money will be given out. "The increased amount of $100,000 will be awarded as follows: $10,000 to each of the seven shortlisted - four international and three Canadian - for their participation in the shortlist readings. The winners, announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening on Thursday, June 3, 2010, will be awarded $65,000 each, for a total of $75,000 that includes the $10,000 awarded at the Readings the previous evening.
"The size of the prize reflects the importance the Trustees of The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry place on poetry, and its influence on literature," continued Mr Griffin "The increased amount of the prize shared among the seven shortlisted poets underlines the importance of the poetry readings, and recognises all seven poets' books."
After announcing the increase in the poetry prize pot Griffin stayed at the podium and recited two EE Cumming poems from memory to the members of the press who attended the morning conference.


The short listed International authors are:

Grain, by John Glenday
A Village Life, by Louise Gluck
The Sun-fish, by Eilean Ni Chuilleanain
Cold Spring in Winter, Susan Wicks, translated from the French, written by Valerie Rouzeau

The Canadian short listed authors are:

The Certainty Dream, by Kate Hall
Coal and Roses, by P.K. Page
Pigeon, by Karen Solie

Cutlines: top: Scott Griffin announced that he is going to give away twice as much money this year than he did in 2009! The co-founder of the Griffin Trust will give away $200,000 in the 10th annual running of his poetry award. After making the announcement he recited two EE Cumming poems from memory to the members of the press who attended the morning press conference. The covers of the books written by the short listed authors hang behind Scott Griffin. Photo by sweir 6 April 2010
bottom: Arts & Minds reporter Tim Powis (middle) calls for quiet as he prepares to interview Scott Griffin following this morning's announcement. Bravo! got first crack at Canadian poetry's most generous patron.

Scotiabank makes CONTACT with the photography world -- the Toronto press conference

We are all photographers says Burtynsky
SCOTIABANK NOW HAS PICTURE PERFECT RELATIONSHIP WITH COUNTRY'S LARGEST PHOTO FESTIVAL

Scotiabank has upped the ante for the support of the arts ... again. On the last day of March, Scotiabank's public affairs department took over the uber-cool Nicholas Metivier Gallery on King Street in Toronto, to announce their title sponsorship of CONTACT, the World's Largest Photography festival and their creation of a yearly $50,000 cash and publishing award to a Canadian photographer.
"We are all photographers," said renowned Canadian photographer (and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute grad) Ed Burtynsky. " Canada is a nation of picture takers and CONTACT is a festival for all Canadians."
CONTACT, a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto has been celebrating the art of photography for 13-years. The association stages an annual month-long festival in May holding photography exhibitions at galleries and cafes throughout the city.
The Festival attracts both established photographers like Burtynsky and emerging photographers. Long on fans the Festival has traditionally been financially challenged, until now.
The Globe and Mail, one of the few media covering the press conference, reported that Scotiabank has long been a supporter, but now as the name sponsor its annual commitment to the Festival will be $150,000 a year beginning immediately. An additional annual $50,000 cash prize and a pre-negotiated book publishing deal (Steidl)will be handed out annually beginning in 2011.
The addition of the CONTACT Festival gives Scotiabank name recognition in the arts throughout the spring, summer and fall here in Toronto. Other festivals here in Toronto that have name sponsorship from the bank include: Scotiabank United Way Rat Race (June) Scotiabank Caribana (July 15 to August 2), Scotiabank Buskerfest (August), Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (September), the all night Nuit Blanc (October),the Scotiabank Giller Prize (October/November) and the Christmas Cavalcade of Lights (November / December).
The creation of a $50,000 annual prize for a photographer immediately vaults the award into the same class as the $50,000 Giller, the $80,000 Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry, the $25,000 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and the Royal Bank's $25,000 Canadian Painting Competition.
"Canadian photography has reached a level that deserves to be recognized here in Canada, after all, photography - like all visual art -- is about communication," said Jane Nokes, Scotiabank Director of Corporate Archives and Fine Art. "Through the establishment of this Scotiabank Photography Award, we are helping engage Canadians in the photographic art scene and reward outstanding photographers for their contributions, a further support to their careers."
In announcing the new Photography Award, Burtynsky admitted that the details about the $50,000 prize are not available. "This is the framework" he said. "Stay tuned (for the small print)."
Burtynsky told the press conference attendees that in the first 20-years of his career he didn't have a published book of his work. Even though he didn't realize it then, the lack of a book hurt his career ... people upon seeing his work were suprised that they had never heard of him. After his first book was published, his fame spread around the world.
The power of the published book on the career of a photographer is one of the reason's that Burtynsky has gotten involved in the Photography Award. He will be one of three judges to hand out the yearly prize of $50,000 and the book deal with his European publisher.
The funding that Scotiabank is providing has allowed CONTACT to expand the content and the look of its website. For a preview of the first festival that is to bear the Scotiabank name visit www.contactphoto.com

CUTLINE: TOP: Ed Burtynsky,one of Canada's most successful landscape photographers, speaks at a morning press conference held inside the Nicholas Metivier Gallery, in Toronto.
BELOW:Scotiabank's Jane Nokes, watches from the wings as artist Ed Burtynsky speaks to the media.

Only in Canada You Say!

If the Olympics had a dime for every bill donated
... they'd be better off today

During the running of the Vancouver Olympics a fundraising globe was set up at a popular Toronto tourist attraction. The money collected was to be donated to the Canadian athletes competing at the Games. A close look inside the Globe shows that American tourists responded positively with their greenbacks. And, how about our fellow Canadian citizens? Looks like there are more Canadian Tire 5-centers than $5 bills!

Easter Sunday at the McMichael - music. brunch. tours.

Montreal guitarist and popular Easter Brunch all part of Sunday, April 4th at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

March 29, 2010 Kleinburg, ON—Easter is here, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection is celebrating once again in family-friendly style with the return of its popular Easter Brunch buffet in the gallery restaurant. There will also be, included with admission, an afternoon classical guitar concert and guided tours of the gallery.
Montreal-based Cary Savage will be performing in the McMichael’s Grand Hall beginning at 1:30 p.m. Savage has performed throughout the United States and Canada. A versatile performer, he has recorded two CDs: “Transcriptions and Works for Guitar” (2008) and “Favorites: Music of J.S. Bach and Isaac Albéniz” (2009).The Easter classical guitar concert is part of the gallery’s ongoing Sunday Concert Series. The concert performances, which are included with gallery admission, are presented by the McMichael Volunteer Committee and the Canadian Amateur Musicians / Musiciens Amateurs du Canada (CAMMAC).
Brunch will be served Sunday, April 4 from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. in the McMichael Café and features a full selection of delicious items including eggs Florentine; rosemary roasted chicken, garlic jus and preserved lemon; roasted salmon filets with maple Pommery glaze; penne alla vodka; and cranberry bread and coffee cake served with butter and preserves. There is a special children’s buffet menu including macaroni and cheese, and chicken fingers and fries. Fruit juices, soft drinks, tea and coffee are available throughout. Brunch is priced at $24.50 per person, $10.95 per child (ages 4–11), excluding tax and gratuity. Call 905.893.1121 ext. 2363 for reservations.
On Easter Sunday, McMichael docents will be offering tours of the permanent collection and the gallery’s special exhibitions: Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings and Woodland School (First Nations art exhibition). The tours start at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

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 at 10365 Islington Avenue, north of Major Mackenzie Drive in Kleinburg, and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For directions and information, visit www.mcmichael.com.Cary Savage's website: www.carysavage.com
CUTLINE: Cary Savage
For further information:
Stephen Weir, Publicist
Gallery: 905.893.1121 ext. 2529
Toronto Office: 416.489.5868
Cell: 416.801.3101
sweir@mcmichael.com, stephen@stephenweir.com

Singing the praises of Guerrilla Market(ing)

Opera Singers Meat the Saturday morning St Lawrence market crowd
Cell phone photograph captures fleeting duet
While enjoying a cup of tea at the St Lawrence Market this morning, my people watching and the observance of the hustle and bustle of the building on a Saturday came to a stop when a butcher began singing -- opera style -- to a young woman laden down with her purchases. She too broke out in song. They were good singers -- too good to be butcher and a shopper -- and besides, the headset microphones gave it all away. I was accidental witness to 10 minutes of Guerrilla Market(ing).
Were they there to promote Toronto's Opera? Were they simply making an artistic statement that had some funding from the city owned building or from the cash rich Luminato Festival? Don't know. Haven't been able to find anything on line about the performance. I will have to wait until next Saturday and quiz Brown's Butchers (who lent a clean uniform to the male singer).
She sang a solo. He sang a solo.They sang a duet. It all ended when he presented her with a pea meal bacon on a bun. They melted into the wildly applauding crowd. No flyers. No explanation. But a lot of applause. Guerrilla Market(ing) without a cause.
UPDATE APRIL 17 - Three weeks after the above picture was taken, I returned once again to the Market on a Saturday morning. After buying a newspaper and a coffee in the basement of the south market, I came upstairs to the main floor and once again heard the sounds of the Opera. Singers and a keyboardist were hard at work entertaining the morning shoppers. This time the performers were more open about who they were - the auidence were given flyers to the Secret World of Og, an upcoming world premiere production of an opera based on a children's novel written by Pierre Berton. The performers? The Canadian Children's Opera Company. Not sure if the were the same group who staged the market(ing) stunt describe in this story.
CUT LINE: I used my cell phone to take a single picture of the singers in the market. What did they sing? Don't know. It was in Italian. Given the surroundings maybe it was an operatic version of an old Dominion store jingle: pricipalmente a causa della carne

UPDATE: Shipwreck became travelling museum show and is now morphing into amusement park

WRITER'S THIRST FOR ALL THINGS TITANIC IS OVER. TITANIC WILL SAIL INTO THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS WITHOUT ME OR MY DOLLARS

THIS STORY WAS POSTED 03/10/09 TO MUCH CRITICISM FROM TITANIC BUFFS AND SMOKEY MOUNTAIN RESIDENTS. THE ATTRACTION IS NOW SET TO OPEN. CHECK OUT THE TITANIC PRESS RELEASE PRINTED BELOW MY ORIGINAL POSTING.

I'm getting set to throw out the five Titanic books I own. We will smash our Titanic wine goblets into the fireplace like we were at a traditional Jewish wedding. I will take down the Titanic poster I got from the Science Centre when the latest Titanic show left port for some museum in Toledo, or was it Mexico City or Rio? I am going to purge my CV so that I no longer brag about doing PR for a Titanic exhibition at the Boat Show (it had authentic Titanic deck chairs and life jackets), assisting with the marketing of the first Titanic exhibition held in the Better Living Building at the CNE (the original artifact exhibition with items recovered by submarine)http://divemar.com/divermag/archives/dec99/around_lks_dec99.html, pre-promoting James Cameron's movie Titanic at Underwater Canada, trying to acquire 3-D underwater footage from Dr. Joe MacInnis for display at the Pier (Toronto's now closed marine museum) and assisting the Ontario Science Centre with yet another travelling Titanic exhibition http://20minutesoffame.blogspot.com/2008/02/publicity-successes-of-titanic.html.
I thought I had an unquenchable thirst for the Titanic. I was wrong. It has reached the end. Clive Cussler. Dr Ballard. Dr. Joe MacInnis. Steve Santini. R.M.S. Titanic (the owners of the travelling shows - http://www.titanic-online.com/), James Cameron. Please take me off your mailing lists. I am not buying another blessed thing about the wreck of the Titanic.
What was the tipping point? Photographer Dave Tollington sent me the photograph shown above. Cedar Bay Entertainment a privately owned entertainment and development company which built the Branson, Missouri first Titanic Museum Attraction is close to finishing another museum attraction, this time in Pigeon Ford,Tennessee. In Branson, the building is shaped like a mini-Titanic, except that it only has two smokestacks. Aside from the museum they also hold mystery theatre nights and weddings inside the replica Titanic state rooms.
Cedar Bay expects to open the Tennessee Titanic Pigeon Forge Museum Attraction this April 2010. According to Mary Kellogg, their media contact, the new attraction is "shaped like Titanic herself. It will comfortably hold 20 galleries to display hundreds of authentic, priceless Titanic artifacts."
Cedar Bay is not affiliated with R.M.S Titanic. R.M.S Titanic has a legal lock on the rights to salvage material directly from the sunk shipwreck, so where are the aforementioned priceless Titanic artifacts coming from? Again according to Ms. Kellogg, the items that will be display were " either carried from the ship and into lifeboats by passengers and crew, or were found afloat soon after the sinking and quickly salvaged by rescue boats."
As mentioned, I worked with Linda Crane to promote a Canadian exhibition of Titanic flotsam and jetsam at the Toronto International Boat Show. The collection was at that time owned by magician Steve Santini, who is reported to have recently sold his Titanic holdings. Are those artifacts now in Tennessee? Probably. The new museum attraction will have dive footage showing the ship underwater, could that be the same footage that the Pier Museum in Toronto tried to acquire?
(Actually not. In March 2010 I exchanged email with Rick Laney from Ackerman PR, the firm handling the April opening of the museum. Accordingto Laney the film that visitors can see "is footage shot by John Joslyn – the owner of the new Titanic Museum. He has made 32 dives to the Titanic since the late 1980s.")
But, why is the Titanic being rebuilt in the Smoky Mountains? According to the attraction's website (http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com/), a life-size facsimile of a Titanic First Class stateroom will be constructed in honour the Polk-Carters family. "Polk-Carters, a socially prominent American family—with strong ancestral ties to Tennessee— were returning home (on the Titanic) to Philadelphia following a trip abroad".
Travel photographer Tollington has another idea. When asked why he thought the Titanic was being built in a landlocked state he replied "same reason the upside-down house --"Wonder Works" (www.wonderworkstn.com) in Sevierville down the road from the Titanic was built; the more tourist bullshit around here that has nothing to do with the Smoky Mountains,the better it seems..."
Thirty years on, I've have finally overdosed on the Titanic. When the "unsinkable" ship sails into the Smoky Mountains, she will do so without me or my money onboard. Never mind the 20,200,000 postings on Google for the Titanic, but, isn't time she was allowed to really sink?
Cutline: Still missing two smoke stakes, the new Titanic Museum Attraction begins to shape up. The museum is being built in the Tennessee Smoky Mountarins of the United States. Photograph by Dave Tollington.
Post Script - I lied, there is one Titanic epherma I will continue to enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/3916528250/ (nude painting of Kate Winslow and Storm Trooper on board the Titanic - photo by French photogapher Stéfan Le Dû)

UPDATE: The museum is set to open. This press release went out today (March 26th)

Regis Philbin to host Grand Opening Event in Pigeon Forge
We pay respect to Titanic by telling the story of the ship and her passengers

Titanic Museum Attraction Will Open on April 8
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Pigeon Forge, TN (Vocus/PRWEB ) March 26, 2010 -- The new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. will open on Thursday, April 8, 2010 with a star-studded Grand Opening hosted by Regis Philbin. The event, which is open to the public, also will be attended by descendants and family members of those on board the Titanic and includes a christening of the ship.
The weekend-long Grand Opening Celebration at the new Titanic Museum Attraction includes the christening by Philbin, a free concert by country music legend Neal McCoy, a free concert by Beatles cover band Liverpool Legends (hand-picked and managed by George Harrison’s sister), nightly fireworks displays and special events and performances through Sunday, April 11.
Philbin, best known for his television shows including Live With Regis & Kathie Lee and Who Wants to be A Millionaire, will serve as master of ceremonies during the Grand Opening. Philbin’s television career started more than 50 years ago when he was a reporter in San Diego. Since that time, he has become a national fixture with a string of Emmy Award-winning shows. The christening and Grand Opening event, which take place outside of the Titanic Museum Attraction, are free and open to the public.
Titanic Museum Attraction is a half-scale, permanent, three-deck reproduction of the Titanic. The museum houses 20 galleries to display hundreds of authentic, priceless Titanic artifacts that were either carried from the ship and into lifeboats by passengers and crew, or were found afloat soon after the sinking and quickly salvaged by rescue boats.
Inside the Titanic Museum Attraction, visitors find full-size reproductions (built to actual Titanic blueprints) of Third-Class quarters, a First-Class suite, dining rooms and – the museum’s centerpiece – a $1 million exact reproduction of the Titanic’s Grand Staircase. The First-Class suite in the Titanic Museum Attraction, which was occupied by Isidor and Ida Straus who founded and owned Macy’s Department Stores, was also the cabin used in James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Titanic as Rose’s suite.
“We pay respect to Titanic by telling the story of the ship and her passengers,” said John Joslyn, owner of the new Titanic Museum Attraction. “Visitors learn the individual stories of those onboard the ship as they are learning about the ship itself. We have spent years researching these people and their stories are absolutely amazing.
“In addition to an unparalleled collection of artifacts, we have built Titanic Museum Attraction as a completely interactive attraction. You hear the wonderful stories as you’re going through the museum, but you are also experiencing things the way they were in 1912 when Titanic sailed. It’s one thing to hear about the men who shoveled coal into the boilers – but it comes to life for you when you pick up that shovel and feel what it means to shovel coal into a furnace.”
In addition to being a world class museum in the truest sense of the word, Titanic Museum Attraction is also highly interactive and offers a hands-on experience for children, teenagers and adults. The ship is anchored in water to create the illusion of Titanic at sea, and a 90-minute self-guided tour gives guests the sensation of sailing on the original ship’s 1912 maiden voyage. Upon entry, each guest receives a boarding pass bearing the name of an actual Titanic passenger or crew member whose fate is revealed on the Memorial Wall at tour end. Along the way, powerful emotions surface as guests:

* Walk Titanic’s Grand Staircase
* Touch the frozen surface of an “iceberg”
* Feel the chill of that fateful “Starry Night”
* Study some of the largest, most detailed Titanic models ever built
* Grip the ship’s wheel and follow the Captain’s commands
* Tour world-class galleries and the rare historical artifacts they hold
* Sit in a Titanic lifeboat and listen to actual survivors tell their stories
* Send an SOS from the Marconi Wireless Room
* Test their balance while standing on mini-decks built to show the ever-steeper slope of Titanic as she sank
* Watch children eight years and younger explore the special interactive TOTanic Play-and-Learn Room
* Dive to Titanic’s wreck site via spectacular underwater camera footage

The Titanic Museum Attraction Grand Opening event begins on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 10 a.m. and continues with special events and celebrity guest appearances throughout the weekend. Tickets to the new Titanic Museum Attraction, which will open April 8, are now available online at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com. (Note: The outdoor Grand Opening and christening are free and open to the public, but admission to the Titanic Museum Attraction requires a ticket.)
Cedar Bay Entertainment is a privately owned entertainment and development company headquartered in Branson, Missouri, the site of Cedar Bay’s first Titanic Museum Attraction. Since its April 2006 grand opening, it has welcomed more than 2,000,000 guests.
Editors: For more information about the Titanic Museum Attraction Grand Opening or to arrange for a media visit, please contact Rick Laney at (865) XXX-XXXX. High resolution photos of the new Titanic Museum are available upon request. A complete Regis Philbin bio is also available upon request.