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Culture Days Stories: Sandi – Elgin County, ON

November 28th, 2011 by Culture Days

The following story “Author Bonnie Burnard visits Elgin County Library for Culture Days” was submitted by Sandi Loponen, Coordinator of the Elgin County Library, and documents her Culture Days 2011 activity.

Bonnie Burnard, Giller Prize-winning author of A Good House, appeared at the Aylmer Old Town Hall Theatre on Friday, September 30th for a special engagement hosted by Elgin County Library to celebrate Culture Days. Library staff jumped at the chance to invite Ms. Burnard, whose stories and characters are also based in rural, southwestern Ontario. The library celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011, so Culture Days provided us with a perfect excuse to bring in an author of Ms. Burnard’s calibre.

Burnard charmed the audience with a reading from A Good House and offered advice to book clubs on approaches to discussing literary works. The audience also enjoyed the opportunity to ask the author questions about her life as a writer and her major works. The evening wrapped up with a wine and cheese reception and an opportunity for fans to have their books signed by the author.

Author Bonnie Burnard (left) is interviewed by, Library Coordinator, Sandi Loponen.

Planning our Culture Days event was a lot of fun for our staff. It was truly a team effort, with everyone bringing their best ideas and input to the table. We had a lot of fun offering a lovely night out for book lovers!

We received a lot of positive feedback from those in attendance. For some, it was an opportunity to join with kindred spirits who love a good book. For aspiring writers, it was a chance to seek advice and learn more about the craft.

Bonnie Burnard confessed that it has taken her longer than she hoped to finish the novel she is currently working on. As encouragement, library staff assured her that they would love to invite her to speak again… just as soon as she finishes her next great novel.

If you have something to say about public participation and engagement in arts and culture, post it on the Culture Days blog! Submit your vision or post from your own blog via email at stories@culturedays.ca and Culture Days will share your story with the growing network.

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days 2011, Culture Days stories, Ontario, opinions, seen | Tags: , , , ,

Ontario Press Coverage Word Cloud

November 14th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

A word cloud created with the headlines of 2011 Ontario Press Coverage

With 296 newspaper articles about Culture Days in Ontario there is just too much to read! So we’ve condensed all the headlines into one word cloud.

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days 2011, Culture Days stories, Local marketing & promotions, Ontario, marketing & PR | Tags: , , ,

Passport to Culture – An Interview with Marlee Robinson

September 19th, 2011 by Culture Days

Culture Days – Who are you and what do you do?
Marlee Robison – I am a retired art historian and event planner. One of the organisations I am involved with is the Erie Ridge Cultural Action Team (CAT) of which I am Chair. Our focal point is the development of cultural activities in our area. Chatham-Kent is an amalgamated community of 22 scattered towns with a total population of approximately 107,000. The Erie Ridge CAT runs along Lake Erie at the eastern end of the municipality.

CD – What made your 2010 Culture Days activities unique?
MR – We created the “Passport to Culture” – a sort of cultural Doors Open. The Passport featured 8 stops covering a wide range of cultural assets in this area of Chatham-Kent in our predominantly rural area.  With funding from the Community Futures Development Corporation, we designed and printed maps and posters, as well as supplied ballot boxes for draw prizes. We tried designing maps that people would want to keep, highlighting local cultural centres.

Chatham-Kent’s diverse history includes early Black settlements. The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum on the original site of the Elgin Settlement, one of the last stops on the Underground Railway for hundreds of fugitive slaves, offered free admission for the day and organised guest artists with deep roots in the Buxton community. Three bead makers from the New Hope Beaders took part using handmade beads from Uganda to make jewellery. Profits from the sale of the jewellery funds schools in the Rift Valley in Tanzania.

We included Ridgetown weekly Farmers’ Market, which features locally grown produce and handmade craft items. A number of crafters did demonstrations on the day.

Two specialty gift shops participated. Mitton’s Jewellery Ltd. (established in 1897 and still run by the Mitton family) arranged the first solo exhibition of local jeweller, Brenda Braun. Mittons, which has received a Mayor’s Heritage Award, now stocks Brenda Braun’s jewellery on a regular basis as result of the Culture Days event. The second store, Antiquated Joys, exhibited painted pottery, glassware, and furniture by Lynda Goldhawk.

Another stop on the Passport trail was the Blenheim Freedom Library and Museum which celebrates the history of veterans in the area. The museum, housed in a former church, contains uniforms, medals, and biographies of veterans who served in the first and second world wars. The library houses 1,500 reference books and videotapes. During the Culture Days event, Veterans talked to people about their experiences and interacted with visitors.

The Blenheim Historical Society is housed in Heritage House of Blenheim & District, a family home dating back to the 1870s. The home was restored and furnished and is now used for the community archives and collections.

The Mary Webb Cultural and Community Centre is housed in the former Highgate United Church. This successful adaptive re-use is in the early stages of transformation into a venue for entertainment, presentations, education, cultural and community activities. For Culture Days, volunteers gave guided tours of the centre and the CK Etsy artisan group demonstrated and sold home crafts.

Finally, we were really excited when the local library asked to participate. The library put up a display of European centres: travel books about Europe, fiction books with stories taking place in European location, and videos of European countries. People from different communities were invited to speak about their culture.

CD – What inspired or surprised you about Culture Days?
MR – Rural communities can be seen as isolated, so by taking part in something that was across Canada, we were given a chance to confirm that we were a part of the national community.  We were pleased that our efforts were acknowledged in our community and that we were one on a list of 26 participants to be highlighted across the country in the Globe and Mail.

CD - What did you learn from your experience of Culture Days that would be useful for other activity organizers to know?
MR - Arts and culture is everywhere. People enjoy learning about different things. Stores and libraries are cultural centres. People need to be open to what is around them. Passport to Culture was a good name, because it was seen as an awakening journey. We would like to do more music and literary arts in the future.

The Mary Webb Centre has already had concerts by a number of Juno winners and now has a poetry reading evening coming up featuring award-winning poets.

CD - What do you feel is the impact of culture in your community?
MR - We are mainly an agricultural community. We are also a manufacturing community, but this industry has had a decline. Municipalities are starting to understand that culture and heritage create jobs - not just for artists, but also for the people who work around culture, bringing new money into the economy. Visible culture brings a higher quality of life attracting entrepreneurs and businesses.

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NRTEA Challenges Participants to Take Part in Culture Days

September 17th, 2011 by Culture Days

During the National Roundtable for Teacher Education in the Arts conference held in Spring 2011 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, some 50 education professors, artists, arts administrators, teacher candidates, teachers and government officials from across Canada met to consider the best ways to provide effective instruction to teachers in the fine and performing arts.  A unique feature of the event was that many participants insisted that ideas be expressed through artistic creation.  Some did art-making, others created dance and music pieces and many performed improvised dramatic sketches. Interwoven into the dialogue, a hula hoop practice led by a PHd specialist in hula hoops and mixed with tap dancing lessons was also part of the overall experience.

An added challenge to all the participants at the conclusion of the discussion was for them to contribute something to the Culture Days weekend in their part of the country relating to some discovery or idea they leaned at the Roundtable. The Let’s Make Music Conference in Brantford ON, organized by NRTEA participant and Assistant Professor at Nipissing University Christina Grant, is one of these responses. During this Culture Days activity, a variety of free practical music education workshops will be offered to anyone with a love of music. Another response to the NRTEA’s challenge comes from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), which will showcase arts performances by elementary and secondary students with filmed highlights of various schools’ musical, dance and drama shows.

The following text is an excerpt from the NRTEA’s summary report. For the full report, click here.

For more information or to share your thoughts on the NRTEA’s initiatives, visit www.nrtea.ca or contact Michael Wilson: mpwilson@uottawa.ca.

Jumping through hoops for culture

NATIONAL ROUNDTABLE FOR TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE ARTS
MAY 25, 26, 2011
SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANT COMMENTS IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

The National Roundtable on Teacher Education in the Arts, held on May 25 and 26 ,2011, at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa,  heralded the first time that an invited group of 53 experts consisting of education professors, teachers, artists, education students (both pre-service and graduate), arts administrators, government officials, and school board consultants and superintendents, met to discuss critical issues in the process of teacher education.  The connecting question to arts advocacy in general was: – In order to have better quality arts programs in our schools, we need better educated teachers.

A unique feature of this event was the element of preparation by all participants that included the offering of a creatively decorated piece of material that might symbolize prior to the event, attitudes on teacher education in the arts.  Each submitted piece at the beginning and during the progress of the Roundtable, was added to a kind of garden of ideas that stimulated metaphoric images throughout the experience. The interweaving of vocal dialogue, mixed with arts experiences continued throughout. In the 2 day dialogue, small group discussions of 8 participants each, met to consider 4 major themes of teacher education: a) pre-service or initial teacher education  b) models of in-service education  c) the role of partnerships  d) the relationship of instructor and candidate. At each opportunity for reporting findings to the whole, narrative summary, dance response, improvisational sketch creation, soundscape atmospheres and visual renderings, were all employed by the reporting groups.  The resulting findings and crystallization of ideas for all participants, included both logical idea suggestions and metaphoric images that continue to resonate in a kind of dynamic symmetry that has promoted alternative meanings for everyone.

As a concluding challenge for each participant, we asked all to conceive of an innovative theory, practice or event that resulted in some way from the experiences of this Roundtable, that could be offered to a public forum as part of the national Culture Days celebrations, scheduled for September 30 – Oct. 2, 2011.

Topics covered during the Roundtable include:

1.THE PLACE OF THE ARTS IN AN OVERALL PROGRAM OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION

Participants in this discussion group were asked to comment on delivery models,overall programs, the relative time for the arts in relation to the total program, the relationship to practica, degrees of integration, training for generalist candidates and pre-requisite issues for specialized candidates.

2. MODELS OF IN-SERVICE ARTS EDUCATION

Participants were asked to make observations about the situation of in-service training from their perspective, comment on insights that might have been sparked by their observations and recommend solutions or avenues for exploration on possible policies, procedures or models that could better in-service training in the arts.

3. THE ROLES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF COMMUNITY, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ARTS PARTNERS

Given the complexity and challenges of providing pre-service and in-service training in the arts for teachers and educators, it is important to explore and understand the diverse communities of partners and their possible contributions to the betterment, development and delivery of a variety of training programs. Many models exist and many more are being explored.

4. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUCTOR AND CANDIDATE

This question was not related to any particular sector of teacher education in the arts but pertained to all. Issues examined included instructor modeling; information vs experience; differences between excellence in teaching teachers compared to teaching in schools; unique characteristics of excellent teaching in arts teacher education; relationship of artistic excellence and pedagogical competence.

Full report here.

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days stories, Ontario, Results and impact, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized, ways to get involved | Tags: , , ,

Ragtime in Niagara Falls – an interview with Ennio Paola

September 14th, 2011 by Culture Days

Culture Days Project Assistant Reuben Finley recently spoke with Niagara Region’s award-winning composer and music educator Ennio Paola. Having introduced participants to pieces inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy at the City of Welland’s Public Library in 2010, this year Paola once again turned to municipal representatives in his search for a suitable venue. The Niagara Falls City Hall will be hosting his Culture Days 2011 activity, which will introduce participants to the history and melodic lines of Ragtime music. Click here to read Ennio Paola’s Sharing A Significant Music®™ activity description.

• What is your name and what do you do? What city and province are you in?

My name is Ennio A. Paola. I’m the Founder, Collaborative Composer, Artistic Curator and Director of Significant Music®™. I live in Pickering, Ontario.

• How did you first hear about Culture Days?

Initially, through an ad in the Toronto Star. A few days later, I responded to a Call for Artists published in the Welland Tribune to participate in the 2010 City of Welland Culture Days.

• What inspired you to get involved?

Immediately upon learning about Culture Days, I was drawn into the movement by a number of key factors, namely the quality of the project, its scope and the online support provided.  Culture Days is a multi-layered, cross-disciplinary, pan-Canadian cultural movement. It encourages self-mobilized grassroots and collaborative involvement by individuals and organizations of all sizes. At both the provincial and national levels, participants are provided with free tools made available via solid sponsors and supporters, who add further credibility to the project.

• What activity did you organize for Culture Days 2010 and what made it unique?

My Culture Days 2010 activity was titled Sharing a Significant Music®™ / SOUNDtracks: Deciphering the “Dante and Music” Code. It was presented at the Welland Public Library. That particular project was based on two original solo piano works of mine which were acknowledged in the scholarly text “Dante and Music: Musical Adaptations of the Commedia from the Sixteenth Century to the Present”  by Prof. Maria Ann Roglieri (Ashgate Press, Aldershot, UK).  Incidentally, a copy of that text was donated to the Welland Public Library a couple years ago and catalogued in the Library’s Local History Section… I suppose that means that through my compositions, I’m already recognized as a notable historical figure in my community! (laughs)

Since medieval times, a staggering number of visual works have been created in connection to a particular Cantica (Book) or Canto (Poem) within the “Divine Comedy” – Gustave Doré’s illustrations are well-known examples of this. Unfortunately, when it comes to music, examples have been few and far between. With “Dante and Music” however, there now exists a much needed, well respected resource on this topic. Aside from showcasing a fair number of noted composers such as Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Granados and Dallapiccola, Prof. Roglieri analyzes and presents a generous account of lesser known works, including my two contributions on this subject, “LUX IN TENEBRIS: La Commedia di Dante ~ Cantica I: Canto I (Lost In A Dark Wood) and Cantica III : Canto XXXIII (Dante Beholds the Universe)”.

For my Culture Days 2010 activity, a select number of musical excerpts by other composers opened my presentation, which was immediately followed by an examination of the creative process of musical composition. Amongst other things, participants were acquainted with the original alpha code I created for Cantica I: Canto I (Lost In A Dark Wood).

Illustration by Gustave Doré - Dante's Divine Comedy

• Are there any moments during the lead up to and during Culture Days weekend that really stand out in your mind?

Audience attendance, though small, was supported by a mix of on-site staff, young student walk-ins, and friends ranging from ones not seen in years to others who drove two hours to attend. Audience feedback was highly positive, with most finding this presentation to be a satisfying experience, which in retrospect could only happen as a result of Culture Days; Culture Days has the flexibility to encourage projects based more on artistic merit than financial gain.

• After your first experience with Culture Days in 2010, what longer-term benefits or lasting outcomes have you identified for continued annual participation? Challenges?

Awareness, inspiration and new connections were some of the main benefits. For me to have participated as one small voice within a larger artistic community was indeed an honour. I came away feeling “quasi-torn” that my own commitments, along with time and distance, would not allow me to attend and participate in a number of interesting Culture Days Weekend offerings taking place across Canada.

Experience causes me believe that connections established during Culture Days 2010 will encourage many towards a continued, annual, participation.  The Culture Days weekend is indeed a year-long “Days of Culture” endeavour — one that supports Canadian culture at home, and in a global arena. Culture Days’ success and long-term community benefits can only be measured as a year-round process in cultural engagement. It’s more than a three-day event – Culture Days promotes cultural awareness as a year-long endeavour. That last point cannot be stressed enough. Municipalities which have in that sense fully embraced Culture Days have designated and supported regional point persons, kept up to date with Culture Days Newsletters and participated in the regularly scheduled free Culture Days Tele-Info Sessions. Their success stories are an inspiration for communities across the country.

• What did you learn from your experience of Culture Days that would be useful for other activity organizers to know?

Visit the Culture Days Web Site often, sign up to receive Culture Days e-Newsletters, participate in as many Tele-Session Conference Calls as possible, keep in touch with Provincial and National Culture Days representatives to share your voice in the development of a Pan-Canadian artistic movement for all.

• Can you give us a hint as to what you are planning for your 2011 Culture Days activity?

For Culture Days 2011, “Sharing A Significant Music®™” is entering the first year of a four year commitment to celebrating the original Pan-American | Pan-Canadian Ragtime Era (1897-1917); the Ragtime Revival Period in Canada (1960’s-1980); including related music forms. A companion “Rag Times and Eclectic Related Music” catalogue of works will be used as a resource to discuss “Ragtime Music in Canada”, with emphasis placed on local-regional contributions to the genre.  Furthermore, a planned hands-on Rhythmic Activity will demonstrate steps involved in “ragging” a simple melodic line. Not to be missed!

Exerpt, "Hawkins' Hill Rag" - composed by E. Paola

• What do you feel is the impact of culture in your community?

Due to the limited access to concert halls, art galleries and theatres in the Welland-Niagara and West Durham regions, neighbouring communities take in a greater share of economical and non-economical benefits of arts and culture. In my opinion, the greatest impact of culture comes directly from arts instruction and through the contact students of all ages have with teachers when they study music, dance, visual arts, etc. I therefore truly believe initiatives such as Culture Days to be vital in providing best opportunity scenarios for artists and instructors of various arts disciplines, to advance the future directions culture will take within their own community — and beyond.

As a personal credo, I have found the following three ideals optimum, as handy reminders, on a regular basis: 1) when handed a lemon … make lemonade! 2) always move forward with a tradition of success! 3) never, ever, ever, give up … on Culture!

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1200 FREE activities as Ontario Celebrates Culture Days

September 13th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

More than 1200 free activities are registered to take place in 170 cities and towns across Ontario for the second annual Culture Days on September 30 to October 2, 2011.  Over 500 arts organizations, cultural groups, individual artists, libraries, museums, festivals and municipalities have enthusiastically joined the Culture Days movement to offer hands-on and behind-the-scenes activities exploring music, dance, visual arts, film, history, theatre, literature and much more.

“Culture Days is more than a celebration – it is an opportunity to discover local creators and to find out how the arts and heritage enrich our lives and communities,” said Warren Garrett, Chair of the volunteer task force for Ontario Culture Days.

Culture Days celebrations are taking place in just about every corner of this province from major urban areas to small towns and rural counties.  For example:

  • In Ottawa, don a red clown nose during a circus workshop at Arts Court or join-in with the Savoy Society for a Gilbert and Sullivan sing-a-long at the Nepean Creative Arts Centre.
  • Feel like roaming? Take one of several studio tours happening during Culture Days such as the Brant Studio Tour (Brant County), the Caledon Hills Studio Tour (Peel Region) or the Autumn Leaves Studio Tour (Wellington and Grey Counties and Durham Region).
  • In Sudbury learn how to make a traditional Finnish rag rug on a loom at Finlandia Village or marvel at how Pierre Laframboise transforms tree branches into flutes at the Greater Sudbury Public Library.
  • Uncover the hidden secrets of the Windsor Community Museum’s collection vault, where you can glimpse rarely seen artefacts such as swords and cannonballs.
  • Get your toes tapping with Zydeco music or be mesmerized by the melodies of Indian classical music at Mississauga’s Celebration Square.
  • Listen to Anishinaabe elders (with English translation) tell the story of the Corn Husk Doll at the Serpent River First Nations Trading Post in Cutler.

“One of the things that makes Culture Days so special is the commitment of thousands of artists and community volunteers to sharing their work with the public. The result is an extraordinary level of participation that reflects the vibrancy, diversity and creativity of Ontario’s communities,” said Culture Days Ontario Manager, Aubrey Reeves.

In only one year, there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of Culture Days activities across Ontario. Ontario is the province with the highest number of activities in the country with the exception of Quebec, where their Journées de la culture has been in existence for 15 years .

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Libraries across Ontario celebrate Culture Days

September 6th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

Public libraries throughout Ontario have enthusiastically embraced the spirit of Culture Days.  More than 100 public libraries in small towns, mid-sized cities and major urban centres in Ontario are taking part in Culture Days celebrations September 30 to October 2, 2011.

During the Aeroplan Culture Stories Contest, Canadians told Culture Days that their public library is a favourite place to experience arts and culture. As Catherine B. of Ottawa said, a library is “more than books and dust; it’s thriving, growing, cultivating – we meet, we share, we have a place that’s purely for exploration. Libraries ARE community, and they burst with arts and culture.”

The Elgin County Library is hosting a reading by Giller Prize winning author Bonnie Burnard and the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries is presenting storytellers Tongues Wagging Productions. The Stratford, Grimsby and Windsor public libraries are all holding “Human Libraries” during Culture Days. The public can check out “human books” including artists, writers and musicians who have volunteered for one-on-one informative and entertaining chats.

“Public libraries and Culture Days are a natural match because both are about inclusion and making sure that culture is available to everyone in the community,” said Stratford Public Library CEO Sam Coghlan.

Beyond the literary world, many Ontario libraries are also hosting a range of arts and heritage activities, such as a bilingual demonstration by instrument builder Pierre Laframboise at the Greater Sudbury Library. The Innisfil Public Library is holding a dance workshop by the Simcoe Contemporary Dancers and the Whitby Public Library is celebrating its 100th anniversary by asking the public to scan their historic photos of Whitby into a digital photo collection.

“Libraries have obviously come a long way in 100 years,” says Whitby Public Library CEO Ian Ross, “Back then we were inward looking. Today we are collaborative organizations, working with so many partners to achieve shared goals.”

Several major urban library systems have offered their spaces to artists and cultural groups wishing to present Culture Days activities. The London Public Library is hosting activities at every library branch in London. Similarly, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) is hosting 85 activities at 48 library branches for their program “Culture Days @ the Library.” This large-scale partnership between TPL, Culture Days and the Neighbourhood Arts Network is an unprecedented opportunity for the public to engage directly with artists in their own neighbourhoods.

“The great variety of cultural activities in urban library branches – from music and dance to poetry, storytelling, painting, bookbinding and stone carving – is testimony to the artistic talents in our cities,” said Toronto Public Library’s Senior Services Specialist Miriam Scribner. “In opening up library spaces for Culture Days, we are connecting artistic creators with local communities, providing high quality cultural experiences that are not always easily accessible.”

Participating Libraries include (as of September 7, 2011):

Barrie Public Library
Cambridge Libaries and Galleries
Chatham-Kent Public Library
City of Mississauga
City of Ottawa Archives
Cobourg Public Library
Elgin County Library
Elmira Library
Essex County LIbrary
Grand Valley Public Library
Greater Sudbury Public Library / Bibliothèque publique du Grand Sudbury
Grimsby Public Library
Guelph Public Library – Main Branch
Hamilton Public Library
Innisfil Public Library
Keswick Library
Kingston Frontenac Public Library
London Public Library
Masonville Public Library
Maynooth Public Library
Mississauga Library System
Norfolk County Public Library
North Perth Public Library
Orangeville Public Library
Ottawa Public Library / Bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa
Pembroke Public Library
Perth East Public LIbrary
Peterborough Public Library
Sault Ste. Marie Public Library
Smiths Falls Public Library
St. Marys Public Library
Stratford Public Library
Thunder Bay Public Library
Toronto Public Library
West Perth Public Library
Whitby Archives
Whitby Public Library
Windsor Public Library
View Comments | Posted in Community spotlight, Ontario, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Culture Days @ the Library – 85 free activities at 48 branches

September 6th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

Toronto Public Library, the Neighbourhood Arts Network and Culture Days are pleased to announce a major partnership called “Culture Days @ the Library” that welcomes more than 85 Toronto-based artists and cultural groups into 48 library branches throughout the city. On Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 the public is invited to take part in free, hands-on and behind-the-scenes activities where artists will share their creative process, inspirations and techniques.

“The great variety of cultural activities at Library branches – from  Bollywood dance to Serbian choral music, to poetry, storytelling, painting, bookbinding and stone carving – is testimony to the artistic talents in our city,” said Toronto Public Library’s Senior Services Specialist Miriam Scribner.

Culture Days @ the Library matches Toronto-based artists and groups with library branches as a grassroots way of connecting artists to the public in their own neighbourhood.  The partnership allows artists to bring their work out of the studio and engage directly with the public.  Most activities are family-friendly, and all are free and interactive.

“Toronto Public Library is one of the best library systems in the world, but what makes it special to us is its accessibility. We jumped at the chance to present our traditional Tibetan dresses and music at such a community hub,” said Gelek Badheytsang, co-director of Tibetan arts group Drebu, which is participating in Culture Days for the second time.  “We enjoy being part of a movement that celebrates local arts across the whole country.” Drebu presents their activity Tibetan Chuba at Parkdale Library.

Search by keywords “Toronto Public Library” in the advance search to find Culture Days @ the Library activities. Or visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/culturedays for a complete list of activities at Toronto Public Library branches.

About Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library is the world’s busiest urban public library system. Every year, more than 18 million people visit branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow more than 32 million items. As cornerstones of their neighbourhoods, our libraries connect people to each other and to their community, inspiring the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading and the pursuit of knowledge for people of all ages and backgrounds. To learn more, please visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131.

About Neighbourhood Arts Network

Neighbourhood Arts Network is the place where arts and community engagement meet. NAN helps artists and community organizations do what they do best: enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant, beautiful, and liveable city. We catalyze new relationships and conversations, collect research and share information. We envision a Toronto where all residents are empowered to discover and shape the cultural life of their communities. Neighbourhood Arts Network is a project of the Toronto Arts Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org

View Comments | Posted in Ontario, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Riverdale Hub: Call for Artists!

September 2nd, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

The Riverdale Immigrant Women Enterprises calls for dancers of any traditional style who would love to host a workshop/performance at their space.  The program runs from 2 pm till 8 pm, with available spots at:

2 -3:30 pm

5 – 6:30 pm

6:30 – 8 pm

As per Culture Days guidelines, the workshop/performance should be interactive.

They also invite visual artists who would like to use their ground and second floor as a gallery space.

Please send submission with the link to your video to:

Riverdale Hub contact Anna Plugina at anna.riwc@gmail.com.

The Riverdale Hub

Riverdale Immigrant Women Enterprises has conceptualized the Riverdale Hub: A Hub for Ideas, a centre for Change. The Hub will create a green colocation workspace, space for social entrepreneurship initiatives, a fair trade cafe, and a third floor events space with a community kitchen in place. The Farmer’s market will provide locally grown and healthy food alternatives.

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Volunteers Can Make All the Difference!

September 2nd, 2011 by Culture Days

Nazanin Shoja, OAC’s Ontario Culture Days Animator/Coordinator, interviewed Gina Rim, Volunteer Coordinator Reel Asian International Film Festival, about how to recruit, train and show appreciation for your Culture Days volunteers. The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival  is Canada’s Premier Pan-Asian International Film Festival. The 15th Anniversary Edition takes place  November 8-13 in Toronto and November 18-19 in Richmond Hill. Check out their 2011 Culture Days event “Meet the Festival.”


Nazanin Shoja – How far in advance do you post a call for volunteers? Where do you advertise?
Gina Rim – Since the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Reel Asian) holds year round events, I post monthly calls through our volunteer e-bulletin. For the film festival in November, I post a call for volunteers in September by inviting them to our Culture Days event, ‘Meet the Festival’. It’s a great way for all our potential volunteers to meet the entire staff, learn what happens behind-the-scenes, and hear about the roles they will be playing during the festival. I also advertise volunteer postings through our various social media, such as Facebook, and I spread the word through local community and student groups as well.

NS – What incentives do you give?
GR – We offer free volunteer t-shirts, vouchers for any of the films at our festival, and a letter detailing their contributions.

NS – What draws volunteers to the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival in particular?
GR – Volunteering at Reel Asian is a great way to interact with film and the industry, as well as a great opportunity to meet people. Every staff member at Reel Asian including myself, is a previous volunteer for the festival so we treat all of our volunteers like family.

NS – What is involved with training to become a volunteer?
GR – Training varies depending on their volunteer roles but our general training sessions are done at the theatres that we use during the festival. Chris Chin, our Operations Manager, did a walk-through of the venues with the volunteers, gave them an overview of the night, examples of questions that may be asked, and what to do in certain situations. We try to train all our volunteers with as much information as possible so that they feel confident in what they do and have fun while they volunteer with us!

NS – What role do the volunteers play at your festival? What tasks are involved?
GR – Like any other film festival, Reel Asian relies on the help of dedicated volunteers for various tasks – from office help to ushers and front of house support, industry series and special events hospitality.

NS – How do you communicate with your volunteers and determine scheduling?
GR – I have a one-on-one scheduling session with each and every volunteer. This allows me to get to know my volunteers better, what their background and interests are, and see if what we have available for them suits their schedule.

NS – How do you ensure their commitment?
GR – During our volunteer orientation and the one-on-one scheduling session, we make sure that the volunteers clearly understand that they play a very important part in our festival and that they are the ones who puts into action the months of work and planning.

NS – How do you show your appreciation to volunteers? How are they recognized?
GR – We have a volunteers appreciation party with food, drink, music and some great prize giveaways a week after the November festival. This year, Reel Asian will also have a screening just for the volunteers before the party as well. We realized that last year, a lot of our volunteers didn’t have time to watch many of the films because they were volunteering instead. To appreciate such participation from our volunteers, we decided to have a screening of one of the festival selections just for them as our way of saying thank you.

NS – How do you ensure that your volunteers return year after year?
GR – The most important thing is for the volunteers to have a positive experience with us. If the volunteers enjoyed their experience and had fun during their previous shifts, they are more likely to return to volunteer with us again this year. We already have a few volunteers from last year who volunteered with us on our pre-festival screenings this year!

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