For the last four years, I have faithfully attended Nuit Blanche so, this year, I decided to do something a little different. During the Orientation Clubs Fair, my friends and I had signed up to be part of the Hart House Art Committee. I’m not sure why, considering none of us are particularly knowledgeable about art. But, as I’m sure you’re aware, the Clubs Fair involves a lot of writing down your name/email on various organizations’ lists – sometimes out of interest, other times just to be polite. It turns out that one of the sheets I wrote my information on was not only for the Art Committee, but to volunteer for Nuit Blanche as well. At first I was a little apprehensive but then I thought, why not? There’s no real harm to be had.

Days later, my friends and I received emails informing us of the volunteer time and location: 7pm to 11pm at the Coach House. The Coach House? Where in the world is that? We wondered the same thing. It’s a small structure in the middle of a parking lot behind the Faculty of Law building, across from Queen’s Park. We had received word to meet at Hart House beforehand to figure out what we were supposed to. After scarfing down sandwiches from Timmy’s and racing across campus, we eventually found ourselves in a room filled with high school children covered in gold glitter and wearing aprons. It turns out these were some kids from Parkdale who were volunteering at the artisan farmer’s market in the courtyard. They were supposed to encourage people to eat crickets (which were being cooked and served there), seeing as crickets are the food of the future… according to the exhibit. I’m not quite sure where the glitter came into play but, when it comes to Nuit Blanche, I’ve learned not to ask.

Eventually we were directed to the right people, given volunteer tags, and sent on our way to the Coach House. The exhibit we were volunteering at was called ‘All That is Solid Melts into Air’ by Mark Boulos. Here is the description from the Nuit Blanche website:

Two films projected on opposing walls feature intensely conflicting, yet inextricably intertwined forces: one shows frenzied stock traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange speculating on the futures of oil; the other shows guerrilla fighters in the Niger Delta preparing for battle against oil companies that extract and export oil from their land.

It was actually quite an interesting piece that seemed to invoke mixed emotional reactions from the audience.

Basically, our job was to make sure there weren’t too many people in the film room at one time, answer questions, and keep track of how many people came in and out. After the first 20 minutes or so, we noticed that the few people who were coming through seemed to have a hard time finding the place; they tended to walk down an alley and hop a fence just to get to the door. That’s when we realized that someone should be out there, guiding people in. The building is sort of hidden and the map in the Nuit Blanche booklet was not particularly helpful.

We started taking shifts, with someone staying inside the toasty-warm and brightly-lit room while two others directed people through the bushes and around a building to the Coach House. Despite the chilly weather, it was a fun four hours. Standing outside, we were able to watch some intense people watch the films while, at the same time, we could talk to friends, fellow students and/or family members that showed up over the hours. At slower times, we kept ourselves entertained by partaking in a slightly altered version of Sheldon Cooper’s ‘Soft Kitty; and texting people to come see the exhibit. At one point, while resting inside, we had a lovely conversation with an Italian woman about the beauty of her mother tongue and about her daughter, who is a professor of Rehabilitation Sciences here at U of T.

Overall, the volunteer experience was fun.  The time went by pretty quickly and there were still hours left afterward to go and enjoy the rest of what the city had to offer. Unfortunately, we never managed to visit the Parkdale kids and eat some crickets. But, then again, there’s always next year.

Angela Grauerholz La bibliothèque (The Library), 1992, printed 1993 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

It was a dreadfully rainy afternoon and I was out for coffee with a good friend of mine who happens to be an Art History major. Our moods were dampened by the wet weather as we exchanged laments about long lectures and relentless readings. The second-week-of-school-slump was upon us, and was only made more dreary by the grey skies.

For a few days before this meeting, my friend had been asking me to go with her to a photography exhibit on campus. I had said yes noncommittally, like you say yes to a parent’s pleas to walk the dog or mow the lawn. As our coffee date was wrapping up, she implored me to attend the exhibit with her, and my strong desire to procrastinate at that particular moment in time prompted me to comply. (more…)

It’s that time of the year again, folks. Heads are aching from constant essay-writing, eyes are straining from late nights spent studying, and few of us have the stamina to drag ourselves to class, let alone head out to local arts events and attractions.

Nevertheless, I’m writing this to you, the over-worked reader, in hopes of changing your mind about the latter: to get your curiosity flowing, to fire the artsy half of your brain up after a long winter of creative hibernation, and to give you a peek into the AGO’s newest (and definitely most vibrant) exhibition, entitled “Maharaja: The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts”.

Being one of the over-worked students mentioned above, I’m entitling this entry a “Lazy-ish Review”, as I don’t have the time (or nearly enough artistic prowess) to write elaborate insights on the significance of each piece in the exhibition, and you certainly don’t have the time to read them. So here’s what you do need to know:

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Fo’Real is an urban dance collective based within the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto, seeking to keep hip hop and street dance alive within the academic world of one of Canada’s top universities. Since its establishment in 2004, Fo’Real has grown to become a recognized name in and around the campus, performing annually at U of T’s Festival of Dance and UTSU’s Orientation Day, for example.  Fo’Real has also been given the privilege of sharing the stage with notable performers such as Bag-o-Trix, Soul Power Crew, Rukus, DoDat Entertainment, and Tommy the Clown. The group also had the honour of performing as opening acts for Melissa Reyes (Search for the Next Pussycat Doll) in 2008, SoReal Cru (America’s Best Dance Crew) in 2009, and for YouTube star, David Choi in Kollaboration Toronto in March 2010 (where Fo’Real was a finalist and awarded Best Artist).

This month, Fo’Real is representing U of T (St. George campus) at the Ontario Universities Competition for Hip Hop (O.U.C.H) 2010 – the main dance competition that Fo’ Real participates in every year. O.U.C.H is an annual non-profit hip hop dance competition established in the name of friendly competition amongst universities/colleges in Ontario. Tradition holds that the winning team will have the privilege of hosting next year’s competition. In 2008, Fo’Real came in third place at O.U.C.H. In 2009, Fo’Real was only four points away from taking home first place (click here to watch last year’s performance)! This year, the crew is hoping to take the prestigious O.U.C.H title and being able to bring the competition to Toronto for the first time!

Fo’Real hopes to gain support from the U of T community at O.U.C.H. Cheer them on and see which school will ultimately reign O.U.C.H 2010! It will be taking place at 7pm on Saturday, November 27th at the Great Hall in Hamilton Place. Guest judges include Tatiana Parker (SYTYCD Canada), Derek Rice (Blueprint -ABDC), and Brian Puspos (SoReal Cru-ABDC). Tickets are $18 and proceeds from O.U.C.H will go towards FREE THE CHILDREN organization. Message Fo’Real for tickets and for more info, check out their Facebook page.

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I have been called a pretentious art douche by one of my roommates, but I’m really not. I may be interested in the stuff but I don’t walk up to every expression of creativity and start interpreting hidden symbols and meanings. I do find truth in the quote, “art is anything you can get away with.” (Apparently said first by Marshall McLuhan, not Andy Warhol).

So, maybe we’re alike. We appreciate art but admit we don’t understand or respect every piece we encounter. If that’s the case, and you also think a white canvas with three black squares on it is a piece of crap, then I’m writing this article for you.

There’s an event starting at 6:55pm on Saturday October 3^rd, ending the next morning, and you’re invited.

Originating in Paris 2002, Toronto’s Nuit Blanche is now in its fourth year, offering the city 130 free and accessible contemportary art projects brought to you by almost 500 artists from around the world.

Here are some picks that my roommates and I found interesting, and that can be enjoyed from a non-douchey perspective:

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Being a visual artist, I’ve been asked several times to consider the definition of art as opposed to “non-art”.  At the same time, this question can be asked for other forms of art such as music and dance. As I’m watching “Superstars of Dance” on TV at the moment – yes, excuse me for being a dance TV fan – I feel that it is completely irksome when the judges decide to give certain teams a lower score, as they have defined their performance as “not dance”.

“Superstars of Dance” is another dance show created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, mostly reknowned for their roles as judges in “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance”. The show brings dancers from eight nations together to compete in a contest that would display the culture and dance of each country. As well, each nation must provide a judge for the competition. These judges are usually professional dancers - including a Buddhist monk who is a master at the reknowned Shaolin Temple in China – and are responsible for giving scores out of ten for each performance. To prevent favouritism, judges are not allowed to give scores for performances done by their own country.

However, the multicultural aspect of the competition comes with several complications. (more…)

Ever wonder what happens in the massive historic university building in the center of the island that Spandina Avenue curves around? Well, its one of the main buildings for U of T’s fine arts department and on Thursday, December the 4th everyone will have a chance to see what’s inside it and view the art of all the visual art undergraduates in the annual FASU art exhibition, The Eyeball. They promise great music, cash bar, and great food, along with of course the art. All media, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, drawing, and photography will be on display. It is free and open to the public.

Where: 1 Spadina Crescent, East entrance
When: Dec., 4th, 6 – 10 pm
Price : FREE