Art Talk
WHAT FEELS IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW (IN COMMUNITY ARTS) with Ruth Howard
Monday November 8, 7pm-9pm
Oppenheimer Park Field House, 488 Powell
Ruth Howard believes that what is nowadays dubbed ‘community arts’ is part of a massive cultural shift. If that is so, how can we safeguard and magnify the power of the aesthetics and activism within this work? What patterns do we need to be wary of falling into? What brave new steps can we take? How can we define the work as an area in need of support and training without boxing it in? How are these questions the same or different in Toronto and Vancouver? Ruth will reflect on such matters, and on what’s important to say and do right now, with reference to some of Jumblies recent adventures, inviting discussion and further questions. Ruth Howard is founder and artistic director of Jumblies Theatre, a company dedicated to making art with, for and about the people and places of Toronto (www.jumbliestheatre.org). Presented by the 2nd Downtown Eastside Arts For All Institute. Free
Theatre
US AND THEM (the inquiry)
Saturday November 6, DTES Neighbourhood House, 573 E. Hastings
Wednesday November 10, Calabash Bistro, 428 Carrall
Saturday November 13, InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings
Showtime 7:30pm
“The well-being of our grandchildren is directly linked to the well-being of our enemy’s grandchildren.” John Paul Lederach.
What makes it possible for us to compromise the well-being of humanity and the planet? What compels society to create, over and over again, the ‘other’: the creation of the ‘them’ in us and them? A new way of seeing is required. How do we find ways to let go of our certainty that ‘we’ are right and therefore ‘they’ must be wrong? How do we understand that in whatever geography, whatever politic, whatever context, there is no certain them; there is only an ever-evolving us?
Headlines Theatre delves into these questions with Us and Them, a multi-layered, two year long project exploring why and how humanity creates ‘the other’. The first phase, the inquiry, is a series of 21 public events in the Fall of 2010. Audiences will experience an intimate evening of theatre without a play. No actors, no script—just an open theatrical dialogue. Headlines’ multi-award winning Artistic Director David Diamond will joke (facilitate) the inquiry, exercising the principles of the company’s very successful Theatre for Living workshops. Us and Them (the inquiry) will be an unforgettable evening of interactive, innovative and thought-provoking theatre, that will evolve into Headlines’ 30th Anniversary production—a large theatre/dance collaboration in November, 2011.
The Heart of the City Festival is pleased to be a community partner with PHS Community Services for the November 13 presentation at the InterUrban Gallery. For more information: www.headlinestheatre.com. Reservations recommended, call 604-871-0508. Admission by donation
Panel/Discussion
ART FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
New date Saturday November 13, 10am-1pm (changed from Sat Nov 6)
Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova
Gallery Gachet invites you to a forum that will encompass two panels and a discussion with experts and activists in the field of art for social change. We are hoping to stimulate discussion that explores the role that art has in making an impact on the world around us, and to create dialogue and discussion around issues related to art, mental health and social change. Topics include: Art and Mental Health, Psycho-Geography and Displacement, and Art as Social Activism. The afternoon will be particularly interesting to artists, writers, activists, and community members attempting or thinking about making changes in their own world. Moderator: Bernadine Fox. For information: 604-687-2468 or www.gachet.org. Free