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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230801T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230801T140000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230608T195157Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240319T213417Z
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SUMMARY:In Conversation: Ahmed Naji and Fatma Hendawy
DESCRIPTION:In Conversation\nAhmed Naji and Fatma Hendawy \nTuesday\, August 1\n12:30 pm\nOn Zoom: Register on Eventbrite to receive the link\n \nCritical Distance is pleased to present an engaging dialogue between acclaimed Egyptian author\, Ahmed Naji\, and renowned curator\, Fatma Hendawy as part of our summer exhibition\, Garden of Broken Shadows. The discourse will revolve around their experiences in adapting to life in the United States and North America\, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities that come with using a different language as creators. \nAbout the artist \nAhmed Naji is the author of three novels\, Rogers (2007)\, Using Life (2014)\, And Tigers to my Room (2020)\, and another non-fiction book (Rotten Evidence: Reading and writing in prison) as well as numerous blogs and other articles. His work has been translated into different languages including English\, Italian\, Spanish\, and others. In 2016 Ahmed was sentenced for 2 years in prison in Egypt after a reader complained that an excerpt published in a literary journal harmed public morality. His imprisonment marks the first time in modern Egypt that an author has been jailed for a work of literature. Writers and literary organizations around the world rallied to support Naji\, and he was released in December 2016. His original conviction was overturned in May 2017. \nAbout the curator \nFatma Hendawy Yehia is an Egyptian-Canadian curator\, based in Toronto since 2017. Yehia graduated in 2020 from the Master of Visual Studies Curatorial program at university of Toronto. Since 2008\, Yehia held different positions at the New Library of Alexandria including Head of Permanent Exhibitions (2010-12). She was the Assistant Curator at the AGYU\, Toronto (2021-22). She was Guest Curator at Images Festival 2022\, and currently she works as Assistant Archivist at the Art Museum\, University of Toronto. Yehia participated in curatorial workshops (including Tate Intensive 2017)\, residencies (ProHelvetia and ZKU/Berlin) and curated several projects in Egypt\, UK\, Switzerland\, France\, Germany\, and Canada. Her curatorial practice focuses on investigating censored archives\, questioning inaccessible histories\, and navigating militarised spaces. \nAccessibility \nASL Interpretation and live captioning will be made available at this event.\nCritical Distance prioritizes creative and collaborative approaches to access in conversation with guest curators\, artists\, access professionals\, and people in community. For any questions or more information\, please contact us at info@criticaldistance.ca. \n– \nGarden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/in-conversation-ahmed-naji-and-fatma-hendawy/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/AhmedNaji_web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230729T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230729T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230608T195738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240319T213518Z
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SUMMARY:Afternoon with the Curator
DESCRIPTION:Afternoon with the Curator\nFatma Hendawy Yehia\n \nSaturday\, July 29\n1 – 5 pm\nCritical Distance Centre for Curators\nSuite 122 – 401 Richmond St W\, Toronto \nDrop by the gallery for casual conversation with exhibition curator of Garden of Broken Shadows\, Fatma Hendawy Yehia. Registration is not required and admission is always free. \nAbout the curator: \nFatma Hendawy Yehia is an Egyptian-Canadian curator\, based in Toronto since 2017. Yehia graduated in 2020 from the Master of Visual Studies Curatorial program at university of Toronto. Since 2008\, Yehia held different positions at the New Library of Alexandria including Head of Permanent Exhibitions (2010-12). She was the Assistant Curator at the AGYU\, Toronto (2021-22). She was Guest Curator at Images Festival 2022\, and currently she works as Assistant Archivist at the Art Museum\, University of Toronto. Yehia participated in curatorial workshops (including Tate Intensive 2017)\, residencies (ProHelvetia and ZKU/Berlin) and curated several projects in Egypt\, UK\, Switzerland\, France\, Germany\, and Canada. Her curatorial practice focuses on investigating censored archives\, questioning inaccessible histories\, and navigating militarised spaces. \nLearn more about the exhibition and artists: www.criticaldistance.ca/program/garden-of-broken-shadows\n\nAccessibility \nCritical Distance prioritizes creative and collaborative approaches to access in conversation with guest curators\, artists\, access professionals\, and people in community. Critical Distance gallery is located on the ground floor at 401 Richmond\, a wheelchair accessible building with a ramp at the Richmond Street doors and an accessible washroom on every level. The gallery is equipped with automatic doors and we commission audio description for all exhibitions. Updates on any measures we develop in relation to artworks or events will be posted as it becomes available. For any questions or more information\, please contact us at info@criticaldistance.ca. \n– \nGarden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n  \n\nImage: Yuula Benivolski \n 
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/afternoon-with-the-curator/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Tours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/Fatma_Yuula-Benivolski_web.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230713T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230713T140000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230608T183505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240418T182825Z
UID:18843-1689251400-1689256800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Artist Talks: Katherine Melançon and Anahita Norouzi
DESCRIPTION:Artist Talks\nKatherine Melançon and Anahita Norouzi \nThursday\, July 13\n12:30 pm\nOn Zoom: Register on Eventbrite \nJoin us online to learn more about the practices of artists Katherine Melançon and Anahita Norouzi\, as part of Critical Distance’s summer exhibition Garden of Broken Shadows\, curated by Fatma Hendawy.  \nAbout the artist(s) \nKatherine Melançon’s practice is interested in the intersection of the natural and the technological. More recently\, she has been exploring non-human beings’ agency; what could become of the world of art\, if it was created with non-human people? Often using the starting point of scanography of natural specimens\, she plants these new seeds in various materials\, exploring images’ fluidity through cycles of metamorphosis between physical and digital soils. Katherine holds an MFA from Central Saint-Martins in London\, UK\, and a BA in digital media from Université du Québec à Montréal\, Montreal\, Canada. Her work has been exhibited in Canada\, the USA and Europe. In 2022\, she was named on the Sobey Art Award long list. She lives and works in Montreal. \nAnahita Norouzi is a multidisciplinary artist\, originally from Tehran and active in Montreal since 2017. For the past four years\, she has been traveling between Iran and Canada to conduct her research which lies at the intersection of colonial histories\, experiences of immigration and displacement\, and the issue of identity and memory. Her practice is research-driven\, instigated by marginalized histories and the legacies of botanical explorations and archeological excavations\, particularly when scientific research became entangled in the colonial exploitation of non-Western geographies. Norouzi’s works have been shown internationally\, most recently at BIENALESUR\, the International Contemporary Art Biennial of South America\, in Buenos Aires\, Argentina. She has received numerous grants\, fellowships\, and awards\, most notably the Grantham Foundation Award\, Liz Crockford Artist Fund Award\, and the Vermont Studio Center Merit. She is the winner of Impression residency at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2022 and the finalist for the Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize for pieces shown at the Royal College of Art’s Henry Moore Gallery in London and in Dubai. \nAccessibility\n\nASL Interpretation will be made available at this virtual event.\nCritical Distance prioritizes creative and collaborative approaches to access in conversation with guest curators\, artists\, access professionals\, and people in community. For any questions or more information\, please contact us at info@criticaldistance.ca. \n– \nGarden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n  \n\nImages (left to right): Anahita Norouzi\, Arid Florilegium (detail)\, 2022\, Inkjet prints on archival paper\, paper cutouts\, plexiglass\, 16 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist. Katherine Melançon\, Nature morte. Un million d’horizons (detail)\, 2017\, laser-engraved ceramic\, 10 x 13.5 in. Photo: Jean-Michel Seminaro.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/artist-talks-katherine-melancon-and-anahita-norouzi/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/ArtistTalk_Anahita_Katherine_banner.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230629T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230629T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230608T175602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240319T213504Z
UID:18838-1688061600-1688068800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:The Time of Balsams: In Conversation with Lamis Haggag and Marina Fathalla
DESCRIPTION:The Time of Balsams: In Conversation with Lamis Haggag and Marina Fathalla \nThursday\, June 29th\, 2023\n6:00 pm\nCritical Distance Centre for Curators\nSuite 122 – 401 Richmond St W\, Toronto \nVisitors will meet at the gallery to experience the exhibition\, Garden of Broken Shadows\, before the group proceeds down the hallway to the courtyard for the event.  \nResisting singular\, easy\, conclusive\, or finite definitions The Time of Balsams is a conversation between Lamis Haggag and Marina Fathalla. Taking cues from Lamis Haggag’s new work The Lamenting Monotropa at Critical Distance\, we will delve into myth-making\, insisting on returning to the ways of being that live through us. We will be guided by the sun to unburden and to find solace in its harshness\, in her silence. The tradition of lamentation reminds us that we’re storytellers\, that we inherited grief\, knowledge and layers of culture\, through colonial occupations\, and others passing through. We dance to sadness\, we collectively share in it\, we make things up as we go\, we lose ties in order to blend in\, we lose ourselves\, we return. \nThis in-person event is free with registration. \nAbout the artists \nLamis Haggag is an Egyptian multimedia artist\, living and working in Toronto since 2016. She received her MFA from The University of Calgary in 2013 and her BFA from Helwan University\, Cairo in 2008. She participated in exhibitions and residencies in Toronto (Doris McCarthy AIR program)\, Montreal ( Artist in residence at Fonderie Darling)\, Calgary\, St. Thomas Ontario\, Cairo\, Beijing\, Dakar\, Lagos\, Berlin and Incheon. In addition to her art practice\, Haggag is an art instructor\, installer and proposal writer. She received various grants and scholarships in Canada from CCA\, TAC\, OAC\, AFA\, Interaccess Artist-run Center and the University of Calgary. Haggag is also the recipient of awards and grants from the Goethe Institute in Lagos\, the Goethe Institute in Cairo\, Incheon Foundation for Arts and Culture in Incheon\, Al Mawred Al Thaqafy for the Arab region\, Kamel Lazaar Foundation in Tunisia\, and various awards from the Ministry of culture in Egypt. \nMarina Fathalla is a coptic artist and currently the Director of Programming at Whippersnapper Gallery. She grew up in Mississauga alongside the Credit River on unceded Anishinaabeg territory. Guided by the unseen\, or what is just beneath the surface\, she’s currently exploring dormancy\, the mystical and ritual through textiles\, writing and movement. She finds the most joy in creating programming that is site\, group and community-responsive and supporting emerging artists to grow their practice. \nAccessibility\n \nThe Critical Distance gallery is located on the ground floor at 401 Richmond\, a wheelchair accessible building with a ramp at the Richmond Street doors and an accessible washroom on every level. The gallery is equipped with automatic doors. Critical Distance prioritizes creative and collaborative approaches to access in conversation with guest curators\, artists\, access professionals\, and people in community. For any questions or more information\, please contact us at info@criticaldistance.ca. \n– \nGarden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n  \n\nImage: Lamis Haggag\, plant picking / The lamenting monotropa\, 2021-22\, Digital photography print on chiffon. Courtesy of the artist. \n 
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/the-time-of-balsams/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/LH_plant-picking_from-The-lamenting-monotropa-series_courtsey-of-the-artist-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230624T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230624T220000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230602T195729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T200642Z
UID:18818-1687633200-1687644000@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Concert: El Rass الراس | Toronto
DESCRIPTION:El Rass الراس in concert \nSaturday\, June 24th\, 2023\n7:00 pm\nAdelaide Hall \nCritical Distance is thrilled to co-present El Rass in concert with MARSM Canada at Adelaide Hall on June 24\, as part of the exhibition Garden of Broken Shadows\, curated by Fatma Hendawy Yehia.  As part of his first tour in Canada\, El Rass\, known for his critical lyrics and performances\, will engage with the exhibition’s topics around identity\, immigration and adaptation through a vernacular yet deeply philosophical language. Tickets on sale through MARSM Canada. \nThis event is part of the public programming of the exhibition Garden of Broken Shadows. \nAbout the artist \nMazen El Sayed (aka El Rass) is a rapper and music producer from Tripoli\, Lebanon. His discography includes 8 albums\, the most recent is titled “Ard El Khof” \, as well as more than 200 singles in collaboration with other music-makers and rappers from the region. El Rass’s work has earned recognition and visibility in the Arab world\, specifically for his dense lyrical content\, versatility of styles and subject matter\, and his personal sonic approach. El Sayed worked as a journalist before devoting his time to music\, and has been described as a subversive voice inspired from traditional and contemporary expression\, from the spiritual and the worldly. \nAccessibility \nAdelaide Hall is located in the lower level of 250 Adelaide Street West. The entrance is through the alley next to 26 Duncan Street West (between Nelson St. & Adelaide St. West). The venue can only be accessed via two flights of stairs (4-5 steps each) connected by one landing.  \n– \nCritical Distance thanks co-presenter MARSM Canada for partnering on programming for El Rass. Garden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n 
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/concert-el-rass-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b3-toronto/
LOCATION:Adelaide Hall\, 250 Adelaide Street West\, Toronto\, Ontario\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Other Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/ElRass_web-e1685735967853.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230623T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230623T213000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230602T201341Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T200615Z
UID:18825-1687543200-1687555800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Artist Talk + Opening Reception: Garden of Broken Shadows
DESCRIPTION:Artist talk with El Rass in the Dark Horse Cafe at 401 Richmond\, followed by the exhibition opening reception at Critical Distance (Suite 122) \nFriday\, June 23rd\, 2023\n6:30 – 9:30 pm:\n401 Richmond: Dark Horse Cafe and Critical Distance\, Suite 122 \nJoin us for an artist talk with Lebanese rapper El Rass at Dark Horse Cafe\, located inside 401 Richmond. Presented as part of Critical Distance’s summer exhibition Garden of Broken Shadows\, El-Rass will be in conversation with curator Fatma Hendawy. Informally\, they will discuss different topics starting from the cultural and linguistic specificity of Arab rap to El-Rass’s philosophical analysis of identity and immigration issues. Immediately following the talk we will proceed to the Critical Distance gallery for the opening reception of Garden of Broken Shadows. \nThis event is free with registration; space is limited and seating is first-come\, first-served.  \nAbout the artist \nMazen El Sayed (aka El Rass)\, is a rapper and music producer from Tripoli\, Lebanon. His discography includes 8 albums\, the most recent is titled “Ard El Khof” \, as well as more than 200 singles in collaboration with other music-makers and rappers from the region. El Rass’s work has earned recognition and visibility in the Arab world\, specifically for his dense lyrical content\, versatility of styles and subject matter\, and his personal sonic approach. El Sayed worked as a journalist before devoting his time to music\, and has been described as a subversive voice inspired from traditional and contemporary expression\, from the spiritual and the worldly. \nAccessibility\n\nCritical Distance prioritizes creative and collaborative approaches to access in conversation with guest curators\, artists\, access professionals\, and people in community. Both Dark Horse Cafe and the Critical Distance gallery are located on the ground floor at 401 Richmond\, a wheelchair accessible building with a ramp at the Richmond Street doors and an accessible washroom on every level. The gallery is equipped with automatic doors and we commission audio description for all exhibitions. Updates on any measures we develop in relation to artworks or events will be posted as it becomes available. For any questions or more information\, please contact us at info@criticaldistance.ca.\n\n– \nCritical Distance thanks co-presenter MARSM Canada for partnering on programming for El Rass. Garden of Broken Shadows is made possible through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n 
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/artist-talk-opening-reception-garden-of-broken-shadows/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/06/ElRass_web_02.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20230422T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20230422T150000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20230328T183834Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240925T034214Z
UID:18768-1682168400-1682175600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Artist Panel: Materialized
DESCRIPTION:Artist Panel: Materialized\nJoi T. Arcand\, Celeste Pedri-Spade\, Catherine Blackburn\, and Nadya Kwandibens\n \nSaturday\, April 22nd\, 2023\n1:00 pm\nUrbanspace Gallery\nGround floor of 401 Richmond – 401 Richmond St W\, Toronto\n \nJoin us for a panel discussion featuring the artists from our spring exhibition Materialized. Artists Joi T. Arcand\, Celeste Pedri-Spade\, Catherine Blackburn\, and Nadya Kwandibens will present brief artist talks\, followed by a discussion moderated by curator Ariel Smith (Artistic & Managing Director\, Native Women in the Arts). \nThis panel is presented as part of Materialized\, an exhibition co-presented by Native Women in the Arts and Critical Distance Centre for Curators\, in partnership with Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and Partners in Art. Materialized is on view at Critical Distance Centre for Curators from April 21 to June 3. \nThis is a free\, public event: everyone is invited.\nCapacity is limited\, register in advance on Eventbrite \nAbout the artist(s)\n \nJoi T. Arcand is an artist from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation\, Saskatchewan\, Treaty 6 Territory\, currently residing in Ottawa\, Ontario. Her practice includes installation\, photography and design and is characterized by a visionary and Subversive reclamation and indigenization of public spaces through the use of Cree language and syllabics. \nCatherine Blackburn was born in Patuanak Saskatchewan\, of Dene and European ancestry and is a member of the English River First Nation. She is a multidisciplinary artist and jeweller\, whose common themes address Canada’s colonial past that are often prompted by personal narratives. \nCeleste Pedri-Spade is an Anishinabekwe artist from Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation. She identifies as a “mark maker” who works primarily with textiles and photography. \nNadya Kwandibens is Anishinaabe from the Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation in northwestern Ontario. In 2008 she founded Red Works Photography\, a dynamic photography company empowering contemporary Indigenous lifestyles and cultures through photographic essays\, features\, and portraits. \n \nAbout the curator(s) \nAriel Smith is an award winning nêhiyaw\, white settler and Jewish filmmaker\, video artist\, writer\, and cultural worker. Ariel works as the Artistic and Managing Director of Native Women in the Arts and is in the process of completing an MFA in Film Production from York University. \nAccessibility \nASL Interpretation will be available at this event.\nCritical Distance and Urbanspace Gallery are located on the ground floor at 401 Richmond\, a wheelchair accessible building with a ramp at the Richmond Street doors and an accessible washroom on every level. \n– \nThank you to our presenting partner\, Native Women in the Arts. This program is made possible through the generous support of Partners in Art and Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival. Critical Distance gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Arts Council\, an agency of the Government of Ontario. \n  \n\nImage: Joi T. Arcand\, Through That Which is Scene\, 2014. Courtesy of the artist.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/artist-panel-materialized/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2023/03/Arcand-3_Through-That-Which-is-Scene_Courtesy-of-the-artist_rt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220917T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220917T160000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220905T192508Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T201736Z
UID:18474-1663426800-1663430400@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Conversation and Screening: Adrià Julià and Noa Bronstein
DESCRIPTION:Conversation and Screening: Adrià Julià and Noa Bronstein \nSaturday\, September 22nd\, 2022\n3:00 pm\nInnis Town Hall (2 Sussex Avenue) \n\nAdrià Julià will be joined by curator Noa Bronstein for a discussion into his ongoing interest in the parallel and overlapping histories of film production and popcorn consumption. Using an historical perspective with the language of cinema\, Julià encourages a critical look at the impact of history and culture on food and images and how these inform our understanding of the world around us. \nA screening of Julià’s Popcorn will follow the conversation. The film is adapted from footage originally presented by the San Diego-based camera company Photron of a single kernel of corn exploding into popcorn over twelve seconds. Shot with a slow-motion high-speed camera that the company sought to promote\, the found mini-film was reimagined by Julià and stretched into Popcorn\, a feature film. \n\n\nThis program is presented by Critical Distance Centre for Curators as part of Place Settings II\, featuring film and performance-based projects curated by Noa Bronstein throughout the city of Toronto. This program is in dialogue with Julià’s A Very White Flower (on view at Artscape Youngplace) and The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain at the AGO on September 16th.\n\n\n\n\n\n  \nAbout the artist and curator \nAdrià Julià received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts\, a Maisterschüler from the Universität der Künste Berlin\, and a BFA from Universitat de Barcelona. His practice includes installations\, film\, photography\, and performance. Solo exhibitions include those at the Miró Foundation (Barcelona)\, Tabakalera (San Sebastián\, Spain)\, Museo Tamayo (Mexico City)\, Orange County Museum of Art (Newport Beach\, California)\, Project Art Centre (Dublin)\, LAXART (Los Angeles) and Artists Space (New York). He participated in the Lyon\, São Paulo\, Mercosul\, Kochi-Muziris\, and Jakarta Biennales. \nNoa Bronstein is a curator and writer based in Toronto. Her practice is often focused on the social production of space and thinking through how artists disrupt and subvert systems including those registering across social\, political and economic structures.\nNoa has held the positions of Executive Director of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography\, inaugural Senior Curator at the Small Arms Inspection Building (Mississauga) and Project Manager at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her writing has appeared in publications including Artforum\, PREFIX Photo\, Canadian Art\, Border Crossings\, The Journal of Curatorial Studies and C Magazine. Recent curatorial projects include When Form Becomes Attitude at Contemporary Calgary\, bust/boom at The New Gallery (Calgary)\, With an instinct for justice at Doris McCarthy Gallery (Toronto) and Aleesa Cohene’s solo exhibition I Don’t Get It at Gallery 44 (Toronto)\, The Rooms (St. John’s) and Western Front (Vancouver). Noa is currently the Executive Director of Gallery TPW. \n  \nPlace Settings is made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council\, City of Toronto\, and ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-22. \n  \n\nImage: Detail of A Very White Flower (2022)\, Adrià Julià. \n 
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/conversation-and-screening-adria-julia-and-noa-bronstein/
LOCATION:Innis Town Hall\, 2 Sussex Avenue\, Toronto\, M5S 1J5
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/09/AdriaJulia_Innis.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220916T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220916T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220812T131643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221011T145436Z
UID:18398-1663354800-1663358400@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Adrià Julià: The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain
DESCRIPTION:ADRIÀ JULIÀ\nThe Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain\nConceived by Adrià Julià\nWritten by Débora Antscherl and Adrià Julià\nPerformed by Stephen Park \nDate: September 16\, 7pm\nLocation: Art Gallery of Ontario – Jackman Hall\nFree Admission – Register here \nOffering a meditation on the history of production\, consumption and expansion of popcorn in modern colonial history\, The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain reflects on the historical and socioeconomic intricacies of the global corn industry and its relationship to Mexican culture and the popularization of popcorn in the United States after the Great Depression\, especially in regards to popcorn’s connection to cinema. \nAdrià Julià’s film-performance The Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain is presented in conjunction with the AGO’s exhibition Faith and Fortune: Art Across the Global Spanish Empire. \nThis event will have live visual description available. You will require your own smartphone and headphones to access the description. Please email Emily Cook\, Education + Accessibility Programs Director\, at emily[at]criticaldistance.ca for more information and we will update this event page as more details become available. \nFor more information about visual description also known as Audio Description\, please visit this link. \nAlso on view on the Billboard at 180 Shaw Street throughout the month of September: A Very White Flower\, 2022 by Adrià Julià. \n\nThe Penitential Tyrant: Dolores Is Pain is presented as part of Place Settings\, a large-scale\, durational project that considers how food functions to connect and disrupt. Focusing specifically on the intersections of food\, public space\, and architecture\, Place Settings points to formal and informal structures that offer forms of nourishment\, be they physical\, emotional\, social\, or political. \nCurated by Noa Bronstein\, Place Settings I started in June – August 2021. Place Settings II continues this summer with performative projects staged throughout the city of Toronto. Each project engages in a discursive gesture that considers new possibilities at the intersections of food practices and public space\, revealing the shareable and relational qualities of both.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/adria-julia-the-penitential-tyrant-dolores-is-pain/
LOCATION:Jackman Hall\, Art Gallery of Ontario\, 317 Dundas St W\, Toronto\, ON\, M5T 1G4\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Performances
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/08/Adria-image.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220909T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220909T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220906T192115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220912T134439Z
UID:18393-1662750000-1662753600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Larissa Sansour: Soup Over Bethlehem
DESCRIPTION:LARISSA SANSOUR\nFilm Screening: Soup Over Bethlehem \nLocation: 401 Richmond Rooftop (401 Richmond St. West)\nDate: September 9\, 2022 | 7pm – 8pm\nFree Admission – Register via Eventbrite \nSoup Over Bethlehem (Film\, 9′) depicts an ordinary Palestinian family\, Sansour’s own\, around a dinner table on a rooftop overlooking the West Bank city of Bethlehem. What starts as a culinary discussion about the national dish ‘mloukhieh’ soon evolves into a personal and engaging conversation about politics – thereby emphasising the symbiosis of food and politics so indicative of the Palestinian experience. (Description courtesy of the artist). \nThis screening of Soup Over Bethlehem will be accompanied by a response to the film by Serene Husni\, addressing various concerns ranging from language and food histories to the complexities of ‘national dishes’. \nGUEST SPEAKER BIO:\nSerene Husni is a video editor\, mentor\, writer and translator. A Diasporic Palestinian\, and immigrant from Jordan turned Canadian-settler\, she is a displaced human existing between multiple cultures\, languages\, and locales. She creates most of her own work in her mother tongue\, Arabic. Freely available to watch online\, her latest film “Brown Bread & Apricots” (2020) talks about the role of the pantry in homemaking for her father’s exiled Palestinian family. The film won the Qayrub Award for “Best Canadian Short Film” from the Toronto Arab Film Festival in 2022. Serene was a guest writer on the first season of the podcast Mahdoum -digestible in Arabic- by SOWT\, which talks about the histories of popular “Arab” dishes. She is a co-writer and co-editor on the much-anticipated feature documentary by Polina Teif\, A Eulogy for The Dead Sea (2022). \n\nSoup Over Bethlehem is presented as part of Place Settings II\, which continues Summer 2022 with performative projects staged throughout the city of Toronto. Each project engages in a discursive gesture that considers new possibilities at the intersections of food practices and public space\, revealing the shareable and relational qualities of both. \nPlace Settings\, curated by Noa Bronstein\, is a large-scale\, durational project that considers how food functions to connect and disrupt. Focusing specifically on the intersections of food\, public space\, and architecture\, Place Settings points to formal and informal structures that offer forms of nourishment\, be they physical\, emotional\, social\, or political. \nWe are working towards accessibility measures for our events. For more information\, please email Emily Cook\, Education/Accessibility Programs Director\, at emily[at]criticaldistance.ca. \nClick here to learn more about Place Settings II.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/larissa-sansour-soup-over-bethlehem/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Screenings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/08/Larissa_WebFeature.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220821T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220821T140000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220812T174607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220906T192617Z
UID:18384-1661083200-1661090400@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Reza Nik: sofreh for two
DESCRIPTION:REZA NIK\nsofreh for two\, 2022 \nLocation: Iranian Plaza (6075 Yonge St\, North York)\nDate: August 21\, 12pm – 2pm\nOutdoors\, free to the public\n*The Iranian Plaza is accessible by TTC using the 97\, 61 or 53 bus routes which are all wheelchair accessible routes. The plaza is a strip mall with parking including accessible parking in the front. \nReza Nik’s sofreh for two references both Iranian food and drink carts and ‘Sofreh’\, a loose term translated to a textile on which food is served but that often functions as a shorthand for various preparations\, practices\, ceremonies and rituals. This improvisational performance is mediated through a roving structure that considers the spatial facets of food and feasting as narrated through diasporic and intergenerational experiences and memories. \n\nsofreh for two is presented as part of Place Settings\, a large-scale\, durational project that considers how food functions to connect and disrupt. Focusing specifically on the intersections of food\, public space\, and architecture\, Place Settings points to formal and informal structures that offer forms of nourishment\, be they physical\, emotional\, social\, or political. \nCurated by Noa Bronstein\, Place Settings I started in June – August 2021. Place Settings II continues this summer with performative projects staged throughout the city of Toronto. Each project engages in a discursive gesture that considers new possibilities at the intersections of food practices and public space\, revealing the shareable and relational qualities of both. \nPlace Settings II launches August 21\, 2022 with Reza Nik’s “sofreh for two”. Click here for more details about the program.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/reza-nik-sofreh-for-two/
LOCATION:Iranian Plaza\, 6075 Yonge St\, North York\, ON\, M2M 3W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Performances
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/08/RezaNik_WebFeatureImage.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220528T133000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220528T143000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220524T184247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220727T134303Z
UID:17844-1653744600-1653748200@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Life Cycles: Live Performance by Whyishnave Suthagar
DESCRIPTION:Life Cycles\nLive Performance by Whyishnave Suthagar \n401 Richmond Courtyard\n(or in CDCC Gallery – 401 Richmond Building\, Suite 122 – in case of rain)\nMay 28\, 2022\n1:30 PM EST \nClick here to access the Zoom link for the live streaming of this event. \n  \nLife Cycles is a live performance that will depict a mother and daughter engaging in the passed tradition of kolam making. A kolam is an ancient form of drawing in the Hindu religion created using rice\, sand\, flour – something ephemeral – as these drawings are to be washed away after the occasion that they were created for has ended. Kolams often reference mandala imagery; which are spiritual symbols in Hinduism representing the expanding universe. Life Cycles is an interactive performance\, where viewers will be able to collaborate with the artists as they engage in the ritual of kolam making. An artist talk will follow the performance. \nThis performance is presented in part of our current exhibition OF THE SACRED\, curated by Noor Alé and Claudia Mattos (AXIS Curatorial). \nOF THE SACRED testifies to the survival of personal beliefs\, spiritual traditions\, and religious practices in the face of colonialism and migrations. In their practices\, artists Farah Al Qasimi\, Kaya Joan\, Bea Parsons\, Yelaine Rodriguez\, and Whyishnave Suthagar trace cultural inheritances of faith\, lineages of intergenerational knowledge\, and the syncretism of beliefs that emerge in times of turbulent change and upheaval. Visit this link for more details about the exhibition. \n  \nABOUT THE ARTIST\nWhyishnave Suthagar is a Tamil-Canadian artist whose meditative installations use black light and light-reactive threads to outline imagery drawn from ancient mythologies\, dreams\, and memories. As an homage to her dual cultural identity\, mandalas often feature in her work—a practice passed down matrilineally across generations\, which she learned from her mother while growing up in Canada. \nACCESSIBILITY\nThis event will have live open audio description by Rebecca Singh (Superior Audio Description Services) which will be audible to all participants in both the zoom event and in person. ASL interpretation and live transcription will be available in the zoom and live stream but will not be available in person. For any questions regarding this or any other access needs that we can help you with please email emily[at]criticaldistance.ca.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/life-cycles-live-performance-by-whyishnave-suthagar/
LOCATION:401 Richmond\, 401 Richmond St. West\, Toronto\, ON\, M5V3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Performances
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/05/IMG_4799-copy_webcrop.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220423T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220423T160000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220422T141814Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220727T134316Z
UID:17777-1650718800-1650729600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:OF THE SACRED: Opening Reception
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the opening reception for OF THE SACRED\, Saturday April 23rd from 1 to 4pm. \nThe reception will take place at our new location:\n401 Richmond Building\nSuite 122 \nOF THE SACRED testifies to the survival of personal beliefs\, spiritual traditions\, and religious practices in the face of colonialism and migrations. In their practices\, artists Farah Al Qasimi\, Kaya Joan\, Bea Parsons\, Yelaine Rodriguez\, and Whyishnave Suthagar trace cultural inheritances of faith\, lineages of intergenerational knowledge\, and the syncretism of beliefs that emerge in times of turbulent change and upheaval. \nFeaturing Farah Al Qasimi\, Kaya Joan\, Bea Parsons\, Yelaine Rodriguez\, Whyishnave Suthagar\nCurated by Noor Alé and Claudia Mattos (AXIS Curatorial) \nClick here for full program details.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/of-the-sacred-opening-reception/
LOCATION:Critical Distance\, Suite 122 at 401 Richmond Street West\, Toronto\, Ontario\, M5V 3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Openings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/04/SCRD_Eventbanner2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20220302T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20220302T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220223T113700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230621T172644Z
UID:17160-1646247600-1646251200@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Info Session: Ways of Attuning
DESCRIPTION:wave~form~projects (Liz Ikiriko and Toleen Touq) and Critical Distance will be hosting an information session for the Open Call for Ways of Attuning: A Curatorial Study Group on Wednesday\, March 2nd\, 2022 at 7 – 8pm EST. \nPlease join us if you have any questions about the application\, eligibility criteria\, how the program is going to unfold\, and find out more about what inspired the program. \nZoom Link:\nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/86390352206?pwd=MFZESklyS0RiczIrYVBINWlUODFRQT09 \nThe session is open to everyone and will be pretty informal\, so come relaxed and curious and with your favourite drink in hand! \nASL interpretation will be provided. Please reach out in advance if you require this any other accommodations by sending us an email: waveform.opencall@gmail.com
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/ways-of-attuning-online-info-session/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/02/Screen-Shot-2022-03-04-at-2.38.26-PM-e1646422858169.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20211120T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20211120T133000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20211216T172351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220621T210135Z
UID:16977-1637413200-1637415000@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Performance: A landscape’s spine
DESCRIPTION:Live Performance\nA landscape’s spine by Florencia Sosa Rey and Eve Tagny \nSaturday\, November 20th\, 2021\n1 – 1:30 PM (Duration of performance: approx. 30 minutes)\nArtscape Youngplace\, 180 Shaw St. \nFollowing her practice’s ongoing investigations into gardens as sites of grief and renewal\, Eve Tagny along with collaborator Florencia Sosa Rey has choreographed a performance as a closing gesture for the exhibition You sit in a garden (curated by Chris Andrews). \nTracing parallels between a plant’s roots and our body’s spines\, the performers explore the entanglements of leisure\, respite\, care as well as privilege\, exclusion and labor that play out in our gardens and landscapes. \n“If we go “to” nature\, we are in fact going into ourselves.” \nThis is a free\, public event hosted outdoors at the performance pad in front of Artscape Youngplace\, on 180 Shaw Street. Everyone is invited. Dress warmly\, and we encourage attendees to bring a blanket. Warm cider will be served. Open. \nThe performance is taking place live/on-site and it will also be livestreamed on Zoom\, including live\, improvised open Audio Description (for both in-person and online) by Jennifer Brethour and Kat Germain. Captioning\, ASL interpretation and Deaf interpretation with Ayoka Junaid and Tamyka Bullen will be included on Zoom. Please contact emily[at]criticaldistance.ca with any access concerns. You can also visit this link for detailed and expanded information on Audio Description\, compiled by Kat Germain.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/a-landscapes-spine/
LOCATION:Artscape Youngplace\, 180 Shaw St\, Toronto\, M6J 2W5
CATEGORIES:Performances
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2021/12/LandscapeSpine_FeatureImage.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20211029T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20211031T190000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20220224T231413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220422T142753Z
UID:17107-1635505200-1635706800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Art Book Fair: Critical Distance at Edition/Art Toronto
DESCRIPTION:Critical Distance is pleased to participate at this year’s Edition Art Book Fair as part of Art Toronto! We look forward to presenting an array of editions and publications from the wonderful artists\, curators\, and organizations we’ve partnered and collaborated with over the years. \nFrom our current exhibition You sit in a garden\, curated by Chris Andrews\, we are featuring new releases/recent publications by Laurie Kang (published by Colour Code Print)\, Jenine Marsh (published by Blank Cheque Press)\, and Tanya Lukin Linklater (published by Anteism). We are also featuring publications by Toronto/Montreal-based artist Florence Yee in partnership with Tea Base\, and Filling Station (Calgary). \nIn addition\, we are excited to launch a special edition print by Tsēmā Igharas\, whose work was featured in our Spring 2021 exhibition Groundwork\, curated by Valérie Frappier\, as well as the exhibition catalogue for our Winter 2020 exhibition A Big Heritage With a Glorious Past\, curated by ma ma collective (Heather Rigg and Magdalyn Asimakis). \nVisit our table to see these and other editions and publications by artists\, writers\, and publishers we love! \nFAIR HOURS: \nOctober 29\, 11am–8pm\nOctober 30\, 11am–8pm\nOctober 31\, 11am–7pm \nLOCATION: \nMetro Toronto Convention Centre\n255 Front St W\, Toronto\, ON M5V 2W6 \nWe will also have publications and editions available from: Dominica Publishing (LA)\, Blank Cheque Press (Vancouver)\, Book*Hug Press (Toronto)\, Sternberg Press (London)\, Wallspace (NY)\, Unrestricted Interest (MN)\, Between The Lines (Toronto)\, Optica (Montreal)\, Public Collectors (IL)\, Pleasure Dome (Toronto)\, and Les Éditions Esse (Montreal)\, Dark Matter Zine (Toronto)\, and Studio Magazine (Harlem).
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/critical-distance-at-edition-toronto-2021/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Fairs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2022/02/Edition2021_WebBannerNewSite.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20210622T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20210622T190000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20210726T190400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T192857Z
UID:16717-1624384800-1624388400@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Performance: CORPS ROCA presents L’ESPÈCE MOLLE
DESCRIPTION:FREE Event – Click HERE to Register. \n***This event will take place on Zoom in English with ASL translation. Related texts are available in Spanish\, French and English. The performance will also include a Live Audio Description and Captioning. Please contact emily@criticaldistance.ca with any access concerns.*** \nAs part of the group exhibition Groundwork\, Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal-based artist Ileana Hernandez Camacho will debut a new dimension of her CORPS ROCA project in a live performance on June 22\, 2021.\n\n\nCORPS ROCA is an evolving and ongoing work\, initiated by the artist in 2018 as part of a residency at Verticale\, centre d’artistes in Laval. The work centres Hernandez Camacho’s performances where she embodies and gives voice to a rock. Using humour to critically question humanity’s relationship with the environment\, the rock re-narrates the evolution of the planet\, citing itself—rather than humans—as the most evolved species on Earth. Hernandez Camacho’s act of camouflage as a rock seeks to incite a change in perspective in viewing the non-human as inanimate and unimportant. Rather\, in embodying the rock as a walking and talking being\, she questions dominant ways of thinking about the non-human as lifeless matter only existing as a backdrop for humanity\, and imagines what would shift if humans treated the non-human as its equal. \nHernandez Camacho builds CORPS ROCA through interactive performances in public space. In the written story of the work\, there are two main characters so far: the rock and l’espèce molle (meaning “the soft species\,” also known as the human species). \nIn this live performance which will be screened via Zoom\, Hernandez Camacho will explore and show us characteristics of the soft species\, from the perspective of the rock. The actions\, sounds and images of this presentation are based on her own investigations from past performances\, and the observations and responses that she has experienced when interpreting the rock. \nThe event will take place on l’Île Notre-Dame at 6PM and will be followed by a Q&A with the artist over Zoom\, moderated by the curator of Groundwork\, Valérie Frappier. \n  \nIntroduction to the CORPS ROCA story: \n“Our population was corrupted by a civilization whose principles and values were based in plastic dreams and metal structures. We were crushed\, made to be decorations\, divisions\, tools… some\, prisoners. We weren’t part of the same society. We are waiting for their era’s end so we can create our world. We are not in a hurry\, we will never be.” \n\nPhoto Credit: Michael Jachner
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/corps-roca-presents-lespece-molle/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Performances
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2021/07/GRWKEventFB.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20210222T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20210222T143000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20210418T005339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220224T230219Z
UID:16546-1613998800-1614004200@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Case Study: El Alto
DESCRIPTION:Monday\, February 22 | 1pm \nCase Study: El Alto\nConversation with Maria del Carmen Camarena\, Eliza Chandler\, Saada El-Akhrass\, Vanessa Dion Fletcher\, Sean Lee\, and Beatriz Miranda\, moderated by Aidan Moesby \nFREE Event – Click HERE to register. \nThis event will take place on Zoom\, and have ASL and captioning. Images will be described and presenters will describe themselves. If you have any other access requests or questions please contact emily@criticaldistance.ca. \n \nEl Alto is a print and digital magazine produced by the British Council that showcases arts and culture in the Americas. The upcoming issue is centered around d/Deaf and disability arts and accessible practices in different countries of the region\, connecting the breadth of activism\, creativity\, and critical work accomplished in very different social and political contexts. With the publication scheduled to be launched in Spring of 2021\, this conversation will bring a number of contributors to El Alto together to discuss accessible publishing in the Americas\, and broadly explore publications where d/Deaf and disabled artists’ works are featured. We are inviting participants to share publications that platform disabled artists from a political and disability justice perspective\, so we can together learn more and highlight this critical work and thinking. \nTo access the first issue of El Alto\, please click here (please note\, free registration with issuu is required): \nThis discussion is part of Public Displays of Affection (PDA): an expanded series of events on creative possibilities in accessible arts publishing\, hosted by Critical Distance. PDA works within disability arts communities and beyond\, building on Kelly Fritsch’s notion that “to crip is to open up with desire to the ways that disability disrupts.” Building on PDA’s initial events in Fall 2020\, the series will continue to produce a collective learning opportunity that considers the pleasures\, desires\, and disruptions of making arts publishing initiatives more accessible. Stay tuned for more events in the coming weeks and months. Read more about the program here. \nThis event is developed in partnership with British Council\, Tangled Art + Disability\, Bodies in Translation\, and 17\, Instituto de Estudios Críticos. \nPublic Displays of Affection is made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. \n \n  \nSpeaker Info: \nMaria del Carmen Camarena is a vocalist who has performed in numerous musical groups. She appeared in the El Rey Nació opera from composer José Luis González Moya in Guadalajara city’s Teatro Diana in 2012 and performed at the fourth Nairobi International Culture Festival in 2016\, along with other high-profile performances. \nEliza Chandler is an Assistant Professor in the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University where she teaches and researches in the areas of disability arts\, critical access studies\, social movements. She leads a research program focused on disability arts and crip cultural practices. Chandler is also a practicing curator. \nVanessa Dion Fletcher is a Lenape and Potawatomi neurodiverse Artist. Her family is from Eelūnaapèewii Lahkèewiitt (displaced from Lenapehoking) and European settlers. She Employs porcupine quills\, Wampum belts\, and menstrual blood reveals the complexities of what defines a body physically and culturally. Reflecting on an indigenous feminist body with a neurodiverse mind Dion Fletcher creates art using composite media\, primarily working in performance\, textiles\, video. She graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016 with an MFA in performance and York University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She has exhibited across Canada and the US. \nSaada El-Akhrass is the Senior Programme Manager\, Arts\, Americas at the British Council since 2019. She previously held the position of Arts Manager for the British Council office in Canada. Since 2014\, she’s been promoting cultural dialogue and relations with the UK\, by building partnerships with art leaders\, practitioners and organizations and engaging in common ideas surrounding artistic and social challenges. She holds a master’s degree in Art History from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM)\, where she co-founded Les Territoires\, an artist-run centre dedicated to emerging artists. \nSean Lee is an artist and curator exploring the notion of disability art and accessibility as the last avant-garde. Orienting towards a “crip horizon”\, his practice gestures towards the transformative possibilities of a world that desires the way disability can disrupt. Sean holds a B.A. in Arts Management and Studio from the University of Toronto\, Scarborough and is currently the Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disability. He also is a member of the Ontario Art Council’s Deaf and Disability Advisory Group and Toronto Art Council’s Visual Arts / Media Arts Committee. \nBeatriz Miranda-Galarza was born in Ecuador and has lived abroad since 2000. Her background is sociology and anthropology with emphasis in health and disability studies. During the last ten years she has dedicated her time to work with people with disabilities and leprosy regarding participatory action research in countries like Indonesia\, Nepal\, Myanmar\, Timor L’este\, Brazil\, Ecuador\, and Mexico. Currently\, she is the Coordinator of the Critical Disability Studies programme at the 17\, Institute of Critical Studies in Mexico. Since 2018\, she has accompanied artistic projects that lead to revisit the role of disabled artists in the Latin American disability movement. She earned a PhD in Sociology and Disability Studies at the University of Leeds (UK); a Master in Anthropology by the KU Leuven (Leuven\, Belgium); and Master in Latin American Studies by the University of the Andean Parliaments (Quito\, Ecuador). \nAidan Moesby is an artist curator working at the intersection of art\, health and technology. His current work investigates the dual crises of Climate Change and Mental Health exploring the relationships between the outer physical weather and internal psycho-emotional weather. I was Naked\, Smelling of Rain is a performance exploring absence\, presence\, loneliness and dis/connectedness through the lens of weather\, climate change and wellbeing. A resident at Pervasive Media Studio\, Watershed\, Bristol\, he increasingly makes large scale\, tourable works including Sagacity: The Periodic Table of Emotions\, an interactive digital installation. He has worked\, exhibited and curated nationally and internationally with partners including Unlimited (UK)\, Institute 17 (CDMX) Kulttuuri Kauppila (SUO)\, and Zacheta National Gallery (Poland).
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/case-study-el-alto/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2021/04/4_3-template_2021_PDA_ElAlto.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20210128T143000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20210128T173000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20210126T221707Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T192945Z
UID:16382-1611844200-1611855000@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Workshop: Galeries Ontario/ Ontario Galleries' Professional Development Series
DESCRIPTION:Join Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries for upcoming online workshops\, where senior\, mid-career\, and emerging professionals will gain professional knowledge\, skills and practices in the public art gallery and museum sector. \nEmily Cook\, Critical Distance’s Education & Accessibility Programs Director\, will be joining the panel of presenters for the first workshop in the series\, Collections and Accessibility. \n  \nWorkshop #1: COLLECTIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY \nThursday\, January 28th\, 2021\nTime: 2:30pm to 5:30pm ET \nThe relationship between art and disability has a rich but complex history. Although disability arts as a sector has only recently been acknowledged and supported in Canada\, disability arts as a practice by disabled artists has always existed in one form or another. \nWhile today\, we recognize that art galleries and museums are mandated to serve the ‘general public’\, however\, many disabled people are barred from fully experiencing what galleries have to offer. Not only can spaces exclude through physical barriers\, many galleries and museums are not accessible in their programming\, exhibitions and collections. \nThis workshop provides an introduction to disability arts\, tracing the gaps in galleries; accessibility and inclusion in their programs. This workshop will also address the gaps of accessibility online. Institutions need strategies to not only make their online and physical spaces more accessible but must actively resist the compulsory able-bodiedness of the “visual” arts as a whole. \nPRESENTERS: \nSean Lee\, Director of Programming – Tangled Arts + Disability\nDavid Bobier\, Media artist and founder of VibraFusionLab\nEliza Chandler\, PhD\, Assistant Professor\, School of Disability Studies\, Ryerson University\nYasmeen Nematt Alla\, Communications Manager\, Akimbo Art Promotions\nEmily Cook\, Education / Accessibility Programs Director\, Critical Distance Centre for Curators \nSessions will include: \n\ndiscussion on disability arts and justice;\ncase studies discussing web and digital access with a focus on social media and alt text;\ncase studies on practices in gallery spaces;\nvisual descriptions and how to describe it or communicate it;\nand panel discussion on current practices and the future of accessibility in the gallery sector.\n\nTO REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP #1 – COLLECTIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY: \nComplete registration form then email form to –  Jessica Lukas\, Secretariat Coordinator\, members@oaag.org\, with the subject line – ATTN: MAP – Workshop Series \n CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM \nInterested in the upcoming workshops in March? Fill out the Expression of Interest Form to receive a notification of the next three workshops registration openings. \nREGISTRATION FEES:\nSingle Day Workshop Cost\nGOG Members: $150.00\nGeneral/Non-Members: $250.00\nStudents (with valid student ID): $45.00 \nRegistration includes access to the presentations and discussions\, supplementary materials\, and any additional activities. \nVENUE LOCATION: \nThese workshops will all be held virtually via Zoom –  A Zoom link will be sent once registration payment has been processed. \nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:\nGOG gratefully acknowledges the funding contribution from the Museums Assistance Program with the Department of Canadian Heritage.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/galeries-ontario-ontario-galleries-professional-development-workshop-series/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2021/01/OAAGevent_4-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20201115T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20201115T143000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20201206T005544Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T193303Z
UID:16368-1605445200-1605450600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Discussion: Archive Means and Mediums with Reel Asian
DESCRIPTION:Reel Asian Film Festival\nReel Ideas Symposium: Archive Means and Mediums\nNovember 15\, 2020 | 1:00 – 2:30 PM \nWhy do we need community archives\, and what are the stakes of digitized archiving within the contexts of intentional erasure or a lack of historical records? This panel reflects on the necessity and challenges of archives and archival work\, inviting members of community archive initiatives to discuss their work and process. \nFeatured image courtesy of Vince Ha\, from Water Lullabies: Revisiting Roots through Family Photography \nAbout Reel Ideas\nThe Reel Ideas Symposium – On World-Building responds to a growing momentum of digitization initiatives and strategies through dialogue with artists\, community organizers and industry professionals. These sessions gather visions of radical world-building that mobilize\, engage and strengthen creative communities\, to usher in better presents and futures. \nAdmission: $3.49 per session / $10.99 for Reel Ideas Access (all panels) \n  \nModerator \n\n\nBeau Gomez • Gallery and Programs Coordinator\, Critical Distance Centre for Curators \nBeau Gomez is a Filipino-Canadian artist and community arts worker. His practice is informed by ideas and conversations around cross-cultural narratives\, and equally devotes his time in community engagement through the arts\, with contributions to various organizations including Trinity Square Video\, The 519\, Workman Arts\, and Inside Out LGBT Film Festival. In 2019\, Beau launched Fixer\, a gathering of image-makers and creators in an engaged discussion and critique of recent works in progress. He is currently the Programs Coordinator at Critical Distance Centre for Curators. \n  \nSpeakers \n\n\n\n\nKatrina Cohen-Palacios • Archivist\, Home Made Visible \nKatrina Cohen-Palacios processed the archival collection of IBPOC home movies donated by the Home Made Visible project\, a participatory archival project which empowered IBPOC communities to describe their own records. She is an Archivist at the York University Libraries Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections. \n\n\n\n\n  \nVasuki Shanmuganathan • Researcher and Community Organizer\, Tamil Archive Project \nVasuki Shanmuganathan is a researcher\, educator\, and community organizer working at the intersections of race and colonialism. She is a research associate on the Race\, Ethics & Power Project at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics. She is the founder of the Tamil Archive Project (TAP). A Scarborough-born collective prioritizing non-binary people and women from racialized communities which emerged out of a need for makeshift spaces of belonging by reconfiguring contemporary art and archival practices as part of communal care. \n\n\n\n\n  \nVince Ha • Filmmaker and Curator\, Invisible Footprints \nVince Ha is a writer-director who captures fragmentary moments and uses them to challenge issues of race\, class\, gender\, and representation. He holds an MFA in Documentary Media. His work has been presented locally at Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival\, Gardiner Museum\, Buddies in Bad Times\, The ArQuives\, and Hot Docs Rogers Cinema\, and internationally in China\, Germany\, Japan\, Thailand\, United Kingdom\, the United States\, and Vietnam.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/reel-asian-archive-means-and-mediums/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/12/reelasianpanel01.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20201018T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20201018T153000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20201206T001929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T193349Z
UID:16356-1603029600-1603035000@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:PDA Workshop: Alt-Text Time
DESCRIPTION:PDA: Alt-Text Time\nSunday\, October 18\, 2020 | 2pm \nAlt-Text Time\nLed by Bojana Coklyat\, Shannon Finnegan\, and Aislinn Thomas\, with Ramya Amuthan \nClick HERE to register. \nThis event will take place over Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite (link above) to receive the Zoom link closer to the event date. \nAlt-text and image description are important access measures\, especially for blind and low vision communities and others who use screen readers. Alt-text is a written description of an image posted online. It provides access to the image for those who can’t see it. It is not visually displayed on a website or app\, so if you aren’t a web developer or a screen reader user\, you mostly interact with alt-text by writing it and adding it to your images through designated form fields during the image upload process. Yet so many images are posted and circulated online without accompanying alt-text\, leaving many people out of what could be a shared experience. \nBojana Coklyat\, Shannon Finnegan\, and Aislinn Thomas will lead a group work session to dig into our collective backlog of alt-text writing for websites or social media. We can share what we’re working on\, ask questions\, and learn from each other in a more intimate way. Together\, we’ll collaborate on making the internet a more engaging\, fun\, and welcoming place. In the spirit of a community quilting bee\, we’ll come together to work individually and collectively toward a shared goal. \nIf you are brand new to writing alt-text\, we recommend reading Section 2 of Bojana and Shannon’s workbook Alt-Text as Poetry in preparation for this event. It includes some basic information about alt-text and how to write it\, and / or watching one of Bojana and Shannon’s Alt-text as Poetry workshops. \nThis event is part of Public Displays of Affection (PDA): an expanded series of events on creative possibilities in accessible arts publishing\, hosted by Critical Distance. PDA will work within disability arts communities and beyond\, building on Kelly Fritsch’s notion that “to crip is to open up with desire to the ways that disability disrupts.” Over the next several months\, PDA will produce a collective learning opportunity that considers the pleasures\, desires\, and disruptions of making arts publishing initiatives more accessible. Read more about the program here. \nThis event will take place on Zoom\, and have ASL and captioning. Images will be described and presenters will describe themselves. If you have any other access requests or questions please contact emily@criticaldistance.ca \nThis program is made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. \n \n \n  \nSpeaker Info: \nAislinn Thomas is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes video\, performance\, sculpture\, installation\, and text. She culls material from everyday experiences and relationships\, creating work that ranges from poignant to absurd (and at times straddles both). Her recent works explore the generative potential of disability while pushing up against conventional standards of access. \nShannon Finnegan​ is a multidisciplinary artist making work about accessibility and disability culture. They have done projects with Banff Centre\, Friends of the High Line\, Tallinn Art Hall\, Nook Gallery\, and the Wassaic Project. They have spoken about their work at the Brooklyn Museum\, School for Poetic Computation\, The 8th Floor\, and The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. In 2018\, They received a Wynn Newhouse Award and participated in Art Beyond Sight’s Art + Disability Residency. In 2019\, they were an artist-in-residence at Eyebeam. They spoke at Carleton University in 2019. They are currently exhibiting\, ​Lone Proponent of Wall-to-Wall Carpet​ at Carleton University Art Gallery. Their work has been written about in C Magazine\, Art in America\, Hyperallergic\, and the New York Times. They live and work in Brooklyn\, NY. \nRamya Amuthan​ is currently a Host and Producer at Accessible Media Inc (AMI). She works with the live afternoon show team for the daily Entertainment and Lifestyle audio show called Kelly and Company. Ramya’s work involves meeting fascinating people\, hearing their stories\, and facilitating conversations that bring out the messages wanting to be told to the disability community around Canada. Ramya is also the Co-creator of Adventures\, a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind\, based in Toronto\, offering and facilitating opportunities for blind and low vision individuals to challenge comfort zones and take part in daring physical activities. Ramya always makes time for hobbies; including singing – for herself and sometimes others\, dancing – mostly Brazilian Zouk\, and brushing up on her culinary skills. \nBojana Coklyat\, visual artist and disability advocate\, focused her MA Studies at NYU Gallatin on the intersection of Disability Studies and Art Administration including an internship at the Whitney Museum of Art’s Access Program and has attended the Kennedy Center International Leadership Exchange for Arts and Disability several times. Applying her knowledge and commitment to centering disability in the arts\, Bojana curated a groundbreaking show for the NYU Gallatin Gallery\, Crip Imponderabilia\, a microcosm of what is happening in Disability Arts. Coklyat also received an NYU GRI Fellowship to study in access in museums in Prague in 2018\, and a 2019-20 Fulbright to Prague for research on disability and the arts in the Czech Republic.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/pda-alt-text-time/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/12/4_3-template_2021_PDA_AltTextTime.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20201004T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20201004T160000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20201206T001306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T193400Z
UID:16353-1601820000-1601827200@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:PDA Case Study: A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention
DESCRIPTION:PDA: Case Study: A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention\nSunday\, October 4 | 2pm \nCase Study: A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention\nConversation with Aislinn Thomas\, Shannon Finnegan\, and Ramya Amuthan \nClick HERE to register. \nThis event will take place over Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite (link above) to receive the Zoom link closer to the event date. \n  \nIn August 2019\, artists Aislinn Thomas and Shannon Finnegan published a broadsheet and accessible PDF for A distinct aggregation / A dynamic equivalent / A generous ethic of invention: Six writers respond to six sculptures through the Walter Phillips Gallery at the Banff Centre. Also presented as a series of sound works\, the project invited writers and poets across Canada to produce creative audio descriptions for a range of public sculptures installed throughout the Banff Centre. \nFor this case study session\, Thomas and Finnegan will be in discussion\, reflecting on the project and the challenges and opportunities of creative audio description in both accessible publishing and gallery/museum practices. They will be joined by Ramya Amuthan\, host and producer at Accessible Media Inc\, for further reflection. \n  \nThis discussion is part of Public Displays of Affection (PDA): an expanded series of events on creative possibilities in accessible arts publishing\, hosted by Critical Distance. PDA will work within disability arts communities and beyond\, building on Kelly Fritsch’s notion that “to crip is to open up with desire to the ways that disability disrupts.” Over the next several months\, PDA will produce a collective learning opportunity that considers the pleasures\, desires\, and disruptions of making arts publishing initiatives more accessible. Stay tuned for more events in the coming weeks and months. Read more about the program here. \nThis event will take place on Zoom\, and have ASL and captioning. Images will be described and presenters will describe themselves. If you have any other access requests or questions please contact emily@criticaldistance.ca \nThis program is made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. \n \n \n  \nSpeaker Info: \nAislinn Thomas​ is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes video\, performance\, sculpture\, installation\, and text. She culls material from everyday experiences and relationships\, creating work that ranges from poignant to absurd (and at times straddles both). Her recent works explore the generative potential of disability while pushing up against conventional standards of access.\nClick here for Aislinn’s work. \nShannon Finnegan​ is a multidisciplinary artist making work about accessibility and disability culture. They have done projects with Banff Centre\, Friends of the High Line\, Tallinn Art Hall\, Nook Gallery\, and the Wassaic Project. They have spoken about their work at the Brooklyn Museum\, School for Poetic Computation\, The 8th Floor\, and The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library. In 2018\, They received a Wynn Newhouse Award and participated in Art Beyond Sight’s Art + Disability Residency. In 2019\, they were an artist-in-residence at Eyebeam. They spoke at Carleton University in 2019. They are currently exhibiting\, ​Lone Proponent of Wall-to-Wall Carpet​ at Carleton University Art Gallery. Their work has been written about in C Magazine\, Art in America\, Hyperallergic\, and the New York Times. They live and work in Brooklyn\, NY. \nRamya Amuthan​ is currently a Host and Producer at Accessible Media Inc (AMI). She works with the live afternoon show team for the daily Entertainment and Lifestyle audio show called Kelly and Company. Ramya’s work involves meeting fascinating people\, hearing their stories\, and facilitating conversations that bring out the messages wanting to be told to the disability community around Canada. Ramya is also the Co-creator of Adventures\, a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind\, based in Toronto\, offering and facilitating opportunities for blind and low vision individuals to challenge comfort zones and take part in daring physical activities. Ramya always makes time for hobbies; including singing – for herself and sometimes others\, dancing – mostly Brazilian Zouk\, and brushing up on her culinary skills.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/pda-case-study/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/12/4_3-template_2021_PDA_v2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200928T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200928T190000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20201206T000738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220304T200632Z
UID:16350-1601314200-1601319600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:PDA: Crip Culture and Digital Experiments
DESCRIPTION:PDA: Crip Culture and Digital Experiments\nMonday\, September 28\, 2020 | 5:30pm \nCrip Culture and Digital Experiments\nA Panel Discussion with Jessa Agilo\, Aimi Hamraie\, and Yo-Yo Lin\, led by Lindsay Fisher\, Creative Users Projects \nClick HERE to register. \nThis event will take place over Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite (link above) to receive the Zoom link closer to the event date. \nArtists\, activists\, and others in disability communities have been adapting online tools and platforms for work and play since well before the pandemic forced able-bodied people online. What creative solutions and experiments in the digital sphere have been happening within disability communities? What have we learned so far from the efforts to come together and adapt tools that were not designed with disability in mind? Join us as we discuss the particular joys and challenges of creative access in an online world\, with reflections from Jessa Agilo\, Aimi Hamraie\, and Yo-Yo Lin. This conversation is moderated by Lindsay Fisher\, Founder and Director of Creative Users Projects. \nThis discussion will set the stage for Public Displays of Affection (PDA): an expanded series of events on creative possibilities in accessible arts publishing\, hosted by Critical Distance. PDA will work within disability arts communities and beyond\, building on Kelly Fritsch’s notion that “to crip is to open up with desire to the ways that disability disrupts.” Over the next several months\, PDA will produce a collective learning opportunity that considers the pleasures\, desires\, and disruptions of making arts publishing initiatives more accessible. Stay tuned for more events in the coming weeks and months. \nThis event will have ASL and captioning. Images will be described and presenters will describe themselves. If you have any other access requests or questions please contact emily@criticaldistance.ca \nThis program is made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. \n \n \n  \nSpeaker Info: \nJessa Agilo is an integrated arts creator\, producer\, changemaker\, and social entrepreneur with a three-decade career boosting social\, spatial\, economic\, digital\, and accessibility justice for equity-seeking groups across all disciplines in Canadian arts and culture. She is currently the founder of ArtsPond\, where she has led ground-breaking efforts to address gentrification (Groundstory)\, digital transformation of arts services (DigitalASO)\, COVID-19 response (I Lost My Gig Canada)\, the design of open source arts management software (Hatch Open)\, platform cooperatives (Artse United)\, and creative land trusts (Groundtrust). Jessa is a mentor to young leaders from Humber College\, University of Toronto\, Ryerson University\, and more. She was recognized with the Humberto Santos Award in Business and Administration in 2006 and Toronto Arts Council’s Leaders Lab in 2019. \nAimi Hamraie is Associate Professor of Medicine\, Health\, & Society and American Studies at Vanderbilt University\, where they direct the Critical Design Lab. Hamraie is author of Building Access: Universal Design and the Politics of Disability (University of Minnesota Press\, 2017) and host of the Contra* podcast on disability\, design justice\, and the lifeworld. Their interdisciplinary research spans critical disability studies\, science and technology studies\, critical design and urbanism\, critical race theory\, and the environmental humanities. Hamraie is also a certified permaculture designer\, a co-founder of the Nashville Disability Justice Collective\, and an organizer for the Nashville Mutual Aid Collective. \nYo-Yo Lin is a Taiwanese-American\, interdisciplinary media artist who explores the possibilities of self-knowledge in the context of emerging\, embodied technologies. She often uses generative animation\, live performance\, and lush sound design to create meditative ‘memoryscapes.’ Her current work reveals and re-values the complex realities of living with chronic illness. Through researching and developing methodologies in reclaiming chronic health trauma\, she investigates the generative nature of the ill/ disabled bodymind and facilitates sites for community-centered abundance. She was a 2019 ‘Access’ Artist in Residence at Eyebeam and has shown her work at SXSW\, NYFF\, and the Allied Media Conference. She finds herself at-home in New York City\, Los Angeles\, and Taipei. \nLindsay Fisher ​is an artist\, designer and producer working in the not for profit sector. She is the founder and director of Creative Users Projects\, an arts service organization that connects organizations\, artists and audiences to accessible arts across Canada. Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University and a Bachelor of Graphic Design from OCAD University.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/pda-crip-culture-and-digital-experiments/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/12/4_3-template_2021_PDA_v2-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200722T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200722T160000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200811T183951Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T231701Z
UID:16193-1595430000-1595433600@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:A Live Co-Reading of Provisions - Radical Care
DESCRIPTION:We are thrilled to partner with The Site Magazine in co-hosting the third conversation in their event series\, ‘A Live Co-Reading of Provisions\,’ drawn from the contributions to The Site Magazine’s latest issue\, Provisions: Observing and archiving Covid-19. This conversation will be hosted in collaboration with Critical Distance. \nIn this conversation we will be joined by Lori Brown\, Carol Anne Hilton\, and Elke Krasny to discuss the radical approaches to care\, ethics\, and relationality in times of crisis (and how to make these times a moment for meaningful change) through a co-reading and discussion of their responses: \nLori Brown\, Transformational Slowness \nCarol Anne Hilton\, Indigenomics \nElke Krasny\, Radicalizing Care \nWednesday\, July 22\, 2020 | 3 – 4PM EST\nThis event will have live captioning. \nImage courtesy of The Site Magazine
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/a-live-co-reading-of-provisions-radical-care/
LOCATION:Critical Distance\, Suite 122 at 401 Richmond Street West\, Toronto\, Ontario\, M5V 3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/08/Provisions01.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200420T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200420T163000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200527T000416Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T231727Z
UID:16084-1587394800-1587400200@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:In Conversation: Charlotte Zhang & Friends of Chinatown Toronto
DESCRIPTION:To bring about a skill-sharing dialogue between artist and organizer\, Charlotte Zhang will moderate a Q&A with Toronto-based community group\, Friends of Chinatown TO (FOCT). Zhang will inquire into FOCT’s first-steps to organizing in a working class community\, formulating demands\, and strategizing around campaigns. With the tools and skills cultural workers have at our disposal\, how do we direct our participation\, privilege\, and artistic strategies towards developing tactics and resisting neoliberal entanglements? \nThe conversation will be followed by a round of questions submitted from the public. Please submit your questions for FOCT in advance by emailing aaron@imagesfestival.com. \nPresented by Images Festival 2020\nCo-presented with Centre A: Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art and Critical Distance Centre For Curators \nPresented in conjunction with Pine Street: Charlotte Zhang\nFor program info\, visit: https://imagesfestival.com/programs/pine-street:-charlotte-zhang/
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/in-conversation-charlotte-zhang-friends-of-chinatown-toronto/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/05/FOCT.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200311T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200311T210000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200423T171052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221126T091215Z
UID:15976-1583953200-1583960400@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Eleana Antonaki In Conversation with ma ma
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a conversation with Brooklyn-based artist Eleana Antonaki and curators ma ma (Magdalyn Asimakis and Heather Rigg) held in conjunction with the exhibition A Big Heritage with A Glorious Past at Critical Distance. Antonaki\, Asimakis\, and Rigg will discuss Antonaki’s work within the exhibition and her practice more broadly\, alongside questions of politically motivated migration\, ideas of home and temporary housing\, and archaeology. \nThis event is taking place at the Small World Music Centre\, Studio 101 in Artscape Youngplace.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/eleana-antonaki-in-conversation-with-ma-ma/
LOCATION:Small World Music\, 180 Shaw St\, Toronto\, ON\, Toronto\, Ontario\, M6J 2W5\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/04/Eleana.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200308T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200308T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200221T202344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221126T091500Z
UID:15915-1583679600-1583686800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Accessible Curatorial Tour: A Big Heritage With a Glorious Past
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an accessible curatorial tour of CDCC’s current exhibition: A Big Heritage with A Glorious Past. Curators ma ma (Magdalyn Asimakis and Heather Rigg) will be present to discuss the work of Eleana Antonaki and Marina Xenofontos in the exhibition. ASL interpretation will be provided\, and all video works will be captioned with available audio description.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/accessible-curatorial-tour-bhgp/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Tours
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/02/heritagetour.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200121T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200121T200000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200423T174403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221126T091814Z
UID:15989-1579629600-1579636800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Dying.poetry
DESCRIPTION:What is a “Good” Goodbye? is a collaborative poetry workshop facilitated by Mediator and Regenerative Design Facilitator Kathy Porter. During the program\, participants take part in a presentation about Medical Assistance in Dying and the option to control one’s end of life experience. After the presentation\, they are given a policy document to cut and paste\, restructuring the regulated language to make room for their own synthesis of the material. In an effort to raise awareness around the choices we have over our lives—and in turn\, deaths—Kathy Porter creates a space for much needed conversation around planning one’s own “good” goodbye. This event is FREE—please register on Eventbrite .
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/dying-poetry/
LOCATION:The Learning Zone\, OCAD University\, 122 A St Patrick St.\, Toronto\, ON\, M5T 2X7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Workshops
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/04/Screen-Shot-2022-11-26-at-5.17.04-PM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20200121T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20200121T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20200423T173947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230628T183330Z
UID:15984-1579622400-1579626000@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:Dying.storytime
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, January 21st\, 4–5 pm\nThe Learning Zone\, OCAD University\n122 A St. Patrick Street \nTaboo Health presents Mr. Dak: The Tale of a Special Turtle\, a family-friendly story-time reading and Q&A with author Dayna Saba. Saba’s first children’s book broaches the topic of death through narrative storytelling. After experiencing the loss of her grandfather\, Saba created the picture-book as both a playful biography and a tool by which to explain his passing to her young nephew. Written as a reminder that great love endures even after we are gone\, Mr. Dak: The Tale of a Special Turtle is a compassionate introduction to concepts of loss and remembrance and provides an entry point for young children to express and process emotions surrounding the death of a loved one. This event is FREE—please register on Eventbrite.
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/dying-storytime/
LOCATION:The Learning Zone\, OCAD University\, 122 A St Patrick St.\, Toronto\, ON\, M5T 2X7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Reading Groups
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2020/04/stry.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20191109T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20191109T170000
DTSTAMP:20260413T153754
CREATED:20190910T112349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T232542Z
UID:15487-1573308000-1573318800@criticaldistance.ca
SUMMARY:The Culture of Crip Aesthetics
DESCRIPTION:Panel discussion with Sean Lee\, Elizabeth Sweeney\, Andy Slater\, Wy Joung Kou and Aislinn Thomas\nModerated by Emily Cook
URL:https://criticaldistance.ca/event/the-culture-of-crip-aesthetics/
LOCATION:Critical Distance\, Suite 122 at 401 Richmond Street West\, Toronto\, Ontario\, M5V 3A8\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Talks + Panels
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://criticaldistance.ca/assets/2019/09/CultureCrip.jpeg
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