Scotiabank Nuit Blanche: Protest Panel

Protest is the name of the game at this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, or at least a principle underlying theme. Curators of the event checked into the Drake Hotel yesterday evening for a Nuit Talks panel addressing the subject at the heart of this Saturday’s “all night art thing,” taking over downtown streets beginning at 7 pm. Curators (above from left) Candice Hopkins, Shirley Madill and Nicholas Brown each detailed the thinking suffusing their NB zones.

As panel moderator, David Liss (Artistic Director and curator of MOCCA) below, observed, “the organizing theme of the core initiatives this year is how artists and curators use contemporary art as a platform to raise awareness, to make a statement, to tell cultural, social and political stories.”

A number of artists participating in the various zones were on hand to explain and discuss their works. The final Nuit Talk takes place Saturday afternoon (October 1) from 3:30 – 5:30 in the City Hall rotunda (100 Queen Street West).

AGO Unveils Weston Family Centre

Art Gallery of Ontario president Tony Gagliano shares a laugh with Senator Linda Frum, left,  and AGO CEO Matthew Teitelbaum and Tamara Rebanks (George Weston Limited VP), all of whom spoke at this morning’s opening of the new 35,000 square foot Weston Family Learning Centre at the AGO. The new facility offers innovative art education programming to children, youth, families and students of all ages, and features 6,000 square feet of studio space. The new wing was designed by Toronto firm Hariri Pontarini Architects.

Mini Franco-Fête

David Pecaut Square was humming yesterday with a musical festival celebrating Franco Ontarians or more properly, le Jour des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes. These photos were taken near the end of the celebration as choruses of young singers joined arms to sing “Notre Place.” It was a very welcoming, family-oriented event.

Photos by Christopher Jones

Sculpture Garden 30th Anniversary

More than 100 enthusiastic supporters including Ward 28 Councillor Pam McConnell (pictured in green) turned up at the Toronto Sculpture Garden yesterday evening to celebrate the park’s 30th anniversary. Sculpture Garden patron Marc Odette, above, recalled the history of this pioneering public-private partnership, which was started in 1981 by his father, the late Louis L. Odette. Since then, what was once a parking lot, has hosted 64 large-scale works of contemporary sculpture including the newly installed Gold, Silver & Lead by artist Jed Lind, below.

Warm-up For War Horse

Master puppeteers Basil Jones, left, and Adrian Kohler, right, touched down at the TIFF Bell Lightbox this morning to kick-start the buzz on the Mirvish production of War Horse, opening in February at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo and adapted by Nick Stafford in association with Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse explores the role played by horses in World War 1. The life-size horse puppet, above, requires three operators and is staggeringly realistic in its movements, its ribs even expand and contract to mimic breathing. Conceived and created by Britain’s National Theatre, the show went on to capture five 2011 Tony Awards, including Best Play. Single tickets for the Toronto run go on sale September 26.