TORONTO (September 20, 2011) - Toronto Public Library, the Neighbourhood Arts Network and Culture Days are pleased to announce a major partnership called “Culture Days @ the Library” that welcomes 85 Toronto-based artists and cultural groups into 48 library branches throughout the city. On Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 the public is invited to take part in free, hands-on and behind-the-scenes activities where artists will share their creative process, inspirations and techniques.
“The great variety of cultural activities at Library branches – from Bollywood dance to Serbian choral music, to poetry, storytelling, painting, bookbinding and stone carving – is testimony to the artistic talents in our city,” said Toronto Public Library’s Senior Services Specialist Miriam Scribner.
Culture Days @ the Library matches Toronto-based artists and groups with library branches as a grassroots way of connecting artists to the public in their own neighbourhood. The partnership allows artists to bring their work out of the studio and engage directly with the public. Most activities are family-friendly, and all are free and interactive.
“Toronto Public Library is one of the best library systems in the world, but what makes it special to us is its accessibility. We jumped at the chance to present our traditional Tibetan dresses and music at such a community hub,” said Gelek Badheytsang, co-director of Tibetan arts group Drebu, which is participating in Culture Days for the second time. “We enjoy being part of a movement that celebrates local arts across the whole country.” Drebu presents their activity Tibetan Chuba at Parkdale Library.
Visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/culturedays for a complete list of activities at Toronto Public Library branches. Or visit www.culturedays.ca to search or browse for all Culture Days activities happening in Toronto and plan your weekend using the Bright Spots Schedule, presented by Sun Life Financial.
Other examples of Culture Days @ the Library activities include:
- Creating an ABC book at Beaches Library. Nola McConnan, author/illustrator of ABC Muskoka, will demonstrate how to create phrases and images for an ABC book. Participants will have the opportunity to make a personal book or lino-block print to take home.
- Sounds of Adventure! at North York Central Library. JunctQín keyboard collective will present a program of new and innovative contemporary works for grand piano and toy piano.
- SLAM I AM at Maria Shchuka Library. Red Slam Collective’s S.L.A.M. I AM is about honoring and reclaiming “Warriorism” through Spoken Lyricism Arranges Meaning (SLAM). The collective is comprised of poets, songwriters, rappers, musicians, dancers, beat-boxers and graffiti artists all with ancestry and community links to the indigenous world.
About Culture Days
Culture Days is a collaborative, Canada-wide volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. The first Culture Days event in September, 2010, swept across more than 700 Canadian cities and towns. The second annual Culture Days weekend will feature more than 1200 activities across Ontario this September 30, October 1 and October 2, 2011. Once again, the event will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers, and more at work in their community. To learn more, please visit www.culturedays.ca
Culture Days in Ontario is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Government of Ontario in recognition of Celebrate the Artist Weekend.
About Neighbourhood Arts Network
Neighbourhood Arts Network is the place where arts and community engagement meet. NAN helps artists and community organizations do what they do best: enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant, beautiful, and liveable city. We catalyze new relationships and conversations, collect research and share information. We envision a Toronto where all residents are empowered to discover and shape the cultural life of their communities. Neighbourhood Arts Network is a project of the Toronto Arts Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org
About Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is the world's busiest urban public library system. Every year, more than 18 million people visit branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow more than 32 million items. As cornerstones of their neighbourhoods, our libraries connect people to each other and to their community, inspiring the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading and the pursuit of knowledge for people of all ages and backgrounds. To learn more, please visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131.
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Media Contact:
Anne Marie Aikins, Manager, Corporate Communications, 416-393-7212