Flight: A thrilling history of an idea includes rare
and unique items including select prints from one of only five know Audubon
folios in Canada
TORONTO (Thursday, July 4, 2013) – Toronto Public
Library is pleased to announce a new exhibition in the TD Gallery, located on
the main floor of the Toronto Reference Library. Flight: a Thrilling History of an Idea opens on Saturday, July 13,
2013, at 9 a.m. and runs until September 22, 2013.
Featuring
rare and unique items from the library’s Special Collections, Flight will explore both the real and
fantastical, the possible and impossible, through rare artworks, books,
advertising and artifacts. Included in the exhibit is a special showing of select prints from one of only five known
Audubon Birds of America folios in
Canada.
What:
Flight: a Thrilling
History of an Idea featuring rare and unique items from the library’s
special collections. Flight explores
both the real and fantastical, the possible and impossible.
When:
July 13 until September 22,
2013.
Where:
TD Gallery, Toronto Reference
Library, 789 Yonge Street – Main Level
Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30
p.m.Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Exhibit Highlights:
Audubon (prints): Hand-coloured prints from the extremely rare
Double Elephant Folio edition of The
Birds of America.
Worldly
Wisdom by Leo Dillon, 1933-2012 and
Diane Dillon, 1933-(watercolour):
Depicting
an elderly Leonardo da Vinci-like figure, in his workshop crafting a winged
flying machine.
La vingtieme siecle: la vie
electrique (rare book): Published in France in 1893, this rare
and unusual volume shows how scientific discoveries and inventions would
affect ordinary people and their daily lives in 1955.
Stargate by Ron Lightburn,1954- (coloured pencil and oil): Cover
illustration for the Penguin edition of Pauline Gedge’s novel of the same name.
Tame (ad on science fiction pulp magazine): Tame, a satirical yearly magazine by Hugo Gernsback, the publisher
of the very first science fiction pulp magazine, formatted to resemble
mainstream publications such as Time.
The ad is for a future product, the “Atomicar”.
The ship that sailed to Mars (rare book): A charming science fantasy about a group of elves that build a ship to
sail to Mars.
About the TD Gallery in the Toronto Reference Library:
The TD Gallery is the portal to discovering Toronto
Public Library’s Special Collections that document the cultural history of our
nation. These heritage collections include books, manuscripts, art and
artifacts collected by the library since its inception in 1884, available to
everyone for viewing, during regular library hours, or online 24/7.
Media pre-opening tour:
Members of the media are invited for pre-opening tour
and to meet the curator team between 10 and 12 noon on Thursday, July 11, 2013. Please contact Edward Karek at 416-397-5925
or ekarek@torontopubliclibrary.ca to reserve a
spot.
Related Programming:
Birding in Toronto: An
Illustrated Presentation with John Carley and Mark Peck
Two
local experts in ornithology, field birding, and conservation, speak about
birding opportunities in Toronto.
Wednesday,
July 24, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.
Toronto
Reference Library
Elizabeth
Beeton Auditorium
Exhibit Tours:
Three
special curator tours are open to the public on Tuesday July 30, Friday August
16 and Friday September 13, all at 2 p.m.
Toronto
Public Library is one of the world's busiest urban public library systems.
Every year, 19 million people visit our branches in neighbourhoods across the
city and borrow 32 million items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library,
visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at
416-393-7131. To get the most current updates on what's happening at the
library, follow us on Twitter @torontolibrary.
-30-
Media Contact:
Edward Karek, Communications Officer
416-397-5925