Although it has been said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, March promises to be a jungle of excitement from start to finish at U of T Scarborough, with a fabulous slate of arts activities planned here at UTSC and at other campuses of the University of Toronto.
Don’t miss the chance to attend everything from music to theatre to films and art exhibitions, as U of T Scarborough joins with the tri-campus community in this year’s Celebration of the Arts.
“This is the month that we’ve been gearing up for all year long,” said Lynn Tucker, director, Arts & Events Programming at U of T Scarborough. “Arts & Events Programming has been working to get to know students, staff and faculty on campus, as well as make connections within our community during this transition year. We have hosted multiple events this year, and everything culminates during the highly-anticipated month of March, when we present more than 30 events. All of the events are open to the public, and most of them are free.”
The tri-campus festival was originally conceived by the U of T Arts Council's co-curricular working group, said Vanessa Laufer, interim director of U of T's ArtsZone. Now in its second year, the Celebration of the Arts aims to showcase the university's vibrant arts scene to U of T community members and residents of the Greater Toronto Area, Laufer said.
“There are all kinds of fantastic arts programs, arts activities and events going on across the three campuses at U of T, but many people don't seem to realize that,” said Laufer. “So having a celebration of the arts is a really good way of showcasing to the public -- inside and outside U of T -- all of the incredible arts events that are happening."
Across all of U of T, in addition to more than 80 events in music, theatre, visual arts, dance, film and multimedia, is the New Works by Students series. After responding to an open call, students' proposals were evaluated by juries in two categories, visual arts and performing arts, and successful applicants were awarded bursaries to produce new work for the festival. The result is 13 original creations spanning the artistic disciplines on display across the university.
The series highlights one of U of T's main contributions to the surrounding community's renowned art scene: its students and alumni, Laufer said. "U of T has internship programs and, of course, through many of our academic programs like arts management, curatorial studies, the programs that we have in cinema studies, in studio, we're helping to create the next waves of artists, arts curators and arts managers in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and Canada."
This year's Celebration of the Arts boasts increased student involvement on the U of T arts and culture website. The site, recently relaunched, includes a new section featuring festival highlights. Students are contributing many aspects of this section, including blog entries, photographs and articles about the events. In addition to this, web space will be dedicated to promoting the new student works in the festival. Visit www.arts.utoronto.ca for details.
Some great upcoming events at U of T Scarborough include:
MARCH 4 to MARCH 7:
ART EXHIBITION: Guilt by Association, an exhibition of Visual & Peforming Arts studio faculty work, March 4 - 7, Doris McCarthy Gallery, exhibition runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from March 4 to 7, with bonus Saturday hours from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10:
MOVIE NIGHT: The Chess Players, 6:30pm, AA 303, organized by Visual & Performing Arts.
THURSDAY, MARCH 12:
MOVIE MATINEE: Fight Club, 1 to 4 p.m., AA 303.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13:
DOCUMENTARY FILM: Buddha’s Lost Children, at 7:30 p.m., Management Building, Room MW-110. In the borderlands of Thailand’s Golden Triangle, a rugged region known for its drug smuggling and impoverished hill tribes, one man devotes himself to the welfare of the region’s children.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13:
MATINEE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Nimmons ‘n Braid, part of the Music Lecture Performance Series Jazz music featuring, piano and clarinet (including jazz legend Phil Nimmons! Room AA303, from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
SATURDAY, MARCH 14
CONCERT: Music of All Latitudes, Part II, featuring a jazz performance with the Davidson Murley Braid Quintet . Tickets: $12 adults; $10 students/seniors. AC 223 (ARC Theatre), 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17:
FILM: The Lives of Others, presented for Visual and Performing Arts Movie Night, 6:30pm, AA 303.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17:
ART EXHIBITION: Meeting Point is on at the Doris McCarthy Gallery, from today through April 26, with gallery hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit wwwutsc.utoronto.ca/~dmg/ for details.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 to SATURDAY, MARCH 21:
DRAMA PRODUCTION: Stepping on Toes: To Dance or Not to Dance -- a drama production directed by Snider Visiting Artist Jiri Havelka, created and performed by drama students in Visual and Performing Arts. Evening shows at 8 p.m. in the newly-renovated Leigha Lee Browne Theatre. Peformances at 8 p.m. nightly, with an added 2 p.m. matinee on the Saturday, March 21. Tickets: $12 adults; $10 students/seniors.
THURSDAY, MARCH 19:
ART OPENING: Meeting Point officially opens tonight at the Doris McCarthy Gallery with a celebration from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show continues to April 26. Visit www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~dmg/ for details.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20:
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Trio D‘Argento plays flute, clarinet and piano in AA303 at 12 noon.
FRIDAY, MARCH 20:
DOCUMENTARY FILM: Amongst White Clouds: Buddhist Hermit Masters of China’s Zhongnan Mountains, at 7:30 p.m. in the Management Building, Room MW-110. Filmed on location in China, the film takes an unforgettable journey into the hidden tradition of China’s Buddhist hermit monks.
MONDAY, MARCH 23:
JURIED STUDENT ART SHOW: Gallery 1265 and third floor AA Building, to April 3.
MUSIC RECITAL: UTSC Music Ambassadors Program (UMAP) - Solo & Ensemble Recital, AA303, 7 p.m.
TUESDAY, MARCH 24:
OPENING RECEPTION: Juried Student Art Show, Gallery 1265, 6 to 8 p.m. (NOTE: Movie night featuring "Brazil" is cancelled.)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25:
LECTURE: A Thousand & One Voices featuring Mieke Bal, Dutch cultural theorist and critic and this year's Distinguished Visiting Fellow to the Jackman Humanities Institute at U of T. Leigha Lee Browne Theatre, 9 to 11 a.m. For more details, visit www.humanities.utoronto.ca.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26:
MOVIE MATINEE: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, AA303, 1 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 27:
DOCUMENTARY FILM: Words of My Perfect Teacher, at 7:30 p.m. in the Management Building, Room MW-110. This film examines the phenomenon of a Buddhist teacher.
SATURDAY, MARCH 28:
CONCERT: Year-End Musical Performance featuring the UTSC Concert Band, Concert Choir, Flute Choir, and String Ensemble, 3 p.m., ARC Theatre. Groups directed by Lynn Tucker, Lenard Whiting and Mark Whale.
MONDAY, MARCH 30:
SNIDER LECTURE: Featuring CBC journalist Carol Off, 7 p.m. Science Research Building lecture theatre. Watch the web site for more details.
TUESDAY, MARCH 31:
ARTBAR! Visual Art and Music, Student Centre.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1:
STUDENT SHORT VIDEO SCREENINGS: AA304, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY, APRIL 2:
JAZZ NIGHT: Featuring the UTSC jazz band, directed by Mark Laver, Bluff's restaurant, 7 to 9 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 3:
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: Andrew Staniland plays electroacoustic music, AA303, 12 noon.
MARCH 19 – APRIL 3:
CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS at U of T 2009: Experience how creativity takes centre stage at U of T. Visit www.arts.utoronto.ca.
For more details on events at U of T Scarborough, contact the Arts & Events Programming Office at aep@utsc.utoronto.ca or call (416)208-4769.
For more details and updates of events during U of T’s Celebration of the Arts, visit www.arts.utoronto.ca.