Veronica Zaretski / en U of T alumnus honoured for helping deliver long-term care to Toronto's multicultural residents /news/u-t-alumnus-honoured-helping-deliver-long-term-care-toronto-s-multicultural-residents <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T alumnus honoured for helping deliver long-term care to Toronto's multicultural residents</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-07-09-Rekai-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-RJaonbW 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-07-09-Rekai-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=DvJSGK7t 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-07-09-Rekai-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RYo82Sis 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-07-09-Rekai-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-RJaonbW" alt="Photo of Peter Rekai"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-07-09T10:56:57-04:00" title="Monday, July 9, 2018 - 10:56" class="datetime">Mon, 07/09/2018 - 10:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Peter Rekai is chair of the Rekai Centres, multilingual long-term care facilities started by his father and uncle to care for Toronto's diverse residents (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/diversity" hreflang="en">Diversity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trinity-college" hreflang="en">Trinity College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-toronto-mississauga" hreflang="en">Ƶ Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Peter Rekai </strong>is committed to making the city a better place&nbsp;– for everyone.</p> <p>For years, the leading immigration lawyer, philanthropist and Ƶ alumnus has been making a difference in the lives of long-term care recipients as chair of the Rekai Centres, long-term care facilities started by his father Paul and uncle John. The&nbsp;multilingual facilities care for Toronto’s diverse multicultural population and are believed to be the first of their kind in Canada.</p> <p>Now Rekai's efforts are&nbsp;being honoured with the U of T Alumni Association’s <a href="https://alumni.utoronto.ca/events-and-programs/awards/carl-mitchell-award">Carl Mitchell Award for Community Engagement</a>.&nbsp;The award, created four years ago, is named after the former President of the Ƶ Alumni Association, who was a passionate advocate for making an impact on communities through volunteering.&nbsp;</p> <p>Friends, family and colleagues describe Rekai as someone who doesn’t like taking credit for his considerable dedication to philanthropy and community work.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Peter is an extraordinary volunteer,” <strong>David Crombie</strong>, the former mayor of Toronto and U of T alumnus who volunteers for the Rekai Centres, told U of T in a videotaped interview (below). “[He]&nbsp;has a kind of quiet but compelling presence.”&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a_poG1CyeeA" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>Rekai says his work in immigration and at the Rekai Centres was informed by the experience of his family, who immigrated to Canada as refugees from Hungary in the 1950s.&nbsp;</p> <p>Trained as doctors, his father Paul and uncle John opened up small medical practices in Toronto. They noticed that immigrant patients typically went to doctors in their communities who spoke their language, but were lost when transferred to hospitals without fluent health care providers.&nbsp;</p> <p>“There were also cultural issues,” says Rekai, “like making sure patients had the food they were used to and that accommodations were made for different cultural preferences.”</p> <p>Along with his father, Rekai envisioned a unique hospital that could provide culturally-sensitive care for patients, with a wide variety of languages spoken by health care providers.&nbsp;</p> <p>In 1957 they took over the Central Hospital on Sherbourne Street and opened a 32-bed private hospital with multilingual staff providing care to patients of diverse backgrounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“The staff who worked there spoke 35 different languages between them,” says Rekai, “and provided culturally sensitive care. That was really new and innovative at the time. That [care model] is still ahead of its time.”&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__8804 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2018-07-09-Rekai-%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Mayor Crombie awarded Rekai’s father and uncle the Toronto Civic Award for their work in hospitals (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Two long-term care homes followed. The first, called Sherbourne Place, offers 126 beds. The second, Wellesley Central Place, offers 150 beds. And a third one, which will offer 230 beds, is under construction. It will replace the first home, which Rekai says will become a community health facility. Together, the Rekai Centres provide transformative long-term care.</p> <p>“The Rekai Centres have given me some stability in my life, which is probably the most important thing,” says <strong>Charles Cook</strong>, a resident at the Rekai Centres and a U of T alumnus in the U of T video.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rekai notes the need for long-term care is going to grow exponentially over the next five to ten years. “The need is huge as people are living longer, and the expectation for better care,&nbsp;sensitive, individual care, better use of technology or more innovative food is growing,” says Rekai.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rekai says the work of his father and uncle in envisioning the future of health care in the 1950s is still the backbone of the organization today. “The kind of hospital my father opened became a model for other hospitals – it was innovative and multicultural, and people who worked there spoke at other hospitals about that kind of care,” he says.</p> <p>Keeping residents connected to the community is also one of Rekai’s priorities.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We open up the main floor of our long-term facilities for community events and encourage residents to explore the community centre near them, go to art shows and events,” he says.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__8806 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2018-07-09-Wellseley-opening-Rekai-%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Peter Rekai (centre) cuts&nbsp;the ribbon with current residents and board member at the opening of Wellesley</em>&nbsp;<em>Central Place in 2005 (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)</em></p> <p>Rekai’s work as an immigration lawyer and as a board director of the Rekai Centres grew out of an interest in immigration experiences – like the ones his family went through.&nbsp;</p> <p>He was the first in his family to be born in Canada and to attend a Canadian university. His time at U of T, he says, was formative and instrumental to his work today.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I had four great years at U of T,” he says. Graduating from Trinity College in 1976, Rekai recalls being very involved in extracurricular activities, including the literary society at Trinity College and U of T debating, and being surrounded with people who pushed him to grow and learn. “I remember taking courses in city politics at Innis College, where we talked about radical politics.&nbsp;I remember the great Canadian authors who were at U of T at the time – like novelists <strong>Dave Godfrey</strong> and <strong>Margaret Atwood</strong>.”&nbsp;</p> <p>He also recalls being taught by <strong>Robert Bothwell</strong> and the late&nbsp;<strong>Stephen Clarkson</strong>, and taking former Erindale College (now U of T Mississauga) Principal&nbsp;<strong>Paul Fox’s</strong> class with Toronto Mayor <strong>John Tory</strong>. “Based on where John ended up, I think he clearly listened more carefully in that class than I did,” Rekai jokes.&nbsp;</p> <p>The relationships he built at U of T continue to this day. Rekai brought fellow alumni to serve on the board of the Rekai Centres – friends like <strong>Hugh Innis</strong>, <strong>Gordon Davies</strong>, <strong>Geoffrey Mills</strong> and <strong>Cindy Bowden</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <p>He advises current students and alumni to maintain the relationships they made during their studies. “The people you know now will ask you to participate in interesting things,” he says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I also encourage people to send their kids to U of T – I sent three of my four kids there,” he says.&nbsp;</p> <p>Rekai's daughter <strong>Mika Rekai</strong>, a U of T alumna who studied classical civilization and English, and also graduated from Trinity College,&nbsp;says that as she got older she saw the significance of the responsibilities her father took on with the&nbsp;Rekai Centres.&nbsp;</p> <p>“My dad is quiet and cheerful about all the responsibilities he takes on and his leadership roles and he doesn’t make a big deal about it,” she says. “But he also takes his work very seriously – he knows how to work a room.</p> <p>“He remembers and he cares and he’s considerate and he gets a lot done while being really pleasant.”&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 09 Jul 2018 14:56:57 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 138552 at 'Give generously to the world,' says honorary degree recipient and Indigenous activist Cindy Blackstock /news/give-generously-world-says-honorary-degree-recipient-and-indigenous-activist-cindy-blackstock <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'Give generously to the world,' says honorary degree recipient and Indigenous activist Cindy Blackstock</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-06-18-blackstock-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9a9Lv3Gc 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-06-18-blackstock-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=x111Lf2v 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-06-18-blackstock-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=PG_OYQ_t 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-06-18-blackstock-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9a9Lv3Gc" alt="Photo of Cindy Blackstock and Meric Gertler"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-06-18T00:00:00-04:00" title="Monday, June 18, 2018 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 06/18/2018 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Cindy Blackstock speaks with U of T President Meric Gertler as she receives a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from U of T on Monday (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2018" hreflang="en">Convocation 2018</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/awards" hreflang="en">Awards</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/factor-inwentash-faculty-social-work" hreflang="en">Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/honorary-degree" hreflang="en">Honorary Degree</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/truth-and-reconciliation" hreflang="en">Truth and Reconciliation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressed&nbsp;the&nbsp;historical and present-day injustices faced by Indigenous people, but for decades before, Indigenous activists like <strong>Cindy Blackstock </strong>were fighting against inequity.</p> <p>Blackstock, a Ƶ alumna who is a celebrated academic, community leader and social worker, is an indefatigable advocate for the rights of Indigenous children in Canada. Her work has affected the lives of 163,000 children.</p> <p>“She is Canada’s Martin Luther King at this moment for Indigenous children – a relentless moral voice holding government to account,” NDP MP Charlie Angus said of Blackstock in a <em>Globe and Mail</em> article in May. &nbsp;</p> <p>Blackstock&nbsp;received&nbsp;a Doctor of Laws,&nbsp;honoris causa,&nbsp;from U of T on Monday&nbsp;for her outstanding service.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7FzyYAmt1I" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>As she leads a number of humanitarian initiatives, she's been driven by a simple truth: Indigenous children deserve the same consideration and benefits as all other youth in Canada. &nbsp;</p> <p>In 2007, she filed a&nbsp;complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that sought to hold the federal government accountable for inequalities faced by Indigenous children.</p> <p>Almost ten years later, that filing proved a victory, when a landmark ruling found the federal government failed to provide First Nations people on reserves the same social services received by other youth.</p> <p>Jordan’s Principle was created as a response, providing funding for health, social needs and education to Indigenous children.</p> <p><span style="color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;"></span>But for Blackstock, this marked only the start of the changes she wanted to see to the way Indigenous children and families are treated. She has voiced concerns about when and how the funding will be allocated and regularly travels the country as a speaker. The inspiration for her work comes from the children whose lives she wants to see improve.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>“Children are the great hope of reconciliation,” Blackstock told Peter Mansbridge on CBC's&nbsp;<em>The National&nbsp;</em>in 2016. “They know how to do it. We just need to follow their example.”</p> <p>Blackstock is a member of the Gitxsan First Nation, and was born and raised in northern British Columbia. In her interview with Mansbridge, she describes seeing racism all around her as a child.</p> <p>“I saw that First Nations people were seen to be lesser than everybody else. What I couldn’t figure out is what we have done wrong,” she said. “That sense of injustice followed me, that question of, ‘Why are we treated so differently, and why is it so OK?’”</p> <p>Blackstock channelled her outrage over that injustice into her life’s work. She spent more than a decade as a social worker, seeing up close the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous children and families. She then pursued a career of rigorous academic work coupled with relentless activism and community organizing.</p> <p>She earned&nbsp;a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC, a master’s degree in management from McGill University, a Master of Jurisprudence in Children’s Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago and a PhD in social work from U of T.</p> <p>Today, she is a professor at the School of Social Work at McGill University, and is the executive director of the First Nations Child &amp; Family Caring Society of Canada, an organization that promotes the rights of Indigenous children, youth and families. She has received countless awards for her advocacy work, including a recognition by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (now called Indspire) and Front Line Defenders, and she was named an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.</p> <p>She has also served as an adviser to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Through these efforts, she continues to work on repairing the damage done to traditional Indigenous families as the result of colonial policies, including residential schools and the Sixties Scoop.</p> <h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(72, 86, 103); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">A message to U of T grads from Cindy Blackstock:</span></h4> <h4><em>Find out what you are passionate about and good at, and then nurture it and give generously to the world. &nbsp;Know your values and develop the moral courage to defend them so you can take your turn to stand against the winds of discrimination and injustice.&nbsp;</em></h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 18 Jun 2018 04:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 137107 at Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House /news/paul-templin-behind-curtain-almost-four-decades-hart-house <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ky_kSAFb 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=OHqN4cfF 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cD_7WVU0 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Paul%20Templin%20photo%20by%20Scott%20Gorman.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ky_kSAFb" alt="Paul Templin "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-01-29T12:50:54-05:00" title="Monday, January 29, 2018 - 12:50" class="datetime">Mon, 01/29/2018 - 12:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Paul Templin has retired after almost 40 years working at U of T's Hart House (photo by Scott Gorman)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Faculty &amp; Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house-theatre" hreflang="en">Hart House Theatre</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div>In his 36 years of managing events, programming and the theatre at Hart House, <strong>Paul Templin</strong> met many fascinating people, but a few memories are etched on his mind: Riding in an elevator with Yoko Ono, writing letters with Christopher Plummer and escaping a fire thanks to a resident, friendly ghost.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The former Hart House Theatre director worked for the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival, the Westwood Playhouse and the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles, but it was during his time at the Ƶ that he experienced his greatest adventures in theatre.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>He says he will miss the magic of live theatre: Production sets where the imaginations of talented writers, actors and stage crew came alive. But he will also miss the space that he nurtured and helped grow. His favourite seat at Hart House Theatre is at Row K, seat 2 (it has a lot of legroom and allowed Templin to sneak in and out of shows). His favourite room at Hart House (outside the Hart House Theatre) is the Great Hall.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>Watch a&nbsp;360 video of Hart House's Great Hall, with Paul Templin as a guide</h3> <div><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SFr-ie_rdN8" width="560"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div>On Nov. 26, Templin celebrated almost four decades at U of T at a retirement reception hosted by his colleagues at Hart House. As he closes this chapter of his life, Templin shares with us three memories of his home away from home,&nbsp;from ghostly to international sensations.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>1. Escaping fires thanks to Bert the ghost&nbsp;</strong></h2> <div>When Templin managed Hart House Theatre, he would sometimes work long shifts, coming in at 8 a.m. and staying as late as 1 a.m.&nbsp;Sometimes he would even sleep in his office to avoid a long commute home.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>One night, the door of his office swung violently open, hitting the cot that he was sleeping on and waking him up. Heavy smoke filled the room.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The door had a frosted windowpane and as it swung shut, Templin saw a figure behind the frosted door. He assumed someone had come to warn him of a fire that broke out at Hart House.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>It turned out to be an electric fire, which spread throughout Hart House Theatre. “The hallway and the room next to my office were filled with smoke. There was smoke everywhere,” Templin recalls.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>As a small group met outside the burning building (the caretakers and the warden of Hart House, who lived there at the time), Templin asked which one of them came by his office. None of them did. “I attributed it to Bert,” says Templin, referring to a ghost that was purportedly spotted at Hart House on various occasions. Bert was a caretaker at Hart House before he died after being&nbsp;struck by a streetcar on College Street.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“A few years after the fire a woman came to see me and told me that I knew her grandfather,” says Templin.&nbsp; “I had no idea who she was talking about, but she insisted that I knew him.” The woman’s grandfather’s name was “Albert."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin took her on a tour around Hart House to show her where Bert would have worked. “And as far as I know no one has seen the ghost since,” he says. “It’s almost as though her visit expelled the ghost.”</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>2. Pulling strings with Yoko Ono&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p><img alt="Paul Templin and Yoko Ono" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7429 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/paul%20%20yoko.jpg" style="width: 293px; height: 453px; float: left; margin: 5px 15px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>In 2002, Yoko Ono was in Toronto for a retrospective of her work at the Art Gallery of Ontario. “She wanted to do a live performance, and it ended up being at Hart House Theatre,” says Templin. When Ono came by for a rehearsal she asked Templin if she could use his office to get ready. Templin readily agreed and asked Ono if he might be able to get a photo with her.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <div>Later, hundreds came out to see her performance, which Templin says was an interpretive piece.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“It started as an interview with her and the president of the AGO, but at one point of the interview she took out a large black bag. She got into the bag and got naked and did the rest of the interview naked in the bag,” says Templin. “She later did a demonstration with a chair – 37 ways of using a chair, or something like that,” he says. “Then she had her assistants work around the auditorium, twisting the blue yarn around everyone, and pulling the yarn around both her toes so that everyone in the room felt the tugging.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin also says she gave a piece of a puzzle to everyone in the room and told them that in 50 years everyone should come back and put the puzzle together.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“As we were going up the elevator together, Yoko said loudly, ‘Stop!’&nbsp;and asked one member of her entourage to take a picture of us,” he says.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin didn’t think he would get to see the photo, but a month later she sent it to him in an envelope. “She was quite chatty and very nice and pleasant – a bit wacky.”</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3><a href="http://magazine.utoronto.ca/time-capsule/john-lennon-and-yoko-ono-rock-varsity-stadium/">Read about Yoko Ono’s first time at U of T: Her iconic concert with John Lennon at Varsity Stadium in 1969</a>&nbsp;</h3> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h2><strong>3. Writing letters with Christopher Plummer</strong></h2> <div><img alt="Paul Templin with Christopher Plummer" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7445 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Paul%20Templin%20with%20Christopher%20Plummer_0.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></div> <div>In 2001, the <em>CBC </em>asked the renowned actor Christopher Plummer&nbsp;to talk about receiving the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Around this time, there were concerns that Hart House Theatre may have to close. Templin was working on a document that outlined incorporating the theatre into Hart House as a response to possible closure.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Plummer felt personally invested in the cause. “He loved it, all his friends loved it, and he wanted it to stay open to convey how important theatre is to society,” says Templin. “He wanted to give his speech for the <em>CBC </em>at Hart House Theatre."</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Templin got to spend the day with Plummer during the <em>CBC </em>shoot, and afterwards Plummer wrote a letter in support of keeping the theatre open, which Templin included in his plea to keep Hart House Theatre open.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“He was a real gentleman, such a nice man. I had the pleasure of meeting him several times. Extremely talented and generous man with his time and wisdom,” Templin recalls. The two would keep in touch, and had dinner again years later when Plummer received his honorary degree at U of T.&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</div> <div>And Templin’s plan was accepted: The theatre was incorporated into Hart House for three temporary years, and stayed open thereafter.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><em>Below, Paul Templin in his favourite seat at Hart House Theatre. Photo and the 360 video by Veronica Zaretski.</em></div> <div><img alt="Paul Templin " class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7444 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Paul%20Templin%20in%20his%20favourite%20seat%20at%20Hart%20House%20Theatre_1.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 563px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:50:54 +0000 vzaretski 128256 at U of T's all-night art party: The Night of Ideas in photos /news/u-t-s-all-night-art-party-night-ideas-photos <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T's all-night art party: The Night of Ideas in photos</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/9.%20dj%20me%20time.JPG?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=toIfBXCi 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/9.%20dj%20me%20time.JPG?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=8iT_QM00 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/9.%20dj%20me%20time.JPG?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=pRE54p__ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/9.%20dj%20me%20time.JPG?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=toIfBXCi" alt="Photo of Sarah Barrable-Tishauer"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-01-26T17:02:02-05:00" title="Friday, January 26, 2018 - 17:02" class="datetime">Fri, 01/26/2018 - 17:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, also known as DJ Me Time and Liberty Van Zandt on Degrassi: The Next Generation (all photos by Veronica Zaretski)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/art-museum" hreflang="en">Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An all-night international art party at the Ƶ,&nbsp;<em>Night of Ideas</em> brought together pyjama-clad artists, faculty, staff, students and community members from Toronto and around the world. On the agenda: dance performances, a midnight swim,&nbsp;the Figures of Sleep exhibition at the Art Museum, and much more.</p> <p>U of T was one of the first Canadian institutions to take part in the&nbsp;global all-night event, which takes place&nbsp;in more than 50 cities.</p> <p>In case you couldn’t make it out and find yourself experiencing FOMO, we put together highlights from the night, in photos.</p> <hr> <p>Beatriz Colomina of Princeton University explored how social media affects our behaviour, including sleep. “The line between what is public and private has been radically blurred,” said Colomina in her talk,&nbsp;“The Bed in the Age of Social Media.”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7413 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%207.%20Beatriz.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Hart House and the Art Museum were filled with pyjama-clad attendees, like Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, who we caught up with at the entrance of Hart House. Barrable-Tishauer goes by DJ Me Time, but fans also know her as Liberty Van Zandt from <em>Degrassi: The Next Generation</em>.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7415 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%209.%20dj%20me%20time.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>“My dad told me about the event,” said Barrable-Tishauer, who attended with her father. “Ever since I started exploring the idea of me time and the idea of being an extroverted introvert, I became really interested in private spaces and me time: What we do in private spaces, and how important that is for self-care and self-development,” she said.&nbsp;</p> <p>Next door, in the Reading Room, students and community members were busy connecting and crafting in the Get Crafty: Sleep Mask workshop.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7416 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%20crafts.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><strong>Alexia Christie</strong> (below, right) and <strong>Viola Baker</strong> (below, left) said they really enjoyed the talks at the event. “[Colomina] spoke a lot about how these days, art is often made to fit social media instead of just fitting the artist’s vision, which was really interesting,” said Christie, before dashing off to the pyjama pageant.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7417 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2010.%20two%20students%20outside%20great%20hall%20%28viola_%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>The pageant began with pyjama-clad attendees dancing down a runaway to Madonna’s <em>Vogue</em>.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7418 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2011.%20pj%20parade.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>And ended with a group selfie.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7420 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2012.%20pj%20parade_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="681" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Hart House Warden <strong>John Monahan </strong>and <strong>Kelly Schnurr</strong>, senior project manager of the 100th anniversary of Hart House, also took a moment to strike a pose before getting ready for the next panel discussion,<em>“</em>To Think or Not to Think.”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7422 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2013.%20warden%20and%20%20kelly%20schnurr_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Over at the Art Museum, meanwhile, attendees reflected on the cultural anxieties of sleep in <em>Figures of Sleep</em>, an exhibition that asks, “Is sleep in a crisis?”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7425 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2015.%20at%20the%20art%20gallery%20in%20front%20of%20painting_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="705" loading="lazy"></p> <p>Below, Ron Mueck's <em>Old Woman In Bed.&nbsp;</em>Be sure to check out the Figures of Sleep exhibition at U of T's Art Museum. It is&nbsp;open until March 3.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__7423 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0%2017.%20other%20painting%20at%20the%20gallery.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <h3><a href="/news/hart-house-all-nighter-night-ideas-international-art-party-comes-u-t">Learn more about the joint event between U of T’s Art Museum, Hart House and the Cultural Service of the French Embassy of Canada</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 26 Jan 2018 22:02:02 +0000 vzaretski 128093 at U of T in videos: The best of 2017 /news/u-t-videos-best-2017 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T in videos: The best of 2017</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Richard%202%201140%20x%20760%20with%20logo%202_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=f-ChZEo9 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Richard%202%201140%20x%20760%20with%20logo%202_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=qznW4E5O 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Richard%202%201140%20x%20760%20with%20logo%202_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=X4Mvebwk 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Richard%202%201140%20x%20760%20with%20logo%202_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=f-ChZEo9" alt="Richard Marsella "> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-12-14T00:00:00-05:00" title="Thursday, December 14, 2017 - 00:00" class="datetime">Thu, 12/14/2017 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Richard Marsella, executive director of the Regent Park School of Music and U of T PhD student, was featured this year in an episode of the On Location series (photo by Romi Levine)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/art-museum" hreflang="en">Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/centre-medieval-studies" hreflang="en">Centre for Medieval Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation" hreflang="en">Convocation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/uoftgrad17" hreflang="en">#UofTGrad17</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">U of T Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div>Throughout 2017, we shared with you how members of the U of T community pushed boundaries, innovated and made the year a little more fun and inspiring for the rest of us. As the year winds down, we look back on some of the best U of T stories from the year – in videos.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>The people of #UofTGrad17&nbsp;</h3> <div>Convocation ceremonies bring an atmosphere of celebration to U of T – and a couple of musicians brought a melodic spin to this year’s spring convocation.&nbsp;</div> <div><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WxH5ddfwo-M" width="740"></iframe></div> <div><strong>Michael Bridge </strong>started playing the accordion when he was five years old. He completed his undergraduate degree at U of T and graduated with a master's degree in accordion performance during this year’s spring convocation. Now, he is continuing his education at U of T with a PhD in accordion performance.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In the video above, he plays the accordion and tells us about the complexity of the instrument and his love for it.&nbsp; “My experience at U of T has changed my understanding of what the accordion can do,” he tells videographer <strong>Lisa Lightbourn.</strong></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>During spring convocation, we went behind the scenes with another musician at U of T:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F90yXM6FiKM">Roy Lee, U of T alumnus, Carillonneur, and the man behind the bells at Soldier’s Tower</a>.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EtotctP0dGA" width="750"></iframe></div> <div><a href="/news/uoftgrad17-facing-terminal-cancer-u-t-student-completes-her-phd">Precilla Veigas moved everyone with her&nbsp;indomitable spirit</a>. After facing many challenges, including immigrating twice and rebuilding her credentials after arriving in Canada in 2005, Veigas found out that she had terminal cancer halfway through her PhD degree.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Veigas completed her PhD program, contributing research that could help save future emergency room patients who require blood transfusions. <a href="/news/remembering-u-t-s-precilla-veigas">She died in October</a>.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“I feel I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do,” said Veigas back in the spring, when she received her PhD in a private degree-presentation ceremony. “Cancer didn’t prevent me from doing that.”&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>On Location</h3> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UTzRIgqarWg" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>In the On Location series,<em> U of T News</em> reporter <strong>Romi Levine</strong> explores the impact of U of T experts and their research on the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Levine and<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Lightbourn-Lay head to different neighbourhoods in Toronto, and speak with experts on topics ranging from <a href="/news/u-t-professor-teaches-engineering-students-think-detectives">forensic sciences</a>&nbsp;to &nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-experts-creative-solution-toronto-s-housing-problems-laneway-homes">architecture</a> and <a href="/news/u-t-s-winter-stations-warm-toronto-s-beaches">installation art</a>.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The episode above takes viewers to Regent Park, to explore a collaboration between U of T Faculty of Music researchers, Regent Park School of Music and Turning Point Youth Services, a housing facility for young men who have been involved with the youth criminal justice system.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The collaboration brings youth from the housing facilities to Regent Park to learn how to play an instrument of their choice. “It brings people together 100 per cent and mends a lot of relationships,” says one of the participants about the initiative.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>Truth and Reconciliation&nbsp;</h3> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZPsdHyNZ9O8" width="560"></iframe></p> <div><a href="/news/shame-and-prejudice-u-t-art-museum-hosts-artist-kent-monkman-s-exhibit-canada-150">Crowds of visitors came to see artist Kent Monkman’s art at U of T’s Art Museum</a> last winter as Canada was getting ready to mark its 150th year. “At this moment in time it’s important to have a critical perspective on Canada,” Monkman said. His large-scale paintings, explored in the video above by Lightbourn-Lay, subvert a classical style while challenging the history of colonialism in Canada.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Art Museum Director <strong>Barbara Fischer </strong>asked Monkman in&nbsp;2014 to put something together for Canada 150, part of an effort by the Canadian Museums Association to reflect on how museums have framed Canadian history.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“What is the function of art and what is the purpose of art?” Monkman asks in the video above. “Is it only to show beauty or pleasure? I don’t believe so. Art has to be challenging, and sometimes it has to take us to dark places or challenging places.”&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>A dictionary of very old words</h3> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TJztLQg07lY" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>What does Old English sound like? Turns out, not a whole lot like English.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><strong>Robert Getz</strong> and <strong>Stephen Pelle</strong> are the drafting editors&nbsp;of the Dictionary of Old English, a project that various scholars at the Centre for Medieval Studies have been working on since the 1970s.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The dictionary maps around 35,000 words of the oldest period of the English language (from the middle of the 7th century to 1150).&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>In the video above, the two take us behind the world of old English, where rain is described as “heaven’s showers," and share the meaning behind their favourite words, like heolop-helm (helmet of invisibility) and wite-hus (house of punishment).&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>Back to school</h3> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6VpE3FuH2h0" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>NerdyAndQuirky (a.k.a. YouTube superstar and U of T student <strong>Sabrina Cruz</strong>) gave first-year students five tips to survive their first year. “Participate, make friends with people as lost and confused as you are,”&nbsp;says&nbsp;the&nbsp;popular Cruz.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>&nbsp;The working life at U of T<font color="#000000" face="Calibri" size="3">&nbsp;</font></h3> <div><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IkqXWZnX9Fk" width="750"></iframe> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: rgb(32, 32, 32);"></span></p> <p>Photographer <strong>Ken Jones </strong>has worked at U of T Scarborough for 36 years and has spent 24&nbsp; as staff photographer, capturing countless memories in unforgettable photographs.</p> <p>In the video above, the man behind the camera is finally in front of it, explaining his work, which also happens to be his passion.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RjecZCrjhFc" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>And then there's<strong> Terry Gardiner</strong>.&nbsp; A former ballet dancer with a life-long commitment to serving communities, Gardiner pivoted his career after graduating with a master’s degree in social work from the university. He is now the manager of diversity, equity and student experience at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.</p> <p>In the video above, he takes us to Regent Park, where he volunteers as a ballet teacher at the Coleman Lemieux dance school.</p> <h3 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">&nbsp;A new chapter for U of T Mississauga</h3> </div> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vIqbNH5xpM" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>When <strong>Ulli Krull </strong>was installed as <a href="/news/taking-helm-ulrich-krull-installed-u-t-mississauga-s-ninth-principal">U of T Mississauga’s ninth principal</a>, the renowned chemist and judoka described his <a href="/news/taking-helm-ulrich-krull-installed-u-t-mississauga-s-ninth-principal">vision to build on U of T Mississauga’s record of excellence</a>, and performed his signature fingertip push-ups.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>He also advised students to open their minds and ask themselves, “with what I have learned, what can I do next?”</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <h3>The holidays are around the corner&nbsp;</h3> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tPlMZADyHUg" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>Krull took a different approach to chemistry in this recent video celebrating the holiday season at U of T Mississauga.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <p><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JCj8fgHUcJE" width="750"></iframe></p> <div>And to mark the end of 2017, U of T President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> looks back on everything we have to celebrate during this holiday season.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“It’s about innovation and discovery, striving for excellence and standing up for what’s right: As a community we greet neighbours and friends and turn vision into reality,” says Gertler in the video above.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div> <hr> <p>From everyone at <em>U of T News</em>: Enjoy this holiday season and Happy 2018.&nbsp;</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 14 Dec 2017 05:00:00 +0000 vzaretski 124707 at Portrait of the artist: Behind the scenes with Joanne Tod /news/portrait-artist-behind-scenes-joanne-tod <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Portrait of the artist: Behind the scenes with Joanne Tod</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-06-28T11:02:08-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 28, 2017 - 11:02" class="datetime">Wed, 06/28/2017 - 11:02</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Joanne Tod</strong>’s “aha” moment was melodic. She was&nbsp;singing The Beatles’&nbsp;“She Loves You” as a young girl, when she realized that she wanted to work in a creative field. That moment led to&nbsp;a career as one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary artists. &nbsp;</p> <p>Known for her realist style and social critiques,&nbsp;Tod built her career in Toronto, starting out as part of a group of artists who worked in the city in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of her projects entailed painting every Canadian soldier who fought and died in the war in&nbsp;<em>Oh, Canada – A Lament</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Her work eventually brought her to U of T, where she teaches future artists&nbsp;and draws inspiration for paintings from the rooms and buildings of the university and its memorable people.&nbsp;<strong>Bruce Kidd, Jane Gaskell, Hal Jackman, Michael Wilson, Margaret MacMillan</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Robert Prichard&nbsp;</strong>can all count themselves as her subjects.</p> <p>Tod opens up about her work as an artist, nourishing young artists and painting the people and places of U of T.</p> <hr> <p><strong>What’s the hardest part about being an artist? What’s the best part?</strong></p> <p>It’s a daunting prospect, to begin a new body of work and to evolve one’s oeuvre in a meaningful way. But this is also the best part; to be constantly striving for excellence and to feel that one is making a relevant and significant contribution to cultural discourse.</p> <p><strong>How does your art career inform your teaching at U of T?</strong></p> <p>I have the pleasure of working with many students who are keen to understand the vicissitudes of the art world, and how to embrace a lifestyle that does not necessarily guarantee a regular paycheque.</p> <p>The courses I teach are focused on critical, independent thinking, and strive to familiarize students with how the art world operates, and how to function within it. I address a spectrum of issues, with emphasis on the importance of articulating and writing cogently about their artwork, and gaining critical self-awareness.</p> <p><strong>You have spent most of your life in Toronto, having been part of a group of artists working in the city’s Queen Street West neighbourhood in the ‘70s and 80s. Does Toronto play a role in your creativity or your work?</strong></p> <p>Yes, I love living in Toronto, a creative hotbed of activity. It’s a diverse city that is arts proactive with a cultural infrastructure of artists, galleries, collectors, and a vibrant social scene. Unfortunately, it’s this very vitality that has been responsible for artists being expropriated from their studios to make way for hip condos and retail.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5194 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Tod%20with%20Meghan%20McKnight.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="581" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Above: Tod at her home with the painting of Meghan McKnight, a former student</em></p> <p><strong>Your work was recognized when you were 12 years old, and one of your teachers bought your artwork. How did this experience shape you, and how you engage your students? &nbsp;</strong></p> <p>In grade 7, my art teacher was the late David Cowan. He was wonderfully theatrical and really made the class dynamic and exciting. Even though I was only 12 years old, he recognized that I was serious about becoming an artist, and he encouraged me.</p> <p>He bought several early drawings and paintings from me as well. This was undoubtedly the first affirmation, to myself and maybe even to my parents, that it might actually be feasible to pursue a career in art. &nbsp;</p> <p>Years later, when David was a professor at Queen’s University, he would invite me annually to do a presentation of my work, after which I would critique his students’ final exhibition.&nbsp; Thanks to David, I became confident about public speaking and teaching.&nbsp; He was an important mentor and role model.</p> <p>I enjoy my students and try to make myself available for individual consultation. I like to learn about them as well and make constructive suggestions, to steer them in a suitable direction. Some individuals are obviously gifted in certain areas, and I try to identify these strengths and discuss their future plans with them. It is very exciting to see students poised at the beginning of their careers. I feel invigorated by their energy.</p> <p><strong>A third of the artwork in your home is created by your former and present students. Why is it important to nurture emerging Canadian artists and their unique voices?</strong></p> <p>Get their work when it’s cheap, and steal their ideas when they’re still unknown, I like to joke. But I do try to support upcoming talent. It’s a bit like playing the stock market, although I am not as concerned with resale value as I am in observing how certain students evolve in their careers. &nbsp;And I do get to witness this development because I remain friends with many of them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="Joanne Tod in her bathtub surrounded by an art instalation" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5181 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/Joanne%20Tod_Chantal%20Hassard%20installation.jpg" style="width: 680px; height: 453px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p><em>Todd at her home, surrounded by an installation created by her former student Chantal Hassard.</em></p> <p><strong>You’ve painted various U of T figures: Bruce Kidd, Jane Gaskell, Hal Jackman, Michael Wilson, Margaret MacMillan and Robert Prichard. What can you tell us about these people and the process of painting them?</strong></p> <p>It has been a great privilege to be chosen to paint portraits of these distinguished individuals. I try to make the best of my photo shoots by doing research about the subject in advance.</p> <p>Usually I will meet with the person informally first, to get to know them a little. In this way I am prepared to converse with them during the modeling session, and to glean interesting information about them as academics and as people. Hopefully, some of what I learn imbues the portrait with a greater depth of understanding. It’s important to ascertain the preferred setting for the portrait – formal or informal? Institutional or domestic? Often people will want to insert something personal, such as a memento, book, or a pet, etc. which is included in the final work. I would like to think that viewers of the portraits do actually get a sense of the personality of the subject. My goal always is to get a good likeness, and to depict the subject at his or her best.</p> <p><strong>Your most recent U of T portrait was of Robert Prichard, who served as the thirteenth president of the Ƶ, and prior to that, was the dean of the Faculty of Law. When we asked him about the portrait he said that he asked you to paint him because he loves your paintings‎ and because you love the university as he does. He called your work a “splendid addition to the university's portrait collection”. What was it like to work with him?</strong></p> <p><strong>Robert Prichard</strong>&nbsp;invited me to his home to meet him and his wife Ann, in advance of our sitting. At that meeting, Mr. Prichard was most gracious and had obviously done some research about me<em>,&nbsp;</em>asking pertinent questions and making intelligent observations about my work and career.</p> <p>I had already taken some photographs of the interior of Flavelle House, and we agreed that this setting would be appropriate for a former Dean of the Faculty of Law.&nbsp; Mr. Prichard is very photogenic. He is relaxed and personable, making the photo shoot enjoyable and effortless. And because he is a tall person with great presence, we decided that the portrait needed to be fairly large, in order to convey this aspect of his physicality. When the portrait was complete, I was very pleased when Ann remarked that I’d caught his look of boyish enthusiasm.</p> <p><strong>What’s next for you?</strong></p> <p>As a poster that probably still exists at Gwartzman’s Art Supplies proclaimed, “Old artists never die, they just paint away”. I will continue to make art, what else can I do? I’m preparing to build another studio in a different location. I’m excited about a change of environment, and how that might influence my work.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__5186 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Joanne%20Tod_Prichard%20portrait-2.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="604" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Prichard on Tod:</em><br> <em>“She is a wonderful painter and a wonderful person with whom to work. So positive and optimistic that she could make even me look pretty good. I liked the portrait immediately on a first viewing and think it is a terrific painting despite the subject matter. She placed me in Flavelle House where I first studied as a law student, met my wife Ann and subsequently taught for many years. Flavelle offered rich architectural elements similar to those in some of her recent works which adds texture and perspective to the painting.&nbsp; She chose a happy compromise&nbsp; on my age, making me look younger than I do now but older than when appointed dean of law 33 years ago.&nbsp; Joanne's work is a splendid addition to the University's portrait collection.&nbsp; I am honoured that she agreed to paint it and grateful that graduates Jeanie Fraser and Tom Rahilly donated the funds to make it possible.”</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>This&nbsp;interview was&nbsp;condensed for clarity.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 28 Jun 2017 15:02:08 +0000 vzaretski 124518 at Meet Andrew Thomson, U of T's new chief of government relations /news/meet-andrew-thomson-u-t-s-new-chief-government-relations <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Meet Andrew Thomson, U of T's new chief of government relations </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Andrew%20Thomson%201_.jpg?h=826c1021&amp;itok=z_rpt4xl 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Andrew%20Thomson%201_.jpg?h=826c1021&amp;itok=lHjBRDZT 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Andrew%20Thomson%201_.jpg?h=826c1021&amp;itok=qzuP7OPr 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Andrew%20Thomson%201_.jpg?h=826c1021&amp;itok=z_rpt4xl" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-13T12:59:08-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 12:59" class="datetime">Tue, 12/13/2016 - 12:59</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Photo by Veronica Zaretski </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Veronica Zaretski </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/government" hreflang="en">Government</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/our-faculty-staff" hreflang="en">Our Faculty &amp; Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>“It’s an exciting time to be at U of T,” says <strong>Andrew Thomson</strong>, who was recently appointed to the newly created role of chief of government relations at U of T. “There is tremendous potential for our research and innovation agendas to change the shape of Canada for the better – socially, culturally, and economically.” &nbsp;</p> <p>Thomson has spent more than 20 years in corporate and public sector leadership, notably as an elected member of the legislative assembly of Saskatchewan. There he served in various senior cabinet portfolios, including as minister of finance, learning, public safety and energy.&nbsp;</p> <p>As he brings his extensive experience to U of T, Thomson says he hopes to add value to the U of T community and to improve educational access and opportunities at the university.&nbsp;</p> <p>He spoke to <em>U of T New</em>s about his priorities in 2017, the important role universities play in shaping policy and U of T’s impact on Toronto and Canada. &nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><strong>The role of chief of government relations is a new role at U of T. Can you share what you hope to bring to this position?</strong></p> <p>This role provides an opportunity for us to focus more strategically on relationships between the university and government. &nbsp;It should help us identify new avenues of funding and investment. It should also allow us to find new ways to engage the broader community in understanding the priorities and needs of our students, faculty and researchers. &nbsp;</p> <p>Indeed, two of the key challenges the president has given me relate to expanding our engagement with Ottawa&nbsp;and deepening our connections as part of the GTA community. &nbsp;I am hopeful that through broader engagement, I can help the various leadership teams across our three campuses to secure even better recognition and funding for the work they are currently undertaking.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>How do you view the relationship between universities, and in particular U of T, to various levels of government?</strong></p> <p>At the heart of every world-class university is a strong belief in research and scholarship, teaching and learning. &nbsp;We are no exception.&nbsp;</p> <p>I think governments here generally understand and support those efforts. However, I do worry that the relationship is becoming more transactional.&nbsp;</p> <p>We are seeing this in a tendency for governments to budget for education as a cost&nbsp;rather than an investment. &nbsp;We need to work on changing that mentality by better articulating how investments in research, scholarship, placements, and programs together drive better outcomes for our communities and our economy. &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>With the end of 2016 fast approaching, can you share some of your hopes and goals for this position in 2017?</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>There are three priorities I have set out for 2017. &nbsp;</p> <p>First, is to continue building on the excellent work done in the area of institutional research and relations. &nbsp;The ability to demonstrate our successes through the data is key to ensuring our rankings, reputation&nbsp;and funding are reflective of &nbsp;U of T’s true capabilities.&nbsp;</p> <p>Second, I am looking to strengthen our advocacy with the three levels of government. This will include highlighting issues around granting council and research funding support, advancing differentiation and innovation strategies, pursuing affordability and access issues&nbsp;and looking for new opportunities for government investments in capital development. &nbsp;</p> <p>Finally, I am keen to undertake more direct outreach with the community. Through this, I hope we can foster better opportunities for faculty and students to be more actively involved in creating and telling the U of T story in a way that reflects our real impact on Toronto today.</p> <p><strong>Your career in leadership is extensive. What do you hope to bring from past experiences like your service in the legislative assembly of Saskatchewan?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>My career has been built almost entirely around issues of economic and human capital development. &nbsp;I’ve been fortunate to have helped create government policy, served in elected office&nbsp;and worked with agencies across the developed and developing world while in the private sector. &nbsp;This has provided me with a good opportunity to see many of the same issues from the business, government&nbsp;and institutional perspective. &nbsp;</p> <p>Certainly, it was a very real privilege to have served in cabinet, on Treasury Board, as a universities minister&nbsp;and minister of finance. I think it helped me gain a pretty good understanding of what matters most&nbsp;and what motivates&nbsp;decision-makers on budget and big policy issues. I also believe that living and working overseas – seeing how other countries and institutions tackle these issues – has allowed me a much broader perspective in looking at new models and approaches to tackling old problems.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://memos.provost.utoronto.ca/appointment-of-mr-andrew-thomson-as-chief-of-government-relations-pdadc-27/">Read the announcement on the appointment of Andrew Thomson as Chief of Government Relations</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:59:08 +0000 vzaretski 102801 at Bathsheba Everdene and more iconic Thomas Hardy characters at U of T’s Fisher Library /news/meet-bathsheba-everdene-and-thomas-hardy-s-other-iconic-characters-u-t-s-fisher-library <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bathsheba Everdene and more iconic Thomas Hardy characters at U of T’s Fisher Library</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Don%27t%20judge%20a%20book%20by%20its%20cover.jpg?h=b8eeb107&amp;itok=Wsb_IlUr 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Don%27t%20judge%20a%20book%20by%20its%20cover.jpg?h=b8eeb107&amp;itok=w2FdvGRf 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Don%27t%20judge%20a%20book%20by%20its%20cover.jpg?h=b8eeb107&amp;itok=69ZG2xuJ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Don%27t%20judge%20a%20book%20by%20its%20cover.jpg?h=b8eeb107&amp;itok=Wsb_IlUr" alt="photo of books"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>vzaretski</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-13T12:11:16-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 13, 2016 - 12:11" class="datetime">Tue, 12/13/2016 - 12:11</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The "don't judge a book by its cover" case holds editions of Hardy's works with unusual covers (photo by Veronica Zaretski)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Veronica Zaretski </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/fisher-library" hreflang="en">Fisher Library</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-libraries" hreflang="en">U of T Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/literature" hreflang="en">Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/english" hreflang="en">English</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Thomas Hardy’s fictional region of Wessex can now be explored at U of T with 170 items, including Hardy's original manuscripts, first editions, annotated books, letters and&nbsp;photographs.</p> <p>The <a href="http://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/">Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library</a> is celebrating one of the most important writers in the history of English literature with an exhibition called “Moments of vision: the life and work of Thomas Hardy.”</p> <p>The exhibition is thanks to a&nbsp;generous donation from <a href="http://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards/uprofessors.htm">University Professor</a> Emeritus of English&nbsp;<strong>Michael Millgate</strong>&nbsp;of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, who studied Hardy for nearly 50 years. He donated his massive collection out of a desire to share his love of Hardy with&nbsp;the U of T community, and his respect for the Fisher library.</p> <p>“Professor Millgate has a long association with the Ƶ,” curator <strong>Debbie Dearlove</strong> says.&nbsp;“He spent most of his academic life working on Hardy, and wrote what is considered by many people as the definitive biography on Hardy. He wants this collection to be used as a research collection by other researchers and students.”</p> <p>Dearlove volunteered&nbsp;to work on the exhibition with U of T’s<strong>&nbsp;Deborah Whiteman</strong>, head of rare books and special collections at Fisher Library.</p> <p>“It is an extraordinary collection,” Dearlove says.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2901 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Hardy%20poetry.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Hardy's poetry on display (photo&nbsp;by Veronica Zaretski)</em></p> <p>The exhibition, which runs until Feb. 24,&nbsp;is illuminating for the general public, researchers and even the librarians themselves.</p> <p>“Before seeing the exhibition I didn’t realize just what a prominent poet Hardy was,” says&nbsp;<strong>John Shoesmith</strong>, outreach librarian at Fisher Library. “The exhibition really sheds a light on his poetry. It’s a great learning experience in general.”</p> <p>One case is named “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” for its vibrant and kitschy book covers of Hardy classics.</p> <p>“There’s an art cover of Marilyn Monroe for an edition of&nbsp;<em>Tess,”&nbsp;</em>Dearlove says.</p> <p>Another case reveals the nature of Hardy’s relationships with his first and second wives&nbsp;with letters and photographs, as well as books written by that his wives.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2900 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Emma%20Hardy.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Letters, photographs and materials on Emma Hardy (photo by Veronica Zaretski)&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Those curious can learn about the preoccupations of Hardy and his contemporaries through correspondence between Hardy and writers such as&nbsp;Siegfrid Sassoon or Arthur Symons.</p> <p>There are also plenty of first editions of iconic novels like&nbsp;<em>Far from the Madding Crowd</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Tess of the d'Urbervilles</em>, as well as not so well-known pieces&nbsp;like&nbsp;<em>Desperate Remedies</em>.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2899 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/How%20i%20built%20myself%20a%20house_Chambers.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"><br> <em>A first edition of Hardy's&nbsp;How I Built Myself a House and other materials.&nbsp;</em></p> <p>“This collection could only be put together by someone who is not just a serious book&nbsp;collector but also a serious Hardy scholar,” says Dearlove.</p> <p>All of Millgate’s working papers are stored in the Fisher Library, says Dearlove, making this collection of Hardy materials&nbsp;the largest one yet.</p> <p>“We very much wanted Hardy’s voice&nbsp;so whenever we could, we quoted from him,” says Dearlove, adding that she and Whiteman relied heavily on Millgate’s research to curate the collection.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>To prepare&nbsp;the extensive collection for&nbsp;a wide audience, Dearlove says that she worked with Whiteman to come up with a framework based on the content and Millgate’s research.</p> <p>“Hardy’s career nicely divides,” says Dearlove. “He really stopped writing fiction at a certain point, and started writing poetry.”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2902 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/John%20Shoesmith%202.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="679" loading="lazy"><br> <em>Outreach Librarian John Shoesmith next to a case in the Moments of Vision exhibit (photo by Veronica Zaretski)</em></p> <p>Fisher Library holds 700,000 books and more than&nbsp;400,000 linear metres of manuscript materials, hosting&nbsp;three exhibitions a year.</p> <p>“That’s the joy&nbsp;of this library for a lot of people – we have a lot of treasures,” says Shoesmith, who has worked at the Fisher Library for a decade.</p> <p>Past exhibitions have covered broad areas of study such as the cultural revolution of China, Shakespeare and Canada’s war aviators.</p> <p>“Next year we’re having two exhibitions,” Shoesmith says. “We are looking at a Canadiana collection to mark 150 years of Canada, and we are looking at 500 years of the reformation.”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__2906 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Portrait%20of%20Hardy__1.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 1128px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Photograph of Thomas Hardy in the collection (photo by Veronica Zaretski)</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:11:16 +0000 vzaretski 102803 at U of T's "human library" offers new narratives /news/u-t-s-human-library-offers-new-narratives <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T's "human library" offers new narratives </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-05-human-library.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2R2Qp-8a 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-12-05-human-library.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=vwGbJtWi 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-12-05-human-library.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gJX0zaug 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-12-05-human-library.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=2R2Qp-8a" alt="Photo of human library participant"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-12-06T11:26:10-05:00" title="Tuesday, December 6, 2016 - 11:26" class="datetime">Tue, 12/06/2016 - 11:26</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">"Human book" Chizoba Imoka talks about her life and experiences at Hart House's "Human Library" (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Veronica Zaretski</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-community" hreflang="en">U of T Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cities" hreflang="en">Cities</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A former ballet dancer turned social worker. A founder of an organization that provides a platform for civic engagement, political advocacy and community service. &nbsp;A filmmaker often found shooting in conflict zones.&nbsp;</p> <p>These are just a few of the “human books” that were “on loan” at the Human Library held at Hart House last week.&nbsp;U of T students, employees and faculty were able to chat with participants who shared their stories in one-on-one sessions. &nbsp;</p> <p>“It’s an important event that challenges us to listen to each other’s stories and experiences with empathy and open minds,” says <strong>Trish Starling</strong>, community engagement facilitator at Hart House and the human library’s organizer.&nbsp;</p> <p>The focus of Friday’s event was Canada’s complex history of colonization and immigration.</p> <p>“Not all narratives, identities&nbsp;or stories are given equal airtime, and it is integral that we provide avenues to hear experiences that may counter dominant narratives,” she says. “Our human books breathe life and shed light onto what are often unheard stories.”</p> <p>The opportunity to offer a different narrative drew <strong>Terry Gardiner </strong>to participate as a&nbsp;human book&nbsp;in the event.&nbsp;</p> <p>Gardiner moved from Canada to the U.S. to pursue ballet,&nbsp;then moved back.&nbsp;He came to U of T nine years ago to pursue his master's at&nbsp;the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. After completing his studies, he worked as an equity advisor at Factor-Inwentash. Currently, he's on secondment as&nbsp;an assistant manager of&nbsp;co-curricular diversity &amp; equity at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.&nbsp;</p> <p>“A big part of my experience at the university both as student and as a staff member is that U of T fulfills a lot of what home means to people,” Gardiner says. “This is a place where I can come and be challenged by ideas, but I can also make connections and find fellowships in places I might have never anticipated.”</p> <p>For Gardiner, who has lived in different countries and environments, the event is an opportunity to bring people together and share “authentic, lived experience,” he says.</p> <p>“It’s a two-way conversation,” he says. “As a person of colour, I hope to be able to, by my presence, if not shatter, at least shift some stereotypes and expectations. And also to show that racialized individuals, people of colour, are here at U of T, and we can and are flourishing in this place.”</p> <p><strong>Chizoba Imoka</strong>, a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, is founder&nbsp;of an organization called Unveiling Africa. She&nbsp;took part in the human library because she believes in everyone’s participation to work towards a more just world.&nbsp;</p> <p>Imoka started&nbsp;Unveiling Africa in 2006&nbsp;when she was 19 years old. She&nbsp;sees the work as part of her journey of mobilizing communities for action.</p> <p>“I’ve seen the results of bringing young people together to solve problems,” she says. “That we have to make the world a just place is not a utopic idea – it is only just, and it is only logical.”</p> <p>She said one of the ways to do that is by&nbsp;sharing&nbsp;stories and providing&nbsp;an opportunity to reflect on&nbsp;what it means when people say “Canada is historically unjust.”</p> <p>“The role of stories is to move us into a new reality,” she said.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/meet-chizoba-imoka-oise-student-driven-different-vision-education">Read more about Chizoba Imoka&nbsp;</a></h3> <p>Imoka and Gardiner were just two of the 18 participants Friday. Writer and educator Suzanne Methot, filmmaker Azfar Rizvi, U of T student <strong>Elise St. Germain</strong> and <strong>Seán Kinsella</strong>, coordinator of the residential transition programs at U of T Mississauga, also participated as “human books.”</p> <p>“It’s really exciting for me that this space and opportunity for dialogue is being created here at the university&nbsp;because I think it’s easy to get sidetracked by the reading and writing aspects of academia,” Gardiner says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“This is an opportunity to learn in a real, concrete way so many aspects of university life that we hear about, and at the same time make an actual connection with another human being.”&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:26:10 +0000 ullahnor 102700 at Not giving up is a theme of Leonard Cohen’s life, says U of T expert /news/not-giving-theme-leonard-cohen-s-life-says-u-t-expert <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Not giving up is a theme of Leonard Cohen’s life, says U of T expert </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-18-cohen.jpg?h=3ebe9e72&amp;itok=9kP6bmz4 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2016-11-18-cohen.jpg?h=3ebe9e72&amp;itok=f01oyO2f 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2016-11-18-cohen.jpg?h=3ebe9e72&amp;itok=ycPTCaQt 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2016-11-18-cohen.jpg?h=3ebe9e72&amp;itok=9kP6bmz4" alt="photo of leonard cohen"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-18T17:05:05-05:00" title="Friday, November 18, 2016 - 17:05" class="datetime">Fri, 11/18/2016 - 17:05</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Leonard Cohen performing in Ottawa in 2012 (photo by rparson86 via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/veronica-zaretski" hreflang="en">Veronica Zaretski</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Veronica Zaretski</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leonard-cohen" hreflang="en">Leonard Cohen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/music" hreflang="en">Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-music" hreflang="en">Faculty of Music</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When SNL's Kate McKinnon put on her&nbsp;Hillary Clinton outfit last week and&nbsp;performed Leonard Cohen's <em>Hallelujah</em>, video of the TV show went viral.&nbsp;</p> <p>The unusually sombre note seemed to resonate with people at the end of a week that saw both the conclusion of an embittered election with Donald Trump as the next U.S. president-elect&nbsp;and the death of a literary and music icon.&nbsp;</p> <p>Since Cohen's death Nov. 7, fans around the world have joined celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and many others in sharing their condolences online.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Cohen’s legacy continues here at U of T&nbsp;where boxes of his correspondence and works are archived and available for the public at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/news/legend-dies-u-t-s-fisher-library-home-boxes-leonard-cohen-s-papers">Read more about Fisher's collection of Leonard Cohen's letters, manuscripts</a></h3> <p><em>U of T New</em>s talked with music and technology expert <strong>Catherine Moore</strong>, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Music, about Cohen’s influence&nbsp;on music, culture and society.&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><strong>How did Cohen’s approach to songwriting set him apart?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Leonard Cohen would speak about how much he laboured over his lyrics. Every word mattered and he revised and revised. Songs didn't flow from him effortlessly. Because Cohen was a strong poet and novelist before he became a musician, he had the writer’s perseverance and skill to battle through the songwriting work when lesser artists would have given up.</p> <p>Not giving up is a theme through Cohen's life. He had plenty of business rejections (most notably in 1984 when his record label rejected <em>Various Positions</em>, the album that contains <em>Hallelujah</em>), and didn't really "fit" into the music trends around him. That gave his songs autonomy and strength to stand on their own.</p> <p><strong>How did Cohen’s relationships with his contemporaries influence his work, and the work of other artists?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>There are countless stories of Cohen’s work-,&nbsp;love-&nbsp;and accomplice-relationships with so many musicians of his generation.&nbsp;</p> <p>His songs, too, have their own relationships with the vast number of performers – many of whom are accomplished songwriters themselves&nbsp;who sing them. Those interpretations have spread Cohen's music far wider than even his own recordings and live shows.</p> <p>Leonard Cohen's legacy is a mix of humour, spirituality, light through darkness, graciousness, and deep consciousness of what really matters in life. Can others copy that? Hard to say for sure, but it's pretty unlikely. However, if we but aspire to all those things, we will benefit from Cohen's life-giving energy.</p> <p><strong>How did Cohen enjoy longevity in an increasingly competitive music industry?</strong></p> <p>Due to today’s easy digital access to tens of millions of songs online, people of all ages explore more music styles than ever before.&nbsp;</p> <p>This means that for Cohen's recent concert tour, tens of thousands of people who were far too young to have remembered Cohen in the 1960s and 1970s could easily get to know Cohen's music before seeing him perform live. That in turn is one reason why – in the fifth decade of his performing career – Leonard Cohen could sell out a big international tour and perform new songs.</p> <p>His most recent tours were anything but the "farewell &amp; greatest hits" shows that are common today from veteran artists. But others aren't like him. They don't keep trying to write new songs. Leonard Cohen worked to create new songs, we read in the news this week, until his very last days on earth.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Your favourite Leonard Cohen song?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>I'm certainly not alone in this, but it's<em> Hallelujah </em>for me. I've heard it in so many contexts and languages, by so many different artists&nbsp;in huge public settings like the 2010 Vancouver Olympics (K.D. Lang), and in intimate clubs by performers just starting out.&nbsp;</p> <p>I've seen how Jeff Buckley's recording is for a couple of generations of students the first time they hear any song written by Cohen.&nbsp;</p> <p>The song is different every time I hear it because the lyrics have so many interpretations, and I enjoy second-guessing myself about their meaning. Finally, I relish the story that Cohen wrote as many as 80 verses for <em>Hallelujah</em>, and allowed other artists to pick and choose the ones that meant the most to them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:05:05 +0000 ullahnor 102449 at