The new edition of Immersive Van Gogh has made its Canadian premiere at Lighthouse ArtSpace in Toronto! This innovative exhibition invites audiences to go beyond the paintings and step inside the mind of one of history’s most beloved artists through stunning digital projections of over 140 of his masterpieces, all set to a captivating soundtrack. The New Immersive Van Gogh: The Next Chapter opened on April 11 at the Lighthouse ArtSpace on 1 Yonge Street Toronto. As expected, the paintings of Van Gogh’s work are paramount to the experience, but what makes Immersive Van Gogh so interesting is the additional…
Author: Hillary LeBlanc
As consumers navigate sustainability, many people are tired of the same type of platforms popping up everywhere. Shoppers are inundated with eco-friendly sections of stores, being urged to thrift, find vintage pieces, or to shop consignment. All of this treasure hunting can be exhausting to some, who has led to luxury resellers cropping up online. Though there are several to choose from, The NOBO by Noelle Bonner is offering a unique experience for shoppers and is finally bringing the experience to Canada. The Nobo was founded by Bonner, who is a Communications expert, as a means to offer more value…
Earlier this month, G-Eazy had his triumphant return to Toronto, playing at HISTORY. The crowd was electric the moment the Californian rapper said the cities name in his instantly recognizable voice. G-Eazy, whose real name is Gerald Gillum, came out in a Black suit jacket, tie, black pants and sunglasses – appearing the epitome of cool. He performed hits like I Mean It, Tumblr Girls Random and You Got Me which had the crowd singing along despite the songs being over a decade old. He played newer songs from his latest album Freakshow as well including In My Head and…
Operation Black Vote Canada (OBVC) was established in 2004 as a non-profit, multi-partisan organization that supports the election of Black Canadians to public office. The organization educates, motivates and advocates for Black Canadians to participate in Canada’s government, agencies, boards, commissions, civil service and political processes at all levels. Unique among other traditional organizations that recruit candidates, their goals are to provide information to expand the community of Black Canadians considering public office and encourage civic engagement in Black communities across the country. In March, OBVC held a women’s event for International Women’s Day featuring a panel with…
If you’re into Canadian music, then the name Peter Dreimanis may be familiar to you. Peter is the front man of Canadian band July Talk which has won several JUNO Awards. As a creative, Dreimanis has produced music videos and films, but his biggest acting break has just hit theatres in Ryan Coogler’s latest film Sinners. Sinners tells the story of twins Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan who want to create a juke joint for the Black community of their hometown in the Deep South. The twins don’t know how much evil lurks in their home town.…
International Day of Pink is an organization which was created to celebrate a more inclusive and diverse world. We do this by encouraging young people to challenge social norms, ask more of their educators, and stand up against bullying towards their 2SLGBTQIA+ peers. On April 9, this year’s International Day of Pink, the organization holds a gala to help raise funds for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Every year, on the second Wednesday of April, we urge people around the world to put on a pink shirt and stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to continue fighting for equality and acceptance.…
As a Black woman, I understand the difficulty of discussing hair. I personally have been misgendered, bullied and made to feel uncomfortable because of my hair. I have chemically straightened my beautiful curls to try to assimilate, and been paranoid that fun coloured box-braids would impede job opportunities. These shared stories and experiences led hair artist Yo Yo Michele of YoYo’s Studios in Montreal to start My Hair is Art. The third instalment in her art series, My Hair is Art. Please Don’t Judge., is her first exhibit in Toronto. The models in the photographs are youth taking part in…
Those who call Toronto home know that the city is full of fun opportunities and adventures ranging from museums, art galleries, concerts, pop-up experiences and so much more. A unique experience I have had my eye on for years is lipstick making at Lip Lab! Lip Lab was originally owned by BITE Beauty, and though ownership has changed the amazing formulas have stayed the same. Once arrived at the Lip Lab of your choice, a beautician who seems more like a scientist guides you through the process. First you learn of the various offerings including lipsticks, lip balms, lip glosses…
As part of their Enough of the Sweet Talk Tour, Lime Cordiale visited Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall on March 5th. Show openers included The Haileys and The Orphan The Poet. The Haileys, a girl group from Winnipeg that all have the first name Hailey (or Haley), rocked out to open the evening. The Orphan The Poet, a duo from Columbus, Ohio gave the audience an alt-indie performance reminiscent of early 2000s music. Singer David Eselgroth was very enthusiastic and engaged with the crowd, even bringing a ladder to the floor to sing in the pit but remaining visible…
This February Union Station presented two Black focussed exhibits in partnership with MakeRoom Inc. Nothing More Nothing Less is a solo exhibition by guest artist Jordan Sook, featuring butterfly imagery across various mediums. Located in the West Wing, A Transit Through Time is a group exhibition which invited artists to reflect on culture and honour the past. Works by Destinie Adélakun, Pixel Heller, Segun Caezar, Heritier Bilaka, Rico Poku, and Camille Kiffin explore the connections between past and present, showcasing the enduring legacy and creativity of Black communities. Trevor Twells of Make Room Inc, a curatorial agency that partners with institutions like the City of Toronto, Sankofa Square, and of course Union Station to create fresh…
Hamlet is a well known play depicting a son enacting revenge on his uncle for the death of his father. In all Shakespearean tragedies, there are many casualties throughout the play as the protagonist grapples with the choice he will make. Fat Ham by James Ijames, now on at the Canadian Stage, reimagines the story of Hamlet with the protagonist as a Black, queer, southern man. Hamlet has been renamed Juicy, and with his father deceased, his mother marries his uncle leading to a cook-out celebration for the newlyweds. This cook-out is the stage for discussions around queerness, acceptance, expectations,…
New to CBC Gem is APEX: The Black Masters, a short film about a Black focused golf tournament in Truro, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia, often considered the birth place of Black Canada, has had an increasingly large spotlight on them. Filmmakers Amy Mielke and Brittney Gavin also wanted to share the stories of part of the country they call home. Specifically, Gavin who is from Truro, knows first hand the history of the Black golf community. She brought the story, and the knowledge of the tournament’s 50th anniversary to Mielke who agreed the story was something special. Not even a…
Controlled Damage, a play at Neptune Theatre in Halifax, tells the story of Viola Desmond beautifully. Perhaps best known to Canadians as a woman who refused to sit in the ‘Negro’ section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Controlled Damage shows how much more advocacy and work Desmond had done, but also the intricacies of Black advocacy as a mixed-race or light skin woman. After surviving the Halifax Harbour explosion, Viola went on to be a teacher and though she taught Black students she faced racism from white staff. She left teaching to pursue cosmetology and learned to relax afro-textured hair…
Starvox Entertainment has put on Yippee Ki Yay at their Lighthouse Art Space in Toronto. This very unique experience of the movie Die Hard is still running until January 12th. Richard Marsh, Fringe First-winner, London poetry slam champion, BBC Audio Drama Best Scripted Comedy Drama award-winner first put on the Yippee Ki Yay parody of Die Hard at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. This parody is more than just a retelling of the film Die Hard. Marsh retells his favourite film with anecdotes of how the movie has impacted his life, love life and lead to his marriage and subsequent…