It’s Asian Heritage Month and we couldn’t be happier! We’re launching Volume 5 of LooseLeaf Magazine and looking forward to all the amazing events lined up for May! Check out our picks below!
To May 13: Artistry in Silk: The Kimono of Itchiku Kubota
The Textile Museum of Canada presents Artistry in Silk, an exhibition celebrating the work of Japanese artist Itchiku Kubota, whose work has redefined the art of kimonos and expanded how we think of surface design. The exhibition is curated by Jacqueline Marx Atkins and will display 41 kimonos designed and created by Kubota over 30 years, from 1976 to his passing in 2003.
17: Pivot on May 17- Buffam, French and Sinclair
It’s Pivot Reading’s last hurrah after a season filled with amazing talent and literature. The grand finale held at the Tranzac Club’s Tiki Room will feature Suzanne Buffam, Whitney French, and Safiya Sinclair. See you there, friends!
21: DW Talkeratives - Language to Language
Hosted by Project 40 Collective and our very own Jasmine Gui, these standalone talkeratives will utilize writings both translated and multilingual from LooseLeaf Magazine’s past four volumes and from the last two issues of Asymptote Journal (https://www.asymptotejournal.com/) to interrogate literary techniques, explore conversations about language and place, and exercise critical engagement with the languages of loss and power in our personal experiences.
22-25: 103B: A Year in Review
A group of Illustration students from OCAD University’s 2018 graduating class are curating an exhibit that displays a single piece from each of their thesis projects, from its inception to the final product. This is to showcase the artist’s process—one that involves ideation, sketching, revision, and more sketching—all inherent and crucial aspects of illustration. Organized by Sabrina Tu and Wandy Cheng to emulate an artist’s studio, the show will be held at 156 Augusta Ave. with an opening reception on May 22nd. We’ll see you there, art enthusiasts and curious guests!
26: Tatsuya Nakatani Gong Orchestra
The Music Gallery presents Tatsuya Nakatani’s Gong Orchestra (NGO), a contemporary live sound art project touring throughout North and Central America. NGO is the only bowing gong orchestra in modern existence, producing rich harmonies from multiple layers of bowed gongs that are transformative, engaging, and inspire both players and audiences alike. In accordance with Nakatani’s wishes, the Music Gallery has curated an ensemble of local players to play his handmade gongs, bows, and other instrumentation that travel with him from town to town. During the performance, as many as 14 gongs will be in play at a time, promising an immersive and beautiful evening of music. To open the show, Nakatani will perform a solo set and return to conduct his own compositions for the group performance.
We’re launching Volume 5 of LooseLeaf Magazine at 187 Augusta! Join us as we celebrate this great achievement with performances from local writers and musicians, and work from spectacular artists and vendors. Make sure to pick up your own copy of Volume 5 at the event!
May 30: Ojibwe Ceremonial Openings and Closings
Held at the Don Mills Library Branch, Jacqui Lavalley, an Ojibwe Traditional Kokomis (Grandmother) /Teacher, will discuss Ojibwe opening and closing ceremonies in the hope of demystifying these traditional activities. Lavalley is a member of the Shawanaga First Nation, East Shore Georgian Bay. She is a dancer, singer, song writer, and a traditional Ojibwe Storyteller who uses her own life experiences as an introduction into the traditional and spiritual aspects of being an Anishinaabe Ekwe (Indigenous Woman).
This list was compiled by Aliya Ghare