Results tagged “departmentofculture”

Torontoist would like to apologize for the post we ran yesterday implying Stephen Harper's cuts to the arts were ill-advised or that the Department of Culture was right about anything at all. We've seen the error of our ways and, thanks to our new favourite band Hooded Fang, have grown to understand that arts funding is for rich and beautiful people to buy the shoes to wear to and the drugs to take at parties we will never be invited to because we aren't elite enough. Let's go burn some books!

The artists hate Stephen Harper. And it's not hard to understand why. His recent cuts to important arts funding have shocked and frightened the arts community (if you were fooled by his claims made at the Leadership Debate and elsewhere that his government actually spent more on the arts than the Liberals, check out former Torontoist Arts and Culture editor Karen Whaley's excellent explanation of how that is a big lie).

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tonight at Lennox Contemporary, join the Magenta Foundation for the launch of Flash Forward 2008, a photographic anthology showcasing up-and-coming photographers. The photos in the book were chosen from entries in the 2008 Flash Forward competition, the Magenta Foundation's annual adjudication of emerging talent. The launch is complemented by an exhibition showcasing these photos, which will run until October 26. Lennox Contemporary (12 Ossington Avenue), 7 p.m., FREE.

Last night's town hall meeting was an auspicious birth ceremony for the week-old Department of Culture. Speaker Naomi Klein termed it a “movement moment” and member Darren O'Donnell could only say “Holy fuck!” to the attendance, as more than triple the expected number of people crowded into the AC-less Theatre Centre. Leaflets were used by every member of the crowd to cool themselves while community leaders stirred existing anger at the Harper government. “You don't need to stoke the fires; the fires are already stoked, we are all hot,” punned Claire Hopkinson of the Toronto Arts Council.