How stopping to explore the culture of Hamilton helped Volume 93 A&C Reporter make up for lost experiences as the world kept turning
Time is argumentatively linear. By that, I mean it continues to move forward even if you don’t realize it. Even when you try to keep yourself awake a little longer to make the day last longer, 12:00 a.m. will always mark the beginning of a new day.
The reality that time doesn’t stop at one's will is something people spend their entire lives accepting. It isn’t that the mass population believes they can stop time, but rather a sad feeling knowing there will always be time that can’t be returned.
The reality that time doesn’t stop at one's will is something people spend their entire lives accepting. It isn’t that the mass population believes they can stop time, but rather a sad feeling knowing there will always be time that can’t be returned.
These kinds of thoughts never plagued my mind growing up. As per the average child, I was just happy to exist. I found easy happiness in holding my mom's hand as she walked me to the big yellow school bus that would always stop over the same bump and made all the kids yell.
However, in recent years, I have fallen victim to the hope that time will pause with me. I know it is truly unrealistic to hope for such a thing, but alas I am one of the billions of people who cycled through a pandemic and now I'm one of the many third-year students at McMaster University who sometimes forgets which direction on Main Street West will take her to downtown Hamilton.
Though the glaring lack of knowledge about their university town isn’t uncommon among university students, the degree to which it affects people is different. When I brought up my own fears to my friends about how little I have explored within Hamilton, they admitted they didn’t necessarily have the same worry.
To them, it was a given that they didn’t explore Hamilton as much as the average student. Though it is more than fair, it was hard for me to accept how little I knew about a city I lived in.
My worries of not knowing much about Hamilton became more prominent through my position as a reporter for the Silhouette. For almost the past eight months, I have been learning about how robust Hamilton is. Every week I have had the privilege to talk about the arts, thriving businesses and new events prospering in Hamilton.
It wasn’t as if an external person was keeping me from the plethora of culture in Hamilton, but rather the glaring eye of time. As a third-year undergraduate student, so much of the year was spent trying figure out my next steps and classes, I felt as though I would lose time if I enjoyed myself.
It wasn’t as if an external person was keeping me from the plethora of culture in Hamilton, but rather the glaring eye of time. As a third-year undergraduate student, so much of the year was spent trying figure out my next steps and classes, I felt as though I would lose time if I enjoyed myself.
The first time anxious knot in my stomach had begun to unravel was for a piece I wrote earlier this year. I had thought the interview was meant to be done through Zoom, for an upcoming exhibition. Instead, it ended up being an interview that was meant to be in-person, at the exhibit. What had been a miscommunication between the interviewee and me, ended up becoming a secret blessing.
With limited opportunities to leave the confines of McMaster this year, visiting the exhibit in-person for the interview offered me a unique chance to experience art in real-time. As I walked around the exhibit, with the artist who had spent years creating the work, I found myself truly connecting. When I was able to put aside my initial hesitancy regarding the underlying fear of losing time, I was enjoying myself. The simple mistake made me realize how fulfilling it is to explore; how even if I may lose time in one aspect, I am enriching myself in another.
As I walked around the exhibit, with the artist who had spent years creating the work, I found myself truly connecting. When I was able to put aside my initial hesitancy regarding the underlying fear of losing time, I was enjoying myself. The simple mistake made me realize how fulfilling it is to explore; how even if I may lose time in one aspect, I am enriching myself in another.
The chance to view my own life beyond the confines of my own fears would not have been possible if not for my time on the Silhouette. The undeniable reality is that time will continue, no matter what we do.
As someone who up until recently was consumed in the fear of never fully using my time correctly, I urge you to take a chance. Visit the art exhibit showing up on your feed, go to the concert even if it seems far away, stop by the street fair that pauses the traffic and let yourself be present. Let yourself take back control of the time you fear you’ll never get back.
The 2023 class of studio arts takes on intersectionality and decolonization through their graduating exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art
From Apr. 6 to 28, SUMMA 2023: Where We Intersect will showcase the work of this year's bachelor of fine arts graduating class.
Where We Intersect: Identities, Environments, Activisms has a focus on the stories of the artists. They each created works that fall into one or more of these three realms. The media of the exhibit is made up of a large variety, including drawings, paintings, photographs, installations, printmaking sculptures, projections and sound based works. The aim of the exhibit is to exemplify the newer generation’s resilience in the face of a global pandemic, violence, environmental devastation and existential angst.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,” said Mosa McNeilly curator of SUMMA 2023.
“It's a very turbulent time that we're in and I think that this work conveys a kind of a sober, but also a hopeful kind of collective inquiry into how do we cultivate resilience in these turbulent times,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
McNeilly first met with the students in January to begin preparations for the exhibit. The first meeting was dedicated time for studio arts students to consult with McNeilly on their progress on their pieces and to plan an overarching theme for the exhibit. The students came up with the title, Where we Intersect, and after consulting with them she decided on the subtitle, Identities, Environments, Activisms.
The title is a very important aspect of the exhibit. For SUMMA 2023, it was important to the artists to explore intersection and intersectionality. The students of this exhibit were aware of this concept and as they discussed their positionality within current society, the conversation sparked the finality of the theme of the exhibit.
“There's an intersectional ethic in how [the students are] seeking to understand their relationships with each other and in their analyses of how they position themselves in terms of race, place, ability, spirituality, sexual orientation, gender and ethnicity,” said McNeilly.
The students in this exhibit truly impressed McNeilly over the time she has spent working with them. She believes they took the many forms of media to accentuate their own thoughts. Moreover, she was impressed at how they all had a focus on decolonization within their work.
They each had ideas for how they wanted their work to be presented and to step away from traditional practices. It gave her hope that the future generation of artists will embrace intersectionality in their work and question their position relative to it.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,” said McNeilly.
“What I find compelling about this group of emerging artists is [that there is] impetus towards decolonizing . . . [The students] were not interested in conventional, formal museum aesthetics, some of them, they wanted to push against those standards of presentation,”
Mosa McNeilly, curator of SUMMA 2023
Pitch Magazine redesigns spaces for Black artists to explore the full breadth of their creativity
Expression is important to all of us. We use different forms of expressions to allow others to understand ourselves better. Pitch Magazine is challenging the limits of expression. The magazine takes works from Black artists, Black poets and writers and Black photographers to curate a print magazine.
“Pitch Magazine . . . looks to provide a platform for Black creative expression . . . What we like to do is showcase the breadth of Black creativity,” said Angelo Grant, the founder and editor-in-chief of Pitch Magazine.
The idea for this magazine came from Grant’s very own experiences as a former student at McMaster University and as a creative who wanted to share his work. When he was in his first year, studying Health Sciences, he often submitted his work to spaces in hopes to share his creative voice.
However, he found that many of his submission rejections were prefaced by the fact his work didn’t fit the vision intended for the magazine. Moreover, Grant noticed the lack of representation for Black creatives on campus.
“When I was in first year, there were a few publications on campus that were maybe doing things in the realm of arts. And I think I just felt like our voices weren't being represented — the Black Student Body voice wasn't being represented in the publications,” said Grant.
Grant does not set any themes or restrictions on the types of submissions for the magazine to highlight the diversity of Black creativity.
By not centralizing each issue of the magazine to a specific theme, Grant felt the submissions he received were more expressive of the person creating the work. Each submission was vastly different; he didn’t find any overlap in the submissions. As someone who had felt limited by these kinds of restriction of specific theme from spaces on campus, he felt good to be able to change that.
“It's really trying to accommodate people and how they express themselves. I think that's the biggest thing for me — I don't want to be limiting of people,” said Grant.
Moreover, Grant stated Black creatives are given more freedom to branch out outside of creating works solely based on their Blackness by not setting specific expectations for magazine submissions. Submission guidelines and set restrictions can often make Black creatives feel as though their voices will only be heard if they center it only on their race and related experiences.
“I really don't want people to think is that they have to have to revolve their submission around their Blackness . . . I think we want to encapsulate the full breadth of Black creative expression that doesn't just involve themes that are directly tied to Blackness that involves everything that we experience on a day-to-day basis,” said Grant.
“I really don't want people to think is that they have to have to revolve their submission around their Blackness . . . I think we want to encapsulate the full breadth of Black creative expression that doesn't just involve themes that are directly tied to Blackness that involves everything that we experience on a day-to-day basis,”
Angelo Grant, founder and editor-in-chief of Pitch Magazine
Grant gave credit for how far the magazine has been able to come to his team behind Pitch. He is grateful to have a supportive team. Koko Sanginga, Malaika Manda, Alexandria Amadasun, Adeola Egbeyemi, Pamela Edmonds and Stylo Starr are some of the many people that have ensured that PITCH Magazine continues to grow smoothly.
“I think a big thing for me when it comes to creating something like this is realizing the importance of collaboration and having people that can support you along the way,” said Grant.
Pitch Magazine currently is working on its fourth issue. As the Pitch team continues to expand the magazine, they hope people appreciate the work and get a glimpse into the vast creativity of Black artists.
Grant shares how her art has carried her to become an artist in resident at Hamilton Art Council and the Cotton Factory.
Dawn Grant has made her name in the art industry throughout the years as an artist who practices art through variety of ways, including hair, makeup, special effects and wearable arts.
Grant’s love for art was instilled early as the daughter of an artist. She began her work as a painter when she moved to Toronto for school over a decade ago. Despite having an interest in painting, she admitted she and her parents wanted a sense of security when looking for employment.
“I studied to do makeup complexions and that was it. I just decided that I needed to take my skill from painting on canvases to painting on faces — more for income,” said Grant.
She has taken part in many projects, including helping design the visual aspects that go behind the creation of a character or create props for enhancing a scene. She loves the work she does through these projects and acknowledges they play a large part in fueling her other passions.
For instance, working as a makeup artist for a project with Revlon led to her beginnings in wearable art.
“I was working with Revlon and I was doing makeup for hair artists. One of the hair artists there, she had a sister who made fascinators— little tiny fascinators with the little feathers on it and that's what I started doing,” said Grant.
“I was working with Revlon and I was doing makeup for hair artists. One of the hair artists there, she had a sister who made fascinators— little tiny fascinators with the little feathers on it and that's what I started doing,”
Dawn Grant, Artist
However, Grant eventually began to stray away from using animal products in her wearable art and found interest in upcycling found objects for her wearable art projects. Grant believes her image as an artist of wearable works has stood out largely due to this shift in the sourcing of items for her work.
“I'd say I climbed to this wearable art side that I'm recognized now because I stopped working with feathers. It made me want to explore different organic stuff,” said Grant.
Currently, she has just been selected as the Artist in Resident for the Hamilton Art Council and The Cotton Factory. This involves creating wearable pieces for exhibition in their spaces. For the first time in her lengthy art career, she will get to create art wearables without the pressure of consumption. In terms of consumption, she finds that sometimes her art is catered towards a specific audience, occasionally sidelining her her own voice in the process.
Additionally she will host therapeutic art sit-ins, which encourage people to explore their own emotions through art. This is something she is very passionate about as she has been facilitating herself as well. She is appreciative of the opportunity and excited to explore in the position.
“I'm grateful — that's all I can say. I'm grateful . . . It's been a long time since I've been able to create openly — they want me to create artistically and go as far as my mind can go and that's amazing,” said Grant.
“I'm grateful — that's all I can say. I'm grateful . . . It's been a long time since I've been able to create openly — they want me to create artistically and go as far as my mind can go and that's amazing,”
Dawn Grant, Artist
Grant shared advice for those who are pursuing art as a career. She believes it’s important to have a form of art for oneself and to separate it from the art that is used to make money.
“I would say my biggest advice is to have two streams . . . Make your money but have your creative side,” said Grant.
For example, Grant doesn’t sell her paintings even when people have offered to purchase them. She doesn’t like the anxiety and pressure associated with painting something others would like, so she keeps painting as her personal hobby.
Ultimately, Grant continues to create work that is respected in the industry and gallery-based art fields. She has adapted to her profession and continues to take opportunities to learn more. She inspires those around her by working hard and focusing on her goals. As an artist in residence, she is using the title is to create art and to work with the community of Hamilton.
The People United and Bread and Butter tell the stories of workers.
This past February, the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre opened two new exhibits in their space. The People United and Bread and Butter each tackle different but meaningful conversations.
The WAHC emphasizes its connection to the labor history of Canada by exploring how people work within the world. They do this by hosting exhibitions, workshops and programs for a range of ages and a multitude of other components. Tara Bursey, executive director of WAHC, plays a large role in many of these events.
“We are interested in the ways people work in the world, both for pay and no pay, and preserve and protect the history of labor and social movements through our programming,” said Bursey, in a statement for The Silhouette.
The People United was curated last year by Tamara Toledo, who is the curator/director of Sur Gallery. The exhibit aimed to showcase the power that people have through the work of several groups and artists. These artists are the Beehive Collective, Colectivo LASTESIS, Carlos Colín, Cristian Ordóñez and Syrus Marcus Ware.
Now, the exhibit is mounted at WAHC where they highlight the work as well. People can come to view the exhibit on Saturdays from 12 P.M. to 4 P.M. and Wednesdays to Fridays from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.
“Themes in the exhibition include Afrofuturism, protest movements in Chile, resistance to extractivist projects in Latin America, and the material culture of social movements like stamps, banners and posters,” said Bursey, in a statement for The Silhouette.
Simultaneously, the Bread and Butter exhibit is composed of works from the WAHC’s permanent collection. It explores how a variety of working people receive and view food. This includes how food is delivered to populations, the fight for ensuring everyone is able to have food, and even how food is made. The exhibit was curated with the acknowledgment of issues present pertaining to food such as food insecurity.
To highlight issues such as food insecurity, WAHC has collaborated with Strathcona Market and Community Fridges Hamont. For the past two months they have had a shopping cart placed in the gallery. The aim was to allow people to not only learn about the complexity of food through the exhibit but to actively participate in making a positive difference.
“[The shopping cart] made our second floor Community Gallery the site of not just a collection of objects, but a space of community care where visitors could be agents of positive change in our neighbourhood and beyond,” said Bursey, in a statement for The Silhouette.
[The shopping cart] made our second floor Community Gallery the site of not just a collection of objects, but a space of community care where visitors could be agents of positive change in our neighbourhood and beyond."
Tara Bursey, executive director of WAHC
Ultimately The People United and Bread and Butter touch on the stories of working people by giving a platform to artists whose work reflects the power of human action. The WAHC believes these exhibits mark the start of what will be a great year of programs.
Gender Remix, a new workbook by Mela Swayze, approaches the topic of gender in an inquisitive and supportive manner
Gender is a complex aspect of one’s identity, leading people to great lengths of self-discovery. The complexity of such an identity can be daunting and often hard to navigate. The work of Mela Swayze, a consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix, aims to help people better understand and connect with their gender identity.
Swayze released Gender Remix as a workbook for those who identify as trans, non-binary or gender diverse. The goal of the workbook was to help guide those who are looking into their own identity, whether that be with a coach or a therapist or alone. In December all of the proceeds from the book went to Speqtrum Hamilton, an organization that supports queer youth in Hamilton.
“Gender remix is a workbook that [is] designed for people who are trans, non-binary, gender diverse or otherwise exploring their gender. . . It has resources exercises [and] writing prompts, so it's definitely designed for those who like self-reflection [and] those who like a good journal prompt,”
Mela Swayze, Consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix
The workbook has a journal-like design to encourage self-reflection. It goes chapter by chapter to communicate the idea of gender as something that isn’t so binary. The book is also accessible and compatible with assistive devices.
Swayze believes initiatives like Gender Remix are a way to give structure at a time when someone may be overwhelmed. Though it may not be for everyone, they found that many of their own clients discovered solace in quite a few of the included information within the workbook. Additionally, they hope that with workbooks like this, more people will see that they aren’t alone in this realm of self-discovery.
“For some people who might be at the beginning of exploring their gender identity, it can be a lot to digest and a lot to process. . . Having a bit of structure to guide you in bite sized pieces helps people to digest and process a little more easily,” said Swayze.
The process of creating the workbook was based heavily on the work Swayze has done with their own clients and through workshops. To them, it was important to have the workbook be from lived experiences of many people rather than having their own set of rules dictate the journey.
They found that over the course of their work, folks exploring their gender had similar overarching topics. These topics became focuses in the workbook, with an emphasis on self-reflecting rather simply being told how one should feel.
“The work with trans and gender diverse clients definitely informed the creation of the workbook rather than vice versa,” said Swayze.
The response from the community has been very encouraging. They’ve had coaches, therapists and organizations all commend the workbook and actively use it in their own practice. Swayze also noted someone in Colorado Springs purchased the workbook, following the shooting that occurred in a 2SLGBTQI+ club in the area. They found it to be very meaningful that the workbook could support people in moments of crisis.
Every person is entitled to their own story. Swayze believes understandings one’s gender identity is an important aspect to receiving and being open to experiencing love. Ultimately, by having one’s own support system through self-exploration, it can encourage self-acceptance and love. It isn’t telling others that makes the difference, but feeling as though they have the option if they feel comfortable doing so.
“It's a lot easier to receive love when we are being our true selves in the world, whatever that is and whatever that means to you. It doesn't mean necessarily that you're the type of person who wants to shout your identity from a rooftop, but even small disclosures to a partner or a close friend or a queer chosen family can be really meaningful,”
Mela Swayze, Consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix
Gender identity is something that varies for every single person, sometimes without support the journey to find oneself can become daunting. Though everyone occupies gender differently, Swayze introduces a stepping stone that can support someone who is learning more about themselves. The hope is that by understanding and accepting the nuances of gender identity, people can feel safer in their own bodies.
The urgent need to address the ongoing discrimination, hate and violence against sex workers
Jelena Vermilion, executive director of Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton, works to take an active stance against the negative treatment that sex workers face. As a sex worker of 10 years, she understands the complexity of sex work and how easily people are stigmatized for partaking in it. This year her work is being recognized as a 2023 Young Women's Christian Association of Canada Women of Distinction nominee.
SWAP was created as a place where people could come together as a community in a safe space. The space on Barton Street educates people on topics such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, an HIV prevention medication. The organization partake in advocacy for the positive treatment of people within the sex industry by speaking at conferences and leading workshops for businesses and organizations in Hamilton. SWAP at its core aims to support sex workers and every challenge they may entail — whether that be through education or direct action.
“I think having a space is mostly about combating stigma, providing a space of solace for people who are in the sex industry to come to rest with us and particularly for street by sex workers who maybe don't have access to shelter,”
Jelena Vermilion, Executive director of SWAP
As one of 25 groups in Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, they are challenging the current laws surrounding sex work in Canada. It’s on the basis that current laws violate a sex worker's rights to life, liberty and security. This violation can be observed in laws that criminalize communication pertaining to the sale of sex, which directly affects sex workers. Ultimately, the goal is to give sex workers the same liberties as other workers.
“There's not really an opportunity of equal advantage or an equal foundation that people who are in the sex trade can have as business people. When we're talking about accessing legal services [or] higher education . . . there's so much stigma that permeates society,” said Vermilion.
The response from the Hamilton community to SWAP’s physical space has been both positive and negative. Those who have supported SWAP feel like neighbours who look after one another. On the other hand there have been multiple people who haven’t been very approving of SWAP either intentionally or from a degree of misunderstanding. Vermilion noted there was even an instance when people who did not support the organization shooed away those trying to use SWAP resources.
However, the violence didn’t surprise Vermilion as the sex industry is heavily stigmatized. She shared the story of a 46-year-old sex worker who had been violently assaulted in an alleyway in Hamilton. The woman had been beaten up to such an extent, that she had to relearn how to walk after the attack. SWAP had come together to raise $9,000 for her and held a vigil to draw attention to the injustice.
“The idea that their work is less valuable and therefore their lives are less viable, it's reflected in the violence against sex workers,”
Jelena Vermilion, Executive director of SWAP
Some of the violence against sex workers can be attributed to the fact people don’t fully understand the scope of sex work. Blinded by ‘whorephobia’, the pervasive fear and hate towards sex workers, they don’t see the gifts sex work can provide—everything from company and comfort to a sense of belonging—which can be invaluable to folks who don’t feel fulfilled in these aspects of their lives. Vermilion shared how easily some people simply just crave the company of another person, whether that be in a sexual or non-sexual manner.
“In essence, sex work is love . . . At the end of the day, the clients who are coming to see sex workers, often I say, they're lonely, you know, they're not getting what they need at home or they're not getting what they need in their own lives — day to day in their private lives. And so they seek the services of a sex worker to cuddle, to have conversations with, to be listened to, to be witnessed, to be heard,” said Vermilion.
The life of a sex worker is threatened every day through the legislation that surrounds their existence. Despite this, they continue to work and challenge the stigmas present. Vermilion is one of the many people who work to destigmatize sex work and hopes the government and people of Canada support the work.
The gift shop eases access to K-pop and anime merchandise for Hamilton fans
Sarah & Tom Gift Shop is a Korean pop merchandise store with many locations across Canada. The story of Sarah & Tom began in 2009 when the first store in Toronto opened. Sarah Milberry, one of the co-owners, explained the store had started as a place for Korean and Japanese stationery products which are often difficult to find in North American markets.
“We first opened in 2009 in Toronto. My husband’s Korean and I spent a year teaching English in Korea. The main draw or excitement that we wanted to bring to our business idea was Korean or Japanese stationary products,” said Milberry.
Interestingly, the shop did not always have K-pop merchandise, but as its base grew they noticed more customers seeking K-pop related items. When Milberry and her husband first introduced K-pop merchandise, they received positive reception and over the years, they collected a large stock of different K-pop albums and anime merchandise for customers.
“If they are a K-pop fan, [we have a] wide selection of K-pop albums . . . If you’re more on the anime side of things, we have a lot of figurines and posters related to a wide variety of different animations,” Milberry said.
“If they are a K-pop fan, [we have a] wide selection of K-pop albums . . . If you’re more on the anime side of things, we have a lot of figurines and posters related to a wide variety of different animations,”
Sarah Milberry, Co-Owner of Sarah & Tom Giftshop
In May 2022 they opened a location in Hamilton’s International Village area. They expanded to Hamilton because they noticed a large group of their customers were from here, including students from McMaster University. It was such a regular occurrence that it made them step back and consider opening a store.
“We really saw customers living outside of Toronto coming into our shop pre-COVID. [And] many customers said they came from Hamilton or that they go to McMaster,” Milberry said.
Milberry has loved the International Village’s engagement. She found they have a big social media presence which has featured Sarah & Tom Gift Shop as well. It’s helped with spreading the word of the Hamilton location and bringing in lots of customers. Milberry and her partner hope their business continues to prosper.
The Hamilton location has similar merchandise to the other of the Sarah & Tom Gift Shop locations in Toronto and Montreal. However, one difference that makes the Hamilton location stand out is that it has the greatest stock of K-pop albums across all locations. Milberry and her partner found it is very popular in Hamilton and they are doing their best to match their customer's interests. With artists like Black Pink with a large fanbase coming to Hamilton to perform, the store has noticed hikes in their sales during their concerts.
“We do have about 50% of the store set up just for K-pop in Hamilton and the other shops have a little bit less of that. In Hamilton, we are really pushing the K-pop products,” Milberry said.
“We do have about 50% of the store set up just for K-pop in Hamilton and the other shops have a little bit less of that. In Hamilton, we are really pushing the K-pop products,”
Sarah Milberry, Co-Owner of Sarah & Tom Giftshop
Ultimately, Sarah & Tom Gift Shop has been embraced by the Hamilton community, even before they opened a store here. As they continue to grow in Hamilton, they hope to see more McMaster University students here.
Art Gallery of Hamilton’s new exhibit shows the process behind digitizing art
Art has early origins and continues to be relevant today. It’s important to collect and record art as a way of documenting history. However, what happens when art is documented but not immediately put up for display? They become a part of a collection of pieces hidden from the world.
The Art Gallery of Hamilton aims to address this issue with its Collections Digitization Project which began in Spring 2022 and will conclude in Spring 2024. The project aims to digitize many of the works kept in the vaults at AGH.
Andrea Howard, digitization collections assistant, emphasized that as the AGH is a publicly funded resource, it’s important to provide the public access to pieces which aren’t always on display. Moreover, the project team is prioritizing putting on underrepresented artists, such as Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour and women artists.
“It is a really necessary project because we have well over 10,000 objects in our collection. The physical space that we have here at the museum means that we can only display 5 per cent of those works at a given time. That means the bulk of our works are in a vault and they're hidden from the public,” said Howard.
“It is a really necessary project because we have well over 10,000 objects in our collection. The physical space that we have here at the museum means that we can only display 5 per cent of those works at a given time. That means the bulk of our works are in a vault and they're hidden from the public."
Andrea Howard, digitization collections assistant
The project is funded by the Museums Assistance Program, specifically the Digital Access to Heritage, which is a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. The funds were important for hiring people for the project, obtaining necessary licenses and receiving commissions and equipment.
The project has many aspects, one of which is focused on showcasing the process of digitizing art works. This exhibition will begin on Feb. 11, 2023 and will include installations and a behind the scenes look at the digitization process. Howard’s hope is to connect with the general population and show the public how much work goes into digitization.
“A part of this project has become an exhibition, that is going to be launching on [Feb. 11]. That exhibition is in part a digitization lab [and] part installation where we exhibit works and show some kind of hidden digitization labor that occurs in art museums,” said Howard.
“A part of this project has become an exhibition, that is going to be launching on [Feb. 11]. That exhibition is in part a digitization lab [and] part installation where we exhibit works and show some kind of hidden digitization labor that occurs in art museums."
Andrea Howard, digitization collections assistant
Howard believes the Hamilton community will find the exhibit to be engaging. She’s worked closely with the AGH docents, who have shared positive feedback for the exhibit.
One of their more recent programs at AGH called Fridays at Four gives those curious a virtual look at the AGH’s permanent collection. Given the docents extensive knowledge on the collections within the museum, Howard is aware their feedback is vital. They’ve expressed how happy they are to see more pieces being digitalized and how they are being shared with visitors.
“I know from my experience with the docent . . . that they’re really excited about the growing number of images they are seeing and having access to. I know we have been getting a lot of engagement on social media with our images and I’m excited to see where it jumps off from there,” said Howard.
Currently, the AGH is working on three dimensional printing as part of the digitization project. The goal of this is to have art pieces 3D printed as a way to engage visitors in a new way. It will also allow for pieces to be preserved and protected, which is valuable in the storage of artworks.
“Our hope is to not only create 3D renderings that will live online, but also from those 3D renderings have some of our works 3D printed. That’ll be a really great way for the programming department to pass around our objects to feel,” said Howard.
The AGH hopes that people will come together to learn about the complex tools used to preserve artwork. They hope the project itself will be able to highlight work that isn’t always displayed and allow for work to be presented in a new format. The exhibit is one of the first ways in which visitors can see the direct process that goes behind digitizing works.
The newly opened local restaurant creates a space that highlights popular Asian street foods through their own family's recipes.
Food allows for culture and traditions from one part of the world to be shared with communities in a completely different one. Fisticuffs is a local restaurant that is bringing Chinese-Malaysian snack foods commonly found in Asian night markets to the Hamilton community.
The restaurant’s menu is inspired by recipes from co-owner Caitlin Chee’s late grandmother. Chee operates Fisticuffs with their spouse and their vision is to combine the feelings of comfort a home cooked meal brings with a modern dining experience.
“[Fisticuffs is] inspired a lot by my family, bringing together those childhood memories for me of the comfort home cooking has. But it's also about bringing in the familiar with the new and making a really fun modern dining experience,” said Chee.
“[Fisticuffs is] inspired a lot by my family, bringing together those childhood memories for me of the comfort home cooking has. But it's also about bringing in the familiar with the new and making a really fun modern dining experience."
Caitlin Chee, Co-owner of fisticuffs
A large portion of Fisticuffs’ menu contains very popular east Asian night market snacks and a unique selection of beers.
One popular snack plate is shrimp chips, while another is satay, grilled meat served on a skewer. Satay alone makes up one section in their menu. Fisticuffs also offers a vegetarian version of this, which instead has grilled eggplant on the skewer.
Overall, their dishes strive to emphasis popular Asian street food dishes with their own twist.
Before opening their restaurant last November, Fisticuffs used be a pop-up vendor. Their very first pop-up was with the Toronto Brewing Company. Through these pop-ups, they formed meaningful connections with other business owners and learned about others’ experiences opening restaurants.
Chee and their partner also found other businesses they encountered were often connected with breweries in Hamilton a food vendor. Then, following the same footsteps, Fisticuff also eventually found themselves in Hamilton.
So far the response to Fisticuffs from within the Hamilton community has been quite positive. Both Chee and their partner love that there are people who are trying a new style of food and bring a positive attitude. They hope that these folks will continue to come to the restaurant in the new year.
“I know that a lot of the people who come into our doors may have never had the type of food that we serve or even some of the more experimental beers . . . But everyone’s been excited to try new things and I really appreciate how busy we’ve been and how much people have been writing about us,” Chee said.
“I know that a lot of the people who come into our doors may have never had the type of food that we serve or even some of the more experimental beers . . . But everyone’s been excited to try new things and I really appreciate how busy we’ve been and how much people have been writing about us."
Caitlin Chee, Co-owner of fisticuffs
Chee has also loved the response from the Chinese-Malaysian community in Hamilton. Many family friends from their childhood would visit the restaurant and recall eating some of the menu items in Chee’s grandmother’s home over 30 years ago. Their grandmother was a respected figure within their own Chinese-Malaysian community as she hosted many Chinese-Malaysian immigrants when they first arrived in Canada.
“[Our customers include] really old family friends that I haven’t seen since I was a young child. I’ve had people come in and be like, “We met you when you were a kid at your grandma's house. Do you remember us?” which has been really cute,” Chee said.
Fisticuffs is hopeful that the past months will continue to reflect the response they will receive in the new year. Currently, they are developing new ideas to keep Fisticuffs unique and ever-changing, including preparing their first five course dinner menu to celebrate Lunar New Year at the end of January. They hope to continue having themed dinner nights and bring the Hamilton community together at the restaurant.
“Fisticuffs is vibrant. It’s a fun space. We’re trying to create an environment that people. . .can come and make the night whatever they want it to [be],” Chee said.
As Fisticuffs continues into its first year of business, they hope to inspire people to try new foods and find comfort in their food. Ultimately though, Chee just wants the restaurant to be a place where people can come to relax and eat good food.
