This immersive art
From Oct. 17 to 19, Hamilton-based non-profit
Located at 349 and 351 Barton
Lauren Galenkamp, the executive projects assistant at HHSM spoke to The Silhouette about the inspiration for the event. “A lot of the stories that I’ve heard from a lot of the friends at Helping Hands have shifted the way that I view a lot of things. It’s made me more compassionate. It’s made me softer as a person. It also has made me realize that not a lot of people get a chance to listen to those stories, so I wanted to make a space for our friends to tell their stories and for people to come and listen,” said Galenkamp.
A lot of the stories that I’ve heard from a lot of the friends at Helping Hands have shifted the way that I view a lot of things. It’s made me more compassionate. It’s made me softer as a person ... I wanted to make a space for our friends to tell their stories and for people to come and listen
Lauren Galenkamp, Executive Projects Assistant
Helping Hands Street Mission
Ten different stations were set up, each depicting a different person’s story. Works included photography, paintings, sculptures, spoken word, and dance. Attendees were encouraged to walk through the exhibit at their own pace. “Art is this incredible bridge and storytelling is this incredible bridge that makes it easier for us to think about things and to sit with things and wrestle with things,” said Galenkamp.
One of the artists is Sarah
The exhibit featured interactive components, including a station called “Tapestry” with writing prompts about the meaning of home. As attendees exited the exhibit, they were invited to write reflections on a large paper banner. There was also a children’s station with various activities.
The name “We’re All Neighbours Here,” was chosen to represent the community-based perspective that
We all have something to give. We are all neighbours in this space and we all care for this space together.
Lauren Galenkamp, Executive Projects Assistant
Helping Hands Street Mission
The decision to hold this fundraiser stemmed from a desire to change the annual HHSM fundraising gala. “Our galas always have so much in the program because we want so many friends to be able to share their story that it ends up being a very full evening of just friends telling stories. Which is so great, but is not what people want from a gala necessarily. It made us realize that maybe we should be doing an event that feels more like us and feels like it is more accessible, because galas are expensive,” said Galenkamp.
She added that the event was intentionally held outdoors to encourage people to consider the experiences of people who have to live outdoors, especially in cold and rainy weather.
Galenkamp said that she began planning the event in July and the process was supported by two artist coordinators and a group of volunteer mentors. Vik Mudge, one of the participating artists, discussed his experience participating in the show. “It’s been really interesting to meet folks from many different places and many different backgrounds and many different experiences. It’s been really powerful to talk to people and hear their stories and experiences,” said Mudge.
Another of the artists, Michael Irvine, echoed this sentiment. “Everything’s been very powerful with the friendliness in people. Everybody wants to help you. We don’t label it as love but there’s a lot of love,” said Irvine.
Galenkamp said she hoped that the exhibit would help people move forward with compassion. “What we need in this city pretty badly is more compassionate people in our neighbourhoods. I want my friends to be able to share their stories and for people to see them and be changed by them and be affected by them. I would love for it to have long term impact over the way that we see each other as neighbours,” said Galenkamp.
What we need in this city pretty badly is more compassionate people in our neighbourhoods. I want my friends to be able to share their stories and for people to see them and be changed by them and be affected by them. I would love for it to have long term impact over the way that we see each other as neighbours.
Lauren Galenkamp, Executive Projects Assistant
Helping Hands Street Mission
If you are interested in hearing people’s stories,
McMaster Museum of Art exhibition We Remain Certain portrays Haudenosaunee’s complex history to strike conversations about our future
The We Remain Certain exhibition had its opening reception on Jan. 11 from 5-8 p.m. at the McMaster Museum of Art, and will be available for public viewing until Mar. 22, 2024.
This exhibition was funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. Their other supporters include the Ontario Arts Council.
We Remain Certain depicts the lasting connection between the Haudenosaunee people and their Grand River Territory home. The Haudenosaunee, also known as “people of the longhouse,” Iroquois or Six Nations, are members of a confederacy of Aboriginal nations that reside across southern Ontario, eastern Quebec and south into New York State. This exhibition is curated by a collective of Haudenosaunee artists, and the contemporary pieces delve into Haudenosaunee land tenure, exploring the intricate history, treaty agreements and displacements along the Grand River. It ultimately aims to ignite conversations and thoughts around our collective future, utilizing Haudenosaunee "Original Instructions" as a foundation for understanding and collaboration.
This collection was curated by Protect the Tract Collective, a Haudenosaunee-led project that conducts research, policy development and encourages civil engagement through the promotion of land stewardship (caring for and continuously learning about a piece of land despite its ownership) over the Haldimand Tract, featuring artists Dakota Brant, Denny Doolittle, Betts Doxtater, Kaya Hill, Rick Hill, Arnold Jacobs, Ken Maracle, Steve Maracle, Shelley Niro, Greg Staats, Steve Smith, Kristen Summers and Jeff Thomas.
The exhibit aims to communicate that, while the past remains certain, the future can be changed based on what we learn from our history.
“Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s. Awęhęgyeh shęh hodęˀ dewahde:nihs, haˀgadagyeˀshǫˀ shęh nˀagwanigǫ̲ha:do:gę: It does not matter what continually changes, our understanding remains certain,” as stated on the M(M)A website.
Arenhátyen tsi ní:tsi teyottenyonhátye’ kwató:ken tsi nī:tsi yonkwa’nikonhrayén:ta’s. Awęhęgyeh shęh hodęˀ dewahde:nihs, haˀgadagyeˀshǫˀ shęh nˀagwanigǫ̲ha:do:gę: It does not matter what continually changes, our understanding remains certain
M(M)A website
The temporary art event held at Pier 8 over the month of Novemeber, immersed community in a unique sound and light show in an effort to draw them to the waterfront
From Nov. 1 to 26 between the hours of 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., the city of Hamilton held a temporary art exhibition at the Pier 8 waterfront called Sonic Runway. The event immersed citizens in a light installation, which sent sound signals to create patterns of light down a walkway. The exhibition was free for everyone to attend.
Peter Fortune, placemaking, public art and projects manager for the city of Hamilton, explained that from, the beginning, the exhibition hoped to create awareness for the waterfront, showcase the potential of Pier 8 and encourage community members to visit.
Fortune's role in the city is to come up with placemaking and public art initiatives to transform spaces and make them appealing places to visit. Placemaking refers to developing a part of a city so that people would want to live and establish themselves there.
Community members can approach Fortune and share with him what they are hoping to see and he can then work with them to bring creativity to the city.
Fortune discussed how Sonic Runway was the first large-scale placemaking initiative the city has run.
"I don't think the site has experienced anything like that before. . . also this is one of the few times that we've brought in nationally recognized artists [for events like] Sonic Runway," said Fortune.
Feedback for the event was overwhelmingly positive. Over 20,000 people visited the exhibition while it was open.
Fortune hoped that, with this event and others like it, the collective creativity identity of the city will continue to develop as the community gains more insight and involvement with Hamilton's creative and artistic side while taking part in placemaking and meaningful experiences.
Fortune also highlighted how the principal part of the exhibition was to encourage students and others to dream, by showing how the things they learn in class can be translated into the real world and offering an opportunity to learn more about the chance to learn about the technical side of placemaking, such as user interface design and electrical engineering. Students could see how they might apply their own skills within this field and how choosing an arts-based career, while it might be difficult, does pay off.
Fortune also hoped the project helped to change student perspective of the city, highlighting how there is more to it than just campus and giving places like the waterfront a new image and identity, rather than being only seen for industrial purposes.
"Instead of just being on campus and cloistered there, go and explore the city and realize that [it] has the ability to surprise you. This is one of those examples of something that could definitely surprise you because I'm not sure if a lot of people [realize that]," said Fortune.
Instead of just being on campus and cloistered there, go and explore the city and realize that [it] has the ability to surprise you. This is one of those examples of something that could definitely surprise you because I'm not sure if a lot of people [realize that].
Peter Fortune, placemaking, public art and projects manager, city of Hamilton
Fortune encouraged students to check out future events the city of Hamilton will host, especially for the winter and holiday season. With so much creativity in the city, there is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy. Events can be found here.
It’s been said that art is meant to be seen. However, for young and emerging artists, finding spaces to be seen in is not always easy. Cadillac Fairview Lime Ridge Mall wanted to change that. In partnership with the Hamilton Arts Council, the mall hosted its first Youth and Emerging Artists’ Art Exhibition from Oct. 24 to Oct .28.
The exhibition was set up near one of the mall’s entrances, the free-standing white walls making the 122 artworks impossible for shoppers to miss. Any style of work was accepted and so paintings, illustrations, photography and mixed media work were showcased.
CF Lime Ridge first proposed the idea of the exhibition and approached the Hamilton Arts Council for their help in making it happen.
“My inspiration was… giving the youth a platform so they can showcase their work, especially the young emerging artists… Within our community here in Lime Ridge Mall, the retailers [were] extremely proud because they know that they’re working in a place that is giving back to the youth,” Liem Vu, the general manager of CF Lime Ridge, explained.
The theme for the exhibition was Cadillac Fairview’s brand purpose: “Transforming Communities for a Vibrant Tomorrow.” The artists manifested this theme in numerous different ways, from depictions of nature to portraiture to representations of pain.
On the opening night of the exhibition, four artists whose work best aligned with the theme were awarded. A jury consisting of representatives from Cadillac Fairview, the Hamilton Arts Council, First Ontario Credit Union and Earls Court Gallery determined the winners.
“I think that if there's any opportunities for us to bring…youth and emerging artists together to help support their career, to me that's what our mandate at the Hamilton Arts Council is…to advocate and to create opportunities for professional development for artists,” said Annette Paiement, the executive director at the Hamilton Arts Council.
Sarah May Coward was selected as first in the Emerging Artists category for her acrylic on canvas piece The Peoples Dance. Karolina Bramwell Rousseau achieved second for Strength in Biodiversity, a piece done entirely in pen and ink. Brian Kellam was chosen third for his oil and acrylic piece titled View from the Porch. Trynton Fisher, who had two pieces in the exhibition, won the youth (under 18) category with his digital piece True Beauty.
Fisher operates the @asap.tf Instagram account but appreciated the opportunity to get involved with the community and show his work to a greater audience. There were several other artists featured who had had no or few opportunities to show their work in an exhibit before.
The exhibit provided an excellent introduction of these artists to the public, with several of the pieces that were for sale garnering attention from attendees. For this reason, there are already discussions in place to run the exhibition next year, only bigger and better.
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