In town and in the country, two events raise funds to support the arts
Bruce Bailey's Canadian Fête Champêtre, June 7, Ontario Countryside
Arts patron Bruce Bailey opened the gates to his county pile outside of Toronto on the afternoon of June 7 for the third edition of his Canadian Fête Champêtre, a daytime gathering that raises funds for the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. This year additional institutions including the Canadian Opera Company, Calgary's Glenbow Museum, the Israel Museum and the Pelee Island Bird Observatory were also on the receiving end of some of the money raised, which totalled $1.5-million. Rogers Communications Inc. was the presenting sponsor, with additional support from the Schulich Foundation, Hatch and David and Carol Appel. Per the invitation, which listed author Margaret Atwood as guest of honour, the theme was A Masked Ball or Un ballo in maschera (after Verdi's 1859 opera). Guests followed suit, with variations on Venetian masks made of feathers and flowers and even a theatrical papier-mâché bird. Performances and speeches were given in Bailey's hayloft, which was filled for the occasion with gilt ballroom chairs fixed toward members of the Canadian Opera Company orchestra (Bailey is a devoted patron). God Save the King was sung in addition to Canada's national anthem and later they performed alongside the always-impressive soprano Ambur Braid. Also taking to the planked stage of the hayloft were dancers from the National Ballet School. A cocktail lunch overseen once again by chef Cory Vitiello followed, with guests taking to various green corners and out buildings on the property for a casual afternoon. Lovely to see was an exhibition of works curated by and from the collection of Bailey, which were displayed on the first floor of his home. A monumental work sprawling the length of the drawing room by American artist Kerry James Marshall, who Bailey has long patronized, was a standout.
OCAD University Gala, May 28, Toronto
The previous week, OCAD University held its inaugural gala. The school, which has trained and fostered generations of artists since its founding in 1876, opened its site on McCaul Street for the occasion. Amy Burstyn Fritz, founder of tabletop brand Misette, and Jeff Hull, president of real estate development firm Hullmark, co-chaired the event, which was cozy by gala standards, with just a couple of hundred in attendance and a handful of key sponsors (including Christian Vermast of Sotheby's International Realty, host of yours truly). This was an intentional move, said the co-chairs during their remarks. They wanted to start small and hoped to grow the gathering in years to come. This year, the nearly $400,000 raised will establish student bursaries at the school to minimize the financial barriers that come with an art and design university education. Ana Serrano, president and vice-chancellor of the university, and Jaime Watt, chancellor, both spoke between courses to the important work being done at the school and the vital need for bursaries of this nature. It was a perfect segue to the live auction, where donated works by artists including Stanzie Tooth and Steve Driscoll, both OCAD U alum, were sold for the cause.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
37 minutes ago
- CTV News
With streets dry a year after water main break, Montgomery celebrates with a street art festival and night market
35 groups and individuals competed for $1,300 in cash prizes at Chalk the Block Saturday in Montgomery The sidewalks of Montgomery looked quite a bit different Saturday than a year ago, thanks to an imaginative street art festival. The first Montgomery Chalk the Block and Night Market was held Saturday, featuring over 50 people who divided into 35 or so groups to create original chalk art on the street. The theme for the artists was Canada Day and the Bow River, said Rebecca O'Brien, executive director of the Montgomery BIA. '(We've turned it into an) immense art event which, as you can see, is pretty incredible,' O'Brien said. There were four different categories of competitors, including elementary, middle, high school and college/adult. Chalk the Block, June 28, 2025 There were 4 competitive categories offering $1,300 in cash prizes Saturday. (Darren Wright, CTV Calgary) O'Brien said the festival was the brainchild of the previous executive director, who was inspired by chalk artists who compete in Knoxville, Tennessee. 'She was looking for a unique concept for a festival that makes it stand apart and learned about the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville,' O'Brien said. 'She ran with it, but last year there was a water main break.' As far as the night market goes, O'Brien was previously involved with the Inglewood BIA, where they have a popular night market. First street art competition Chalk the Block is Canada's first street art competition and offered $1,300 in cash prizes. The Montgomery Night Market featured curated artisan vendors, a beer garden, live music and street performers. As for whether there will be another Chalk the Block street art festival? 'From the feedback we're getting,' O'Brien said, '100 per cent yes.'
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Demand for 'elbows up' merchandise dips ahead of Canada Day, businesses say
Social Sharing When Rachael Coe decided to launch an "elbows up" merchandise line at her store in Yarmouth, N.S., in March, she said it was an immediate bestseller. Within a week, Coe said her Timeless Memories shop had already made 400 sales. By the end of the first month, she had sold 2,500 products ranging from T-shirts to hoodies to car decals. Demand for items bearing Canada's rallying cry against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats was so high that Coe launched a website to keep up with the surge. "It was a response from all over Canada," she said. "We reached every single province, then we started covering worldwide. Our 'elbows up' merch went everywhere." Many Canadian businesses hopped on the patriotic trend that also saw Ontario Premier Doug Ford wearing a "Canada Is Not For Sale" ball cap ahead of a January meeting with Canada's premiers and prime minister. WATCH | How Mike Myers helped 'elbows up' became a Canadian rallying cry: #TheMoment 'Elbows Up' became a rally cry against Trump 4 months ago Duration 1:23 In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, Canadian actor Mike Myers may have started a movement by pointing to his elbow and mouthing the words 'elbows up' during appearances on Saturday Night Live. The phrase has caught on and has become a rallying cry in the trade war. But Coe's sales started slowing down by May. And despite a slight boost ahead of Canada Day, she said the "elbows up" line is now selling at similar rates to the classic red-and-white merchandise she sells every year around this time. Although business owners say they are selling more Canada-themed products this year leading up to July 1, many have also noted a decline in "elbows up" merchandise sales. The hockey phrase — which originated with the legendary player Gordie Howe — became a national rallying cry in March after Canadian comedian Mike Myers mouthed the words on Saturday Night Live while wearing a "Canada Is Not For Sale" T-shirt. initially embraced as a grassroots movement at the height of cross-border trade tensions and Trump's musings about making Canada the 51st state, it has shifted to a more generic expression of Canadian pride amid continued tensions, retailers and experts say. Others note that the phrase "elbows up" has increasingly been used in a partisan context, contributing to the marketing shift. Stephanie Tomlin, Toronto-based owner of the online business Shop Love Collective, said she saw an explosion in "elbows up" merchandise sales in March, selling as many as 10 or 15 products per day. Similarly, her sales began to stagnate in May. WATCH | Windsor, Ont., woman making hundreds of 'Elbows Up' pins: This Windsor, Ont., woman is making hundreds of 'Elbows Up' pins 3 months ago Duration 1:36 Many Canadians are re-thinking their relationship with the United States as U.S. President Donald Trump levies tariffs and threatens to make Canada the 51st state. Windsorite Mary Gilbeault is making hundreds of 'Elbows Up' pins to share her national pride. She speaks with CBC Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge. Leading up to Canada Day, she said she's selling "quite a bit more" merchandise compared with previous years, but that's due to interest in Canada-themed products across the board. "I think the climate in Canada is a little bit more settled after the election and that — we feel like we will never be the 51st state," Tomlin said, adding that Canadian patriotism is becoming less combative as annexation talks have died down. Howard Ramos, a political sociologist at Western University in London, Ont., said "elbows up" became "more partisan than it used to be" when Prime Minister Mark Carney embraced the phrase in his election campaign ads in late March. "It's just added to how the expression is dying down as a pan-Canadian claim," he said. "Now you see on social media, especially from Conservative handles, the use of 'elbows up' in a sarcastic way to criticize Mark Carney or Liberal policies." Negative online comments about the "elbows up" movement have discouraged Coe from promoting her products on Facebook. But when she's interacting with customers in her Yarmouth shop, she said the phrase isn't as divisive. "It's not a political term, and it simply means that you're defending your country — and everyone should be defending our country, just like you would defend [against] a goal in hockey," she said. WATCH | Why Canadians are saying 'elbows up': Why Canadians are saying 'Elbows Up' 4 months ago Duration 1:18 It's become a rallying cry against U.S. tariffs. But in hockey-loving Canada, the phrase also evokes memories of one of the game's greatest players: Saskatchewan-born Gordie Howe. Known to many as Mr. Hockey, he also earned the nickname Mr. Elbows. Danielle McDonagh, owner of Vernon, B.C.-based Rowantree Clothing, said she stopped promoting her "elbows up" merchandise on a large scale when she noticed the phrase being interpreted as an "anti-Conservative" and "boomer" movement. For McDonagh, increased concern about the political climate in the United States has also chipped away at the lightheartedness of the "elbows up" movement. "I think some of the levity is gone for me," she said. While sales of her "elbows up" products have dropped by about 90 per cent since hitting 1,000 in the first month, she said she continues to promote the merchandise in small batches at local markets in Vernon. Business owners say their customers continue to prioritize supporting the Canadian economy, as they are routinely answering questions about where their products are manufactured. And the push to buy Canadian isn't just coming from this side of the border. Coe said many American tourists arriving by ferry from Maine visit her shop in search of Canadian merchandise. Tourists "want to support us just as much as Canadians want to support us," she said. McDonagh said her business sees similar interest from Americans.
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Toronto Pride likely smaller in 2026 because of lack of funding, executive director says
The streets of Toronto will be filled with rainbows as the annual Pride parade winds through the city, but there's a cloud hanging over future festivities. Today's event will see more than 25,000 marchers from some 250 groups make their way from the Rosedale neighbourhood through the downtown core to Nathan Phillips Square. The parade will serve as Canada's biggest show of solidarity with the LGBTQ community this year. It's been an annual, summer fixture in Toronto since 1981, when the first Pride parade was born out of protests linked to the city's bathhouse raids. LGBTQ refugee group says number of requests for help has spiked since 2020 Opinion: Queer folks can find common ground across generations Since then it's grown steadily in scope and prominence, blossoming into a full month of activities that draw people to the Church-Wellesley area, which is known as the gay village. However, the parade remains the buzziest and most vibrant of the Pride month spectacles thanks to the colourful outfits, pulsing beats, fierce dance moves and sense of community it delivers. But that status has come under threat. In the lead up to this year's parade, Pride Toronto executive director Kojo Modeste warned next year's Pride will likely be scaled down if organizers can't drum up more financial support. 'One hundred per cent, Pride will look a lot smaller,' Modeste said in mid-June. 'We would not have the same impact, both financially and culturally, that we normally do.' Earlier this year, Modeste revealed organizers were facing a $900,000 funding gap. The loss of cash was blamed on rising costs and the departure of sponsors Google, Nissan, Home Depot and Clorox. Modeste attributed the pullback to backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that materialized in the U.S. and beyond under President Donald Trump. In the wake of the pullback, others stepped up. Some 175 people have donated close to $10,000, Pride Toronto has said. The city also named the organization a multi-year recipient of cash through a festival funding program, which hands out $350,000. Modeste has said this funding is 'going to go a long way,' but doesn't eliminate the need for other levels of government to pitch in. 'What we need to see is the province and the federal government taking lead from the city and following up and also providing some support,' said Modeste. With files from Vanessa Tiberio
