EMBASSY CULTURAL HOUSE
Established in 1983, the Embassy Cultural House was a community-driven gallery and hosted interdisciplinary programs. It closed its physical doors in 1990. In 2020, the Embassy Cultural House was re-envisioned as a virtual artist-run space and community website.
A not-for-profit initiative, the ECH delivers its projects through a dedicated team of volunteers, partners, community contributors and angel investors. Occasional funding through project arts grants also supports the ECH to honour the principle of payment of fees to contributors.
A not-for-profit initiative, the ECH delivers its projects through a dedicated team of volunteers, partners, community contributors and angel investors. Occasional funding through project arts grants also supports the ECH to honour the principle of payment of fees to contributors.
CURRENT PROJECTS
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A Community of Trees Online Exhibition
Though it is not widespread knowledge, trees have the ability to communicate with each other through a variety of means. Their elaborate root systems contain fungi, which can send messages to nearby connected trees to warn of dangers or other predators. Just as humans function best when working together as a collective and a community, trees are best able to thrive when they are a part of a forest, connected to other trees. A Community of Trees will highlight the versatility of trees' existence and how they are an important and essential part of the ecosystem. This exhibition has been curated by ECH Contributing Editor Emmy Meredith, with the assistance of ECH Curatorial Advisors Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan. Contributors to the exhibition include Maria Awaraji, José Bedia, Ron Benner, Marlene Creates, Patricia Deadman, Selwyn Dewdney, Richelle Forsey, Alexis Green, Jamelie Hassan, Fern Helfand, Lisa Hirmer, Penn Kemp, Miriam Love, Don McKay, Emmy Meredith, Catherine Morrisey, David Merritt, Olivia Mossuto, Monica Joy, Judith Rodger, Roland Schubert, Ashley Snook, Heather Steinhagen, Diana Tamblyn, and Larry Towell. The online launch took place on March 1, 2024. View the online exhibition here. |
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Embassy Cultural House Tabloid: February 2024—Now Available
The February 2024 edition of the Embassy Cultural House tabloid documents the ECH’s programming from January 2023 to January 2024, in addition to works, writings, and news from the local arts community in London, Ontario, and the ECH community abroad. This edition includes a reprint of Wanda Nanibush's 2016 article About Land, tributes to Tom Hill and Raymond Moriyama, an essay on the RI 9 Space of Memory in Corrientes, Argentina, by Dot Tuer and Alberto Gomez, a recipe for risotto, and more. Locations where you may or may not find the tabloid include Museum London, Colour by Schubert, Covent Garden Market, Jill's Table, Western University's Visual Arts Department, Locomotive Espresso (Pall Mall location), The Bag Lady, and The Framing and Art Centre. While quantities last! To receive a free copy of this tabloid, please contact [email protected]. |
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Photo Booth, Solidarity, and Journeys Across Borders
December 10, 2023 - International Human Rights Day University College, Western University 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON NOW ONLINE! As part of Queer Cinema for Palestine: No Pride in Genocide, the Embassy Cultural House (ECH) is proud to present a screening of the powerful, experimental documentary, Photo Booth (2022) by Canadian director, activist, and artist John Greyson. To follow is a conversation between Greyson and Michael Lynk, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Law at Western University and Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories from 2016 to 2022. The program will also include a screening of Montreal-based, Palestinian artist and teacher, Razan Al-Salah’s 2017 short film, أبوكي خلق عمره ١٠٠ سنة، زي النك your father was born 100 years old, and so was the Nakba. John Greyson’s ability to weave a tapestry of ideas, histories, emotions and potentials and Michael Lynk’s knowledge of and experience with Palestinian human rights issues will ensure both a compelling and critical discussion. In the words of the respected Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, “he thinks of the journey of thought across borders,” and we hope that this event will inspire further conversations about Palestine in London, Ontario, and abroad. Photo Booth will be available for online screening throughout the duration of Queer Cinema for Palestine through Toronto Queer Film Festival (December 2 -10). This event has been organized by ECH Co-founder Jamelie Hassan and ECH Contributing Editor Ira Kazi. This is the second time that ECH has participated in Queer Cinema for Palestine’s global program—the inaugural event was in 2021. Our partners for this event include the Departments of Film Studies and Visual Arts at Western University, People for Peace in London, ON, Independent Jewish Voices in London, ON, and London’s Queer Muslim Association (LQMA). Participating cities in the Queer Cinema for Palestine: No Pride in Genocide program include London, UK for the opening event, followed by Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Berlin, Amsterdam, Beirut, Seoul, and closing with London, ON. |
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Visit the Hiding in Plain Sight Virtual Tour
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Embassy Cultural House catalogue now online It is with great pleasure that we are sharing an online version of the now out-of-print The Embassy Cultural House, 1983 to 1990 catalogue. This catalogue was published in 2012 to accompany the survey exhibit “The Embassy Cultural House, 1983 to 1990" presented at Museum London. The late Robert (Bob) McKaskell curated the survey exhibit, and the catalogue was edited by the late Melanie Townsend. The catalogue also includes essays by historical curator Michael Baker and Toronto-based artist, educator, and activist Rebecca Deiderichs. The Museum London public program included a sold-out concert of an improvizational jazz performance by Eric Stach and local musicians. With special thanks to Museum London, the estates of both Bob McKaskell and Melanie Townsend, all the contributors and supporters of the catalogue, and Colour by Schubert for making this publication available online to a broader public. Click here to read the catalogue online. |
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In memory of curator and writer Bob McKaskell, 1943–2020
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In Memory of Bob McKaskell It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that our good friend Bob McKaskell, independent curator and writer, died on June 30, 2020, from cancer. He divided his time between Port Dover, Ontario, and Oaxaca, Mexico. While in Oaxaca, he decided to study Spanish, and he had just initiated a program of curating exhibits of Oaxacan artists in his apartment located in the centro historico of Oaxaca. He was a great cook, an excellent gardener, and his pursuit of knowledge was startlingly wide reaching. Anyone who knew Bob understood that his sometimes stubborn nature contributed to his ability to intensely focus in a very particular and detailed way to whatever subjects grabbed his interest. Bob taught contemporary art history for many years at Western University. He was a huge supporter of both Canadian and international artists and had a commitment to challenging art practices, including conceptual art, performance works, and independent artists' projects. While in London, he was involved in programming at the Embassy Cultural House, the Forest City Gallery, Museum London and the McIntosh Gallery. He later became curator at the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Winnipeg Art Gallery and the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, where he built strong friendships and made contributions to the arts community across Canada. We have so many fond memories of Bob. Especially close to our hearts is the survey exhibition he curated Embassy Cultural House: 1983 - 1990 at Museum London in 2012. |
