Happy spring ECH community! It has been a strange turn of weather events as we approach the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Make sure to secure your ISO certified eclipse glasses from your local public library or from The Monarch Butterfly Eclipse Project. Our work continues on the forthcoming ECH anthology, An Alternative Cultural History of London, Ontario: Art and Activism, which includes over 20 contributors from London, Ontario, and abroad. RI 9 Space of Memory, Corrientes, Argentina |
Embassy Cultural House Editions, 96 pp., $20, September 2023, ISBN 9781777492144 ECH's newest publication, Portraits of Sam Hallick: Modern Arab Presence in Twentieth-Century North America by Salah D. Hassan will be available on September 5, 2023. This publication marks the Embassy Cultural House's seventh in-house publication, and the first publication to be written by an ECH contributor. This book examines photographs of an Arab immigrant coming to the United States taken during the early twentieth century, a period when photography was becoming more accessible to the general public. Arabic-speaking immigrants to the US had photographers take professional portraits in their shops, on the street, in offices, or in factories. Journalists and ethnographers also took photos documenting the presence of Arabic speakers in varied locations across the United States. The main focus is on photos of Sam Hallick, the author's maternal grandfather, who arrived in the US around 1900 and lived in South Dakota before returning to his home village in the Beqa'a Valley in 1920. Hassan pieces together the story of Sam Hallick from family photos and the public record, reading the family portraits in relation to modern forms of Arab self-representation. To order a copy of this book, please contact embassyculturalhouse@gmail.com. | Front cover of Portraits of Sam Hallick: Modern Arab Presence in Twentieth-Century North America" by Salah D. Hassan. Cover design by Olivia Mossuto. |
Embassy Cultural House: “Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History" continues at the Rhino Lounge!
7/18/2023
Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History
July 14 - November 14
Rhino Lounge, Museum London
421 Ridout Street, London, ON
Embassy Cultural House: Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History is an exhibition that charts the past and present programs of the Embassy Cultural House. Beginning with the Embassy Hotel in 1983, the exhibition acknowledges the efforts made by a network of artists and activists in London, Ontario and internationally, including the current, re-invigorated community collective initiated in 2020. The exhibition has been coordinated by Ron Benner, Jamelie Hassan, Wyn Geleynse and Olivia Mossuto. Artworks have been exhibited at the Satellite Project Space and with our community partners—Jill’s Table, Colour by Schubert and the Framing and Art Centre—through our Cloud to Street initiative.
Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History at the Rhino Lounge includes works by Rebecca Baird and Kenny Baird, Stephen Andrews, Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, Jeff Thomas, Olivia Mossuto, Judith Rodger, Jamelie Hassan, Jean Spence, Patrick Mahon, Jessie Amery, Wyn Geleynse, Fern Helfand, Ron Benner, Jade WIlliamson and Bernice Vincent (1934 - 2016).
Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History
June 14 - June 24
Satellite Project Space
121 Dundas St, London, ON
Opening Event: Saturday, June 17, 2-5 PM
Closing Event: Saturday, June 24, 2-5 PM
Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History: Cloud to Street
June 14 - July 17
Jill’s Table
115 King St, London, ON
Colour by Schubert
121 King St, London, ON
Framing and Art Centre
371 Horton St. E, London, ON
Embassy Cultural House: Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History is an exhibition that charts the past and present programs of the Embassy Cultural House. Beginning with the Embassy Hotel in 1983, the exhibition acknowledges the efforts made by a network of artists and activists in London, Ontario and internationally, including the current, re-invigorated community collective initiated in 2020. The exhibition has been coordinated by Ron Benner, Jamelie Hassan, Wyn Geleynse and Olivia Mossuto. Artworks will be exhibited at the Satellite Project Space and with our community partners—Jill’s Table, Colour by Schubert and the Framing and Art Centre—through our Cloud to Street initiative. The Cloud to Street project was initiated by Tariq Hassan Gordon in 2020 and has continued to be an important exhibition format for ECH. Further programming will address this legacy, in addition to an upcoming publication expected fall 2023.
Celebrating 40 Years of Cultural History includes works by: Jessie Amery, Stephen Andrews, Rebecca Baird & Kenny Baird, Ron Benner, Tom Benner, Carole Condé & Karl Beveridge, Sheri Cowan, Susan Day, Duncan de Kergommeaux, Patricia Deadman, Stan Denniston, Reid Diamond, Holly English, Soheila Esfahani, kerry ferris, Mireya Folch-Serra, Wyn Geleynse, Oliver Girling, Anahí González, Gildo Gonzalez, Jamelie Hassan, Fern Helfand, Jared Hendricks-Polack, Spring Hurlbut, Martyn Judson, Sharmistha Kar, George Kubresli, Patrick Mahon, Doug Mitchell, Kim Moodie, Catherine Morrisey, Olivia Mossuto, Kim Neudorf, Shelley Niro, Oscar Ortiz, Troy Ouelette, Judith Rodger, Thelma Rosner, Jenna Rose Sands, Roland Schubert, Jean Spence, Diana Tamblyn, John Tamblyn, Jeff Thomas, Larry Towell, Bernice Vincent, Don Vincent, Jade Williamson
About the Embassy Cultural House (ECH)
In 1983, artists Jamelie Hassan, Ron Benner and jazz musician Eric Stach founded the Embassy Cultural House (1983-1990), which was located in the restaurant portion of the Embassy Hotel at 732 Dundas Street in East London. In 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy Cultural House was re-envisioned as an online collective and art space by Tariq Hassan Gordon. The virtual and in-person programming is a collaborative effort by contributors, editors, partners and volunteers to celebrate the art community in London, Ontario—its past and present, and its many connections across Canada and around the world. As of 2023, the revitalized Embassy Cultural House has initiated over 20 projects and six publications.
This exhibition is generously supported by the London Arts Council, the City of London and the ECH community.
The Cloud to Street initiative began on Earth Day 2021 with Stop Extinction! Restore the Earth, an Embassy Cultural House exhibition coordinated in collaboration with GardenShip & State, a project curated by Patrick Mahon and Jeff Thomas. Tariq Hassan Gordon, the ECH’s coordinating editor, came up with the idea as a way for the public to safely engage with contemporary art during the pandemic, while also enhancing our connections with our local partners and independent businesses.
In this period of remembrance, we are fortunate to share a thoughtful recollection on Michael Snow by writer and curator, Ihor Holubizky.
Ihor is the recent link between Michael Snow and the ECH, who both became involved in the community in 2021. For his curatorial project on Duchamp, a guest + a host = a ghost, Ihor ushered in Michael Snow as a contributor to the ECH. This moment, drawn on a history of partnerships and intersections, once more brought together ECH co-founders Ron Benner and Jamelie Hassan with Michael Snow - further building on a past and present of friendship.
This honorable work that Ihor has shared with the ECH is inspired writing that beautifully conveys the spirit of his friendship and curatorial history with Michael Snow. Ihor’s text highlights aspects of Snow's musical and conceptual references, and how he viewed his art as “breaking rules” and that this was the way towards the making of “radical art”.
Below is an excerpt of Ihor's text that we are happy to share with the ECH community during this time:
This is not a rewind and restatement of Snow’s extensive international career, and seemingly diverse practices – the New York Times tribute aptly described him as a polymath – the honours and well-deserved awards and accolades. These are my notes on Michael Snow, who I came to know through my gallery work and in private moments, selecting experiential facets of his work with music, sound and moving image, and performing with the free improvisation group CCMC.
While not adhering to chronology, my first encounters were with his 3D work in 1967, one at Expo’67. If that event captured a spirit of the times – a giddy optimism – the stainless steel walking women that populated the Expo island site gave a corporeal and unearthly presence to that spirit; the clean contour of women always moving forward through "Man and His World” and reflecting the flow of world visitors… always moving forward.
To read the full text "Michael Snow: notes on notes" by Ihor Holubizky, please visit the ECH website at this link.
Taking place throughout November of 2022, the festival will host over 40 writers and artists and will revolve around the theme of “Bridging Divides."
Words has an exciting lineup of readings, interviews, talks, and other interactive events with some of Canada’s most recognized thinkers, writers, and artists. While some events are either strictly online or onsite, the majority have a hybrid option for in-person or online participation! Click the appropriate registration links below to join us!
Partnership Events with Words:
Omar El Akkad is an award-winning novelist and journalist. In 2021, he received Canada’s most prestigious literary award, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, for What Strange Paradise. His first novel American War (2017), was also widely acclaimed. What Strange Paradise is the story of a Syrian boy whose family flees the war, seeking refugee first in Egypt than in Europe. The boy’s perilous journey across the Mediterranean, represents the plight of many Arab, Asian, and African refugees.
Omar will join Salah to talk about his journalism and fiction.
Register on EventBrite to Attend In-Person Free
Register to Attend Online Free: Zoom Webinars
Lorraine Klaasen is a South African born singer/performer and a 2013 Canadian JUNO Award winner. She is also a member of the ECH Advisory Circle. In 2020, The Forest City London Music Award (FCLMA) was presented to Lorraine in the category of World Music. She has been performing and recording music in Canada for over 30 years and she’s also conducted music workshops in schools all over Canada, the Caribbean and the United States. Her outreach program focuses on South African music, arts and culture with an emphasis on how immigrant cultures have enriched Canada.
Frank Ridsdale has been performing and writing songs since he was 14 years old. In 1977, along with Jack Whiteside, he formed Uranus, a rock’n’roll/rock-a-billy band that scored #3 position on some Canadian AM radio charts in 1980 with the title single from their debut album, “You’re So Square." He is the recipient of numerous Jack Richardson Music awards in various categories and was inducted into the London City Music Hall of Fame along with the other members of Uranus in 2017. He now performs regularly with the bands Stetson Brothers and Slugfest and also does solo work.
Register on EventBrite to Attend In-Person Free
Events featuring ECH Contributors and Friends:
Everyone is welcome to join us for an evening of poetry, literary trivia, food and drinks as part of the Words Festival! Over the course of the evening, our host extraordinaire, Matthew Dawkins, will open the floor to poets of all shapes, sizes, and varieties!
Please register on EventBrite to let us know you're interested in reading and attending.
Register here to reserve your spot
We hope to see you this November at Museum London!
| With great sadness, we share the news of the passing of Canadian artist Tom Benner, who died at home in London, Ontario, on September 21, 2022, at age 72. Tom is well known in London for his iconic White Rhino, from 1985-86, a metal sculpture installed on the grounds of Museum London. His work often signaled the tension between humans, non-humans, and the environment. While using a range of materials and processes, he presciently created large-scale sculptures of endangered species that engaged with a broad public and raised awareness of the climate crisis we presently face. It is no exaggeration that Tom Benner's White Rhino is this city's most beloved public artwork. In 1990, Tom Benner presented a solo exhibition at the ECH. The exhibition was a series of works titled “The Coves" and was organized by Doug Mitchell. Among other works in the collection of Museum London is the powerful Hanging Fin (Whale) sculpture from 1983. In honour of Tom, Embassy Cultural House co-founder and artist Ron Benner (brother of Tom Benner) has placed a black armband on the White Rhino to commemorate Tom's passing. ECH joins with many individuals and institutions to commemorate Tom and to celebrate his life and work and the many important connections he made within our communities in Canada and internationally. In memory of Tom, the Embassy Cultural House has made a donation to the recently inaugurated New School of the Anthropocene based in London, UK. For recent news on the passing of Tom, please visit these articles. CBC: Canadian artist Tom Benner, known for eye-catching animal sculptures, dead at 72 Museum London: Tom Benner (1950-2022) We have set up a tribute page here. With love and solidarity, The ECH Team |
Congratulations to Tariq Hassan Gordon on receiving the Governor-General’s Operational Service Medal on July 1, 2022, for his support to the Canadian Armed Forces. He received the medal from Brigadier-General Wade Rutland, Commander of Joint Task Force – OP IMPACT, during the Canada Day celebrations at the Camp Canada base in Kuwait.
Tariq, we are all so happy that you are coming home safely. We look forward to seeing you soon.
David Tomas’ poster was inspired by the iconic painting, “The Scream” by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, 1893.
Response from the ECH community:
Thanks for sharing this image. I remember that exhibit so well. There was a lot of political mobilization in Montréal in 1990-1991. The siege of Kanesatake happened in summer 1990. Caravans of activists traveled to Oka daily to support the Mohawk resistance. Dave had done a video piece that addressed “the Oka crisis.” Less than a year later, protests against Operation Desert Storm filled Boulevard René-Lévesque in Montréal in Spring 1991. The post-cold war era began with those acts of state violence. The conditions set in motion in those years have continued over the last 30 years, with what seems to be ever-increasing death and destruction.
Even as his work looked back to the 19th and early 20th century, Dave was very much aware of the historical moment of the late 20th century and early 21st century. He was attentive to nuance, discerning in his assessment of situations, and a great conversationalist. One of our first talks was in London at your studio [Jamelie Hassan] in the late 1980s. I don’t know if he was in London for Edward Said’s Tamblyn Lectures at Western, or if he was part of a show in London.
I also recall on a visit to London or Toronto in the late 1980s going to an opening and seeing one of his pieces on exhibit that was a labyrinth of texts, quotations from Foucault and other theorists. We had a good long discussion about the piece that in my memory was cryptic, opaque, and perplexing; I could not fully grasp what the work was doing, but sensed that Dave wanted to push the limits of signification and perception.
He was an erudite scholar as well as an artist, who like you [Jamelie Hassan] and Ron [Benner] read widely across the disciplines. His work tended toward the scientific, theoretical, technical, and in some ways so did his personality. He had a remarkable calmness, even when we disagreed. This drawing for the poster in some ways stands in contrast to how I remember his art, but is evocative of his critical relationship to art history.
He was always very generous and showed a genuine interest in my graduate studies at McGill during the late 1980s, when I think that he was just finishing his PhD. He also was encouraging when he learned that I was going to the University of Texas to do my PhD with Barbara Harlow. Before leaving Montréal for Austin in August 1992, I visited Dave a few times at his home in the Vieux Port. I never saw him again after that summer.
Warmly,
Salah D. Hassan
Director of Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities Program
at Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
Received May 19, 2022
Editor's note: David Tomas' video on the 1990 Oka crisis is titled Rum and Coca-Cola, 1992,
17 minutes, English and French, distributed by V Tape, Toronto
On September 13, 2022, award-winning author and journalist Sarah Kendzior's third book They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent is set to be released. They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption, climate change, and other crises. As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery – like the Jeffrey Epstein operation – it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void. (MacMillan Publishers) Sarah Kendzior's second book, Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America was the primary inspiration for the Embassy Cultural House's first online group exhibition of the same name, which was programmed and launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 30, 2020, Sarah Kendzior attended the launch and participated in celebrating this landmark Embassy Cultural House event. |
Dear @LCBO — can you please explain this incredibly offensive sticker covering “of Palestine” on the bottle of #Taybeh wine I ordered? pic.twitter.com/a5eW1o4d5C
— Samer Abdelnour (@SamerAbdelnour) April 19, 2022
This statement by Samer, and his comments on CBC are a powerful reminder of the ongoing violence and occupation occurring in Palestine. In the article, he highlights the reason for the fraught relationship between Canada and Palestine:
"It really reflects a deep settler-colonial insecurity when even mentioning Palestine is deemed a threat."
This artwork is part of a series that depicts local storefronts, signage and vintage objects. Alongside the Embassy Hotel, Sheri has painted the facades of many other London cultural landmarks, including Call the Office and Prince Albert's Diner (both closed as of 2021).
Beginning her career with 15 years as a graphic designer, Sheri Cowan has been a practicing artist for over 25 years. Thank you Sheri for this tribute to the legendary Embassy Hotel, a London east landmark and an image of a bygone but not forgotten era.
To buy greeting cards and prints from this series, please visit Museum London or shop online, here.
The event will be presented in partnership with Batuki Music Society and will take place on April 23 at 9:00 PM at the Spadina Theatre in Toronto.
For more information about the event, please visit this link: https://www.alliance-francaise.ca/en/art/2021-2022-season/events/concertsen2021/sounds-of-the-township-featuring-lorraine-klaasen-en
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