Spring has arrived! March updates with Embassy Cultural House

As spring arrives in London, Ontario, the Embassy Cultural House is blooming with activity—both literally and figuratively.

View this email in your browser As spring arrives in London, Ontario, the Embassy Cultural House is blooming with activity—both literally and figuratively. With yellow buttercups now carpeting the garden at 514 Pall Mall, we are reminded of renewal, growth, and connection. This month, we continue to build community through art, culture, and collaboration. From the launch and distribution of our annual review tabloid, to the preparation of our upcoming online exhibition Not/For The Money, to participating in upcoming conferences and public events, our team of contributors remains actively engaged in highlighting voices and visions that matter. We invite you to explore what’s happening and join us in celebrating creativity and community this season. Left: Buttercups begin to bloom across the garden at 514 Pall Mall Street, March 18, 2025. Right: ECH editorial meeting with Venus Tsao, Jamelie Hassan, and Mireya Seymour, March 25, 2025. Photo credits: Ron Benner Not/For The Money-- Upcoming ECH Online Exhibition Kelly Greene, Changing Currency: Prototype Kanata 151 $10 Bill, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist Money is a very urgent issue for many artists. An aspect of this issue is the general public’s inability to value the arts and cultural workers’ vital role and impact within any community. There is a lack of understanding in the way cultural workers survive and build meaningful lives, often with a minimum of resources. The issue of money, the impact of economic disparity, and insecurity dominates many of our lives. Without a stable income, most people struggle to afford basic necessities that are required for quality of life. The theme of money is addressed frequently within the art world, but usually it is in the context of the art “market,” commercial auctions, and wealthy collectors. Many artists work to imagine and engender new relationships, value systems, and ways of being. As journalist Eric Reguly wrote in The Globe and Mail business section, “You don’t necessarily need buckets of money to succeed. Sometimes imagination and the courage to break the rules can do the trick. “Portraits of Sam Hallick” reviewed in Arab Studies Quarterly We are pleased to share that Portraits of Sam Hallick: Modern Arab Presence in Early Twentieth-Century North America, published in September 2023 by Embassy Cultural House, was recently reviewed by Katie Kane in Arab Studies Quarterly. This thoughtful review offers critical reflections on the visual and political layers of the publication: Portraits of Sam Hallick offers its readers a corrective to narratives of immigration to the Great Plains as primarily white and Christian while examining and highlighting an equally important record of Arab-speaking immigrants and Muslims who were participants in the region’s history. In doing this work of historical restoration and reconstruction, Hassan’s book joins the slim but expanding ranks of similarly focused and important works. To read the full review, please visit ScienceOpen.  What We're Reading: Desmond Cole and Omar El Akkad The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole   "This smart, powerful, essential book is an act of radical generosity-one we should all be grateful to receive, hold, share and revisit." –Alicia Elliott One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad   "Every page contains a sentence or a paragraph I wanted to tear out and nail to the wall. I wish I could send a copy of El Akkad's moral call to arms to every person in America, every person in the West." –Dan Sheehan In Conversation: Theo Jean Cuthand & Wanda Nanibush In Conversation: Theo Jean Cuthand & Wanda Nanibush Saturday, March 29, 2025, 2PM–3PM Ralph Campbell Lounge, University of Toronto Scarborough, ON   Join a thought-provoking conversation between artist and filmmaker Theo Jean Cuthand and curator and scholar Wanda Nanibush. This special event will explore themes of Indigenous identity, resistance, and storytelling through contemporary art and film.  To register for the event, please visit eventbrite.  The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism  Annual Theory Conference 2025 The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism  Annual Theory Centre Graduate Conference: Worlding beyond the end of the world Friday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26, 2025 Western University, University College, London, ON Hosted by the Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism, this year’s Annual Theory Conference gathers scholars and artists to explore the possibilities of world-making amid ecological, social, and political collapse. The theme, Worlding Beyond The End Of The World, invites critical reflections on how theory, art, and activism can imagine futures beyond dominant narratives of crisis and despair. We are pleased to share that Dr. Qanita Lilla, curator and researcher, will be presenting and attending the conference.   For more information, please visit The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism website.  ECH Abroad: Lorraine Klaasen in South Africa Lorraine Klaasen with monumental Nelson Mandela statue Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg, South Africa, March 1, 2025   South African-Canadian artist Lorraine Klaasen, daughter of jazz legend Thandi Klaasen, visits the iconic Nelson Mandela statue during her trip to Johannesburg. The photo marks a meaningful moment connecting her roots in South Africa with her life and work in Canada. Congratulations to Little Wren Books! We’re excited to welcome Little Wren Books, a newly opened independent bookstore at 502 Adelaide St. North, London, Ontario, dedicated to fostering a love for literature and community connection. With a carefully curated selection of books and a cozy atmosphere, it’s the perfect place for book lovers to gather, discover new reads, and support local literary culture.    For more information, please visit Little Wren Books instagram. Ecologies in Practice Podcast: Now Streaming Season 1 of Ecologies in Practice brings together thinkers, makers, and doers from art, science, theory, and practice to explore today’s most urgent environmental issues. Hosted by Ashar Mobeen and produced by Amanda White and Elysia French, the podcast features lively conversations on soil regeneration, Indigenous land stewardship, water, textiles, plastics, and more. This public program is inspired by the 2024 book Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada (Wilfrid Laurier University Press), edited by Elysia and Amanda. Whether you're an artist, researcher, or engaged listener, this series offers powerful reflections on the intersections of creativity and ecology.   For more information, please visit the Ecologies in Practice website.  UP with ART – Culture, Compassion and Community UPwithART – Culture, Compassion, and Community Arty-party Launch: Saturday, May 10, 2024 May 1 to May 10, 2025 Museum London, 421 Ridout Street North, London, ON   The arty-party silent art auction launches online May 1 with a weeklong exhibition of artworks leading up to the lively celebration of culture, compassion and community at Museum London on May 10, 2025.   For more information, please visit Museum London website.  Indigenous Art 2025: Call for Submissions Indigenous Art 2025 June 21–September 30, 2025 Woodland Cultural Centre, 184 Mohawk Street, Brantford, ON   The Indigenous Art 2025 exhibition at Woodland Cultural Centre, now in its 49th year, showcases multidisciplinary works by Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island. Featuring painting, sculpture, textiles, and digital media, the show highlights themes of personal history, language, land, and cultural resilience—continuing an ongoing dialogue around decolonization and Indigenous creativity. Submissions for the upcoming exhibition are now open, and the deadline for submissions is May 10, 2025.    For more information, please visit the Woodland Cultural Center website.  Relevant and Related Links From London Review of Books blog: "Not Conducive to the Public Good:  Rayan Fakhoury on the Palestine Exception" From Mondoweiss: "ICE arrests Palestinian activist for involvement in Columbia protests" by Michael Arria  From CBC News: Fashion History Museum in Cambridge packs up as city terminates lease by John Dalusong From The Breach: Ontario’s rent allowance isn’t a safety net—it’s a poverty trap by Desmond Cole From The Guardian: Israeli police raid Jerusalem bookshops and arrest Palestinian owners by Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum Visit the ECH Website Embassy Cultural House is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton peoples, at the forks of Deshkan Ziibi (Antler River), an area subject to the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum and other treaties, colonized as London, Ontario. The ECH strives to create meaningful relationships between the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and our contributors. The ECH honours the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on these lands since time immemorial. Copyright © 2025 Embassy Cultural House. All rights reserved. Our mailing address: 514 Pall Mall Street, London, ON, N5Y 2Z6, Canada Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.