Interview with Marc Merilainen, Co-Artistic Director, …...1 Interview with Marc Merilainen,...

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1 Interview with Marc Merilainen, Co-Artistic Director, Planet IndigenUS The Volunteer E-Newsletter Coordinator Lynn Allen chatted with Marc Merilainen, the co-artistic director of the 2012 Planet IndigenUS Festival. Marc, a former touring musician, joined Harbourfront Centre in October 2011 to work on Planet IndigenUS. Marc, his team, and their partners from the Woodland Cultural Centre hoped that the festival would challenge the public’s perception about Indigenous people. The festival showcased Indigenous performers who demonstrated a profound respect for their roots along with contemporary approaches to their art. Harbourfront Centre’s collaboration with the Woodland Cultural Centre began in 2004. Both centres have a deep interest in Indigenous arts. The Woodland Cultural Centre provided invaluable knowledge, experience and contacts with Aboriginal performers when developing the festival with Marc and his team. Highlights of the festival included performances by Hanggai, a Mongolian musical group, and the Yokohama Noh Theatre performing Susuriwka, a piece commissioned by Harbourfront Centre. Marc was very pleased with the volunteer contribution to the festival. An undertaking of this size could not have happened without the help of volunteers. He saw the volunteers as ambassadors for the festival. They helped in many ways, most often by getting information out to the public and directing patrons to events. Thank you to Marc and to the core team for a job well done. The volunteers are very proud and pleased to have played a part in the festival. We look forward to working with you again in three years, at the next edition of Planet IndigenUS. Interview by Lynn Allen, Coordinator, Volunteer Newsletter VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 August 2012 The PI Team From L-R, back row: Rodrigo Fritz, Khadeja Wilkinson, Greg Bevis, Ayesha Chatterjee Middle row: Joanne Siu, Dorothy Szczurek, Genevieve Peng, Melanie Fernandez Front row: Jason Jenkins, Marc Merilainen, Lisa Odjig

Transcript of Interview with Marc Merilainen, Co-Artistic Director, …...1 Interview with Marc Merilainen,...

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Interview with Marc Merilainen, Co-Artistic Direct or, Planet IndigenUS The Volunteer E-Newsletter Coordinator Lynn Allen chatted with Marc Merilainen, the co-artistic director of the 2012 Planet IndigenUS Festival. Marc, a former touring musician, joined Harbourfront Centre in October 2011 to work on Planet IndigenUS. Marc, his team, and their partners from the Woodland Cultural Centre hoped that the festival would challenge the public’s perception about Indigenous people. The festival showcased Indigenous performers who demonstrated a profound respect for their roots along with contemporary approaches to their art.

Harbourfront Centre’s collaboration with the Woodland Cultural Centre began in 2004. Both centres have a deep interest in Indigenous arts. The Woodland Cultural Centre provided invaluable knowledge, experience and contacts with Aboriginal performers when developing the festival with Marc and his team.

Highlights of the festival included performances by Hanggai, a Mongolian musical group, and the Yokohama Noh Theatre performing Susuriwka, a piece commissioned by Harbourfront Centre.

Marc was very pleased with the volunteer contribution to the festival. An undertaking of this size could not have happened without the help of volunteers. He saw the volunteers as ambassadors for the festival. They helped in many ways, most often by getting information out to the public and directing patrons to events.

Thank you to Marc and to the core team for a job well done. The volunteers are very proud and pleased to have played a part in the festival. We look forward to working with you again in three years, at the next edition of Planet IndigenUS. Interview by Lynn Allen, Coordinator, Volunteer Newsletter

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 August 2012

The PI Team From L-R, back row: Rodrigo Fritz, Khadeja Wilkinson, Greg Bevis, Ayesha Chatterjee

Middle row: Joanne Siu, Dorothy Szczurek, Genevieve Peng, Melanie Fernandez Front row: Jason Jenkins, Marc Merilainen, Lisa Odjig

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Message from the Volunteer Coordinator:

We are coming to the tail end of an incredibly busy summer season! This year, the summer started earlier than usual with HarbourKIDS: Circus on the Victoria Day weekend and will end in October with HarbourKIDS: Folk on the Thanksgiving weekend.

The stellar line-up of festivals included Canada Day: Going Global, Expressions of Brazil, SoundClash, Hot & Spicy 15th Anniversary, Classical IV: Strings, Island Soul, Planet IndigenUS and TAIWANFest. Still to come are Ashkenaz, Vietnamese Lantern Festival and Fortune Cooking.

Canada Day was among the busiest of the summer festivals: the four days of fantastic activities, patriotic passion and, of course, the cake giveaway, were big hits with our audience. Hot and Spicy, one of our most popular festivals, celebrated its 15th anniversary with the hugely successful Taco Takedown and over 20 cooking demos. Expressions of Brazil had great music and fashion. Classical IV: Strings was highly interactive with the Ukelele project, Listening Trees and great musical performances. Island Soul commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Independence of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Planet IndigenUS brought together visual artists, theatre artists, fashion designers, filmmakers, storytellers and musicians from around the world to celebrate contemporary Indigenous expression for 10 days in August.

Here are some fun facts for the period between July 1 and August 19: * Volunteers contributed over 9,000 hours * They worked over 2,400 volunteer shifts, some of which included:

• 297 Activity Assistant shifts • 228 Greeter shifts • 127 Workshop Assistant shifts • 112 Info Host shifts • 83 Volunteer Photographer shifts • 74 Volunteer Registration shifts • 60 VVC Cooking Demo shifts • 37 VVC On Site shifts

Thank you so much to each and every one of you for your contributions to Harbourfront Centre.

Genevieve Peng Volunteer Coordinator

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Canada Day Ceremony and Reception:

Joining the Canadian Family at Harbourfront Centre

Did you know that Harbourfront Centre hosts a citizenship ceremony every Canada Day? Nearly 100 beaming new Canadians were sworn in at the Lakeside Terrace this past July 1st. The visible pride of the newly minted citizens moved everybody who witnessed this momentous occasion, from the volunteers who helped at the ceremony to casual passersby. The celebration continued afterwards during a reception in Miss Lou’s Room.

A Mountie leading the citizenship judge into the room The swearing-in ceremony

New Canadians receiving their Canadian certificates Celebrating with cake

Taking the oath

CEO Bill Boyle welcoming new Canadians to the HFC reception

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Canada Day: Going Global

SoundClash Festival

Expressions of Brazil

John, Kim and Mahdokht at the craft activity and games for kids

Youngjoo at the kids’ activity

Lorena at the salsa workshop Anderei at the Improv Workshop

Il Hong helping with the crafts

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Hot & Spicy Food Festival An artistic associate at Harbourfront Centre since October 2010, Liz Stewart led the team that brought us this favourite for its 15th year. Highlights for Liz were: the Taco Takedown with six creative and exciting chefs presenting their multi-cultural approaches to tacos, the Gadfly Streetdance Co. which was filled with energy, and the dog parade in cooperation with PawsWay (Liz vowed that dogs would be included in all her events!)

Thanks to the volunteers, Liz reported that many hands made light work. Some volunteers were involved in advance preparation and many helped with the running of the events during the festival. Liz and her team would like to thank the volunteers for all the help they have provided. Everyone is looking forward to Year 16!

Ferdinand demonstrating his expert knowledge of the site

Valentina experiencing the joy of dishwashing

The Iron Chef team clearing up after the judges

VVC Angie collaborating with Sous Chef Alex

Liz Stewart, Lead Programmer of Hot & Spicy Food Festival

Rabita and Kyungmin handing out samples

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Classical IV: Strings

Have We Met? Have you met Arlana, Keshra and Stefanie? These volunteers braved the heat to engage with the public about classical music. During the Classical IV: Strings Festival, two rolling chalkboards were placed in front of the Boulevard Tent. Our three cheerful volunteers encouraged the public to write what classical music meant to them. Some visitors even wrote a few bars of music! These three ladies were so cheerful, inviting and engaging that the chalkboards filled very quickly with lots of fabulous comments. They also participated in very interesting conversations with patrons. Thank you ladies for a job very well done under extremely hot weather conditions and precious little shade!

Here’s what classical music means to them:

Arlana: “Classical music is an integrated tradition in society that encourages and inspires creative thoughts and relaxing emotions. One contribution from the public that I strongly agree with is ‘Classical Music is timeless and transcends all boundaries’. Ultimately, classical music has the ability to transform ordinary music notes into a melodic and symphonic masterpiece.”

Keshra: “To me, classical means that a vast number of people found the song, movie, literature or art to be extraordinary and memorable by raising the status to a mutually agreed upon level of excellence. Engaging with the crowd during the festival has given me a greater vocabulary to describe classical music as timeless, a masterpiece, and speaking to one’s mind and soul.”

Stefanie: “Soothing background music while reading in the evening, or while cooking/baking. Listening to 96.3 Classical FM while taking a long and relaxing bath.”

Island Soul

Susan, Mark, Arlana, Stefanie and Keshra Note: Due to the extreme weather conditions the volunteers requested to wear sunglasses as a preventative health measure.

Savannah at the stilts workshop Thanisa and Kathleen at crafts Food demo assistants helping the sous chef serve samples

Volunteers enjoying a game of Ludi

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Planet IndigenUS

Hanggai band on the Redpath Stage

Pauline handing out the What’s ON

Ekatarina at the kid’s activity

Audrey, Luz Marina and Damien helping with the crafts

Tingting, Pam and Kyungmin showing off the PI merchandise

An amazing performance by Polytoxic

Nhan at the Basket Weaving performance art

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International Festival of Authors:

The 33rd annual International Festival of Authors takes place from October 18 to October 28, 2012. It brings together the world’s best writers of contemporary literature for 11 days of readings, interviews, lectures, round table discussions, and public book signings. The authors represent a variety of genres including poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. This year’s participants include Paul Auster, Michael Chabon, Lee Child, Chris Cleave, Junot Díaz, Emma Donoghue, Richard Ford, Howard Jacobson, A.L. Kennedy, Vincent Lam, Linden MacIntyre, Rohinton Mistry, Alice Munro, Robert J. Sawyer, Andrew Westoll and our very own dedicated volunteer, Ayesha Chatterjee. For young lit-lovers, IFOA helps celebrate Orca Books’ new Seven: The Series with a YoungIFOA event featuring Sigmund Brouwer, Norah McClintock, Shane Peacock, Richard Scrimger, Ted Staunton, Eric Walters, and John Wilson. In addition to the opening night PEN Canada gala featuring Rohinton Mistry, special events include readings by the authors nominated for Canada’s three leading literary fiction awards: the Governor General’s Literary Award (Oct. 22), the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize (Oct. 24), and, on IFOA closing night, the Scotiabank Giller Prize (Oct. 27), along with the awarding of the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize. This year’s festival is shaping up to be a unique celebration of all things literary. It’s the help of every single volunteer that makes the festival experience enjoyable and special for every author who participates and audience member who attends. For a complete list of authors keep checking readings.org.

Larry Lewis: Animateur Extraordinaire

You may not know the name, but you probably will recognize the face! Larry has been an enthusiastic volunteer at HFC for about three years. Here is what he has to say about the job: “Being a volunteer can be a transformational and inspiring experience. I think a lot of Harbourfront Centre volunteers feel a certain amount of excitement when faced with a challenging task. There is a wonderful sense of accomplishment even when we arrive home with aching feet having done good work that day.” One of Larry’s most recent challenges at HFC has been to “animate” the crafts corridor for the visiting public. A small group of volunteers has been trained with background about the Artists-in-Residence programme so that they may pass on the information to visiting guests. Larry has jumped into this role with lots of energy. He even volunteered to take the first shift on July 1st! Following his experience, Larry wrote a short guide for the other animateurs based on what had happened during his shift. It was filled with practical suggestions about how to engage the public in understanding the four craft studios better and to avoid ineffective approaches. Larry is an artist himself, and has “animated” Toronto Western Hospital in a very different way. Once again, a challenging task faced him and Larry took it on happily. For almost two years, he voluntarily painted 11 pastoral scenes to brighten up the hospital’s Centre for Spiritual Reflection. He delivered the finished works framed and ready to hang. His only hope was that the paintings would bring comfort to others. Prof. Larry, a professor emeritus in psychology, represents Harbourfront Centre on the Volunteer Connect Committee. This is a multi-organization group that meets to share common interests and issues. Larry is a very positive and capable representative for HFC. We are so pleased and grateful to have dedicated volunteers like Larry working as part of the HFC Volunteer Team.

33rd annual International Festival of Authors: Presenta tion and Training Session Saturday, September 22 nd, from 11:00am – 1:00pm in Miss Lou’s Room

Attendance is mandatory for all volunteers who would like to volunteer for the 33rd annual International Festival of Authors

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Mark Your Calendars: Volunteer Meeting:

o Saturday, September 8, 11:00am in Miss Lou’s Room o Presentation by Katherine Sanders

Harbourfront Centre is going back to our roots! HarbourKIDS: Folk, which rounds out our summer festival season, is designed for the whole family to experience together. The festival runs over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, from Saturday, Oct. 6 - Monday, Oct. 8, 2012.

Reminders: As we head deeper into the heart of the construction of the Waterfront Toronto project, please use these directions and map as a guide if you need it, to help you get to Harbourfront Centre from Union Station.

1. Start: Front St W 2. Head west on Front St W toward York St (220 m) 3. Turn left onto York St (450 m) 4. Turn right onto Lake Shore Blvd W (220 m) 5. Turn left onto Lower Simcoe St (140 m) 6. Turn right onto Queens Quay W (49 m) 7. End: 235 Queens Quay W

Volunteer E-Newsletter Sub-Committee: Lynn Allen, Coordinator/Writer; Lidia Jarmasz, Writer/Editor; Nida Haroon, Design/Layout; Tom Bilenkey, Coordinator, Photography Team and Genevieve Peng, Advisor/Editor. Photos courtesy of Tom Bilenkey, Ricky Yu, Sally Bockler, Stefano Rodriguez, Adriana Kwan and Emily Wong

Beach Party in November?

Come join your fellow volunteers for an evening of fun, dancing and good food on the beach!

Saturday, November 17, 5:00pm - 9:00pm in Lakeside Terrace. Tickets at $8 per volunteer/guest (to cover the cost of dinner and entertainment) will be on sale on: September 8: Volunteer Meeting September 15-16: Vietnamese Lantern Festival &

Fortune Cooking Festival September 22: IFOA Training October 6-8: HarbourKIDS: Folk