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Montreal event: Rock out with Rock Camp March Break Party!

February 27, 2012 • Julia Horel

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal fourth annual Community Day. Join past campers and volunteers for an afternoon dance party and hear the camper songs from 2011!

WHAT:
Rock Camp for Girls Montreal’s Community Day - Thinking about participating in Rock Camp for Girls? Want to volunteer? Come out to our fourth annual Community Day and get a chance to mix and mingle with campers, volunteers, and find out just how awesome Rock Camp is!

WHEN:
Saturday March 3rd, 1pm-4pm.

WHERE:
Le Cagibi 5490 St. Laurent (@ St. Viateur) Bus 55 or Metro Laurier/Rosemont.

INFORMATION:
For general information, visit www.girlsrockmontreal.org or call (514) 570-8446.

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal hosts its fourth annual Community Day. On Saturday March 3rd, we will be hosting an open house where interested people and community members can mix and mingle with past campers and volunteers. DJ’s Hot Rock, Captain my Captain and NOMNRYN will be playing lady-centric rock’n’roll to keep you movin’ all afternoon long! Our DJ’s will also be playing the 2011 camper songs thought the afternoon. The event will be catered with yummy snacks provided by Le Cagibi. Open to all, this is a unique opportunity to learn more about Rock Camp for Girls Montreal from the campers, volunteers and camp coordinators, while re-living the magic of last year’s session. Event starts at 1pm at Le Cagibi.

A not-for-profit organization, Rock Camp for Girls Montreal serves girls ages 10-17 from the Montreal region, and beyond. The camp’s communities days are an important part of building a community of support for girls and young women. They are an occasion to get together outside of regular camp hours, to reconnect with peers and mentors, celebrate their achievements and outreach to interested community members. This year’s Community Day would not be possible without a grant from the Girls Action Foundation.

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a music camp where girls get together to learn and make music in the name of empowerment and community building. Rock Camp is a space where girls discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of cultural production through music. Female musicians and community members support girls through instrument instruction, tech tutorials, band practice and skill-building workshops. The goal is for girls to rock in all aspects of life!

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a music and mentoring organization dedicated to empowering girls and women from the greater Montreal region through music education and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, self-expression, critical thinking, and collaboration. Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance. There are currently over 40 Girls Rock Camps internationally.

For the latest updates and information, visit: www.girlsrockmontreal.org
- Arts
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Toronto event: International Women’s Day art show

February 23, 2012 • Julia Horel

Steam Whistle March Art Show: A month long art show in theme with International Women’s Day

Please note: this event is ALL-AGES!

VOICES & Exposed: the Female Perspective

Steam Whistle Brewing has been supporting the artist community since 2000 by hosting monthly art exhibitions in their Gallery to showcase local creative talent. The March art exhibit is a collaboration of two artist groups exploring women’s issues in theme with the International Women’s Day (held this year on March 8th). The Opening Night Party on Wednesday, March 7th will feature poetry reading and a screening of a documentary about Literature for Life in addition to the visual art and photography on display.

[Blog note: Literature for Life is an organization working for social justice for young at risk mothers and helping marginalized women break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Check out the website for more.]

The exhibition entitled Exposed: The Female Perspective highlights female artists of this generation, who are representative of the art movement today. This work shares a common focus by commenting on contemporary art as a whole through the female perspective while emphasizing the significance of process. Putting their most intimate selves on display, this group of female artists explore their inner most thoughts, feelings and desires while creating a statement on societal expectations in an unedited and paradoxical movement. The audience is invited to define their own interpretation of these works.

Artists include:

Christina Mazzulla
www.cmazzulla.blogspot.com

Megan Keenan
www.KeenanArt.com

Megan D’Angelo
www.megandangelo.com

Melissa Smich
www.melissasmich.com

Tania Iskiw
www.taniaiskiw.com

Tegan Tough
www.tegantough.ca

Saba Moghtader

The exhibit entitled Voices explores the complicated journey towards women finding their voice in modern times. Through words, art, photography and poetry, the young women have found a means of expressing their voices, their unique identities, and the many challenging and exciting moments that surround them. The exhibit speaks to the journey of women as they move from uncertain and questioning tones of voice to the war cry in the fight for justice and all of the voices in between. The “words” are based on poetry and writings from a collection called “Holla!” created by Literature for Life’s Women’s Words Reading Circle group. The photos and artwork are contributed by many women who are connected with Literature for Life as volunteers, supporters and participants.

Join us for the Opening Night Party, Wednesday March 7th from 7-11 pm at Steam Whistle Brewing, The Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd. Toronto or visit the brewery during all of March to see the exhibition.
Event link: http://www.steamwhistle.ca/events/eventdetail.php?id=646

All exhibitions are open free to the public - Monday to Thursday from 12 noon to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am -6pm, and Sunday from 11am to 5 pm.
- Arts
CALL FOR ARTISTIC SUBMISSIONS: Alliance of Multicultural Agencies Against Forced Marriage

February 16, 2012 • Julia Horel

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION!

Are you artistic?

Got creative work that you want to showcase to a large audience of youth and human rights supporters?

THEN GET IN TOUCH WITH US!

AMFM Canada is looking for interested artists to contribute pieces of art to our 2012 “Happily Never After” Forum for Youth and “I DO…NOT” Forum for Service Providers. The focus of each is to raise awareness and to educate youth and service providers on the various aspects related to forced marriage AND how to support clients, friends and family who are at risk of being forced into a marriage or those already in a forced marriage.

We are happy to accept all types of art including paintings, drawings, poetry, prose, music, spoken word, and performance pieces.

To submit your work, contact Tara Farahani at info@amfmcanada.ca

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MARCH 1st, 2012

For more information please see the attached flyer.

Thank you!

Flyer text:

Do You Have Some Thoughts On Forced Marriage?

How About Some Artwork? A Song? A Monologue?

AMFM Canada will be hosting an interactive, participatory Youth Forum on Forced Marriage and we’d like to hear from YOU!

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE BY:

Presenting
» a paper, giving a speech, hosting a presentation
Creating Art
» a painting, a monologue, a spoken word piece,
a sculpture…
Making Music
» singing a song, alone or with a band
or just by attending and being part of the event!

HOW TO SUBMIT:

To submit information of any kind, email info@amfmcanada.ca, along with
» Your name
» Email
» Phone
» Type of submission
» A description of your submission

AMFM Canada will follow up with all submissions in March to confirm participation.

Deadline to submit is March 1st 2012
FORUM will be held in March 2012

Note: Although this is a Youth forum, this refers only to our target audience. There is no age limit on participation; this is particularly true for survivors and those who have experienced forced marriage among their friends or family.
- All About Shameless
- Arts
Coco Riot featured in Bitch Magazine

January 19, 2012 • Team Shameless

Friend, artist and big supporter of Shameless, Coco Riot, has been featured in Bitch magazine for their amazing art! We are so proud to work with you and to call you a friend, Coco!

A queer hispanic migrant artist, Coco Riot believes that art is not a tool for social change but social change itself. In their work Coco Riot loves exploring the multiple social possibilities of drawing and language through installation, animation film, print media, graphic novels, comics and in-site drawing exhibitions. The topics that fuel their inspiration range from queer politics, social and personal memories, living in different languages and the experience of migration, to Coco’s desire for bright colours and the love for poetry and repetitive patterns. In their work, Coco Riot uses personal experiences as metaphors to talk about social and political experiences experiences.

Check out the feature here.
Putting together an alternative playlist

December 21, 2011 • Sarah Feldbloom

Readers! Listeners!

Shameless wants to put together a podcast of music by women, trans, genderqueer and non-binary folk that comes through non-mainstream channels, from parts of the world that often feel out of reach for those of us in Canada. Can you help us?

Send songs through sendspace.com or another online file sharing program to sfeldbloom@shamelessmag.com, and email some notes about the artist – where they come from, who they are, and what’s awesome about them and their music. How wonderful will it be to hear this playlist?! We’d love to get some of your title ideas too!
- Activist Report
- Arts
- Media Savvy
- News Flash
- On The Job
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2011: A Shameless Retrospective

December 20, 2011 • Team Shameless

What a year! People say that every year as they bid the previous one adieu but 2011 has been full of world events that have shocked and touched us. Worry is one of the words that comes to mind when we think about 2011. From worry over the economy to fretting about our political climate, it’s clear the past year was fraught with events that, despite the fast pace of our lives, has caused us to pause and reflect. However, many events have given us lots of reason to hope and to be proud.

Here are just a few of the events and items of the past year that have caught the attention of some of your Shameless team members. We throw it to you to leave links, comments and discussion-starters in the comment section.

In keeping with the themes of the three print issues Shameless released this year, we offer you some jumping-off points:

–––-

Music in 2011

Wild Flag (self-titled album): One of Rolling Stone’s best albums of the year, including former members of Sleater Kinney, Mary Timony (ex-riot grrrl bands). [Co-founder Nicole Cohen says: “I am obsessed with this album; so so so good.”]

On a Mission, Katy B: A major breakthrough in the dubstep music genre, as it crossed over into pop consciousness. A UK release. [Web director Julia Horel can’t stop listening to it.]

What music did you love this year?

–––-

Politics in 2011:

The Northern Ontario Indigenous community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency in light of a housing and supply crisis … and no one came. Help has since been slow in coming and has been mostly inappropriate and inadequate. This is a humanitarian crisis, but it’s also political because it has occurred due to colonial government policies.

(more inside…)
- Arts
- Queeriosities
Video: WRTN/SPKN Triangle Program

December 8, 2011 • Julia Horel

WRTN/SPKN is a story writing and story telling project that took place at the Triangle Program with a group of LGBTQ high school students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. For several weeks, we explored creative writing (particularly memoir) through practices including free association, “cut-up,” word strings, found poetry, and collaborative writing. We experimented with voice and form, and the relationship between the written and spoken, and visually explored word. Throughout our creative process, students were encouraged to claim their place as storytellers and experts in their own experience. I provided guidance for the work being produced, but students’ areas of interest (themes and motifs) led the project. Our work together culminated in the production and presentation of individual zines.

Student-creators gave me permission to photograph their work, and develop a video that anthologizes their zines. Together, we viewed the video and talked about what they’d like to see happen with it.

There was consensus amongst the students that the video should be posted and distributed online, and available to everyone as an educational tool. Triangle students particularly want to reach out to other youth who have been or are being bullied at school— and those who can make a big difference: school boards and trustees, school administrators, educators, and guidance counselors.

Many students said that if it weren’t for the Triangle Program, they wouldn’t be in school. Triangle students recognize education as a right for all students, and that safety, or lack thereof, reduces access to education for LGBTQ students, and many other students for a broad variety of systemic reasons. Triangle students would like their stories and creative work to be a beacon for all youth who are struggling with safety and acceptance.

—Anna Camilleri, artist educator
http://annacamilleri.com

More Information

What is a zine?
A zine is usually a non-commercial, non-professional publication, kind of  like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add other, often unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator.
From [http://artmatters.ca/wp/2008/08/what-is-a-zine/]

The Triangle Program is one of three micro-schools that are part of Toronto District School Board’s OASIS Alternative School. Triangle classroom provides a safe educational environment for LGBTQ-identified youth. As the only LGBTQ-focused TDSB school, the curricula and pedagogical framework include LGBQT history and contemporary concerns including shifting notions and locations of LGBTQ community.
Pop culture wake-up call: you can call it art, but it’s racism.

November 21, 2011 • Julia Horel

I love Florence + the Machine. I discovered her a little late, some time after “Dog Days are Over” had hit it big in North America. Her voice is incredible and her songwriting is amazing, orchestral, all-encompassing, overwhelming. But maybe I should say I loved Florence – after seeing her latest music video for her latest single from Ceremonials, “No Light, No Light,” I’m just not sure.

With warnings for racism, white and Christian supremacy, here’s the video:

Description: Florence Welch, a thin, light-skinned woman, dreamily reaches for a crystal skull. Interspersed with this footage is a muscular, shirtless, dark-skinned person wearing a purple mask covering their face, sitting on a throne surrounded by candles, then jumping down and scampering on all fours to a Voodoo doll on the floor. There is a children’s choir inside a church singing the choral parts of the song’s chorus. Florence is seen on the edge of a tall building, apparently considering jumping. The dark-skinned person stabs the Voodoo doll and Florence flinches. The dark-skinned person rips off their mask and begins a writhing, flailing dance, revealing that it is a man in full-body blackface. The man continues to dance and stab the Voodoo doll, causing Florence to flinch and eventually fall from the building. As she falls, the scene changes to show her running away from a person in blackface (their outfit is different from the first man’s, but it may be the same person). Florence-on-the-street runs while falling-Florence hurtles toward the ground. The children in the church choir look up toward the stained-glass ceiling and reach their arms up. Florence falls through the stained glass in slow-motion, as light breaks through and she stretches her arms out, Christ-like, landing softly among the children, who bear her across them in her cross position. The man in blackface writhes, clutching his chest as if in pain. It is implied that he’s having a heart attack. Florence is lowered to a resting position and closes her eyes.

The blatant racism in this video is, well, blatant. In point form, some of the issues:

• Blackface. BLACKFACE!(more inside…)
Free film festival screenings: Spotlight on Muslim and Arab Women’s Stories

November 2, 2011 • Ronak Ghorbani

In April I made a short film for a class project exploring my love for moustaches and the pressure I feel to remove my natural facial hair. It was quite possibly one of the most empowering things I have ever done: to pick up a camera, create a narrative, edit film and have my own self-told-story shown on a TV screen.

When a professor at Ryerson (where I go to school) got wind of the film she asked to see it. As the coordinator of the Spotlight on Muslim and Arab Women’s Stories, which is part of the International Diaspora Film Festival, the professor, Dr. Nima Naghibi, encouraged me to submit my film.

My film Sibil (the Farsi word for moustache) is now part of the Spotlight on Muslim and Arab Women’s Stories.

The Spotlight on Muslim and Arab Women’s Stories features free screenings of six feature-length films and is co-sponsored by various Ryerson University departments and faculties.

Some of the other screenings include:

• Unveiled Views – Muslim Women Artists Speak Out (2009, Director: Alba Sotorra), a documentary that follows five Muslim women artists from Turkey, Bosnia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran as they discuss their aspirations and the rights and status of women in their countries.
• Round Trip (2010, Director: Golkou Parhizgar), a documentary inspired by director’s experience of returning to Iran after 11 years of living in the UK and rediscovering relationships of those left behind. All of the films are being screened at Toronto’s Carlton Cinemas (20 Carlton St.).

One of the best things about the Spotlight on Muslim and Arab Women’s Stories is that all of the film screenings are free. All you have to do is e-mail info@diasporafilmfest.com to reserve a seat. Click here for a complete schedule.

To kick-start the festivities, there’s a free film event at Carleton Cinemas on Thursday starting at 5 p.m., featuring a screening of the film Forget Baghdad, a documentary following four Iraqi Jews living in exile in Israel who negotiate between their Arab and Jewish cultures. The screening is followed by a talk by academic Dr. Ella Shohat, from New York University.

To say I’m excited to be a part of this roster of amazing films and women directors is an understatement. My short film is being screened twice, once on Friday at 9 p.m. before the documentary Les Secrets and on Sunday at 6 p.m. before the documentary Round Trip .

Check out this preview of Unveiled Views – Muslim Women Artists Speak Out:
- Arts
- Event Listings
Call for participants: Parkdale Street Writers

September 27, 2011 • Julia Horel

PARKDALE STREET WRITERS

A free writing group for youth 16-29 led by local authors, poets, graphic novelists and lyricists at the Parkdale Library
https://www.facebook.com/parkdale.street.writers
http://parkdalewriters.ca

LOCATION AND TIMES 

Parkdale Library (basement auditorium) 1303 Queen Street West, Toronto 
Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Starts October 11th 2011 and runs until July 1, 2012 – please register!

FINE PRINT 

Participants must be 16-29 years old. Workshops are free, but please register by getting in touch (sometimes we fill up)! All supplies and snacks are provided for participants. TTC tickets available for people who need them and live outside the neighbourhood.

  Contact Emily Pohl-Weary (coordinator) to register and get more information: info@parkdalewriters.ca or 416-779-1448

(Sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Diaspora Dialogues and the Toronto Public Library.)