Featured Events in Richmond in May, 2025 (April Updated)

OCAD U GradEx: Creative Writing x Onsite GalleryFriday, May 09, 5 to 7:00 p.m.199 Richmond Street WestJoin us for an evening to celebrate this year’s OCAD U Creative Writing graduating cohort. Experience a diverse showcase of poetry, music, theatre, and more as students share selections from their thesis projects. Come support and enjoy an inspiring night of words, storytelling, and performance. OCAD U GradEx: Creative Writing x Onsite Gallery coincides with the current exhibitions Fortitude/Fragile, The Delaney Family Emerging Curator's Prize: Presence in a past or an undetermined future. and Coco A. Lynge | Up Front: Inuit Public Art @ Onsite Gallery on view until May 17, 2025. Onsite Gallery is generously supported by The Delaney Family. Information Source: Onsite Gallery, OCAD University | eventbrite

Join us as we celebrate Feminist Book Fortnight 2025 with climate fiction maestro Deborah Tomkins to chat about her latest releases , the Virginia Prize winning 'The Wilder Path' (2025) and the Weatherglass Inaugural Novella Award (chosen by Ali Smith!)'Aerth' (2024) Deborah will be interviewed (interviewer tbc) followed by a QnA with the audience! About The Wilder Path: Rosalie is walking her favourite cliff path when a storm blows in. While sheltering in a small cave, she becomes trapped. With no certainty of rescue, time weighs heavily, and memories of her son Jonnie, a climate activist lost at sea many years ago, come flooding back unbidden. Her only companion, an injured bird, bears silent witness as Rosalie reflects on how Jonnie's death has impacted her life. How she felt compelled to fight for the planet too. But her friends and family don't understand and seem not to care. Can't they see that there is no Planet B? And will she be able to find a way out, back on to the path? About Aerth: Magnus lives on Aerth, which is currently moving into an Ice Age, with a strange virus limiting the population. When the planet Urth is discovered, he vows to become an astronaut and travel there, but on arriving he finds it hot, crowded, corrupt and violent, despite it being initially welcoming. Slowly Magnus realises he will not find what he’s looking for, but there seems no way back. Ali Smith says: ‘What planet are we on? Can we leave? Does it mean we can never go home again if we do? What does a phrase like worlds apart really mean? Deep-forged, witty and resonant, this dimensionally stunning novella deals with dystopia and hope in a way that reveals them as profoundly related. A work of real energy and narrative grip, brilliantly earthy and airy at once, it blasts open a reader’s past/future consciousness and taps into literary antecedents as disparate as Hardy and Atwood. Funny, terrifying, humane, this is a thrilling journey in a story the size of a planet – no, the size of several, all of them altogether strange and uncannily familiar.’ About Deborah Tomkins: Deborah is an award-winning author of fiction, short stories and flash fiction. Her novel ‘The Wilder Path’ won the Virginia Prize for Fiction 2024 and her novella ‘Aerth’ won the inaugural Weatherglass Books Novella award in 2024. Her work has also been long listed for the Mslexia Prize (2015), the Eludia Award (2020), the Bath Novella-in-Flash Award (2018, 2019). Shortlists include the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature (2018), the Yeovil Prize (2019), the Sandy River Novella Award (2020). In 2017 she founded Bristol Climate Writers, a local network of writers of all genres, from poets to travel writers, novelists to journalists. She is also a member of ClimateCultures, an extraordinary worldwide network of artists and scientists. About Feminist Book Fortnight: Feminist Book Fortnight (FBF) is a bookseller-led offering established in the early 1980s as a promotion of feminist publishing and thought by independent bookshops around the U.K. and Ireland (and even occasionally Italy!). Over the years events have been held with names like Maya Angelou, Carol Ann Duffy, Nawal el Saadawi, Margaret Atwood, Deborah Levy, and many others. We also want to celebrate the explosion in new feminist publishing, work by the likes of Lola Olufemi, Sarah Ahmed, Laura Bates, Mary Beard, and Rebecca Solnit has entered the mainstream and populated bestseller lists. FBF has consistently prioritised a sense of regionalism, grassroots community, class conscious, and increasingly anti-racist, decolonial, and Queer consciousness. It is a space to encourage a plurality of feminisms. It was relaunched in 2018 by a group of radical and independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland. We drew our inspiration from the Feminist Book Fortnights run nationally in the 1980s. Participating bookshops reported lots of full events and a “thirst” for discussion of feminist issues as well as celebration of feminist achievements. We did the same in 2019, expanding the range of venues involved to include some of the feminist libraries as well as independent bookshops. In 2019 Feminist Book Fortnight ran from Saturday 4th May to Saturday 18th May. 50 bookshops took part as well as 3 of the feminist libraries. To find out if your local bookstore is taking part in 2025, click on Participating Bookshops. Information Source: Books on the Rise | eventbrite

This lecture examines General McClellan’s reputation as a skilled organizer but hesitant commander, leading to his clash with President Lincoln. It will explore how their political rivalry shaped the course of the war. Supporters, critics, and the lasting debate over McClellan’s legacy will all be discussed. George C. Rable is a renowned historian, former professor at the University of Alabama, and past president of the Society of Civil War Historians. He has authored several award-winning books on the Civil War, Southern history, and Reconstruction. His latest work, Conflict of Command, examines the relationship between George McClellan and Abraham Lincoln. Free to members with promotional code $`10 for non-members Member reception 5:15pm - 6pm Information Source: The American Civil War Museum | eventbrite

Join us on May 29th at Books on the Rise, as we chat with Francesca Wade about her new book on Gertrude Stein! About Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife From the celebrated author ofSquare Hauntingcomes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells. ‘Think of the Bible and Homer, think of Shakespeare and think of me,’ wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a charlatan: she remains one of the most confounding – and contested – writers of the twentieth century. In this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso’s portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational Autobiography – a veritable celebrity. Yet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas’s turn to tell the stories – especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein’s radical writing, and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible. This is Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was watching: captivating, complex and human. About Francesca Wade Francesca Wade has written for publications including the London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times, Paris Review, The Guardian, The New Statesmen, Frieze and Prospect. She is the outgoing editor of the White Review and a recipient of a Robert B Silvers Grant for Work in Progress and a 2020-21 Fellowship at the Leon Levy Centre for Biography. Her first book, Square Haunting was a Sunday Times Literary Non-Fiction Book of the Year, a Guardian best book of the year (As chosen by authors) and was longlisted for the Baille Gifford prize. About Gertrude Stein: Gertrude Stein was an American writer who spent most of her life in France, and who became a catalyst in the development of modern art and literature. Her life was marked by two primary relationships, the first with her brother Leo Stein, from 1874-1914, and the second with Alice B.Toklas, from 1907 until Stein's death in 1946. Stein shared her salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, Paris, first with Leo and then with Alice. Throughout her lifetime, Stein cultivated significant tertiary relationships with well-known members of the avant garde artistic and literary world of her time such as Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, F Scott Fitzgerald , Henri Matisse, Ezra Pound and Georges Braque. About Feminist Book Fortnight: Feminist Book Fortnight (FBF) is a bookseller-led offering established in the early 1980s as a promotion of feminist publishing and thought by independent bookshops around the U.K. and Ireland (and even occasionally Italy!). Over the years events have been held with names like Maya Angelou, Carol Ann Duffy, Nawal el Saadawi, Margaret Atwood, Deborah Levy, and many others. We also want to celebrate the explosion in new feminist publishing, work by the likes of Lola Olufemi, Sarah Ahmed, Laura Bates, Mary Beard, and Rebecca Solnit has entered the mainstream and populated bestseller lists. FBF has consistently prioritised a sense of regionalism, grassroots community, class conscious, and increasingly anti-racist, decolonial, and Queer consciousness. It is a space to encourage a plurality of feminisms. It was relaunched in 2018 by a group of radical and independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland. We drew our inspiration from the Feminist Book Fortnights run nationally in the 1980s. Participating bookshops reported lots of full events and a “thirst” for discussion of feminist issues as well as celebration of feminist achievements. We did the same in 2019, expanding the range of venues involved to include some of the feminist libraries as well as independent bookshops. In 2019 Feminist Book Fortnight ran from Saturday 4th May to Saturday 18th May. 50 bookshops took part as well as 3 of the feminist libraries. To find out if your local bookstore is taking part in 2025, click on Participating Bookshops. Information Source: Books on the Rise | eventbrite

This ticket entitles you to one team entry for Summer Social netball. Each team entry includes tickets for squads of 10 players per team Open - This division is for those who are competitive and play regularly to a high standard. This is out top tier. Social - Want to be competitive and have a really fun day out! This is the one for you. High quality games with high quality fun! Ultra Social - Getting into netball tournaments or just want a really fun, relaxed day out playing netball. Get your team involved and enjoy the party! Information Source: Summer Social | eventbrite

Print Play: Screenprint Assemblage with Rachael Dodgson Thursday, May 1, 2025, 6:30–8:30 pm at Open Studio Class Capacity: 8 participants Materials included | No prior experience needed | All skill levels welcome Join exhibiting artist Rachael Dodgson for an evening of creativity! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll explore screenprint assemblage, using prepared imagery and text inspired by glitch addiction, a theme central to her latest work. At the end of the session, you’ll leave with your own unique multi-layered screenprint, incorporating Dodgson’s signature visual motifs. -- This Print Play session complements Rachael Dodgson's current exhibition, glitch addiction, on display in the Project Space from March 14 to May 25, 2025. Access to our front-of-house galleries is always free! Information Source: Open Studio | eventbrite

Welcome to Cirque de Fuego Fire Dancing! Come witness an unforgettable night of mesmerizing fire performances at the Morristown Centennial Library. Our talented fire dancers will captivate you with their skillful moves and fiery displays. Get ready to be amazed by the beauty and danger of fire dancing! Join us for a magical evening under the stars as we light up the night with our fiery spectacle. Don't miss out on this unique and thrilling experience! Information Source: Morristown Free University | eventbrite

Theatre Ball The Theatre Ball is back for the first time since 2019! Come celebrate the end of the year with students and faculty in the Hodges Theater at the Singleton Center for the Performing Arts! Think Prom, but for our very own Theatre Department :) Any and all are welcome across all majors, departments, and schools. Bring your friends! The more the merrier! Dress your best for this years theme, voted on by the student body: MASQUERADE! Information Source: Katherine Nguyen | eventbrite

Unleash your creativity and connect with like-minded people at our Vinyl Painting Workshop by Original Genes! This unique experience lets you design and paint your own masterpiece on a vinyl record while enjoying great company and engaging conversations. What’s Included in Your Ticket: 🎨 A vinyl record to paint your own custom design ☕ One drink of your choice: espresso-based drinks (latte, cappuccino), hot chocolate, tea, flavored sparkling water, or lemonade 🥐 One pastry: cookies, scones, croissants, or brownies 🖌️ All painting supplies provided 🎶 A cozy, relaxed atmosphere with great conversations No prior painting experience is needed—just bring your creativity and an open mind! Whether you're looking to try something new, meet new friends, or simply enjoy a fun, artsy evening, this event is for you. Information Source: Inner Flame Movement | eventbrite

Join us for a special evening at the 804 Industry Mixer: Sports Edition, honoring the legacies of Coach Bo Jones Sr. and Omar Aleem. This event brings together athletes, coaches, sports professionals, and community leaders for an unforgettable night of networking, camaraderie, and celebration. Hosted by Preve Vodka and Community Minded Partnerships, the mixer offers a welcoming space to connect over great conversations, delicious food, and premium drinks. Whether you're a seasoned sports professional or an avid supporter, this is your opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals who share a passion for sports and community impact. Event Details: 📅 Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025 📍 Location: 6335 Jahkne Rd Richmond, VA ⏰ Time: 1 pm - 5 pm 🎟 Entry: Complimentary with RSVP 👕 Dress Code: Elevated Sports Casual or Brunch Attire (i.e. T-shirts with blazers, sneakers, dress shoes, dresses/skirts, pant suits and blazers) 👶 All Ages Welcome Come raise a glass, share stories, and honor two remarkable figures who have left an enduring mark on the sports community. RSVP now to secure your spot! Information Source: The i-PR Agency | eventbrite

About this EventLearn about Bernice Redmon, a trailblazer in public health as the first Black Canadian nurse, and Jean Lumb, who saved Chinatown from demolition and became the first Chinese-Canadian woman to receive the Order of Canada. Bring your families, circle of sisters, and admirable mother figures to Museum of Toronto this Mother's Day weekend, and recognize and praise the women who have shaped Toronto, and our lives for the better. About the ExhibitionDid you know that 52% of Torontonians are women? The 52: Stories of Women Who Transformed Toronto is Museum of Toronto’s latest exhibition that brings their stories to life. It celebrates the impact women have had on our city, our country, and the world — highlighting 52 individuals whose contributions have shaped Toronto as we know it. Spanning from the 1800s to today, the exhibition shines a spotlight on change-makers, rebels, and revolutionaries within Toronto’s 52%. Some names may be familiar; others are being shared widely for the first time. Together, their stories reveal the rich and often overlooked histories of the women who built this city. About Musem of TorontoFounded in 2015, Museum of Toronto is a growing City Museum dedicated to exploring and sharing the diverse histories of the city. Museum of Toronto’s exhibitions, content, and experiences aim to inspire curiosity and foster deeper connections to our collective histories. With exhibition space at 401 Richmond Street West, partnerships with institutions across the city and a growing digital library of Toronto histories, Museum of Toronto offers a wide range of programming that is accessible to all. Information Source: Museum of Toronto | eventbrite

A great introduction to darkroom printing or a refresher course for anyone who hasn’t been in the darkroom for a while—learn the necessary skills for printing in a traditional wet black & white darkroom with instructor Ruth Kaplan. This workshop will guide participants on the fundamentals of black and white printing, including darkroom chemistry setup and safety, enlarger use, creating test prints and contact sheets, as well as advanced techniques such as dodging and burning and the use of filters to enhance your images and create exhibition-ready prints. Participants should bring processed B&W negatives. All other materials will be provided. Instructor Bio Ruth Kaplan is a documentary-based photographer whose work explores a variety of themes such as the social behaviour of bathers in communal hot springs, participants in rituals of spirituality and most recently, refugee shelters in Canadian/U.S.A. border cities including Detroit, Buffalo and Fort Erie. Her first monograph, Bathers, has recently been published by Damiani. Kaplan has exhibited internationally and is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery. Her editorial work can be found in major Canadian and international publications, she has received numerous grants and awards and is currently a photography professor at OCAD University and Toronto Metropolitan University. Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite

This workshop is for kids who are able to ride a bike and are ready to take to the paths and roadways with their parents (suggested grade range 2nd-6th). The event includes instruction on: fitting a helmetperforming a bike safety checkcommunicating with other road usersriding in a straight line and avoiding obstaclesas well as navigating safely through intersections, all while playing fun games!All minors must be accompanied by an adult to participate, both with their own working bikes and helmets. If the class is full, you can be added to the wait list or be notified about future sessions as they are added. Please note: Our family events are for parents and kids to participate in together. If you are interested in an in-school or youth-only bike rodeo we recommend following up with our friends at Cycles of Change instead, by emailing DriveYourBike@CyclesOfChange.org. — This class is supported by the City of Alameda with funding from Alameda County’s transportation sales tax. Information Source: Bike East Bay Education Program | eventbrite

Workshop Series Description: How to Treat an Image Photography captures a moment, but what happens when we intervene in that moment? How to Treat an Image is a workshop series exploring physical and conceptual interventions into the photographic image. Through acts of destruction, manipulation, and reconstruction, participants will push photography beyond its traditional boundaries, questioning its role as a fixed record. Blurring the lines between photography, sculpture, and performance, this series challenges participants to rethink photographic materiality. Whether working with their own images or found materials, they will engage in processes that transform photography into a tactile, multidimensional form of storytelling. Workshop Description In this hands-on collage workshop, participants will explore two core techniques McGean has developed in her own practice: one that involves slicing and interlacing photographic images to form woven-like compositions, and another that reconstructs them into precise, tile-based patterns reminiscent of mosaics. Through these processes, we’ll experiment with how cutting, shifting, and recomposing can be used to disrupt the original image and create a new visual language—one that challenges narrative, memory, and form. The workshop encourages intuitive play as much as structural intention, offering a space to reconsider the meanings embedded in found photography. Participants are invited to bring their own collected imagery, old family photos, vintage ephemera, or discarded prints, however a curated selection of found materials will also be available. No previous experience is necessary, just an interest in working with your hands and rethinking the familiar. By the end, you’ll leave with your own reassembled artwork. Participants must bring the following materials: roll of 1 inch masking tape2 double sided tape rollersglue stickpaper for mounting collage (printer paper is fine)pencil & eraser Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite

Explore the art of lith printing in this hands-on darkroom workshop. Lith printing involves deliberately overexposing black and white photo paper and developing it in a specialized lith developer, which is highly diluted for extended development times. The process relies on visual inspection, with prints being removed from the developer during infectious development, characterized by rapid acceleration in blacks and shadows. Known for its distinct aesthetic featuring contrasty, gritty shadows and creamy colorful highlights, the visual effects of lith printing can be finely tuned through various factors. This workshop provides a step-by-step guide, offering handouts, examples, and practical darkroom experience. Topics covered include selecting the right developer, identifying suitable photo papers, controlling contrast through exposure, and determining the optimal snatch point from the developer. Techniques for toning finished prints will also be explored. Participants will have the chance to create their own lith print, so be sure to bring a B&W negative. All necessary paper and chemistry will be provided, allowing attendees to immerse themselves in the world of lith printing. Instructor Bio Jim Hurtubise was born in North Tonawanda, New York in 1960 and he currently lives in Toronto. Jim received a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1985 but maintained a keen interest in photography throughout his university years and taught himself to print in the darkroom while working for the university yearbook. He later moved to the Chicago area and credits the move with transforming his photographic work. His photographs have been included in shows as part of Toronto Nuit Blanche and the Contact Toronto Photography Festival. Distinctions include the Leonard Schugar Award for Excellence in Black and White Photography and Honorable Mention in the Gordon Parks Photography Competition. In 2007, he also had a portfolio of his work published in the Special Awards Issue of Black and White magazine. As a member of Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography, Jim occupies a space in the members darkroom where he continues to create his bold expressive lith and gelatin silver prints. Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite

Beyond The Line with Francisco-Fernando Granados & Vessna Perunovich Saturday, May 17, 1 to 4 p.m., Onsite Gallery, 199 Richmond Street West Through the art of performative storytelling, Fortitude/Fragile exhibiting artists Francisco-Fernando Granados and Vessna Perunovich delve into the complexities of lived and diasporic experiences. Granados and Perunovich use their artistic practices to shed light on narratives often marginalized or constrained by dominant systems of power, creating space for critical reflection and dialogue. By intertwining personal and collective histories, they evoke a nuanced understanding of resilience and vulnerability, offering audiences an intimate exploration of identity, displacement, and belonging. Beyond The Line with Francisco-Fernando Granados & Vessna Perunovich coincides with the current exhibitions Fortitude/Fragile, The Delaney Family Emerging Curator's Prize: Presence in a past or an undetermined future. and Coco A. Lynge | Up Front: Inuit Public Art @ Onsite Gallery on view until May 17, 2025. Onsite Gallery is generously supported by The Delaney Family. About the Artists Francisco-Fernando Granados was born in Guatemala and lives in Toronto, Dish With One Spoon Territory. Since 2005, his practice has traced his movement from convention refugee to critical citizen, enacting abstraction site-specifically and relationally to create projects that challenge the stability of practices of recognition. His work has developed from the intersection of formal painterly training, working in performance through artist-run spaces, the study of queer and feminist theory, and early activism as a peer support worker with immigrant and refugee communities in Coast Salish Territories. This layering of experiences trained his intuitions to seek context-responsive approaches, alternative forms of distribution, and the weaving of lyrical and critical propositions. Exhibition projects include who claims abstraction? (2023–24) a solo project with SFU Galleries; foreward (2021–23), a series of site-specific installations in dialogue with the permanent collection at the MacLaren Art Centre; and refugee reconnaissance (2021), a bilingual compilation of performance scores spanning 2005–2013 published by AXENÉO7; Other highlights include participation in international group shows on contemporary queer aesthetics at the Hessel Museum (2015) and Ramapo College (2016) in the United States and Malmö Konstmuseum (2022) in Sweden. Francisco-Fernando Granados | Visit Artist Website Vessna Perunovich is a Yugoslav-born, Canadian artist based in Toronto and Belgrade. In a career that spans more than 35 years she has presented over 250 solo and group projects worldwide. She took part in numerous international biennial exhibitions including Cuba, Albania, England, Portugal, Yugoslavia, and Greece, and attended the international residencies in Berlin, Banff, Istanbul, Malta, New York, Beijing, Bursa, and Quebec City. Since 2010, Perunovich toured her interdisciplinary survey exhibitions Borderless, Emblems of Enigma, and Home Paradigm to public galleries and museums across Canada and Eastern Europe. Her work is the subject of three comprehensive monographs, (W)hole, (2004), Emblems of the Enigma (2008), and Home Paradigm: A New Place of Belonging (2023). Perunovich’s work is part of many art collections in Canada and Europe including Art Gallery of Hamilton, Cambridge Art Galleries, Textile Museum in Canada, the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, US Embassy in Belgrade, Cultural Centre of Belgrade in Serbia, and many others. She is the recipient of numerous Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council grants, most notably Ontario Arts Council Chalmers Fellowship Grant in 2019. She received a prestigious TFVA Award in 2005 and was shortlisted for the best exhibition of the year by Politika in 2011 and 2023. Vessna Perunovich | Visit Artist Website Information Source: Onsite Gallery, OCAD University | eventbrite

Join us as we discuss writing complex female relationships and emotional intimacy in your debut novel with Kerry Downes & Sarah Handyside! About 'Instructions for Heartbreak': What if heartbreak came with a manual? It starts with a late-night knock on the door. Dee, Liv and Rosa share a flat in south London, while Katie lives close by with her boyfriend. But, when Katie’s nine-year relationship ends – suddenly and brutally – she turns up on their doorstep with no idea what to do next, or how to do anything after spending so long with her life entwined with someone else’s. Out comes the martini shaker (an old, well-washed gherkin jar) and, with an unused sketchbook, an idea. They’ll make Katie the handbook that she needs to process her heartbreak and start rebuilding her life. There are notes on tears, hangovers and roast chicken, scribblings about music, new bedding and pure, white-hot rage. But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart. Rosa is a hopeless romantic, despite still reeling from her ex’s infidelity. Scarred by her ex’s parting words, Dee is committed to being commitment-free. And while Liv knows that breaking up with her About Sarah Handyside: Sarah Handyside is a Northumbrian in London, a former communications consultant and a current government policy advisor. She lives with her husband and two children. The opening pages of Instructions for Heartbreak were longlisted for the Curtis Brown First Novel Award. About 'That Time Everything Was On Fire': Sam and Daisy have been best friends since university. Back then Daisy was a wild, Fleetwood Mac-obsessed girl descended from the Yorkshire Moors, while Sam’s youth was misspent traipsing around Liverpool on shopping trips and nights out. But as they lean against each other on a wooden bench in the tired garden of their beloved local pub, gazing out at Sam’s wedding, they have no idea that their paths are about to truly diverge for the first time. As Sam’s desire to become a mother consumes her, and Daisy’s inability to resist temptation haunts her, these best of friends will lose sight of themselves – and each other. With each misstep and unintentional betrayal the gulf widens. But can they build a bridge, or will they let it burn? About Kerry Downes: Kerry grew up in East Yorkshire and has spent the last decade in south London, working as an NHS specialist audiologist. She completed the three-month novel writing course with Curtis Brown Creative in 2020, and went on to be short-listed for the 2021 TLC Pen Factor Prize. She now lives in Brighton with her husband and little boy. Information Source: Books on the Rise | eventbrite

Hosted by PH1 Studios Join PH1 Studios in Toronto for a hands-on textured art workshop! Discover the tactile nature of textured art in this engaging, beginner-friendly workshop. Participants will explore sculptural surfaces using molding paste and paint to create elegant abstract compositions on wood panels. Hosted in the iconic 401 Richmond building, a historic arts hub in downtown Toronto, this inspiring location is the perfect backdrop to spark imagination and creative flow. It’s also a great place to explore before class, with artist-run galleries and cultural spaces all under one roof. Workshop Details · Location: PH1 Studios, 401 Richmond St. W, Toronto · Duration: 3 hours Is ticket is inclusive for: · One participant (19+ Event) What’s Included: · Hands-on instruction in creating custom textured surfaces · A wooden panel to build and paint your own abstract piece · Experimentation with moulding paste to add depth and detail · A variety of high-quality paints to bring the artwork to life · Guidance from professional artists to help inspire creativity No experience needed—just a love for art, texture, and creativity! Spots are limited—sign up today! If you have any further questions, please reach out at www.ph1studios.ca or our Instagram account @PH1_Studios Information Source: PH1 Studios | eventbrite

“A simple search for landscape panorama on Google will reveal hundreds of thousands of 360-degree videos depicting popular pastoral scenes. For years, as both a community organizer and an artist, I have been listening closely to the stories of precarious labour occurring on farms across Canada. In this film, I am exploring how we can reconnect stories of migrant labour to landscape images that have long been shaped by colonial histories. ” - Monica CheemaJoin us for a work in progress screening of the film To Look, And To Look Again and a moderated discussion informed by excerpts from A Time To Rise (Utahn Da Vela) by Anand Patwardhan and Jim Monro, the story of the Canadian Farmworkers Union which came into existence in 1980. This project was developed through Mayworks’ Labour Arts Catalyst and informed by migrant justice organizing and art-making including A Time To Rise. Location: Bachir Yerex, 401 Richmond St. West, Suite 452, Toronto. Wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair accessible with gender neutral washrooms. Mayworks Festival of Working People & the Arts annually presents new works by a diverse range of artists, who are both workers and activists. We prioritize the participation of artists and audiences from communities facing systemic discrimination. Our programming offers bold, insightful, responses to pressing issues at the intersection of art, social justice and labour. We are actively engaged in a social dialogue that challenges the logics of capitalism, and seeks to reimagine and represent a just future. Information Source: Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts | eventbrite

Myra DuBois LIVE at The Cockatoo Club, plus support from “comedian” Frank Lavender. After a year of sell-out performances with her monthly residency at the Cockatoo Club in 2024, MYRA DUBOIS selflessly returns in 2025 to continue her missionary work with the good people of Manchester. For one night a month, the full glamour of Rotherham lands on Richmond Street with Myra “supported” by “comedian” Frank Lavender. So join the Siren of South Yorkshire for one of her concert presentations of laughter and song, bath in the presence of her empathic glory and rejoice knowing that, in the entire history of human existence, your life happened to coincide with hers. No refunds. Information Source: The Cockatoo Club, Manchester | eventbrite

🎭 L'Alliance Française Ottawa présente : Euphrate de Nil Bosca 🎭 📍 Maison de la Francophonie, Ottawa 🗓 Vendredi 24 mai 2025 🕗 Ouverture des portes : 19h00 💲 20$ - Tarif membre : 15$ 👥 Tout public à partir de 12 ans Fille d’un père turc et d’une mère française, Euphrate est une lycéenne en classe de terminale qui rencontre des difficultés avec le système scolaire. Outre ses résultats assez médiocres, elle doit prochainement exprimer son choix d’orientation professionnelle : un vrai casse-tête. Elle en vient alors à se demander quelle incidence sa double culture a pu avoir sur la construction de son identité. Dans un dialogue savoureux et plein d’humour avec son père, elle part à la rencontre de ses racines turques et de ses souvenirs d’enfance. Entremêlant la danse et les mots, le spectacle de Nil Bosca raconte avec la liberté d’un corps joyeux le long chemin vers l’affirmation de sa propre parole de femme. ********* 🎭 Alliance Française Ottawa presents: Euphrate by Nil Bosca 🎭 📍 Maison de la Francophonie, Ottawa 🗓 Friday, May 24, 2025 🕗 Doors open: 7:00 PM 💲 $20 - Member price: $15 👥 Recommended for audiences aged 12 and up Daughter of a Turkish father and a French mother, Euphrate is a high school senior struggling with the education system. With mediocre grades and an impending career choice, she questions how her dual heritage has shaped her identity. In a witty and heartfelt dialogue with her father, she embarks on a journey through her Turkish roots and childhood memories. Blending movement and storytelling, Nil Bosca’s performance joyfully explores the long road to self-expression and identity as a young woman. Information Source: Alliance Française Ottawa | eventbrite

Move & Connect | Pete Shenton from New Arts ClubSunday 25th May, 10:30AM - 1:30PM Creative Pro Exchange will be hosting a new CPD event with Pete Shenton, exploring his vast practice and successful career in production and touring work. What to expect? This will be a fun and creative movement workshop in which Pete will introduce some of the fundamental working practices of New Art Club. We will dance together and explore the possibilities of our shared and individual experience. Built on Improvisational and collaborative approaches that centre around ways of being together and ways of playingtogether. We ask the question what does it mean to bring your whole human self to the act of creation? Though New Art Club’s work is known for its comedy the underlying principles that Tom and Pete work with are the same whether making something funny, moving, choreographic or theatrical. In the second part of the session there will be a Q & A in which Pete will do his best to answer any questions built on his experience of over 30 years of touring and presenting work in dance, theatre and comedy contexts, nationally and internationally. Timings: 10:30AM - 12:30PM - Practical session as above 12:30PM - 1:30PM - Q&A (The space open from 10AM for welcoming and warm-up time) Information Source: Creative Pro Exchange Leicester | eventbrite

Create your own tintypes from start to finish in this hands-on workshop exploring the 19th-century photographic process. In this one-day session, participants will delve into the history, theory, and practice of tintype photography, learning about the materials, exposure techniques, development, and finishing methods. Using natural daylight, students will capture images outdoors before processing them in the darkroom. All materials and equipment are provided and included in the workshop fee. Participants must bring a tripod, notebook, pen, and a box to safely transport their plates home. Instructor Bio Phillip Chin travels across Canada and the United States to create images of different members of society. His passion is capturing that one moment of time that the subjects shares with him. Since 2012, Chin has been passionate about the historical process wet plate collodion photography aka tintypes and ambrotypes. Phil is currently working on many tintype projects. One is “Chinatown” where Chin will be continuing prolific Chinese photographer Yucho Chow's work creating portraits of different members of the Chinese community. Another project is “Chef” where he is creating legacy photos of Chefs across Canada who embrace their palette and country. A fun project is “Cosplay” where Phillip creates portraits of people who dress up as their favourite costume characters. Chin believes in honouring our past to shape our future. Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite

Jello and welcome! No matter your family Phil-osophy, you'll feel right at home with our trivia night honouring the modern sitcom classic, Modern Family. Remember, success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration, and 2% attention to detail. Put your knowledge of Claire, Phil, Haley, Luke, Gloria, Cameron and all the iconic characters to the test in our Modern Family trivia extravaganza. From legendary quotes to Dunphy family history, our trivia challenges will push even the most dedicated fans to their limits. Claim victory for gift cards and themed prizes in this Modern Family face-off. Details - Check-in begins at 6:00pm - Grab your dinner and drinks - The first question is at 6:45pm - Top 3 teams win Chefs Hall gift cards and exclusive themed prizes How to register your team - Tickets are $10.00 per player + tax & Eventbrite fees - You will be asked to put in your team name - get creative! - Ensure all of your team members give the same team name when they sign up - Minimum of 1 player and max of 8 players per team Information Source: CHEFS HALL | eventbrite

Workshop Series Description: How to Treat an Image Photography captures a moment, but what happens when we intervene in that moment? How to Treat an Image is a workshop series exploring physical and conceptual interventions into the photographic image. Through acts of destruction, manipulation, and reconstruction, participants will push photography beyond its traditional boundaries, questioning its role as a fixed record. Blurring the lines between photography, sculpture, and performance, this series challenges participants to rethink photographic materiality. Whether working with their own images or found materials, they will engage in processes that transform photography into a tactile, multidimensional form of storytelling. Workshop Description Participants will experiment with personal and found archives by exploring manipulation through the multi-dimensional and material aspects of images. In this workshop, participants will create visual representations of memory that explore its abstract qualities and fleeting nature by applying image transfers to various materials. Participants will embrace the concept of memory manipulation as a tool for self-reinvention, while also considering its significance within diasporic and immigrant communities. Throughout the workshop, participants will learn techniques for embedding meaning into found materials, transforming and embedding their images onto materials, with unpredictable imperfections as sources of aesthetic and conceptual inspiration. Materials such as copper, glass and fine art paper will be explored. No prior experience is necessary to participate and all materials will be provided. Participants will need to send 3-4 archival photographs by May 21st at 5PM. These images will serve as the foundation for creating 1-3 final works. Participants are encouraged to bring their own objects and surfaces to transfer images onto, and explore the advantages and challenges of working with different materials. Instructor Bio Ernesto Cabral de Luna (b. 1996, Cholula, Mexico) is a lens-based artist working in Toronto. His work explores the fragmentary nature of memory—individual and collective—by manipulating alternative histories and printing onto found scrap materials through digital and analog experimental processes. Interested in narratives of migration, his practice examines the interplay between memory, dislocation, and displacement, particularly in the context of exile. His work centres around altering perception – providing new ways to experience recognizable imagery in unconventional manners and outside of their intended purpose. Ernesto received his Honors BFA in Photography from OCAD University in 2024. He has exhibited work in various local galleries and artist run centres such as Patel Brown, Abbozzo Gallery and Xpace. Ernesto has worked on campaigns with notable brands like Toronto Raptors, Walmart and Coors Light. His work will be exhibited at The Artist Project in May 2025. Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite

Join us on May 29th at Books on the Rise, as we chat with Francesca Wade about her new book on Gertrude Stein! About Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife From the celebrated author ofSquare Hauntingcomes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells. ‘Think of the Bible and Homer, think of Shakespeare and think of me,’ wrote Gertrude Stein in 1936. Admirers called her a genius, sceptics a charlatan: she remains one of the most confounding – and contested – writers of the twentieth century. In this literary detective story, Francesca Wade delves into the creation of the Stein myth. We see her posing for Picasso’s portrait; at the centre of Bohemian Parisian life hosting the likes of Matisse and Hemingway; racing through the French countryside with her enigmatic companion Alice B. Toklas; dazzling American crowds on her sell-out tour for her sensational Autobiography – a veritable celebrity. Yet Stein hoped to be remembered not for her personality but for her work. From her deathbed, she charged her partner with securing her place in literary history. How would her legend shift once it was Toklas’s turn to tell the stories – especially when uncomfortable aspects of their past emerged from the archive? Using astonishing never-before-seen material, Wade uncovers the origins of Stein’s radical writing, and reveals new depths to the storied relationship which made it possible. This is Gertrude Stein as she was when nobody was watching: captivating, complex and human. About Francesca Wade Francesca Wade has written for publications including the London Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times, Paris Review, The Guardian, The New Statesmen, Frieze and Prospect. She is the outgoing editor of the White Review and a recipient of a Robert B Silvers Grant for Work in Progress and a 2020-21 Fellowship at the Leon Levy Centre for Biography. Her first book, Square Haunting was a Sunday Times Literary Non-Fiction Book of the Year, a Guardian best book of the year (As chosen by authors) and was longlisted for the Baille Gifford prize. About Gertrude Stein: Gertrude Stein was an American writer who spent most of her life in France, and who became a catalyst in the development of modern art and literature. Her life was marked by two primary relationships, the first with her brother Leo Stein, from 1874-1914, and the second with Alice B.Toklas, from 1907 until Stein's death in 1946. Stein shared her salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, Paris, first with Leo and then with Alice. Throughout her lifetime, Stein cultivated significant tertiary relationships with well-known members of the avant garde artistic and literary world of her time such as Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, F Scott Fitzgerald , Henri Matisse, Ezra Pound and Georges Braque. About Feminist Book Fortnight: Feminist Book Fortnight (FBF) is a bookseller-led offering established in the early 1980s as a promotion of feminist publishing and thought by independent bookshops around the U.K. and Ireland (and even occasionally Italy!). Over the years events have been held with names like Maya Angelou, Carol Ann Duffy, Nawal el Saadawi, Margaret Atwood, Deborah Levy, and many others. We also want to celebrate the explosion in new feminist publishing, work by the likes of Lola Olufemi, Sarah Ahmed, Laura Bates, Mary Beard, and Rebecca Solnit has entered the mainstream and populated bestseller lists. FBF has consistently prioritised a sense of regionalism, grassroots community, class conscious, and increasingly anti-racist, decolonial, and Queer consciousness. It is a space to encourage a plurality of feminisms. It was relaunched in 2018 by a group of radical and independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland. We drew our inspiration from the Feminist Book Fortnights run nationally in the 1980s. Participating bookshops reported lots of full events and a “thirst” for discussion of feminist issues as well as celebration of feminist achievements. We did the same in 2019, expanding the range of venues involved to include some of the feminist libraries as well as independent bookshops. In 2019 Feminist Book Fortnight ran from Saturday 4th May to Saturday 18th May. 50 bookshops took part as well as 3 of the feminist libraries. To find out if your local bookstore is taking part in 2025, click on Participating Bookshops. Information Source: Books on the Rise | eventbrite

Join us for Odyssey Theatre’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night, an evening of brainy battles, belly laughs, fantastic prizes, a silent auction, and tasty food & drinks. Come solo or rally your brainiest friends into a team of six. Rub elbows with fellow theatre lovers and trivia nerds—all in support of our magical 39th season of Theatre Under the Stars! When: Thursday, May 29, 20257:00–10:00 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM) Where: The Westboro Legion, 389 Richmond Rd, OttawaCash Bar & Food available from 6:00 PM Tickets: $20 per person | $100 per team (max 6 players)All proceeds support Odyssey Theatre’s open-air productions under the stars. Tickets are limited—grab yours now! Information Source: Odyssey Theatre | eventbrite

Experience a memorable Saturday at the Summer Social event in London, held at the prestigious Richmond Athletic Ground. From May 31 to June 1, 2025, attendees can enjoy a range of activities and entertainment in the heart of Richmond, London. Ticket prices range from £17.05 to £31.75, offering great value for a fantastic day out. Don't miss the opportunity to be part of this exciting event in a vibrant city setting.

The Intermediate Black and White Workshop is designed for those with some basic darkroom experience looking to learn more advanced archival techniques in the darkroom and further develop their skills. It is also ideal for photographers who need a refresher on archival or non-archival printing. Participants must provide their own fiber-based paper, up to 16” x 20” in size. They also have the option to print with RC paper (provided by the gallery). Instructor, Ruth Kaplan will cover techniques and challenges of printing, from enlarger and tray processing to the final wash and print flattening. The Basic Black and White workshop is recommended before taking this workshop but not mandatory based on participants’ experience. Instructor Bio Ruth Kaplan is a documentary-based photographer whose work explores a variety of themes such as the social behaviour of bathers in communal hot springs, participants in rituals of spirituality and most recently, refugee shelters in Canadian/U.S.A. border cities including Detroit, Buffalo and Fort Erie. Her first monograph, Bathers, has recently been published by Damiani. Kaplan has exhibited internationally and is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery. Her editorial work can be found in major Canadian and international publications, she has received numerous grants and awards and is currently a photography professor at OCAD University and Toronto Metropolitan University. Information Source: Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography | eventbrite