ROM Launches Roots to Rhythm: Caribana Art Exhibit

On display during Scotiabank Caribana, July 25 to August 4, 2008

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to unveil Roots to Rhythm: Caribana Art Exhibit, launched as part of Scotiabank Caribana 2008, North America’s largest outdoor event celebrating Caribbean and African-Canadian heritage. Building on the ROM’s commitment of presenting art inspired by cultures from around the world, this juried exhibition features a captivating collection of 70 canvases created by 24 artists of African-Canadian heritage. Produced by the Association of African Canadian Artists and curated by renowned African-Canadian artist and activist Joan Butterfield, the installation will be on display in the Museum’s 3rd floor Centre Block from Friday, July 25th to Monday, August 4, 2008.

“The Caribana Festival is one of the largest and most spectacular annual celebrations held in the city and the ROM is delighted to have been invited to present this year’s art installation,” said William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the ROM. “We look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world to view contemporary works by African-Canadian artists.”

Answering an invitation to submit original artwork to the Association that responds to the work Roots to Rhythm, written by Ms. Butterfield, the curator, the collective reply serves to escort the viewer on a dramatic journey through the soul of music -- from the rhythm of African drums to Gospel, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Hip Hop genres.

“It was my aim to produce an exhibit that would aesthetically link our past to our future,” explains Ms. Butterfield. “I’ve striven to document and educate the audience about our rich culture and heritage. Bringing to canvas their differences, their histories, their traditions and their struggles, the extraordinary scope and diversity of the Roots to Rhythm exhibit demonstrates the outstanding abilities unique to each artist.”

Highlights

Roots to Rhythm: Caribana Art Exhibit is a COLOURblind! travelling art exhibit produced by the Association of African-Canadian Artists. The exhibit features a final selection of works by the following artists (complete list of artists is below):

Nicole Peña, a Jamaican-born Canadian, is an award-winning artist who has exhibited in several solo and group shows in Toronto, New York City, Port of Spain, and Hamilton, Bermuda over the past ten years. Many of her paintings depict everyday people entranced and seduced into spiritual and psychic reverie. A childhood spent in Jamaica is evident in the colours selected for Darrell McCalla’s work Carnival Sea. For Mr. McCalla, the childrens’ carnival provides a canvas of pure emotion, as he describes… “a sea of colours, interspersed with joy, excitement or otherwise, as the young revelers ‘play mas’ for the first time”. Izzy Ohiro’s triptych, Reminiscence focuses on inner beauty, festivity and celebration by creating layers of simple colours, shapes and exciting movement. Originally from Nigeria, he has embraced various cultures over the years, all of which have influenced his art.

With an evident fusion of Indian, African and Spanish cultures, much of David Vasquez’s painting is a reflection of his Dominican background. Mr. Vasquez’s paintings can be found in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. In African Vibrations, Sonia Farquharson portrays the ancestry of African-Canadian people and utilizes the Djembe Drum -- its bass tone created with a slap or snap from the bare hands – to echo back the rhythm of the culture and music to which her audience is often better accustomed, such as Reggae, R&B and Jazz. Born in London, England, Angela Haynes’ composition is influenced by the inspirational essence of the body, mind and spirit. Capturing the pure, vibrant exuberance of carnival, Revellers celebrates cultural tradition, people and the rhythms of calypso and soca.

Roots to Rhythm Artists

Asha Aditi Ruparelia

Joy Andre

April Branco

Philemon Campbell

Sheldon Colthrust

Ken Daley

Kwame Delfish

Anna-Marie Dickinson

Barbara Dillas

Sonia Farquharson

Dion Fitzgerald

Georgia Fullerton

Jeffrey Gregory

Angela Haynes

Deniese James

Charmaine Lurch

Janet Manning

Darrell McCalla

Michelle Montague

Kath Moscou

Jason O’Brien

Izzy Ohiro

Nicole Peña

Cheryl Rock

David Vasquez

The ROM is pleased to be a Silver Sponsor of Scotiabank Caribana 2008 and will feature free exhibition inspired noon hour musical performances on the ROM's plaza until August 1, 2008. Visitors to Caribana: Roots to Rhythm can also enjoy themed menu items in the ROM’s Food Studio restaurant. The ROM Museum Store will feature a series of Caribana-themed books and products.

In April 2008, the Museum unveiled the final permanent World Cultures galleries in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, including the Shreyas and Mina Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Based on the strengths of the ROM’s vast and diverse collections, the Ajmera Gallery features more than 1,400 objects that represent the artistic and cultural traditions of indigenous peoples from Africa, the American continents and the Asia-Pacific region, including Oceania.

Scotiabank Caribana 2008 Toronto:

Derived from Canada's 1967 Centennial Celebrations, in addition to Canada's embracement of its Caribbean community, the world famous festival Caribana attracts over one million participants and spectators from around the world to Toronto each year. It has become one of the largest annual events held in North
America. This year’s Scotiabank Caribana festivities, now in its 41st year, run from Tuesday, July 15, 2008 to Sunday, August 3rd, 2008. For more information, visit www.caribanafestival.com.