Highwaymen @ Daniels Spectrum Toronto 2017
The Florida Highwaymen Exhibition: Curated by Guy Berube for the US Embassy of Ottawa
Coming to Toronto in February 2017 during Black History Month.
MEDIA RELEASE:
Daniels Spectrum February 8 – March. 12, 2017
585 Dundas St. East, Toronto
Opening Reception, Feb. 9, 6-9 p.m.
The Florida Highwaymen Toronto Exhibit – A Land That Time Forgot
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“Like some of their forebears who took the Underground Railroad to Canada to achieve freedom — and notoriety — it seems the Florida Highwaymen have to travel to Canada to get their fair due.
The Florida Highwaymen are the “yet-to-be-recognized most important American art movement of the 20th Century,” says Tony Hayton, provider of the 35 paintings to be featured at the show that coincides with Black History Month.
The Highwaymen were a group of 26, young African-American artists who, in the 1950s, took up painting instead of work in the fields to earn their living. They painted the stunning and vibrant scenes of Florida’s hidden backwaters, savannahs, and coastlines – landscapes now built over. No gallery would show their work, so they applied their entrepreneurial skills, developed mass production systems, used construction materials for canvas and frames, and sold their art from their cars along the coastal highways of a developing Florida.
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“Theirs is an unknown civil rights story of importance,” says Tony Hayton, a cultural activist, likens the Florida Highwaymen to Canada’s Group of Seven. “Except,” he says, “they’re black. That’s why they haven’t been properly recognized, yet.”
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Mary Ann Carroll, 77, the only Highway“woman,” and one of a few surviving members, will be in Toronto to open this important exhibit.
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Interview with Highwaymen artist Mary Ann Carroll & the Nikki Clarke Show: February 9,2017
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MEDIA
Media availability Feb. 8 and 9. Contact Tony Hayton, 613-724-9094
Media information – Sheryl Bennett-Wilson 613-730-5530 or words@wordsforsale.ca
Funding assistance:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/florida-highwaymen-art-exhibit-toronto-feb-2017#/
Contact
Daniels Spectrum
585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Phone
416-238-2453
Email: ds@artscape.ca
Email
General inquiries
Public Hours
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 9 PM
Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM to 6 PM
The Daniels Spectrum Hallway Galleries (2,500 square feet) are open to the public and free of charge. You can visit anytime to view our ongoing art exhibitions showcasing the work of artists from Regent Park and beyond. Find the Hallway Galleries on the main floor and on the second floor, throughout the hallways.
Overview:
Daniels Spectrum is a community cultural hub in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood. It opened to the public in September 2012.
“Rooted in Regent Park, Open to the World,” Daniels Spectrum is home to many outstanding arts-based and community-focused organizations. Its event, performance and exhibition spaces include Ada Slaight Hall, the Artscape Lounge on the main floor, a network of hallway galleries and the Courtyard. Each year, Daniels Spectrum hosts tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of arts and cultural events.
Daniels Spectrum is named in recognition of a generous lead gift from The Daniels Corporation and The John and Myrna Daniels Charitable Foundation.
Daniels SpectruM is fully accessible by Ontario standards
is LEED Silver TM certified
was designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects
is 60,000 square feet in area
Awards
Urban Land Institute Global Award for Excellence, 2016
Great Place Award, EDRA (USA), 2015
Civic Trust Award, Community Impact and Engagement (UK), 2015
Good Design is Good Business | Architectural Record, 2014
Best New Venue for Meetings and Events in Canada | BizBash Magazine, 2013
Accessibility
All washrooms and drinking fountains are accessible
Barrier-free access to the building via the Dundas Street entrance
Elevators (to all floors) located in the South Lobby
Signage throughout the building in braille
Hearing assist devices are available upon request
Artscape strives to provide equal treatment to and equitable benefits of its services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Read the PDF Accessible Customer Service at Artscape.
Our Accessibility Contact is Technical Director Brian Britton. Contact him by email at bbritton@artscape.ca or by phone at 416-238-2453 x 102.
The Artscape Lounge
The Artscape Lounge is a social zone to meet friends, have informal meetings, do homework, read…in other words it’s a place to hang out. You’ll find the Artscape Lounge inside the main doors of the building, near the corner of Dundas Street East and Regent Park Boulevard. Free WiFi.
It’s a Community Cultural Hub
Daniels Spectrum is a community cultural hub. What does that mean? It’s what you make it, and what the organizations based here make it.
Daniels Spectrum is open to the community, and it is made for a variety of cultural uses. Within these walls you’ll find dancing, art-making, singing, music playing, learning, socializing, community building, mentoring, collaborating…Daniels Spectrum is alive with the spirit and creativity of the community every day.
Come and make this your place. Take part in activities, special events and programs, and use the facility for your own gatherings.
Experience, Learning & Innovation
Daniels Spectrum is all about adding creative experience to people’s lives, and fostering creative learning and innovation through accessible, immersive activities. The three floors of the building were designed to make this happen. In our event spaces and studios, you can experience amazing performances, exhibitions and more. With the organizations here, you can enrich your understanding of the arts and learn from others. And by following your inspiration, you may find innovative ways of expressing your creativity.
About Artscape
Artscape operates Daniels Spectrum, and has a small staff team located on the second floor that books and presents events, runs programs for the community, and responds to the people of Daniels Spectrum. Artscape also works with a youth sub-committee with members from the local community who help coordinate community events, design mentorship programs and get involved in other opportunities here.
Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities. To learn more about Artscape, visit artscape.ca and follow @Artscape.
About the Founding Organizations
Our seven founding organizations helped to develop the facility and they make Daniels Spectrum come alive every day. These organizations are the reason Daniels Spectrum is a special place to work, play, study and get creative. The seven founding tenants of Daniels Spectrum are:
ArtHeart Community Art Centre
Centre for Social Innovation Regent Park
COBA Collective of Black Artists
Native Earth Performing Arts
Regent Park Film Festival
Regent Park School of Music
Pathways to Education
Adding to these founding organizations is SHOW LOVE CAFÉ, operated by Dixon Hall, which opened in 2015 on the main floor in the Artscape Lounge.
Development Story
Daniels Spectrum is part of the larger redevelopment and revitalization of Regent Park that began in the mid-2000s. Through community consultation, the Regent Park community identified the aspiration and the need for a dedicated cultural space in the neighbourhood. After a major effort on the part of multiple community and corporate partners, this dream became a reality. Artscape has published an in-depth case study that describes the development story of Daniels Spectrum from its beginning. This case study is available on Artscape DIY, a website dedicated to sharing Artscape’s creative placemaking knowledge.
Environmental Features
Daniels Spectrum is LEED Silver certified. Environmental and energy-efficient features include:
Green roof with native plant species
Bicycle parking and showers for staff who cycle to work
Fuel-efficient hybrid car-share vehicle
Storm water treatment system to reduce pollutants
Low-maintenance landscape and low-flow fixtures to reduce water use
High-efficiency HVAC system that contains no hydrofluorocarbons
Recycled construction materials, including reclaimed wood from Regent Park
Low-VOC paint, carpeting and cabinetry used throughout the building
Controllable lights and thermostats