Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  Goodbye Mel Lastman’s moose, hello funny looking giant beaver statues. Twenty-five years ago, moose statues were all around the city of Toronto, meant to boost tourism and entertain us all. Most of the moose have left town but no worry, they have been replaced by funny looking beaver s. The beaver statues are up downtown and the call is out for artists to come down and p aint the beavers in time for the coming FIFA World Cup soccer event.   “The Old Town Toronto BIA, in partnership with STEPS Public Art, is seeking 48 artists to paint a series of beaver sculptures celebrating the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” the businesss association posted on Instagram.. “Each sculpture will represent one of the 48 participating FIFA countries through cultural themes, artistic interpretation, and creative use of each nation’s colour palette   Forget that most beavers come in furry brown, organizers of this City of Toronto are expecting the beasver to paint the town green and every colour in a...

Antonia's Black Cherokee  is  a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, By Stephen Weir  The Trinidadian Canadian from New Grant is a rising but elusive Canadian star. Known as Antonio Michael Downing and John Orpheus, he moves between roles as performer and interviewer. On stage, often dressed in black, he performs with two backing vocalists as John Orpheus and The Funk Daddies (and sometimes Afro Beats), while on radio he appears as an interviewer on CBC Radio One’s   The Next Chapter , a Canadian literary program. He is also a budding author under the Antonio Michael Downing name. His novel   Black Cherokee   has recently placed him in the national spotlight, as he has been named a finalist for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, in the running for the $60,000 top prize. Making the shortlist is a significant achievement in Canadian literature. Amazon Canada and   The Walrus   magazine recently unveiled the nominees for the 49th annua...

 At the Windsor Art Gallery show signs and art   I’m An Archaeologist of Muriel Ahmarani Jaouich’s Difficult Life and Exhibition by Stephen Weir I spent much of the morning rooting through every box in the attic storeroom of my 100-year-old office in Toronto. I was searching for two papyrus pieces of artwork that I had purchased late one night in Cairo from a small street urchin. What set me on the search was the guest lecture that Muriel Ahmarani Jaouich gave in our Wednesday morning class. Her emotional and riveting discussion about her exhibition,   An Archaeology of Echoes , gave me insights I wish I had had when I first toured the show. One of the artist’s paintings hanging in the exhibition—and appearing in a slide during her lecture—triggered my quest. Quoting from a description posted online on Britannica’s social media page: “Geb, her painting posted above, is depicted as ‘Shu (standing, centre) supporting the sky goddess Nut arched above him, with the earth god ...

  Plane laid to rest at the bottom of Potato Bay By Stephen Weir.  Most Caribbean islands that attract scuba diving tourists feature underwater attractions—sunken ships, submerged artworks, and even purpose-built reefs—offering divers and snorkelers a chance to explore vibrant marine environments. In many cases, new coral is even replanted along shorelines to encourage marine growth, allowing swimmers and snorkelers to safely enjoy the results up close. ç