Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

FINAL TOUCHES MADE ON THE MANDELA WALL Signs - Mandela Exhibition In North Toronto By Stephen Weir : Dusting. Straightening.  Turning on the museum lights. The final touches on the exhibition MANDELA are being made in preparation for today's official opening!  The doors will open to the public after lunch for MANDELA, a blockbuster-touring exhibition created by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. It is all happening in North Toronto at the Meridian Arts Centre 5040 Yonge St, the show runs till January 5 th  2020. Mandela in Toronto - Toronto Star photo For show goers, a wall of battered “whites only” signs is the first thing you see as you enter the exhibition. Be prepared for what is described as a  “rich sensory experience of imagery, soundscape, digital media and objects!” This multi-media exhibition has been created in collaboration with the South Africa’s Apartheid Museum. MANDELA explores Nelson Mandela’s fight for justice and

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Was A Last Minute No Show At His Own Reception  (But His Staff Knew He Never Made The Plane) By Stephen Weir  It wasn’t a good sign. An hour late, no one was at the Jamaica Canadian Association Hall microphone and reporters waiting to meet Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, received another round of free drinks. A few minutes later, members of the minister’s advance team took to the podium to say that the Minister was tied up at the Pearson airport and was expected to speak at 8pm – an hour and half after he was suppose to. It was a planned reception that Bartlett had invited prominent Canadian Jamaicans, travel experts and the media to attend in North Toronto.   He wanted to brief Canada on the bullish state of tourism in Jamaica. When the Reception finally started it was announced that the Minister would not be appearing and apparently he never had intended to show up at all! A video made the day before was played

The roof leaks. There hasn’t been power for years. Jamaican school about to get some World Class Jamaican Help. sweir article in Caribbean Camera Last week a group of a 100 like-minded caring Caribbean Canadians gathered at the downtown Harlem Restaurant to help the students of  St. Theresa’s Basic School   in Jamaica. The evening fundraiser featured a panel discussion aptly called Barefoot to Boardroom and Beyond. “The title says it all.  Barefoot to Boardroom describes a lot of people on our panel and in the room, be they from Jamaica or anywhere else in the Caribbean,” said Leap Agent’s Michael Carter, the evening host. “ We have targeted a school that needs infrastructure help and that is something we can do!” World Class Jamaica was formed in Toronto back in 2016 by people who have come from the Caribbean and done well here in Canada.  Headed by Heather Ricketts, a director with the building company, Metrie,  the group has been focusing on fixing and upgrading Jam

Stan Douglas, left, with Michael Audain  awarded the $100,000 Audain Prize for Visual Art. Four Canadian Caribbean Cultural Icons in the National Spotlight By Stephen Weir Stan Douglas just won a really big one while Amanda Parris, Ian Williams and André Alexis are up for a some big ones too! September and early October has been a rewarding time for four Canadian Caribbean artists, dramtists and writers. Ten days ago Vancouver photographic artist Stan Douglas was awarded the $100,000 Audain Prize for the Visual Arts. It is a Canadian art  award  that recognizes the outstanding achievements of British Columbia's artists. The Prize is administered by the  Audain  Art Museum. Born in British Columbia to Caribbean parents, 59-year old Stan Douglas is one of Canada’s most widely celebrated and internationally important contemporary artists. Best known for his photography, film and video installations, his art often examines the complexities of social reality and

King Costume Designer at the Ontario Science Centre to Pick Up His Award Summertime memories of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Parade may have begun to fade, but for fans of the Caribbean Arts. one memory will never disappear.  Who can forget Heart Beat of the Thrill of Life, the incredible King Costume worn by first time designer Nicholas Guy at the August King and Queen Competition.  It was a two-sided costume that depicted the final battle of angels and demons, where good triumphs over evil.  Guy’s costume won it all that night including the coveted annual Ontario Science Centre Innovation in Mas’ Award. He won both awards on behalf of the Louis Saldenah’s Mas K Camp. On Sunday afternoon at a packed Ontario Science Centre, Nicholas Guy was honoured on stage for the construction of that breathtaking costume.  Guy spoke at length at the ceremony about the costume and the relevance of the Carnival dream! In the audience were members of the Mas K Club, friends and his parents