Pikto Gallery is showcasing work by Yuriko Kubota, with the opening reception on August 30th, from 6-9pm.

Image by Yuriko Kutoba, courtesy: Pikto Gallery website

Where?
The Distillery District
55 Mill Street
Bldg. 59 – 103
Toronto, ON M5A 3C4
Canada
t: 416.203.3443
e: info@pikto.ca

When?
Reception: August 30th, 6-9pm

 

Going to the movies is always a fun thing to do on a date, but how often do you get to see other people’s home movies on the big screen?

Well, today you can – and it’s free!

The 5th annual International Home Movie Day is hosted by Cinematheque Ontario and The Film Reference Library  (divisions of the Toronto International Film Festival Group). This worldwide celebration of amateur films will allow you to watch (previously approved and selected) home movies provided by local residents, as well as meet film archivists and learn something about film preservation.

As Martin Scorsese said, “Saving our film heritage should not be limited only to commercially produced films. Home movies do not just capture the important private moments of our family’s lives, but they are historical and cultural documents as well. … Home Movie Day is a celebration of these films and the people who shot them. I urge anyone with an interest in learning more about how to care for and preserve their own personal memories to join in the festivities being offered in their community on August 11th.”

And, according to writer/director/actor John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cecil B. DeMented): “There’s no such thing as a bad home movie. These mini-underground opuses are revealing, scary, joyous, always flawed, filled with accidental art and shout out from attics and closets all over the world to be seen again. Home Movie Day is an orgy of self-discovery, a chance for family memories to suddenly become show business.”

You can see these awesome films today, between 12 and 5, at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), 317 Dundas Street W., Toronto.

(photo credit: Bata Shoe Museum/Hal Roth)

Shoes. Shoes. Shoes. And a whole lot of history.

That’s what you’ll find at the Bata Shoe Museum, located in downtown Toronto at St. George and Bloor, right on the subway line.

This unique five-storey, 39,000 square foot building is home to over 10,0000 shoes!

The museum was established by the Bata family as “a centre of knowledge about the role of footwear in the social and cultural life of mankind.” Now, if only those shoes could talk!

Special collections include:

The Walk of Fame: Footwear worn by film stars, artists, performers, politicians, and sports figures.

Ethnological: Footwear from Africa, Latin America, Korea, Japan, India, China, and the Middle East.

Circumpolar: Footwear from the coldest regions of the world, such as Alaska, Greenland, Lapland, the Canadian Arctic, and Siberia.

The History of Western Fashion: Beginning with footwear dating back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, followed by Gothic, Tudor, and Renaissance fashions, to shoes from the 17^th, 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries.

An entire collection devoted to the North American Indian: Showcasing moccasins, snowshoes, and mukluks.

And that’s not all!

Check out their website for special events, guided tours, lectures and smaller exhibits.

For instance, this Friday, August 3, 2007 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., they’ll be presenting a guided tour of “Shoes with Jobs: Special Purpose Footwear.” Since most of you have jobs, you’ll likely have to take this one in on your lunch hour. But, for those on vacation or with non-traditional work hours, why not make it a date?

The Bata Shoe Museum
327 Bloor St. West
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1W7
phone: 416-979-7799
website: www.batashoemuseum.com