Lectures. Talks. Ideas.
Dear Friends,
With the first courses in our fall season at the Miles Nadal JCC now just two weeks away, tickets are selling fast for “History’s Most Influential Architects” with Christopher Hume, starting Thursday September 11th, and “The Making of Modern Art” with Barbara Isherwood, starting Friday September 12th.
If you haven’t yet signed up, now is the time to do it, and you can contact our Help Desk ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) if you require any assistance.
The best way to guarantee your spot is to sign up for a subscription to the course of your choice or to sign up for our “Fall Season Pass,” which gives you discounted access to all four of our fall courses.
However, if there are still enough seats available, we also plan to offer drop-in tickets to the individual lectures in our upcoming courses. I’ll send along an update, with further instructions, in the next edition of this newsletter, on Wednesday September 10th.
And finally: with autumn just around the corner, many cultural organizations across the city are planning fun events that should pair nicely with the topics in our courses. Please scroll below for some cool upcoming programs from our partners at the MNjcc (including our author event with Marsha Lederman on Sept. 16th) and some exciting events from our friends at the Heliconian Club, the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts and more.
Here’s to a fall of exciting new discoveries!
Will Di Novi
Host and Organizer
The Speakers Annex
The Speakers Annex is proud to be presented in partnership with
OUR 4 FALL COURSES!
Fridays, September 12-October 17
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| The Making of Modern Art
In this new series from art historian Barbara Isherwood, we’ll explore how the radically new ideas and inventions that changed life in the 19th and early 20th centuries transformed art as well.
As we survey stunning works by Manet, Gauguin, Kandinsky, Picasso, Mondrian, O’Keeffe and Canadian icons like Lawren Harris and Emily Carr, we’ll examine the stories behind their most important creations and learn how the social changes that they were living through impacted the development of modern art.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Barbara Isherwood, previewing the series. |
Thursdays, September 11-October 23*
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
(*Please note: no lecture October 2 due to Yom Kippur)
| History’s Most Influential Architects
He's back! After rave reviews for his courses on Great Buildings of the 20th and 21st Centuries, former Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume returns to explore the careers of history's most influential architects.
Tackling architects, eras and buildings that we didn’t cover in his recent courses, Hume will guide us from the Classical pioneers who invented architecture as we know it today to the modern giants, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Rem Koolhaas, who have expanded its potential for creative expression.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Christopher Hume, previewing the series. |
Fridays, November 7-December 12
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| The Joy of Food: Six Delicious Dishes That Explain the Modern World
Speakers Annex favourite Dr. Laura Carlson leads this delightful survey of the history of six foods that have become staples of the modern table.
From bagels and lox and its lip-smacking journey into the heart (and stomachs!) of the Jewish diaspora to the migration of ice cream from the royal courts of Europe into your freezer at home, Laura will explore the rich histories of these iconic dishes and what they each reveal about the exchange of culture, ideas and delicious food that has shaped our modern world.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Wednesdays, November 12-December 17
1:00 PM-2:30 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| How Paris Changed the World
Acclaimed writer and TV host Lisa Pasold takes us on an immersive journey through the history of Paris, exploring the city’s outsized impact on many aspects of urban life that we’ve come to cherish.
Drawing on exciting new material that we didn’t cover in her popular recent courses on Paris’s cultural landmarks and cafe society, she’ll guide us through the revolutions in art, fashion, food and politics that emerged from the City of Light, transforming our idea of the modern city.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
MNjcc Members: $289
Non-Members: $349
| All-Access Season Pass!
Interested in attending more than one of our fall programs?
Then consider signing up for this all-access season pass, which signs you up for every one of our fall courses.
For the cost of less than three courses, you can attend all four! |
AN EXCITING AUTHOR EVENT
Tuesday September 16, 7 PM
Al Green Theatre
$18 MNjcc Members
$20 Non-Members
| Marsha Lederman: “Searching for The Humanitarian Middle”
In this exclusive event, one of Canada’s leading Jewish voices takes the Al Green Theatre stage to discuss her hotly anticipated new book, October 7th: Searching for the Humanitarian Middle, a powerful exploration of the emotional and political aftermath of that tragedy and its ongoing implications for the Jewish diaspora.
Joining Mark Medley, Deputy Editor of The Globe and Mail’s Opinion section, to discuss this timely and important book with Toronto audiences for the very first time, Lederman will lead a nuanced and deeply personal conversation, offering insight, empathy, and reflection on one of the most complex issues of our time. |
SOME COOL EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
| MNjcc x 92nd Street Y
Join Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Blink, for a mind-expanding, live-streamed conversation with Angus Fletcher about the hidden roots and untapped potential of human intelligence—and Fletcher’s new book, Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Think You Know.
Live-streamed into the Al Green Theatre from the historic 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, this will be a thought-provoking session with two of North America’s leading thinkers.
Details:
Monday September 8
7:00 pm, (Doors 6:30)
Al Green Theatre, 750 Spadina Avenue
General Admission: $20; Free Registration for MNjcc Members
Register HERE. |
| Join Rock & Roll Professor Rob Bowman in the Al Green Theatre
The Laurel Canyon – the 1960s West Coast music colony – attracted such burgeoning superstars as Joni Mitchell, Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Eagles.
Learn about this musical renaissance with Grammy Award-winning ethnomusicologist Rob Bowman. Mondays: October 20-November 10, 1:00-2:30pm. Join us in the Al Green Theatre, on Zoom simulcast, or register to receive the recordings!
Questions? Email [email protected].
Register HERE. |
| A Decorative Arts Symposium! On September 26 and 27, the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts holds its annual national Symposium in Toronto!
The theme of this year’s two-day celebration of Canadian modern design and craft is Toronto: Canadian Modern & Beyond. It will feature visits to landmarks such as the 401 Richmond, the Bata Museum, and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, as well as a series of talks at the Tartu Event Space, located at Madison and Bloor.
These events should pair beautifully with our upcoming architecture series with Christopher Hume and you may be particularly interested in a walking tour with journalist Alfred Holden that will examine the legacy of Mid-Century Modern apartment buildings in the Annex!
To learn more, and check out the full range of day passes and virtual attendance options, please visit the CSDA website here. |
| Celebrate Jane Austen’s Birthday at The Heliconian Club
The Toronto Heliconian Club is the oldest women's arts organization in Canada. On September 14th, join them for a special afternoon tea celebrating the 250th birthday of Jane Austen, featuring live readings from Pride and Prejudice by iconic Canadian actress Marilyn Lightstone.
Enter the world of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy while enjoying a traditional tea on Blue Willow china!
Learn more and get your tickets here. |
Tours available every weekend until October 25th.
Tours are 90-120 minutes.
$15 per person (and free for Society Members).
| Take An Architecture Walking Tour of Toronto
Get in the mood for our upcoming architecture series with Christopher Hume with our pals at the Toronto Society of Architects and their fun and informative architecture walking tours of Toronto.
With 11 unique themes to choose from, from heritage to contemporary design, their volunteer guides will share tales that will help you (re)discover your city!
Learn more and get your tickets here.
Contact: [email protected] |
| Visit and Enjoy the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto
The Arts & Letters Club is a social club for people active or interested in literature and the arts. Located in its historic Toronto building at 14 Elm Street, the Club hosts literary talks, stage productions, musical performances, painting sessions and more. The Club’s lounge and bar is open to visitors every Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Beginning in September, the Club will be offering the Speakers Annex community an opportunity to sample its fun events.
If you are interested in learning more, please email Martin Jones at [email protected]. For more information on the Club, please visit www.artsandlettersclub.ca. |
THE SPEAKERS ANNEX SUMMER READING GUIDE!
In June, I asked some of our favourite Speakers Annex contributors to share a few books that we all might enjoy over the summer months.
Click HERE to see the full list of their favourite summer reads (including a few of my own) and email me at [email protected] if you’d like me to add your own favourite reads to the list for others to enjoy!
HELPFUL LINKS AND MORE!
For registration assistance, please contact the MNjcc customer support team at 416-924-6211 x0 or email [email protected]. You can also refer to this detailed, step-by-step registration guide.
Email me about our fall programs, or anything else on your mind, at [email protected]. I always love to hear from you!
Consult this FAQ Help Sheet for answers to common questions about our events.
Thank you so much again!
