Lectures. Talks. Ideas.
Dear Friends,
With our first fall courses kicking off this week at the Miles Nadal JCC, now’s the time to sign up for “History’s Most Influential Architects,” starting this Thursday, September 11th, and “The Making of Modern Art,” which starts this Friday, September 12th. Please contact our Help Desk ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) if you require any assistance. And if you’re already registered for this week’s festivities, you’ll receive a separate welcome email from the MNjcc in the coming days with arrival instructions for our first sessions.
I’m also pleased to announce that we’ve just made “drop-in tickets” for this week’s lectures available for purchase. These single tickets for the individual lectures in our courses can be purchased via the course pages on our website or by contacting our Help Desk. Moving forward, they’ll be made available 8 days out from each lecture and you can contact me or the Help Desk for assistance if you’d like to purchase drop-in tickets to multiple sessions in one of our courses.
And finally: a quick update on our “Fall Season Pass,” which has been very popular. These all-access passes, which offer discounted access to all four of our fall courses, will be taken off sale once we’ve wrapped up our first lectures of the season at noon this Friday.
As we head into our third season of this program, I want to thank our partners at the MNjcc for their ongoing support, as well as all the cultural organizations across Toronto that have been helping us spread the word. Please scroll below for some cool upcoming events from the MNjcc and our pals at CanStage, the Heliconian Club and more.
See you in a few days—we can’t wait to learn with you this fall!
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!
Passes available until September 12th at Noon. |
SOME COOL EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
| 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. |
| Grand Global Cultural Centres with Peter Harris
Immerse yourself in grandeur as Dr. Peter Harris draws back the curtains to reveal some of the world’s most majestic performing arts houses and cultural centres! In this three-part lecture series, learn about the history and design of such renowned opera houses as Sydney and La Scala; classic theatres from ancient Epidaurus to The Globe; contemporary sites including The Met and Tasmania’s MONA, and repurposed structures such as Musée d’Orsay in Paris and London’s Tate Modern.
Thursdays: November 13-27, 1:00-2:30pm. Join us in person, on Zoom simulcast, or register to receive the recordings!
Questions? Email [email protected].
Register HERE.
|
| Discounted Tix for Slave Play at CanStage
Canadian Stage presents Slave Play, the electrifying theatrical sensation that has sparked conversations from Broadway to London. A daring, seductive, and razor-sharp satire, Slave Play takes audiences on a journey where pleasure and history meet, flipping assumptions and igniting sparks along the way. It’s a show that’s as playfully cheeky as it is thought-provoking, designed to make you feel, think, and maybe even blush.
Slave Play runs Sept 27-Oct 19 at the Berkeley Street Theatre and CanStage is happy to offer the Speakers Annex community a special 25% discount on tickets.
Click this link to the ticketing page and your discount will automatically be applied. |
| 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. |
| A Photo Art Exhibit at The Heliconian Club
The Toronto Heliconian Club is the oldest women's arts organization in Canada. From October 3rd to 29th, join them for their annual Luminous Photo Art Exhibition. At their opening reception on October 4th, from 2-5 PM, photography comes alive with music, dance and spoken word. On Wednessday October 8th, from 4-7:30 PM, there is a public viewing with artist talks. Both events are free.
Learn more 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!
