Lecture

*New-Afternoon Course!*

Experience the luxury and decadence of Art Nouveau in this globe-trotting survey of the artistic movement’s most stunning architecture, jewels and decorative objects. Our journey will begin in Paris in 1900 with the Universal Exposition and go on to examine the unique architectural masterpieces of Art Nouveau capitals like Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Glasgow, Vienna, Moscow and Prague. Learn how the movement’s artists and master craftsmen ushered European society into the modern age.

With a body of work that is original, incisively personal, technically polished, and conceptually deep, Joni Mitchell is one of Canada’s greatest musical artists and one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the last fifty years. Hot Docs favourite Dr. Mike Daley tells Mitchell’s story in detail, exploring her Alberta and Saskatchewan upbringing, her early years in Toronto's burgeoning folk scene, her musical partnerships, and the romantic affairs and marriages that inspired some of her unforgettable compositions. He’ll examine the fascinating life and career of a Canadian icon.

Presenting new material that will delight both newcomers and past attendees of the hit Curious Minds series Learning from Paris, Hot Docs favourite Lisa Pasold examines how scientists, artists, planners, philosophers and performers transformed Paris in the 19th century. We'll brood in gas-lit arcades with moody poet Paul Verlaine. We’ll tour the great fashion houses of the period with the Empress Eugenie. And we’ll stride through the city of the future with best-selling author Jules Verne.

In the mid-twentieth century, Canada experienced a literary explosion unlike anything the country had experienced before. The CanLit Boom changed the literary and cultural face of the country, creating both a national literature and the infrastructure that still supports Canadian writing today. This illustrated course offers an introduction to—or a reminder of—the lives and early works of six of the most prominent writers to emerge in Canada in this period, between the late 1950s and the early 1970s. We’ll explore the streets of Montreal with Mordecai Richler and Leonard Cohen.

Acclaimed music journalist Nicholas Jennings, authour of Lightfoot will discuss Canadian superstar Gordon Lightfoot whose timeless ballads defined the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and ‘70s.
Yet the man behind the songs is elusive. He has never allowed his life to be chronicled in a book—until now.
DOORS OPEN: 1:00 PM, PROGRAM 1:30 - 3:00 PM
info: lisar@mnjcc.org | 416 924 6211 x155

Mondays, June 4, 11 and 18
1:30 - 3:00 pm
With Robert Harris, CBC Radio host and Globe & Mail music critic

Wednesday, May 16 at 7pm at Tartu College, Sven Lepa, guest from the National Archives of Estonia, will be giving a lecture on the topic How to Research Your Roots With a Computer on Your Sofa? Sven will introduce the various uses of the databases and digital collections at the National Archives, with focus on the context of researching one's family history.

In Estonian. No admission fee. A small donation would be appreciated.

Info: piret.noorhani@vemu.ca, t. 416 925 9405

Doors open: 1:00 pm, Program 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Writer and actress Beth Kaplan first heard the Beatles in 1964 at age 13 and became an instant Paul girl. Enjoy the story of Beth’s lifelong devotion to the Fab Four from her memoir All My Loving: Coming of Age with Paul McCartney in Paris.
Drop-In: $5.00 (Includes refreshments)
Socialize over refreshments in a café-style setting before enjoying a stimulating lecture, cultural program or workshop – we offer something for everyone!

Doors open: 1:00 pm, Program 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Starring Douglas Gibson, Canadian editor, publisher and writer.
Learn about our country's great English and French fiction writers in a lively one-man show celebrating our best artists, decade by decade. This dramatized PowerPoint presentation includes bursts of music,  historical photographs, Anthony Jenkins’ caricatures and iconic works of art.
Drop-In: $5.00 (Includes refreshments)

Doors open: 1:00 pm, Program 1:30 - 3:00 pm

Guest speaker and author Leonard Wise discusses his new book Charles Pachter – Canada’s Artist, their 40-year friendship, how Margaret Atwood’s foreword was obtained, and how Pachter’s images of the queen, moose, and maple leaf flag have become icons of Canadian contemporary art.
Info: lisar@mnjcc.org 416 924 6211 x155