Black Artists' Networks Dialogue
19 Brock Avenue M6K 2K9 Toronto, ON, Canada

Big thank you to @shedoesthecity for featuring BAND in Women Behind Small Businesses and Non-profits in Parkdale Make sure to check out the full photo essay, (link in our bio) and give some love to the other featured organizations & businesses! Shop local! ... Posted @withregram @shedoesthecity COVID-19 has devastated the Canadian arts community. We have had to find creative ways to plan and present exhibitions and to engage with people virtually. BAND Gallery is a small organization, but with the support of donors and our members we were able to continue to provide opportunities for artists and cultural workers during this troubling time. Claudia Pensa Bowen, @blackartndialog . . How to Support:View and purchase powerful works from the current exhibition ‘Darkness and Decadence’ by @krystalballartist. BAND Gallery also has an online shop with lots of gorgeousprints for sale. Follow them at @blackartndialog or click link in bio to read more and jump to their site. : @kaylarocca . . #parkdale #womenowned #blackowned #toronto #buylocalorbyelocal #gallery #art

Big thank you to She Does The City for including BAND in this article!

Thank you for voting us Best Independent Gallery! https://nowtoronto.com/rc#/gallery?group=358980

Our shop is now live! Featuring limited edition prints, BAND publications, and soon, BAND merch! Visit bandgallery.com/shop to see what’s on sale.

Looking at forms of colourism, classism and privilege, Krystal Ball's work explores the ways in which people from the Caribbean are pushing back against the way they have been defined through the white colonial lens. In her current exhibition, Darkness and Decadence, her focus on Dancehall queens who reject the cultural norms that celebrate and prize a woman's virtue or respectability, is a celebration of defiance and independence, as they own their sexuality and bodies desp...ite the imposed values of a lasting colonial history. If you are interested in purchasing work from Krystal Ball's exhibition Darkness and Decadence, please get in touch by email, [email protected] You can view the exhibition online here: https://www.bandgallery.com/current-exhibitions/krystalball Pictured: Ghetto Gyal Almighty, 2020 and Ghetto Gyal Almighty II, 2020 by Krystal Ball

Over the last few months, we’ve received an overwhelming outpouring of support from the art community - artists, cultural workers, and art enthusiasts alike! Thank you to everyone who has donated to us, fundraised for us, and shown up to support the artists at BAND. Your support makes the work we do possible! Without our donors, supporters, members and visitors, we wouldn't be where we are today. A special thank you to all the artists who have used their craft to raise aware...ness and funds for the work we do. And to all those who have joined the BAND Gallery community this season as members! Learn more about membership and donations here:https://www.bandgallery.com/memberships-and-donations Thank you for supporting Black artists and cultural workers!

Darkness and Decadence features a selection of drawings from Krystal Ball's sketchbook. Her sketches are reminiscent of some of the early work of Wangechi Mutu who blends voluptuous female figures with everyday objects and natural elements eliciting some confusion of attraction in the viewer. Ball’s sketches playfully comment on the commodification of women’s bodies in the context of colonialism and patriarchal capitalism, as like land and nature, women’s bodies are another e...xploited ‘resource’ appropriated for the benefit of the colonizer. You can view the exhibition online here: https://www.bandgallery.com/current-exhibitions/krystalball If you are interested in purchasing work from Krystal Ball's exhibition Darkness and Decadence, please get in touch by email, [email protected]

Link to read the feature in our bio Posted @withregram @krystalballartist Just wow! Such a good feeling waking up to see your work on the front page of the entertainment section of the Toronto Star!!! Thank you @kcintoronto for giving me the opportunity to show my work at @blackartndialog gallery and thank you to @deborahdundas for such a beautiful and well written piece! I am truly honoured.

Calling all artists!! The 57th Street Art Fair invites you to apply to be part of the 74th annual juried event in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, June 5+6, 2021. This two-day event showcases a range of original work in glass, jewelry, leather, photography, printmaking, painting, sculpture, wood, ceramics and fiber art entirely designed, created and exhibited by artists from around the country. ... To apply visit: www.57thstreetartfair.org

Have you reserved your spot for the Darkness and Decadence virtual Artist Talk next Saturday November 21st at 2pm? Join us for a conversation with Krystal Ball about this series and her practice as an artist. You can register for the Virtual Artist Talk here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/darkness-and-decadence-virtual- In this current body of work Ball is exploring the push back against notions of respectability rooted in colonial values through the presentation of Jamaican... women in portraits. She explores the way in which we assign value to both people and objects, and how we construct our identities in connection to ideas of wealth in proximity to whiteness. Her focus on Dancehall queens who reject the cultural norms that celebrate and prize a woman's virtue or respectability, is a celebration of defiance and independence, as they own their sexuality and bodies despite the imposed values of a lasting colonial history. Darkness and Decadence is currently on view at BAND Gallery, November 12th - December 6th, 2020. Visits must be booked in advance, book a (free) timed-entry online before your visit! www.bandgallery.com/visit Gallery Hours: We are open for appointment Thurs-Sat 12pm-5pm Sun 1pm-5pm Thank you to RBC for supporting this programming.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS! Mark DeGarmo Dance is now accepting applications from performers, choreographers and dancers to participate in its annual Virtual Salon Per...formance Series: a showcase of original artistic works-in-progress with a facilitated audience response portion (held on Zoom). Apply now via GoogleForm at: https://forms.gle/5g5yi55GZYdoU82y8 Deadline: December 3rd, 2020 11:59PM ET. Please contact [email protected] with any questions. TAG A FRIEND who you would love to see participate in the comments below! Each performer will have the opportunity to present up to 10 minutes of unfinished work followed by 10 minutes of audience feedback. This is a unique opportunity to have a new audience view your work and provide feedback, suggestions, and answers to questions as you develop your work. Click here to watch the recaps from the 2019-2020 season, which featured 51 international artists/performers, on YouTube now: https://www.youtube.com/playlist We look forward to viewing your submissions!

GLADSTONE HOTEL ROOMS - CALL FOR ARTISTS As part of the Gladstone’s commitment to the arts, the hotel’s 55 newly renovated guest rooms will be enhanced by original artwork, to be selected through a multiphase call to artists. In this call, 20 artists are sought to provide work for one hotel room each (20 rooms/20 artists). https://gladstonehotel.com/call-for-submissions-hotel-rooms/

Don't miss the artist talk for Darkness and Decadence on Saturday November 21st, at 2pm for a conversation between artist, Krystal Ball and curators Karen Carter and Lelu Sammy. Register for the Artist Talk here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/darkness-and-decadence-virtual- Darkness and Decadence is currently on view at BAND Gallery, November 12th - December 6th, 2020. Visits must be booked in advance, book a (free) timed-entry online before your visit!... www.bandgallery.com/visit Gallery Hours: We are open for appointment Thurs-Sat 12pm-5pm Sun 1pm-5pm Thank you to RBC for supporting this programming.

Join the watch party! For Colored Girls: A RemiX is premiering TODAY at 2pm on our Youtube channel! 7 Women. 7 Voices. Coming together for a virtual reading of classic monologues intertwined with new poetry inspired by the play "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf ". Featuring an outstanding cast of award-winning actors and spoken word poets: Ordena Thompson, Faduma Mohamed, Chelsea Russell, Britta B., Akosua Amo-Adem, and Paulina O'Kieff...e. Watch here: https://youtu.be/wYpGGRXf--Q link in bio Presented by BAND Gallery and MotionLive. Thank you to the Canada Arts Presentation Fund for supporting this programming.

For Colored Girls: A Remix is premiering tomorrow at 2pm on our YouTube page! Meet Akosua Amo-Adem, Faduma Mohamed, Chelsea Russell, & Motion! Part of the phenomenal cast of award winning actors and spoken word poets ncoming together for a virtual reading of classic monologues intertwined with new poetry inspired by the play for coloured girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.... Join the watch party tomorrow, link in bio

Black Initiatives (a group that focuses on fulfilling needs in Black Communities and Communities of Colour) is organizing a Donation Day for Black Students and Students of Colour in the GTA who are in need of school supplies, hygiene products, masks and just anything that would help them make their school year a bit easier, happier and safe! Check it out: https://forms.gle/ob3wm1t42vUXiEg2A

For Colored Girls: A RemiX premieres this Saturday at 2pm! Meet Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony, Ordena Stephens-Thompson, & Brittany B Part of the outstanding cast of award winning actors and spoken word poets coming together for a virtual reading of classic monologues intertwined with new poetry inspired by the play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.... Watch with us on our YouTube page Oct 3rd, link in bio

Edward Burtynsky and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director & Co-Head at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), speak at the gallery on the subject of Burtynsky's Natural Order exhibition and the importance of his documentary film work. https://vimeo.com/463092680

Thank you to all the visitors who came through the gallery to see A World Asleep But Me by Owen Gordon! Interviews with Owen Gordon, and his full Artist Talk are available on our Youtube page: www.youtube.com/playlist Thank you to Scotiabank for supporting this programming. ... If you missed Owen Gordon's show at BAND, you can catch some of his work at the Nicholas Metivier Gallery and at PAMA this Fall(more details to come!).

Did you miss #WORDLIFE20 live? Catch the stream on Youtube - available for a limited time! www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4tpRgaZH_w&feature=youtu.be

Did you miss #WORDLIFE20 live? Catch the performances on @northerngriots YouTube - up for a limited time!

TODAY AT 4pm!! You don't want to miss this!

Up for a couple more weeks, a selection from Absence/Presence: Morant Bay can safely be seen outdoors on the fence at BAND(at Brock Ave and Noble St). The artist, Christina Leslie makes photographs that delve into and respond to her Jamaican-Canadian heritage and personal family histories. This series was a result of Leslie's drive to document the people and landscapes of her fathers hometown, Morant Bay. Leslie's photographs are also available for purchase! Email inquiries ...to us at [email protected] and add to your collection #EverydayCollectors Presented by BAND Gallery in partnership with the Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival. #supportingblackartists #caribbeanstories

On Friday, September 18, 2020, works by two internationally acclaimed Black Canadian artists were installed just outside the Senate Chamber. This marks the first time an art installation has been arranged in the Senate to specifically display and honour the work of Canada’s Black artists. Stolen Identities, by Winnipeg painter Yisa Akinbolaji, and Who’s Who in Canada 1927 a mixed-media piece by Vancouver-based artist Chantal Gibson will be on display for the next nine mon...ths. This is an important and positive step towards increasing cultural representation in the artwork on display in the halls of Parliament. You can read about this project on the Senate website. There is an article containing more information about the artists and their art, as well as photos and video of the installation. https://sencanada.ca//the-senate-is-honouring-canadas-bla/

For Colored Girls: A RemiX - Saturday, October 3, 2020 at 2PM 7 Women. 7 Voices. Coming together for a virtual reading of classic monologues intertwined with new poetry inspired by the play "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf ". On the occasion of the 72nd birthday of renowned playwright/poet Ntozake Shange (1948-2018), For Colored Girls: A RemiX reimagines and reflects on her influential choreopoem - where word, sound, movement and drama m...eet - and its indelible impact on theatre. For Colored Girls: A RemiX features an outstanding cast of award-winning actors and spoken word poets: Ordena Thompson, Faduma Mohamed, Chelsea Russell, Britta B., Akosua Amo-Adem, Paulina O'Kieffe, and is directed by Motion. For Colored Girls: A RemiX - a virtual theatre event - airs on Saturday, October 3rd, 2020, at 2PM tune in on our Youtube to join the watch party! For Colored Girls: A RemiX is presented by BAND Gallery and MotionLive. Thank you to the Canada Arts Presentation Fund for supporting this programming!

On Saturday, September 26th, you are invited to join The Northern Griots Network, to celebrate 20 years since releasing the WORDLIFE album. WORDLIFE is the first, and only, Tri city Spoken Word compilation album, featuring Black spoken word artists from Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. The celebration will include performances, panels, reflections, and is absolutely free!... Reserve your spot here: http://www.northerngriotsnetwork.com/visual17e_ottawa-87259 Take a listen: https://soundcloud.com/nth-digri

@kcintoronto in print today ! @thetorontostar Link in our bio Photographer: @bougieblackguy

Dawit Tibebu's series Freedom Fighters: Ethiopia is opening at BAND October 8th. Join us for the virtual opening reception, register here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/freedom-fighters-ethiopia-virtual-openi! Dawit Tibebu is an Ethiopian Journalist and Photographer. Dawit studied Foreign Language and Literature at Hawassa University. He was introduced to the camera in a photography studio that serves walking customers for lifestyle photographs during campus in Hawassa town. Soon aft...er graduation, while working in journalism, he started merging his talents. With support and mentorship from well-established photographers in the industry, Dawit started using photography for self-exploration, to reflect on himself, as well as his vision and understanding of this world and his surroundings. Dawit has been commissioned for documentary photography for numerous agencies of the United Nations in Ethiopia. He founded The GUZO Project, an emerging brand looking after preserving endangered treasures, history and cultures in Ethiopia and Africa. The GUZO Project publishes travel books focusing on less observed destinations and hosts international exhibitions to address concerns of preservation and remembrance. Visit www.dawittibebu.com to learn more about the artist. Freedom Fighters: Ethiopia by Dawit Tibebu is on October 8th to November 1st, 2020. Thank you to RBC for supporting this programming.

Join The Northern Griots Network on Saturday, September 26th for WorldLife 20! Celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the release of the WordLife compilation album, the Northern Griots Network will be taking us down memory lane, and showcasing the next generation of Black Canadian spoken word artists. Featuring poetry from Jemeni, JD Vishus, Manchilde, Ziplocks, JWyze, & so many more! ... RSVP here: https://tickets.vendini.com/ticket-software.html

Freedom Fighters: Ethiopia is opening at BAND October 8th. In this series, Dawit Tibebu, an Ethiopian Journalist and Photographer, explores the European colonization mission to Africa focusing on Ethiopia and their sustained resistance to the Italians' plan to expand their colonial empire. His photographs portray some of the living national heroes who were part of the second Ethio-Italian war directly and indirectly. Join us for the virtual opening reception: bandgallery.co...m/current-exhibitions-and-eve/freedomfighters Image: Patriot Banti Dibu "Patriots are not soldiers. Our fathers didn’t have a salary, medical insurance, professional training, nor had any benefit an army could demand. Those Patriots where just Ethiopians who accepted the call to save the country from invaders unconditionally. They didn’t give excuses to resist the request for their country. They said NO to colonization with an empty hand. And with that exclusive decision, they didn’t fear death but enlightened with unity." Thank you to RBC for supporting this programming. #BlackCultureMatters #BlackHistoryMatters #SupportingBlackArtists

THIS IS A WARNING: CALLING IN INSTITUTIONS (PANEL) Moderated by our very own, Karen Carter! As awareness spreads and more institutions add their voices to movements, the opportunity exists to call-in many institutions who need to correct how they navigate these dialogues. In this panel, we engage in an open and frank conversation on the need to call-in institutions who require correction, the potential fallout, and the need to face fragility and discomfort in this important w...ork. Speakers: Taiwo Bah, Dalton Higgins, Chris Wilson Watch the panel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BQsBMLhzKM

Owen Gordon's solo show, A World Asleep But Me is up at BAND for 2 more weeks! Book a private visit to the gallery before September 27th to see Gordon's first solo exhibition in Canada. Bringing together a constellation of never before shown paintings and collages, this must see exhibition showcases Gordon's lucid, expansive, and wide-awake vision of the chaotic and cruel, yet deliriously enticing place that we call our world. We are open for appointment only:... Thurs-Sat 12pm to 5pm Sun 1pm-5pm Go to bandgallery.com/visit to book your visit! Image: Owen Gordon, Still Life(1992). Oil on canvas.

Kind words from @niki.padbury ! Enjoy this excerpt from a piece Niki wrote about her visit to the gallery - our first visitor after re-opening in the time of COVID-19. Back to Basics Experiencing Art in Real Life Again. Niki Padbury July 8, 2020... "Please take your time with the art, and enjoy" After an initial pleasant greeting through masked faces, these are the words I was left with by Karen Carter, co-founder and Director at BAND gallery. Take your time. Enjoy. What a gift to be in a gallery again. What a treasure to be in a room full of Owen V. Gordon's colorful patterns and nuanced narratives. To be close enough to the work to see the layered, textured, surfaces. To find yourself in a space where you are not habitually scrolling to the next piece or getting distracted with a "like" button. As brilliant as virtual exhibits have been during this time of Covid-19 in allowing us the opportunity to see new work, there is nothing comparable to experiencing art in real life. What I discovered during my solo visit was that it had been a long time (much longer than pre-covid) since I had been in a gallery and felt so relaxed and welcomed. I had reserved that time to visit, and it was mine and mine alone. There was nobody else that would be coming in behind me, silently urging me forward to the next painting, or the distraction of other's observations. When I was ready to engage, Karen was there to indulge me, to discuss Gordon's history in a stimulating private tour of this brilliantly curated body of work. Book your own visit on our website, bandgallery.com/visit