Veronica Zaretski

U of T alumnus honoured for helping deliver long-term care to Toronto's multicultural residents

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 14:56:57 +0000

U of T alumnus honoured for helping deliver long-term care to Toronto's multicultural residents

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 07/09/2018 - 10:56

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Peter Rekai is chair of the Rekai Centres, multilingual long-term care facilities started by his father and uncle to care for Toronto's diverse residents (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

City & Culture

Alumni

Diversity

Faculty of Arts & Science

Innis College

Trinity College

University of Toronto Mississauga

Peter Rekai is committed to making the city a better place – for everyone.

For years, the leading immigration lawyer, philanthropist and University of Toronto alumnus has been making a difference in the lives of long-term care recipients as chair of the Rekai Centres, long-term care facilities started by his father Paul and uncle John. The multilingual facilities care for Toronto’s diverse multicultural population and are believed to be the first of their kind in Canada.

Now Rekai's efforts are being honoured with the U of T Alumni Association’s Carl Mitchell Award for Community Engagement. The award, created four years ago, is named after the former President of the University of Toronto Alumni Association, who was a passionate advocate for making an impact on communities through volunteering.

Friends, family and colleagues describe Rekai as someone who doesn’t like taking credit for his considerable dedication to philanthropy and community work.

“Peter is an extraordinary volunteer,” David Crombie, the former mayor of Toronto and U of T alumnus who volunteers for the Rekai Centres, told U of T in a videotaped interview (below). “[He] has a kind of quiet but compelling presence.”

Rekai says his work in immigration and at the Rekai Centres was informed by the experience of his family, who immigrated to Canada as refugees from Hungary in the 1950s.

Trained as doctors, his father Paul and uncle John opened up small medical practices in Toronto. They noticed that immigrant patients typically went to doctors in their communities who spoke their language, but were lost when transferred to hospitals without fluent health care providers.

“There were also cultural issues,” says Rekai, “like making sure patients had the food they were used to and that accommodations were made for different cultural preferences.”

Along with his father, Rekai envisioned a unique hospital that could provide culturally-sensitive care for patients, with a wide variety of languages spoken by health care providers.

In 1957 they took over the Central Hospital on Sherbourne Street and opened a 32-bed private hospital with multilingual staff providing care to patients of diverse backgrounds.

“The staff who worked there spoke 35 different languages between them,” says Rekai, “and provided culturally sensitive care. That was really new and innovative at the time. That [care model] is still ahead of its time.”

Mayor Crombie awarded Rekai’s father and uncle the Toronto Civic Award for their work in hospitals (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)

Two long-term care homes followed. The first, called Sherbourne Place, offers 126 beds. The second, Wellesley Central Place, offers 150 beds. And a third one, which will offer 230 beds, is under construction. It will replace the first home, which Rekai says will become a community health facility. Together, the Rekai Centres provide transformative long-term care.

“The Rekai Centres have given me some stability in my life, which is probably the most important thing,” says Charles Cook, a resident at the Rekai Centres and a U of T alumnus in the U of T video.

Rekai notes the need for long-term care is going to grow exponentially over the next five to ten years. “The need is huge as people are living longer, and the expectation for better care, sensitive, individual care, better use of technology or more innovative food is growing,” says Rekai.

Rekai says the work of his father and uncle in envisioning the future of health care in the 1950s is still the backbone of the organization today. “The kind of hospital my father opened became a model for other hospitals – it was innovative and multicultural, and people who worked there spoke at other hospitals about that kind of care,” he says.

Keeping residents connected to the community is also one of Rekai’s priorities.

“We open up the main floor of our long-term facilities for community events and encourage residents to explore the community centre near them, go to art shows and events,” he says.

Peter Rekai (centre) cuts the ribbon with current residents and board member at the opening of Wellesley Central Place in 2005 (photo courtesy of the Rekai Centres)

Rekai’s work as an immigration lawyer and as a board director of the Rekai Centres grew out of an interest in immigration experiences – like the ones his family went through.

He was the first in his family to be born in Canada and to attend a Canadian university. His time at U of T, he says, was formative and instrumental to his work today.

“I had four great years at U of T,” he says. Graduating from Trinity College in 1976, Rekai recalls being very involved in extracurricular activities, including the literary society at Trinity College and U of T debating, and being surrounded with people who pushed him to grow and learn. “I remember taking courses in city politics at Innis College, where we talked about radical politics. I remember the great Canadian authors who were at U of T at the time – like novelists Dave Godfrey and Margaret Atwood.”

He also recalls being taught by Robert Bothwell and the late Stephen Clarkson, and taking former Erindale College (now U of T Mississauga) Principal Paul Fox’s class with Toronto Mayor John Tory. “Based on where John ended up, I think he clearly listened more carefully in that class than I did,” Rekai jokes.

The relationships he built at U of T continue to this day. Rekai brought fellow alumni to serve on the board of the Rekai Centres – friends like Hugh Innis, Gordon Davies, Geoffrey Mills and Cindy Bowden.

He advises current students and alumni to maintain the relationships they made during their studies. “The people you know now will ask you to participate in interesting things,” he says.

“I also encourage people to send their kids to U of T – I sent three of my four kids there,” he says.

Rekai's daughter Mika Rekai, a U of T alumna who studied classical civilization and English, and also graduated from Trinity College, says that as she got older she saw the significance of the responsibilities her father took on with the Rekai Centres.

“My dad is quiet and cheerful about all the responsibilities he takes on and his leadership roles and he doesn’t make a big deal about it,” she says. “But he also takes his work very seriously – he knows how to work a room.

“He remembers and he cares and he’s considerate and he gets a lot done while being really pleasant.”

'Give generously to the world,' says honorary degree recipient and Indigenous activist Cindy Blackstock

noreen.rasbach — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 04:00:00 +0000

'Give generously to the world,' says honorary degree recipient and Indigenous activist Cindy Blackstock

noreen.rasbach Mon, 06/18/2018 - 00:00

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Cindy Blackstock speaks with U of T President Meric Gertler as she receives a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from U of T on Monday (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Topic

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Honorary Degree

Indigenous

Truth and Reconciliation

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressed the historical and present-day injustices faced by Indigenous people, but for decades before, Indigenous activists like Cindy Blackstock were fighting against inequity.

Blackstock, a University of Toronto alumna who is a celebrated academic, community leader and social worker, is an indefatigable advocate for the rights of Indigenous children in Canada. Her work has affected the lives of 163,000 children.

“She is Canada’s Martin Luther King at this moment for Indigenous children – a relentless moral voice holding government to account,” NDP MP Charlie Angus said of Blackstock in a Globe and Mail article in May.

Blackstock received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from U of T on Monday for her outstanding service.

As she leads a number of humanitarian initiatives, she's been driven by a simple truth: Indigenous children deserve the same consideration and benefits as all other youth in Canada.

In 2007, she filed a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that sought to hold the federal government accountable for inequalities faced by Indigenous children.

Almost ten years later, that filing proved a victory, when a landmark ruling found the federal government failed to provide First Nations people on reserves the same social services received by other youth.

Jordan’s Principle was created as a response, providing funding for health, social needs and education to Indigenous children.

But for Blackstock, this marked only the start of the changes she wanted to see to the way Indigenous children and families are treated. She has voiced concerns about when and how the funding will be allocated and regularly travels the country as a speaker. The inspiration for her work comes from the children whose lives she wants to see improve.

“Children are the great hope of reconciliation,” Blackstock told Peter Mansbridge on CBC's The National in 2016. “They know how to do it. We just need to follow their example.”

Blackstock is a member of the Gitxsan First Nation, and was born and raised in northern British Columbia. In her interview with Mansbridge, she describes seeing racism all around her as a child.

“I saw that First Nations people were seen to be lesser than everybody else. What I couldn’t figure out is what we have done wrong,” she said. “That sense of injustice followed me, that question of, ‘Why are we treated so differently, and why is it so OK?’”

Blackstock channelled her outrage over that injustice into her life’s work. She spent more than a decade as a social worker, seeing up close the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous children and families. She then pursued a career of rigorous academic work coupled with relentless activism and community organizing.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC, a master’s degree in management from McGill University, a Master of Jurisprudence in Children’s Law and Policy from Loyola University Chicago and a PhD in social work from U of T.

Today, she is a professor at the School of Social Work at McGill University, and is the executive director of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, an organization that promotes the rights of Indigenous children, youth and families. She has received countless awards for her advocacy work, including a recognition by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (now called Indspire) and Front Line Defenders, and she was named an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

She has also served as an adviser to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Through these efforts, she continues to work on repairing the damage done to traditional Indigenous families as the result of colonial policies, including residential schools and the Sixties Scoop.

A message to U of T grads from Cindy Blackstock:

Find out what you are passionate about and good at, and then nurture it and give generously to the world. Know your values and develop the moral courage to defend them so you can take your turn to stand against the winds of discrimination and injustice.

Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House

vzaretski — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:50:54 +0000

Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House

vzaretski Mon, 01/29/2018 - 12:50

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Paul Templin has retired after almost 40 years working at U of T's Hart House (photo by Scott Gorman)

Topic

In his 36 years of managing events, programming and the theatre at Hart House, Paul Templin met many fascinating people, but a few memories are etched on his mind: Riding in an elevator with Yoko Ono, writing letters with Christopher Plummer and escaping a fire thanks to a resident, friendly ghost.

The former Hart House Theatre director worked for the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival, the Westwood Playhouse and the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles, but it was during his time at the University of Toronto that he experienced his greatest adventures in theatre.

He says he will miss the magic of live theatre: Production sets where the imaginations of talented writers, actors and stage crew came alive. But he will also miss the space that he nurtured and helped grow. His favourite seat at Hart House Theatre is at Row K, seat 2 (it has a lot of legroom and allowed Templin to sneak in and out of shows). His favourite room at Hart House (outside the Hart House Theatre) is the Great Hall.

Watch a 360 video of Hart House's Great Hall, with Paul Templin as a guide

On Nov. 26, Templin celebrated almost four decades at U of T at a retirement reception hosted by his colleagues at Hart House. As he closes this chapter of his life, Templin shares with us three memories of his home away from home, from ghostly to international sensations.

1. Escaping fires thanks to Bert the ghost

When Templin managed Hart House Theatre, he would sometimes work long shifts, coming in at 8 a.m. and staying as late as 1 a.m. Sometimes he would even sleep in his office to avoid a long commute home.

One night, the door of his office swung violently open, hitting the cot that he was sleeping on and waking him up. Heavy smoke filled the room.

The door had a frosted windowpane and as it swung shut, Templin saw a figure behind the frosted door. He assumed someone had come to warn him of a fire that broke out at Hart House.

It turned out to be an electric fire, which spread throughout Hart House Theatre. “The hallway and the room next to my office were filled with smoke. There was smoke everywhere,” Templin recalls.

As a small group met outside the burning building (the caretakers and the warden of Hart House, who lived there at the time), Templin asked which one of them came by his office. None of them did. “I attributed it to Bert,” says Templin, referring to a ghost that was purportedly spotted at Hart House on various occasions. Bert was a caretaker at Hart House before he died after being struck by a streetcar on College Street.

“A few years after the fire a woman came to see me and told me that I knew her grandfather,” says Templin. “I had no idea who she was talking about, but she insisted that I knew him.” The woman’s grandfather’s name was “Albert."

Templin took her on a tour around Hart House to show her where Bert would have worked. “And as far as I know no one has seen the ghost since,” he says. “It’s almost as though her visit expelled the ghost.”

2. Pulling strings with Yoko Ono

In 2002, Yoko Ono was in Toronto for a retrospective of her work at the Art Gallery of Ontario. “She wanted to do a live performance, and it ended up being at Hart House Theatre,” says Templin. When Ono came by for a rehearsal she asked Templin if she could use his office to get ready. Templin readily agreed and asked Ono if he might be able to get a photo with her.

Later, hundreds came out to see her performance, which Templin says was an interpretive piece.

“It started as an interview with her and the president of the AGO, but at one point of the interview she took out a large black bag. She got into the bag and got naked and did the rest of the interview naked in the bag,” says Templin. “She later did a demonstration with a chair – 37 ways of using a chair, or something like that,” he says. “Then she had her assistants work around the auditorium, twisting the blue yarn around everyone, and pulling the yarn around both her toes so that everyone in the room felt the tugging.”

Templin also says she gave a piece of a puzzle to everyone in the room and told them that in 50 years everyone should come back and put the puzzle together.

“As we were going up the elevator together, Yoko said loudly, ‘Stop!’ and asked one member of her entourage to take a picture of us,” he says.

Templin didn’t think he would get to see the photo, but a month later she sent it to him in an envelope. “She was quite chatty and very nice and pleasant – a bit wacky.”

Read about Yoko Ono’s first time at U of T: Her iconic concert with John Lennon at Varsity Stadium in 1969

3. Writing letters with Christopher Plummer

In 2001, the CBC asked the renowned actor Christopher Plummer to talk about receiving the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Around this time, there were concerns that Hart House Theatre may have to close. Templin was working on a document that outlined incorporating the theatre into Hart House as a response to possible closure.

Plummer felt personally invested in the cause. “He loved it, all his friends loved it, and he wanted it to stay open to convey how important theatre is to society,” says Templin. “He wanted to give his speech for the CBC at Hart House Theatre."

Templin got to spend the day with Plummer during the CBC shoot, and afterwards Plummer wrote a letter in support of keeping the theatre open, which Templin included in his plea to keep Hart House Theatre open.

“He was a real gentleman, such a nice man. I had the pleasure of meeting him several times. Extremely talented and generous man with his time and wisdom,” Templin recalls. The two would keep in touch, and had dinner again years later when Plummer received his honorary degree at U of T.

And Templin’s plan was accepted: The theatre was incorporated into Hart House for three temporary years, and stayed open thereafter.

Below, Paul Templin in his favourite seat at Hart House Theatre. Photo and the 360 video by Veronica Zaretski.

U of T's all-night art party: The Night of Ideas in photos

vzaretski — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 22:02:02 +0000

U of T's all-night art party: The Night of Ideas in photos

vzaretski Fri, 01/26/2018 - 17:02

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Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, also known as DJ Me Time and Liberty Van Zandt on Degrassi: The Next Generation (all photos by Veronica Zaretski)

Topic

An all-night international art party at the University of Toronto, Night of Ideas brought together pyjama-clad artists, faculty, staff, students and community members from Toronto and around the world. On the agenda: dance performances, a midnight swim, the Figures of Sleep exhibition at the Art Museum, and much more.

U of T was one of the first Canadian institutions to take part in the global all-night event, which takes place in more than 50 cities.

In case you couldn’t make it out and find yourself experiencing FOMO, we put together highlights from the night, in photos.

Beatriz Colomina of Princeton University explored how social media affects our behaviour, including sleep. “The line between what is public and private has been radically blurred,” said Colomina in her talk, “The Bed in the Age of Social Media.”

Hart House and the Art Museum were filled with pyjama-clad attendees, like Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, who we caught up with at the entrance of Hart House. Barrable-Tishauer goes by DJ Me Time, but fans also know her as Liberty Van Zandt from Degrassi: The Next Generation.

“My dad told me about the event,” said Barrable-Tishauer, who attended with her father. “Ever since I started exploring the idea of me time and the idea of being an extroverted introvert, I became really interested in private spaces and me time: What we do in private spaces, and how important that is for self-care and self-development,” she said.

Next door, in the Reading Room, students and community members were busy connecting and crafting in the Get Crafty: Sleep Mask workshop.

Alexia Christie (below, right) and Viola Baker (below, left) said they really enjoyed the talks at the event. “[Colomina] spoke a lot about how these days, art is often made to fit social media instead of just fitting the artist’s vision, which was really interesting,” said Christie, before dashing off to the pyjama pageant.

The pageant began with pyjama-clad attendees dancing down a runaway to Madonna’s Vogue.

And ended with a group selfie.

Hart House Warden John Monahan and Kelly Schnurr, senior project manager of the 100th anniversary of Hart House, also took a moment to strike a pose before getting ready for the next panel discussion,“To Think or Not to Think.”

Over at the Art Museum, meanwhile, attendees reflected on the cultural anxieties of sleep in Figures of Sleep, an exhibition that asks, “Is sleep in a crisis?”

Below, Ron Mueck's Old Woman In Bed. Be sure to check out the Figures of Sleep exhibition at U of T's Art Museum. It is open until March 3.

Learn more about the joint event between U of T’s Art Museum, Hart House and the Cultural Service of the French Embassy of Canada

U of T in videos: The best of 2017

vzaretski — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 05:00:00 +0000

U of T in videos: The best of 2017

vzaretski Thu, 12/14/2017 - 00:00

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Richard Marsella, executive director of the Regent Park School of Music and U of T PhD student, was featured this year in an episode of the On Location series (photo by Romi Levine)

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

City & Culture

Art Museum

Centre for Medieval Studies

Undergraduate Students

Throughout 2017, we shared with you how members of the U of T community pushed boundaries, innovated and made the year a little more fun and inspiring for the rest of us. As the year winds down, we look back on some of the best U of T stories from the year – in videos.

The people of #UofTGrad17

Convocation ceremonies bring an atmosphere of celebration to U of T – and a couple of musicians brought a melodic spin to this year’s spring convocation.

Michael Bridge started playing the accordion when he was five years old. He completed his undergraduate degree at U of T and graduated with a master's degree in accordion performance during this year’s spring convocation. Now, he is continuing his education at U of T with a PhD in accordion performance.

In the video above, he plays the accordion and tells us about the complexity of the instrument and his love for it. “My experience at U of T has changed my understanding of what the accordion can do,” he tells videographer Lisa Lightbourn.

During spring convocation, we went behind the scenes with another musician at U of T: Roy Lee, U of T alumnus, Carillonneur, and the man behind the bells at Soldier’s Tower.

Precilla Veigas moved everyone with her indomitable spirit. After facing many challenges, including immigrating twice and rebuilding her credentials after arriving in Canada in 2005, Veigas found out that she had terminal cancer halfway through her PhD degree.

Veigas completed her PhD program, contributing research that could help save future emergency room patients who require blood transfusions. She died in October.

“I feel I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do,” said Veigas back in the spring, when she received her PhD in a private degree-presentation ceremony. “Cancer didn’t prevent me from doing that.”

On Location

In the On Location series, U of T News reporter Romi Levine explores the impact of U of T experts and their research on the city.

Levine and Lightbourn-Lay head to different neighbourhoods in Toronto, and speak with experts on topics ranging from forensic sciences to architecture and installation art.

The episode above takes viewers to Regent Park, to explore a collaboration between U of T Faculty of Music researchers, Regent Park School of Music and Turning Point Youth Services, a housing facility for young men who have been involved with the youth criminal justice system.

The collaboration brings youth from the housing facilities to Regent Park to learn how to play an instrument of their choice. “It brings people together 100 per cent and mends a lot of relationships,” says one of the participants about the initiative.

Truth and Reconciliation

Crowds of visitors came to see artist Kent Monkman’s art at U of T’s Art Museum last winter as Canada was getting ready to mark its 150th year. “At this moment in time it’s important to have a critical perspective on Canada,” Monkman said. His large-scale paintings, explored in the video above by Lightbourn-Lay, subvert a classical style while challenging the history of colonialism in Canada.

Art Museum Director Barbara Fischer asked Monkman in 2014 to put something together for Canada 150, part of an effort by the Canadian Museums Association to reflect on how museums have framed Canadian history.

“What is the function of art and what is the purpose of art?” Monkman asks in the video above. “Is it only to show beauty or pleasure? I don’t believe so. Art has to be challenging, and sometimes it has to take us to dark places or challenging places.”

A dictionary of very old words

What does Old English sound like? Turns out, not a whole lot like English.

Robert Getz and Stephen Pelle are the drafting editors of the Dictionary of Old English, a project that various scholars at the Centre for Medieval Studies have been working on since the 1970s.

The dictionary maps around 35,000 words of the oldest period of the English language (from the middle of the 7th century to 1150).

In the video above, the two take us behind the world of old English, where rain is described as “heaven’s showers," and share the meaning behind their favourite words, like heolop-helm (helmet of invisibility) and wite-hus (house of punishment).

Back to school

NerdyAndQuirky (a.k.a. YouTube superstar and U of T student Sabrina Cruz) gave first-year students five tips to survive their first year. “Participate, make friends with people as lost and confused as you are,” says the popular Cruz.

The working life at U of T

Photographer Ken Jones has worked at U of T Scarborough for 36 years and has spent 24 as staff photographer, capturing countless memories in unforgettable photographs.

In the video above, the man behind the camera is finally in front of it, explaining his work, which also happens to be his passion.

And then there's Terry Gardiner. A former ballet dancer with a life-long commitment to serving communities, Gardiner pivoted his career after graduating with a master’s degree in social work from the university. He is now the manager of diversity, equity and student experience at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

In the video above, he takes us to Regent Park, where he volunteers as a ballet teacher at the Coleman Lemieux dance school.

A new chapter for U of T Mississauga

When Ulli Krull was installed as U of T Mississauga’s ninth principal, the renowned chemist and judoka described his vision to build on U of T Mississauga’s record of excellence, and performed his signature fingertip push-ups.

He also advised students to open their minds and ask themselves, “with what I have learned, what can I do next?”

The holidays are around the corner

Krull took a different approach to chemistry in this recent video celebrating the holiday season at U of T Mississauga.

And to mark the end of 2017, U of T President Meric Gertler looks back on everything we have to celebrate during this holiday season.

“It’s about innovation and discovery, striving for excellence and standing up for what’s right: As a community we greet neighbours and friends and turn vision into reality,” says Gertler in the video above.

From everyone at U of T News: Enjoy this holiday season and Happy 2018.

Portrait of the artist: Behind the scenes with Joanne Tod

vzaretski — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 15:02:08 +0000

Portrait of the artist: Behind the scenes with Joanne Tod vzaretski Wed, 06/28/2017 - 11:02

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

City & Culture

Joanne Tod’s “aha” moment was melodic. She was singing The Beatles’ “She Loves You” as a young girl, when she realized that she wanted to work in a creative field. That moment led to a career as one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary artists.

Known for her realist style and social critiques, Tod built her career in Toronto, starting out as part of a group of artists who worked in the city in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of her projects entailed painting every Canadian soldier who fought and died in the war in Oh, Canada – A Lament.

Her work eventually brought her to U of T, where she teaches future artists and draws inspiration for paintings from the rooms and buildings of the university and its memorable people. Bruce Kidd, Jane Gaskell, Hal Jackman, Michael Wilson, Margaret MacMillan and Robert Prichard can all count themselves as her subjects.

Tod opens up about her work as an artist, nourishing young artists and painting the people and places of U of T.

What’s the hardest part about being an artist? What’s the best part?

It’s a daunting prospect, to begin a new body of work and to evolve one’s oeuvre in a meaningful way. But this is also the best part; to be constantly striving for excellence and to feel that one is making a relevant and significant contribution to cultural discourse.

How does your art career inform your teaching at U of T?

I have the pleasure of working with many students who are keen to understand the vicissitudes of the art world, and how to embrace a lifestyle that does not necessarily guarantee a regular paycheque.

The courses I teach are focused on critical, independent thinking, and strive to familiarize students with how the art world operates, and how to function within it. I address a spectrum of issues, with emphasis on the importance of articulating and writing cogently about their artwork, and gaining critical self-awareness.

You have spent most of your life in Toronto, having been part of a group of artists working in the city’s Queen Street West neighbourhood in the ‘70s and 80s. Does Toronto play a role in your creativity or your work?

Yes, I love living in Toronto, a creative hotbed of activity. It’s a diverse city that is arts proactive with a cultural infrastructure of artists, galleries, collectors, and a vibrant social scene. Unfortunately, it’s this very vitality that has been responsible for artists being expropriated from their studios to make way for hip condos and retail.

Above: Tod at her home with the painting of Meghan McKnight, a former student

Your work was recognized when you were 12 years old, and one of your teachers bought your artwork. How did this experience shape you, and how you engage your students?

In grade 7, my art teacher was the late David Cowan. He was wonderfully theatrical and really made the class dynamic and exciting. Even though I was only 12 years old, he recognized that I was serious about becoming an artist, and he encouraged me.

He bought several early drawings and paintings from me as well. This was undoubtedly the first affirmation, to myself and maybe even to my parents, that it might actually be feasible to pursue a career in art.

Years later, when David was a professor at Queen’s University, he would invite me annually to do a presentation of my work, after which I would critique his students’ final exhibition. Thanks to David, I became confident about public speaking and teaching. He was an important mentor and role model.

I enjoy my students and try to make myself available for individual consultation. I like to learn about them as well and make constructive suggestions, to steer them in a suitable direction. Some individuals are obviously gifted in certain areas, and I try to identify these strengths and discuss their future plans with them. It is very exciting to see students poised at the beginning of their careers. I feel invigorated by their energy.

A third of the artwork in your home is created by your former and present students. Why is it important to nurture emerging Canadian artists and their unique voices?

Get their work when it’s cheap, and steal their ideas when they’re still unknown, I like to joke. But I do try to support upcoming talent. It’s a bit like playing the stock market, although I am not as concerned with resale value as I am in observing how certain students evolve in their careers. And I do get to witness this development because I remain friends with many of them.

Todd at her home, surrounded by an installation created by her former student Chantal Hassard.

You’ve painted various U of T figures: Bruce Kidd, Jane Gaskell, Hal Jackman, Michael Wilson, Margaret MacMillan and Robert Prichard. What can you tell us about these people and the process of painting them?

It has been a great privilege to be chosen to paint portraits of these distinguished individuals. I try to make the best of my photo shoots by doing research about the subject in advance.

Usually I will meet with the person informally first, to get to know them a little. In this way I am prepared to converse with them during the modeling session, and to glean interesting information about them as academics and as people. Hopefully, some of what I learn imbues the portrait with a greater depth of understanding. It’s important to ascertain the preferred setting for the portrait – formal or informal? Institutional or domestic? Often people will want to insert something personal, such as a memento, book, or a pet, etc. which is included in the final work. I would like to think that viewers of the portraits do actually get a sense of the personality of the subject. My goal always is to get a good likeness, and to depict the subject at his or her best.

Your most recent U of T portrait was of Robert Prichard, who served as the thirteenth president of the University of Toronto, and prior to that, was the dean of the Faculty of Law. When we asked him about the portrait he said that he asked you to paint him because he loves your paintings‎ and because you love the university as he does. He called your work a “splendid addition to the university's portrait collection”. What was it like to work with him?

Robert Prichard invited me to his home to meet him and his wife Ann, in advance of our sitting. At that meeting, Mr. Prichard was most gracious and had obviously done some research about me, asking pertinent questions and making intelligent observations about my work and career.

I had already taken some photographs of the interior of Flavelle House, and we agreed that this setting would be appropriate for a former Dean of the Faculty of Law. Mr. Prichard is very photogenic. He is relaxed and personable, making the photo shoot enjoyable and effortless. And because he is a tall person with great presence, we decided that the portrait needed to be fairly large, in order to convey this aspect of his physicality. When the portrait was complete, I was very pleased when Ann remarked that I’d caught his look of boyish enthusiasm.

What’s next for you?

As a poster that probably still exists at Gwartzman’s Art Supplies proclaimed, “Old artists never die, they just paint away”. I will continue to make art, what else can I do? I’m preparing to build another studio in a different location. I’m excited about a change of environment, and how that might influence my work.

Prichard on Tod:
“She is a wonderful painter and a wonderful person with whom to work. So positive and optimistic that she could make even me look pretty good. I liked the portrait immediately on a first viewing and think it is a terrific painting despite the subject matter. She placed me in Flavelle House where I first studied as a law student, met my wife Ann and subsequently taught for many years. Flavelle offered rich architectural elements similar to those in some of her recent works which adds texture and perspective to the painting. She chose a happy compromise on my age, making me look younger than I do now but older than when appointed dean of law 33 years ago. Joanne's work is a splendid addition to the University's portrait collection. I am honoured that she agreed to paint it and grateful that graduates Jeanie Fraser and Tom Rahilly donated the funds to make it possible.”

This interview was condensed for clarity.

Meet Andrew Thomson, U of T's new chief of government relations

vzaretski — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:59:08 +0000

Meet Andrew Thomson, U of T's new chief of government relations

vzaretski Tue, 12/13/2016 - 12:59

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Photo by Veronica Zaretski

Veronica Zaretski

Author legacy

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

Our Community

Government

Our Faculty & Staff

“It’s an exciting time to be at U of T,” says Andrew Thomson, who was recently appointed to the newly created role of chief of government relations at U of T. “There is tremendous potential for our research and innovation agendas to change the shape of Canada for the better – socially, culturally, and economically.”

Thomson has spent more than 20 years in corporate and public sector leadership, notably as an elected member of the legislative assembly of Saskatchewan. There he served in various senior cabinet portfolios, including as minister of finance, learning, public safety and energy.

As he brings his extensive experience to U of T, Thomson says he hopes to add value to the U of T community and to improve educational access and opportunities at the university.

He spoke to U of T News about his priorities in 2017, the important role universities play in shaping policy and U of T’s impact on Toronto and Canada.

The role of chief of government relations is a new role at U of T. Can you share what you hope to bring to this position?

This role provides an opportunity for us to focus more strategically on relationships between the university and government. It should help us identify new avenues of funding and investment. It should also allow us to find new ways to engage the broader community in understanding the priorities and needs of our students, faculty and researchers.

Indeed, two of the key challenges the president has given me relate to expanding our engagement with Ottawa and deepening our connections as part of the GTA community. I am hopeful that through broader engagement, I can help the various leadership teams across our three campuses to secure even better recognition and funding for the work they are currently undertaking.

How do you view the relationship between universities, and in particular U of T, to various levels of government?

At the heart of every world-class university is a strong belief in research and scholarship, teaching and learning. We are no exception.

I think governments here generally understand and support those efforts. However, I do worry that the relationship is becoming more transactional.

We are seeing this in a tendency for governments to budget for education as a cost rather than an investment. We need to work on changing that mentality by better articulating how investments in research, scholarship, placements, and programs together drive better outcomes for our communities and our economy.

With the end of 2016 fast approaching, can you share some of your hopes and goals for this position in 2017?

There are three priorities I have set out for 2017.

First, is to continue building on the excellent work done in the area of institutional research and relations. The ability to demonstrate our successes through the data is key to ensuring our rankings, reputation and funding are reflective of U of T’s true capabilities.

Second, I am looking to strengthen our advocacy with the three levels of government. This will include highlighting issues around granting council and research funding support, advancing differentiation and innovation strategies, pursuing affordability and access issues and looking for new opportunities for government investments in capital development.

Finally, I am keen to undertake more direct outreach with the community. Through this, I hope we can foster better opportunities for faculty and students to be more actively involved in creating and telling the U of T story in a way that reflects our real impact on Toronto today.

Your career in leadership is extensive. What do you hope to bring from past experiences like your service in the legislative assembly of Saskatchewan?

My career has been built almost entirely around issues of economic and human capital development. I’ve been fortunate to have helped create government policy, served in elected office and worked with agencies across the developed and developing world while in the private sector. This has provided me with a good opportunity to see many of the same issues from the business, government and institutional perspective.

Certainly, it was a very real privilege to have served in cabinet, on Treasury Board, as a universities minister and minister of finance. I think it helped me gain a pretty good understanding of what matters most and what motivates decision-makers on budget and big policy issues. I also believe that living and working overseas – seeing how other countries and institutions tackle these issues – has allowed me a much broader perspective in looking at new models and approaches to tackling old problems.

Read the announcement on the appointment of Andrew Thomson as Chief of Government Relations

Bathsheba Everdene and more iconic Thomas Hardy characters at U of T’s Fisher Library

vzaretski — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 17:11:16 +0000

Bathsheba Everdene and more iconic Thomas Hardy characters at U of T’s Fisher Library

vzaretski Tue, 12/13/2016 - 12:11

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The "don't judge a book by its cover" case holds editions of Hardy's works with unusual covers (photo by Veronica Zaretski)

Veronica Zaretski

Author legacy

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

English

Thomas Hardy’s fictional region of Wessex can now be explored at U of T with 170 items, including Hardy's original manuscripts, first editions, annotated books, letters and photographs.

The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library is celebrating one of the most important writers in the history of English literature with an exhibition called “Moments of vision: the life and work of Thomas Hardy.”

The exhibition is thanks to a generous donation from University Professor Emeritus of English Michael Millgate of the Faculty of Arts & Science, who studied Hardy for nearly 50 years. He donated his massive collection out of a desire to share his love of Hardy with the U of T community, and his respect for the Fisher library.

“Professor Millgate has a long association with the University of Toronto,” curator Debbie Dearlove says. “He spent most of his academic life working on Hardy, and wrote what is considered by many people as the definitive biography on Hardy. He wants this collection to be used as a research collection by other researchers and students.”

Dearlove volunteered to work on the exhibition with U of T’s Deborah Whiteman, head of rare books and special collections at Fisher Library.

“It is an extraordinary collection,” Dearlove says.

Hardy's poetry on display (photo by Veronica Zaretski)

The exhibition, which runs until Feb. 24, is illuminating for the general public, researchers and even the librarians themselves.

“Before seeing the exhibition I didn’t realize just what a prominent poet Hardy was,” says John Shoesmith, outreach librarian at Fisher Library. “The exhibition really sheds a light on his poetry. It’s a great learning experience in general.”

One case is named “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” for its vibrant and kitschy book covers of Hardy classics.

“There’s an art cover of Marilyn Monroe for an edition of Tess,” Dearlove says.

Another case reveals the nature of Hardy’s relationships with his first and second wives with letters and photographs, as well as books written by that his wives.

Letters, photographs and materials on Emma Hardy (photo by Veronica Zaretski)

Those curious can learn about the preoccupations of Hardy and his contemporaries through correspondence between Hardy and writers such as Siegfrid Sassoon or Arthur Symons.

There are also plenty of first editions of iconic novels like Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, as well as not so well-known pieces like Desperate Remedies.

A first edition of Hardy's How I Built Myself a House and other materials.

“This collection could only be put together by someone who is not just a serious book collector but also a serious Hardy scholar,” says Dearlove.

All of Millgate’s working papers are stored in the Fisher Library, says Dearlove, making this collection of Hardy materials the largest one yet.

“We very much wanted Hardy’s voice so whenever we could, we quoted from him,” says Dearlove, adding that she and Whiteman relied heavily on Millgate’s research to curate the collection.

To prepare the extensive collection for a wide audience, Dearlove says that she worked with Whiteman to come up with a framework based on the content and Millgate’s research.

“Hardy’s career nicely divides,” says Dearlove. “He really stopped writing fiction at a certain point, and started writing poetry.”

Outreach Librarian John Shoesmith next to a case in the Moments of Vision exhibit (photo by Veronica Zaretski)

Fisher Library holds 700,000 books and more than 400,000 linear metres of manuscript materials, hosting three exhibitions a year.

“That’s the joy of this library for a lot of people – we have a lot of treasures,” says Shoesmith, who has worked at the Fisher Library for a decade.

Past exhibitions have covered broad areas of study such as the cultural revolution of China, Shakespeare and Canada’s war aviators.

“Next year we’re having two exhibitions,” Shoesmith says. “We are looking at a Canadiana collection to mark 150 years of Canada, and we are looking at 500 years of the reformation.”

Photograph of Thomas Hardy in the collection (photo by Veronica Zaretski)

U of T's "human library" offers new narratives

ullahnor — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:26:10 +0000

U of T's "human library" offers new narratives

ullahnor Tue, 12/06/2016 - 11:26

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"Human book" Chizoba Imoka talks about her life and experiences at Hart House's "Human Library" (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Veronica Zaretski

Author legacy

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

A former ballet dancer turned social worker. A founder of an organization that provides a platform for civic engagement, political advocacy and community service. A filmmaker often found shooting in conflict zones.

These are just a few of the “human books” that were “on loan” at the Human Library held at Hart House last week. U of T students, employees and faculty were able to chat with participants who shared their stories in one-on-one sessions.

“It’s an important event that challenges us to listen to each other’s stories and experiences with empathy and open minds,” says Trish Starling, community engagement facilitator at Hart House and the human library’s organizer.

The focus of Friday’s event was Canada’s complex history of colonization and immigration.

“Not all narratives, identities or stories are given equal airtime, and it is integral that we provide avenues to hear experiences that may counter dominant narratives,” she says. “Our human books breathe life and shed light onto what are often unheard stories.”

The opportunity to offer a different narrative drew Terry Gardiner to participate as a human book in the event.

Gardiner moved from Canada to the U.S. to pursue ballet, then moved back. He came to U of T nine years ago to pursue his master's at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. After completing his studies, he worked as an equity advisor at Factor-Inwentash. Currently, he's on secondment as an assistant manager of co-curricular diversity & equity at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

“A big part of my experience at the university both as student and as a staff member is that U of T fulfills a lot of what home means to people,” Gardiner says. “This is a place where I can come and be challenged by ideas, but I can also make connections and find fellowships in places I might have never anticipated.”

For Gardiner, who has lived in different countries and environments, the event is an opportunity to bring people together and share “authentic, lived experience,” he says.

“It’s a two-way conversation,” he says. “As a person of colour, I hope to be able to, by my presence, if not shatter, at least shift some stereotypes and expectations. And also to show that racialized individuals, people of colour, are here at U of T, and we can and are flourishing in this place.”

Chizoba Imoka, a PhD student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, is founder of an organization called Unveiling Africa. She took part in the human library because she believes in everyone’s participation to work towards a more just world.

Imoka started Unveiling Africa in 2006 when she was 19 years old. She sees the work as part of her journey of mobilizing communities for action.

“I’ve seen the results of bringing young people together to solve problems,” she says. “That we have to make the world a just place is not a utopic idea – it is only just, and it is only logical.”

She said one of the ways to do that is by sharing stories and providing an opportunity to reflect on what it means when people say “Canada is historically unjust.”

“The role of stories is to move us into a new reality,” she said.

Not giving up is a theme of Leonard Cohen’s life, says U of T expert

ullahnor — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:05:05 +0000

Not giving up is a theme of Leonard Cohen’s life, says U of T expert

ullahnor Fri, 11/18/2016 - 17:05

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Leonard Cohen performing in Ottawa in 2012 (photo by rparson86 via Flickr)

Veronica Zaretski

Author legacy

Veronica Zaretski

Topic

When SNL's Kate McKinnon put on her Hillary Clinton outfit last week and performed Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, video of the TV show went viral.

The unusually sombre note seemed to resonate with people at the end of a week that saw both the conclusion of an embittered election with Donald Trump as the next U.S. president-elect and the death of a literary and music icon.

Since Cohen's death Nov. 7, fans around the world have joined celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and many others in sharing their condolences online.

Cohen’s legacy continues here at U of T where boxes of his correspondence and works are archived and available for the public at U of T’s Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library.

Veronica Zaretski

U of T alumnus honoured for helping deliver long-term care to Toronto's multicultural residents

'Give generously to the world,' says honorary degree recipient and Indigenous activist Cindy Blackstock

A message to U of T grads from Cindy Blackstock:

Find out what you are passionate about and good at, and then nurture it and give generously to the world. Know your values and develop the moral courage to defend them so you can take your turn to stand against the winds of discrimination and injustice.

Paul Templin: Behind the curtain of almost four decades at Hart House

Watch a 360 video of Hart House's Great Hall, with Paul Templin as a guide

1. Escaping fires thanks to Bert the ghost

2. Pulling strings with Yoko Ono

Read about Yoko Ono’s first time at U of T: Her iconic concert with John Lennon at Varsity Stadium in 1969

3. Writing letters with Christopher Plummer

U of T's all-night art party: The Night of Ideas in photos

Learn more about the joint event between U of T’s Art Museum, Hart House and the Cultural Service of the French Embassy of Canada

U of T in videos: The best of 2017

The people of #UofTGrad17

On Location

Truth and Reconciliation

A dictionary of very old words

Back to school

The working life at U of T

A new chapter for U of T Mississauga

The holidays are around the corner

Portrait of the artist: Behind the scenes with Joanne Tod

Meet Andrew Thomson, U of T's new chief of government relations

Read the announcement on the appointment of Andrew Thomson as Chief of Government Relations

Bathsheba Everdene and more iconic Thomas Hardy characters at U of T’s Fisher Library

U of T's "human library" offers new narratives

Read more about Chizoba Imoka

Not giving up is a theme of Leonard Cohen’s life, says U of T expert

Read more about Fisher's collection of Leonard Cohen's letters, manuscripts