A Weekend of Culture

On October 1st and 2nd, during Kingston Culture Days 2011, we held our two print exhibits for the first season of Kingston Through My Lens. These exhibits presented a selection of images from our 10-day themed photo challenge and invited the Kingston community to respond with their own stories and thoughts.

Our Saturday exhibit was held at the Wally Elmer Centre in Rideau Heights in conjunction with the neighbourhood’s annual Scarecrow Festival. Families came to create their own scarecrows, enjoy free wagon rides and meet with other members of the community. Many of our photo project participants came out to see the exhibit on this day, and we even had visits from our theme sponsors, Kingston Arts Council staff and one of our city councillors.

Bright and early on Sunday morning, we began set-up at our second location – City Hall – in the heart of downtown Kingston. It was a cold, gray day, but we still had dozens of people come out to the exhibit to write about their experiences and contribute ideas to our community wall. We engaged in great conversation, and were encouraged by the enthusiasm for this initiative. A few people even brought in our article from EMC Kingston and shared it with us!

In summary, the exhibits were very well-received, and we had over 100 people come through and leave their comments and responses. We are humbled by the warm reception that the Kingston community gave this project, and are looking forward to seeing this initiative grow and change as the years go on. This last photo, shot during our take-down, sums up beautifully what Kingston Through My Lens is all about: potential.

This project would not have happened without the help and support of our community partners, so once again we want to acknowledge and thank them. First off, a huge thank you to Greg and everyone at the Kingston Arts Council for inspiring the direction of this project and for spurring our involvement with Culture Days. To Kingston Community Health Centres and the City of Kingston Cultural Services Department, thank you providing a home for these exhibits. Thank you also to our theme sponsors Julian and Kaaren with the Kingston Prize and Vikram at the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, who selected a portion of the images and provided thoughtful descriptions for the exhibit. We couldn’t have created such a beautiful exhibit without the help of Dave and everyone at Kingston Frameworks, and without the wonderful folks at Kingston School of Art who provided us with enough easels for the exhibit itself. Last but not least, to a wonderful creative collaborator and the founder of  Exhibit Change, Jenn – thank you for hosting this initiative and for everything you do.

Currently, we are working on compiling all the responses we received into a tangible document. This document will be available through this website and as that wraps up, planning for next year’s events will soon begin. We would love for you to be a part of this movement, so please feel free to subscribe to this blog to receive updates or email Catherine directly at kingstonthroughmylens@gmail.com.

Thank you once again, Kingston, and let’s keep the conversation going.

To see all of the images from the Kingston Through My Lens photo project, please visit our flickr gallery. You can also find us on Twitter and on Facebook.

Dear Kingston,

I am encouraged by you. I am encouraged by your willingness to make culture accessible to everyone, and I am grateful that you have allowed me to be a part of this one moment in your life. Most of all, I am encouraged by your people – by their love for the city, and their fight and desire to see something better for our community. Over this weekend, I had the privilege of meeting (and meeting once again) many people who call Kingston home. We talked about many things, including housing, education, and the aesthetics of our town. You gave me positive feedback as well as much to think about.

One thing you have all taught me is that diversity makes a neighbourhood lively. There are bound to be conflicts within a city, and people with different points of view. Perhaps that’s what makes running a city and affecting change so difficult – so many voices who have different priorities, wants, and needs. What is the best way for us to better our city? Harmonizing? Compromising? Keeping quiet? These are things I will continue to work through, and I hope you will join me in doing so.

Nevertheless, keep your fire burning, Kingston. I look forward to our continued conversations.

Sincerely,
Catherine Lee
Kingston Through My Lens

Less than 24 hours

So it’s finally here. The Culture Days weekend has begun, and already things are happening all over town. The next few hours for me will be full of making sure all the last-minute details are in place and ready for the start of the Kingston Through My Lens print exhibit. As I look around my room, the evidence of many nights of printing and measuring and sticking are now leaning neatly against a box, ready to be transported away for the start of the exhibit tomorrow. So this is what it feels like to be in the eye of the storm – between the flurry of activity during the photo project, and the anticipated frenzy of interactions this weekend.

It is exciting to think of the people that I may meet, the conversations we’ll have, and the action that will spring from it. After this weekend, I know I will come away with a renewed love for this city and for the people in it. Though I came into this Culture Days weekend as a first-time community activity organizer, I’m sure there will be many more events to come. What can I say…it’s infectious.

Looking forward to seeing you at our exhibits this weekend.

The Kingston Prize

As we near the Culture Days weekend, I wanted to take this opportunity to feature one of our theme sponsors – The Kingston Prize – and their exhibition.

The Kingston Prize is a nation-wide competition for portraits of Canadians by Canadian artists. The entries must be either drawings or paintings made in the two years preceding the closing date. The main prize is $20,000, presented by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation of Toronto. In addition there are two Honourable Mention awards of $2,000, and a People’s Choice award of $1,000 at each gallery where the exhibition is shown.

This year 450 entries were received, from artists in all provinces, and the jury has selected 30 finalists. The exhibition will open at the Firehall Theatre in Gananoque on October 6, after which it will travel to The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto for a three-month showing beginning on November 11. Finally, the exhibition will travel to Galerie d’art Desjardins in Drummondville, Quebec.

For more information, please visit their website at www.kingstonprize.ca.

Thank You!

To all the Kingston Through My Lens participants and supporters, thank you for a wonderful 10 days of photography, storytelling, and rediscovering the city we call home. I really hope that you have enjoyed yourselves and that you were able to remind yourselves of the things that you love about Kingston, the things that are special about this place, and also the things where there’s room for improvement. As for me, this past week and a half has pushed me to take a look at places that I’ve never visited before and to confront myself with the realities of polarization in the city.

We’ve started a conversation on what Kingston means to us, but there is still so much room for this initiative to grow in the coming years. The conversation definitely does not stop here. I’m excited to see what will happen at the exhibits and what will come of the responses that we garner from these images.

We are still looking for people to help out at the exhibit, so if you would like to volunteer your time during the Culture Days weekend, please send an email to kingstonthroughmylens@gmail.com!

Last but not least, we couldn’t have done it without the support of all our community partners and theme sponsors. Thank you to the City of Kingston and Kingston Community Health Centres for providing our venue spaces. To our theme sponsors Kingston Prize and Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, thank you for your support and expertise. To everyone at Kingston Frameworks, we appreciate all your help with putting the pieces of this exhibit together. And of course, to Jenn and the rest of the Exhibit Change team, thank your for your inspiration and constant encouragement. We are so excited to see what Toronto Through My Lens blossoms into!

Projects like this really do start small, and they only grow into something impactful through the power of people in the community. We look with great anticipation for the things that will happen in this city, and we hope that you have been inspired to start change where you are.

Ten Days.

The photo project has officially begun, and already we have some great submissions! Follow along with our participants as they capture Kingston through their (digital) lens. If you would like to participate, you can still sign up for the remaining days of the photo project by emailing us at kingstonthroughmylens@gmail.com.

Day 1
People: We are all touched by those around us, young and old, from all walks of life. Today we captured the people who make Kingston home to us.

Day 2
Home: Whether we are new to town or we’ve been here for generations, Kingston holds a special place in our hearts. Take a look at the places we call home.

Day 3
Nature: Not only is Kingston situated on a beautiful lake, it is also home to an abundance of natural havens where we can retreat to. Escape with us to these places.

Day 4
Past and Present: As Canada’s first capital city, we have strong historical significance. This heritage exists alongside innovation in this increasingly forward-thinking city. See where we find the threads of the present woven into the fabric of the past.

Day 5
The Daily Grind: A morning jog, a cup of coffee…we all have seemingly routine things that we do every day. The spotlight for the Kingston Through My Lens halfway mark is on these daily tasks that we so often take for granted.

Day 6
Learning: People can learn in a wealth of different ways and places. In fact, education occurs all around us, and we are continually shaped by the things we experience every day. The theme for our sixth day captures these moments of inspiration all around us.

Day 7
Food: Kingston is home to a wealth of wonderful restaurants and markets. No matter what you enjoy, there’s something for everyone. Take a look at some of the things we consumed today.

Day 8
Transportation: One of the most interesting things about a city is the way people move in and around a place. Whether on land, on the water, or in the air, we all have different ways of getting around. Today, see how we get from one place to another.

Day 9
Community: We all need a community to plug into. Through these communities, we can meet people, try new things, or share the hobbies that we already love. Kingston is one large community, but there are flashes of community everywhere you go. Come see what community looks like to us in today’s photos.

Day 10
Potential: To end it all off, we spotlight what’s possible. Over the past 10 days, we have taken a look at many great things about Kingston. Today, we project our photos to the future, to where we see change and growth. Cities are always evolving – how can we make sure that we’re on the path to a better tomorrow?

Our Exhibitions

We have confirmed our locations for the Kingston Through My Lens exhibitions during Kingston Culture Days. Come see the photos, add your story, and share your vision for Kingston’s future.

KINGSTON THROUGH MY LENS AT THE SCARECROW FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 1, 2011
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Wally Elmer Centre
50 MacCauley Street

KINGSTON THROUGH MY LENS AT CITY HALL
Sunday, October 2, 2011
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Memorial Room, City Hall
216 Ontario Street

We’re featured in Kingston Life!

Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of meeting with Jane Deacon – the editor of Kingston Life – to talk about Kingston Through My Lens. Today, the September/October issue of Kingston Life was released, in which you can find the Kingston Through My Lens and Kingston Culture Days story including a snippet of my own mini photo journey across Kingston. You can also pick up a hard copy of it in stores (it’s a really great issue featuring a whole range of interesting articles). Enjoy!

Ripple Effect

One of the greatest things that can happen when you embark on a journey to make change in your community is knowing that it has inspired change in other places as well. Through My Lens started off as an initiative in Kingston, and has now grown to include an event in Toronto as well as a second initiative to come in Kingston through the Kingston Frontenac Public Libraries. Here’s an excerpt from Jenn’s latest blog post about Toronto Through My Lens.

Over 100 photographers will be taking city inspired images for 10 days in Toronto. For added inspiration, we are leading 4 neighbourhood walking tours around Toronto. Their images and stories will be collected for our Nuit Blanche exhibit in Parkdale.  We are 1 of 18 rental truck installations in Leitmotif and 1 of 5 community based installations. Our truck installation is an interactive city building themed truck.

When you come to visit us on October 1, you are the curator of our exhibit. You will help us design our exhibit with hundreds of city images, then we will  layer your stories and build dialogue. Inside the truck you can participate in storytelling and a photo shoot with a cardboard city scape backdrop. We are looking to gain insight into what the community focuses on in the city and how we can inspire positive change.

Change can start anywhere and from the smallest of ideas. What can you do to inspire change in your community?

A Call for Creativity around Town

Thanks to the Culture Days promotional tools, I was able to create this amazing poster to promote Kingston Through My Lens. It’s being printed right now at Staples, so keep your eye out for them as they find their way around Kingston.