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Black History Month in Toronto

To commemorate Black History Month, the City of Toronto has announced month-long programming at three Toronto History museums.

Spadina Museum (285 Spadina Rd.), Mackenzie House (82 Bond St.), and Todmorden Mills will present programming (67 Pottery Rd.).

The following programmes are part of the month-long programming series:

Dis/Mantle is on display at Spadina Museum through May 28 during regular museum hours (Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Meet the Artists at Dis/Mantle — On February 4, from 1 to 3 p.m., artists Gordon Shadrach, Christine Nnawuchi, and Moraa Stump will discuss their contributions to Dis/mantle at Spadina Museum.

LOKRE’s Musical Performance — On February 11 from 7 to 9 p.m., singer-songwriter LOKRE will perform live in the historic Palm Room of the Spadina Museum. Free tickets can be obtained by registering on the Toronto History Museums website.

akaMatisse’s Musical Performance — akaMatisse, a producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, performs his interpretations of legendary pieces of music depicting Black culture. The concert will take place in Todmorden Mills on February 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are available for free on the Toronto History Museums website.

Breaking the Editorial Ice with Mary Ann Shadd Cary — Mackenzie House. In 2023, Toronto History Museums will commemorate the birth of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman in North America to launch a newspaper. Mary Ann published The Provincial Freeman from King Street in Toronto in 1854. Visitors may print a personalised copy of Mary Ann’s newspaper and a bookmark with one of her most famous lines at the Mackenzie House print shop. This session will run from Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available for free on the Toronto History Museums website.

Spadina Museum’s Identity Quilt Making. This initiative will result in the creation of an Identity Quilt to accompany the Awakenings-related exhibition Dis/mantle at Spadina Museum. This activity is open to the public during regular Museum hours.

Reflections on Awakenings: Dis/Mantle. Dis/Mantle Reflections, presented by Toronto History Museums, brings visitors behind the scenes and into dialogue with Dis/Mantle main artist Gordon Shadrach to discover more about the artistic process and the renovated Spadina Museum.