dwelling on a whim

The AGH held its annual Spring Art Sale from May 3rd to May 6th.  The sale featured work from 50 artists (local Hamilton artists and artists from the surrounding GTA) exhibiting artwork varying from painting to pottery, jewelry and ceramics. I went and checked it out over the weekend for Doors Open Hamilton.

Of all the amazing art on display I was immediately attracted to a ceramic piece by artist Lana Filippone.  I adored her dainty and sweet creations and wanted to take each one of them home with me!

This work is from her series “Dwelling on a Whim” -playing off the theme of “childhood daydreams”.  The artist describes her work as having it all: “bunnies with tree houses on their backs, to grumpy birthday party guests-of-honour”.  Adorable!!

I see these pieces going perfectly along side high-tea, and crumpets.

270 sherman

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of finally checking out 270 Sherman – the old Imperial Cotton Mill in the north-east end of town – which has been transformed into artist’s studios and other creative spaces. The area has a real historic industrial Hamilton feel and I was intrigued by the neighbouring buildings.

I wondered a little about how 270 Sherman came to be what it is today and had heard a rumour once that someone from the Zeidler family may have bought the building.  FYI – the Ziedler family own both 401 Richmond and The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto.  The transformation of 270 Sherman into a creative space would then all make sense, knowing that 401 Richmond is a transformed industrial space that is now home to artist’s studios and galleries, as well as various other creative workspaces.  And The Gladstone is a refurbished boutique hotel that supports the Queen West art scene with gallery exhibitions, Come Up to My Room, and numerous other artistic events.  Hmmm… I wonder.  The rumour was recently dispelled as I learnt from a reader and staff member from 270 Sherman that in fact the building is locally developed and managed by The Crerar Group from right here in Hamilton. Sorry for any perpetuating of false rumours!

In any case I loved the 1900′s turn of the century factory -what a fabulous space!  According to its history Hamilton was apparently not just a steel town but also a garment and textile town too with a multitude of textile factories spattered throughout the city.  In the building there were still remnants of the former factory: old worker’s lockers, patches on the hardwood floor where the workers and factory machines treaded, and the steel plates on each of the steps leading up to the factory floor boldly embossed with Imperial Cotton Co. Ltd. 1900.

I was also really excited to check out the TH&B (2) exhibit that was being put on in the old factory space of 270 Sherman.  I wasn’t living in Hamilton for the first TH&B but had read about it, and so I was super excited to kill two birds with one stone by seeing the building space and opening night of TH&B2 all in one go!  The opening was amazing!  A great show of support for the arts from local Hamiltonians.  A bus load of folks from Toronto’s OCAD even came for the opening night.  It felt so good to be a part of something like this, and to know that there ARE great artistic things happening in this city.

I enjoyed the exhibit and the building so much that I wanted to check it out again in the day light for Doors Open Hamilton.  Here are some of the day-time photos of the exhibit and the building.

The night of the opening behind David Hind and the Aluminum Quilting Society’s piece there was some live aluminum quilting going on.  The artwork above is actually the front of a mini enclosed workspace, where artists were working to etch and engrave steel plates live!  It was pretty cool. Throughout the gallery space and the opening you could hear the industrious muted sound of metal being ground and worked.

The TH&B2 exhibit is on until May 12th.

*270 Sherman Ave. North, 905.547.8256

record swap

Recently we’ve been writing a lot of lists and organizing around here.

First on the list was to sort through our record collection, and weed out some of the non-essentials i.e. Milli Vanilli and STYX.  There’s probably still a ton of records left that could’ve gone in the “sale” bin but alas for now they will stay in our newly organized and sorted (by genre/era) record shelf.

Over the weekend I headed on down to The Brain for the bi-annual Deep Groove Record Swap.  It was a casual scene.  The regular crowd of afro-funk, soul, reggae and ska sellers and traders were not there in full force like I’ve seen a previous swaps, so I have to admit I was a little sad.  I didn’t pick up anything new but I managed to make one $5 sale from my “sale” bin; a lovely Roberta Flack album that we had a double copy of.

I loved seeing all the different record enthusiasts swapping and flipping through records and chatting.  The best was watching a dad school his young daughter about vinyl.  He was happily showing her his awesome finds of Joy Division and New Order.

If you’re not into the record purchasing and swapping but maybe into some vinyl listening, there’s always Jazz Chess on late Sunday afternoons.   You could swing by for a beer, wine, cocktail or juice, jazz, chess and a nice ol’ cheese platter.

*The Brain, 199 James St. North, 289.396.8508

spadina station

There have been many Toronto visits the past month.

Last weekend I headed into the city to meet with my friend Vern, to check out City of Craft, and to show my support for the Day of Action rally at Queen’s Park (my first rally ever!).

I didn’t take a lot of pictures this visit.  But one picture I did manage to snap was this one of Spadina station.  I love how a lot of the subway stations in Toronto still look so retro.  I particularly like the contrast of this red bench against the rusty yellow honeycomb-esque tiles.

I’m looking forward to sticking around Hamilton for the next few weekends with tons of stuff going on like Canada’s largest food truck rally on Ottawa Street, The Brain’s Deep Groove Record Swap, Lee Fields‘ funk show at This Ain’t Hollywood, Doors Open, and Steve’s art opening at b contemporary (for the May artcrawl).

bahamas

I’m a big fan of Afie Jurvanen’s (aka Bahamas‘) music.  I loved his first solo album Pink Strat, and I’m definitely loving his latest album Barchords.  If you want to dig back further  into the musical vaults, I would have to say my fandom started when Afie was the frontman of the band Paso Mino, which also consisted of multiple members from the band Zeus (whom I also love).  Afie’s got a great deep smooth voice, his guitar riffs are catchy, and the songs are simple, sweet and speak for themselves.

We checked out the Bahamas show at the Casbah a few weeks back.  It was a busy week; two shows back to back, Bahamas one night and the next night Sloan.  The venue was packed with a fairly young university crowd and much busier than previous Bahamas shows we’ve seen in Hamilton (the good word must be catching on).  My mind was blown with the first song Lost in the Light, with the gospel-like harmonies of  backup singers: Carleigh Aikins and Felicity Williams and Afie.  Seeing and hearing the song played live was so breathtaking.  It was really soul shattering, the whole place was vibrating, and everyone was swaying.  I think I had goose bumps the entire show.  My highlight was when they played Never Again.  When the song ended someone in the crowd shouted “Play it again!” and the audience cheered it on.  Afie hit it up one more time, the whole room went ape shit belting it out and joining in with the powerful harmonies of the backup singers.  They could have played it on repeat and I would’ve been peach as pie.

If you like the sound, and want to pick up the album you can get them local in the Hammer on vinyl at Cheapies and Dr. Disc.

For more Bahamas’ videos check out Southern Souls’ page here.

papa leo’s

I’m a lover of breakfast.  Well, more specifically brunch.  I think that I can safely say that my favourite brunch in Hamilton, and perhaps anywhere can be found at Papa Leo’s on Concession.  First off, I consider myself a bit of lower city dweller, I don’t often go up the mountain, and when I do, I generally feel lost in the suburban headlights -everything looks the same!  However, I am willing to stifle my disdain for suburbia for a trek to Concession Street.

I feel like Concession is a little strip of downtown in a not so downtown world.  It has store fronts with street parking, not strip malls with football field parking lots.  It is home to a movie theatre (that I hope will open again one day soon), a bowling alley, escarpment views, and Papa Leo’s.

Breakfast was delicious and has not disappointed during any of my visits.  Here’s the rundown for this particular brunch.

The Big, which consists of three eggs, with bacon, sweet chorizo sausage, and buttermilk pancakes, served with fresh cut pan fried potatoes and toast!  That’s what I ordered.  I wanted to marry my pancake, it was so yummy!

Next up was Papas Egg’s: two poached eggs served on fresh avocado and smoked salmon with a fresh cilantro cream sauce.

Just thinking about the texture of the eggs, avocado and smoked salmon melting in my mouth is enough to make me want to cry. Amazing!

No brunch is complete without freshly squeezed orange juice or a fresh smoothy, which they serve both of.

Go to Papa Leo’s you will not regret!

*Papa Leo’s, 638 Concession St, 289.389.7227

maps!

One thing I love about Hamilton… are people who love Hamilton too.

When I was taking a French night class a little while back for an assignment we were asked to think of someone we admire to discuss for our next class as a conversation piece.  People talked about Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, their mother or their fathers.  I came to the next class and launched into how much I admire local Hamiltonian Matt Jelly.  I had just moved to Hamilton and was inspired by Matt’s love and passion for this city.  I admired his civic involvement and take-action mentality to get things done and create change.  I like people who do what they say, and while they’re at it get other people motivated to do the same.

I live downtown, and close to the “International Village”, where I usually  rarely make it past Dennigers heading east on King.  I have always thought of King Street as a place with a lot of potential but just a little empty or dare I say vacant?  More recently I have happily noticed new stores popping up in the neighbourhood like MODify Your Closet and Accoutrements.  What pushed me further along east on King was that I really wanted  to check out Matt Jelly’s recent art exhibition of Hamilton maps at Freeway Coffee House.  So off I headed east on King past my usual landmark destination.

On my walk to Freeway I discovered so many new places like Tundra Leather -a one stop shop for all things related to leather and working with leather (tools and all!).  It’s been open since 1963!  How had I never noticed this gem? There’s a new bookshop (J.H. Gordon Books) that’s being primed to open too.

AND then there’s Freeway Coffee House.  What an awesome space!  They serve local Hamilton roasted Red Hill Coffee, they host events and parties, and they have huge windows that stretch nearly the entire length of the vast space between floor to ceiling overlooking the parkette across the street.

I loved Matt Jelly’s Hamilton map exhibit.  I enjoy seeing and experiencing things that I have a direct connection to.  So of course my favourite map was my neighbourhood’s map.

I had a friend that told me that when she was younger she’d always giggle and say “cooties” instead of “Cootes”.  Haha Cooties Paradise.

Matt’s exhibit is showing at Freeway Coffee House until May 11th.  If you’ve never been to Freeway or that neck of King Street go and check it out. Grab a coffee at Freeway check out Jelly’s maps, and then head over to J. H. Gordon Books, which is scheduled to open this month.

*Freeway Coffee House, 333 King St. East

the gore

“The Gore on King Street,” as I’ve learned, was once what Gore Park was commonly known as by Hamiltonians a long time ago. It sits grandly in the middle of Hamilton’s downtown core and has done so for over a century.

I walk by Gore Park every day, and love the fact Hamilton has a park carved out in its heart. When I first moved here I heard from others of its “bad rap,” but I have never seen much trouble there anytime I’ve been by day or night. I wouldn’t be a stranger to having spent some time in Gore Park either. I’ve happily sat on a bench and eaten my sandwich at lunchtime watching the crowds go by. It’s a great spot for doing just that, taking a break, people watching, and just letting the day pass.

Gore Park is a lovely downtown park. It’s lined with trees, home to an ornate Victorian fountain, and three historical monuments! Not to mention it is a pedestrian haven in what is otherwise known as a car-dominated throughway among the numerous one-ways that cross downtown. You can walk for three blocks through the Gore feeling at ease, away from the busy road, shaded by the trees in summer time and beneath the Christmas lights and snow-covered trees in winter. It always reminds me a little of Europe.

Five years ago I spent a summer living in Berlin, and I adored the downtown neighbourhood pockets with their market squares surrounded by old buildings. Everything seemed to slow down in those public spaces. They were gathering places for weekly organic vegetable fruit markets, Sunday antique, arts and crafts and flea markets, and ice-cream shops and cafés that surrounded the public square with their chairs and tables overlooking the park. That summer I spent a lot of time relaxing in parks that were spattered generously throughout the city. My attraction to Berlin is not strange at all knowing that I chose Hamilton as the place where I want to live. Berlin — like Hamilton — is a city going through transition. It has a very young population of artists and those of the creative kind who have been choosing to remain in the city and to attract like-minded people invested in helping to transform the city into something really quite inspirational.

One thing I like about Gore Park is how old it is and the unique history that it holds. From its early beginnings nearly 200 years ago, The Gore on King Street was an unsightly dirty dumping ground for local and surrounding businesses. It was in such a state of dirty disarray that many proposals were made to remove the park to make room for new building developments. However, due to the consistent public outcry to keep the space a public one, we still have a lovely square in the middle of our city. The history of Gore Park has been a tumultuous one. A park gated and kept under tight lock and key in the 1860s; a massacre of “pesky” starlings and pigeons gunned down by hunters in the 1950s; expansion, and proposed diminishing of the park’s size; a clear-cutting of the tree-lined park 1970s; and still, all these years later, there is ongoing planning and talk of what to do with Gore Park.

On a short visit to New York City this past month, I couldn’t help but take note of the many old squares in that city too. On those glorious sunny and unusually warm March days, New Yorkers flocked to these sun-soaked patches to enjoy a break from the Manhattan daily grind. I like our public space at Gore Park. It can be our little piece of New York and Europe right here in Hamilton.

This article was printed by the Hamilton Spectator and can also be found here.

capri pizza

My first Doors Open Hamilton three years ago got me an exclusive peak into the secret space of Capri Pizza; an old Hamilton themed restaurant from the 60′s (the main floor is still open to the public and operating as a restaurant).  The restaurant on the 2nd floor was paper mâché-ed sculpted to resemble the interior of  Grotta Azzurra or Blue Grotto of Capri, Italy.

Back in the day you could dine in the atmosphere of its blue tranquility with the trickling sounds of a real river running through the middle of the restaurant.   If I can recall correctly from that Doors Open, the owner said that they had not opened it to the public since it closed 30+ years ago.  It was literally frozen in time and it was such a treat to see!

If I were to ever require throwing an under the sea themed party, like in Back To The Future, then this would be the place that I would need to have it in. Check out Young Rival’s video that was filmed in that very space.

I love the aqua blue colour of the back of the building.

I have yet to eat at Capri Pizza; I’m saving my visit for the day they reopen the 2nd floor…

This year Doors Open Hamilton is taking place on May 5th and 6th!

*Capri Ristorante Italiano, 25 John St. north, 905.525.7811

alleyways

Have you ever noticed all the secret back alleyways in Hamilton?  There are more than you would think -mostly tight little unknown spaces tucked nice and snug between buildings.

I don’t know how many times I’ve walked by this particular alley without ever noticing its existence and its ornately crafted steel work.

I sometimes wonder about back in the day, where did the lane-way lead to, who used them back then?