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David Onley, Ontario's 28th lieutenant-governor, joins U of T

sgupta — Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:18:39 +0000

David Onley, Ontario's 28th lieutenant-governor, joins U of T sgupta Thu, 09/25/2014 - 05:18

Shelley Romoff

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Shelley Romoff

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Alumnus to teach, serve as special ambassador for Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games

The Honourable David Onley has stepped down as Ontario’s 28th and second longest-serving lieutenant governor and will return to his roots at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC).

On October 1, Onley will assume the role of senior lecturer and distinguished visitor, teaching classes in the department of political science and working with students on research projects, using papers from his term in public office. He will also archive his papers while at UTSC, working with staff of the UTSC Library.

Onley will also serve the university as special ambassador for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, contributing to the momentum leading up to the Games at a series of events on both the UTSC and St. George campuses, which will both host Games competitions.

“I am honoured to be assuming my new responsibilities at UTSC and am truly looking forward to sharing my experiences as lieutenant-governor in class and on campus,” said Onley. “I’m excited as well to be ambassador for U of T to the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.”

An alumnus who graduated in 1975, Onley received an honorary Doctor of Laws from U of T in 2009. He was student council president at what was then known as Scarborough College.

The early 1970s was a time of great student activism, and Onley remembers the administration reaching out to involve students in the decision-making process. That, he says, was enormously impressive. Now Onley will be reaching out to today’s students.

“We are delighted to welcome home our distinguished alum,” said Professor Bruce Kidd, interim vice-president and principal, UTSC. “We have much to learn from his experience as a journalist and activist, and from his outstanding years in public service.”

Professor Grace Skogstad, chair of UTSC’s department of political science, echoes the enthusiasm for Onley’s next career step. “Here is a man who followed his passion, carving a niche for himself as one of Canada’s leading experts on NASA’s shuttle program and launching a storied and distinguished career,” Skogstad said, referring to Onley’s best-selling novel about the space program, his role as founding president of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada and his years as City TV’s science and technology reporter, CP24 news anchor and host of the technology series Home Page.

“Our students have much to learn from Mr. Onley and the unique perspective he will offer from his years at Queen’s Park, which have been among the most eventful in recent memory.”

“We are so pleased and grateful that David Onley has agreed to take on these new positions,” said Professor Meric Gertler, president of U of T. “He is a brilliant communicator who combines a magnificent record in public office with deep knowledge of and commitment to U of T Scarborough.

“During his term as lieutenant-governor Mr. Onley represented Ontario at many other world sporting events. He is also a great champion of the parasport movement. We could not ask for a more perfect representative of the university community.”

Shelley Romoff is a writer with the University of Toronto Scarborough.

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Major collection of Allen Ginsberg photos donated to University of Toronto

sgupta — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:01:36 +0000

Major collection of Allen Ginsberg photos donated to University of Toronto sgupta Tue, 01/21/2014 - 06:01

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Allen Ginsberg taking self portrait in 1985

Margaret Wall

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Margaret Wall

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Worldwide access to "ultimate ‘insider’ group of photographs on the Beats” available on campus, online

The University of Toronto is home to the world’s largest collection of photographs by the late beat poet Allen Ginsberg thanks to a donation by the Larry & Cookie Rossy Family Foundation.

The 7,686 photographs housed in the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and 236 silver gelatin prints at the University of Toronto Art Centre include portraits of figures as prominent as John Cage, Bob Dylan, William de Kooning, Paul McCartney and Iggy Pop.

Comprising a nearly complete archive of Ginsberg’s surviving photographs, the collection, spanning the years 1944 to 1997, includes original snapshots and prints of various sizes. The silver gelatin prints are unique in that they are hand-captioned by Ginsberg. All of these images will be available to scholars and some will be on display.

“This is an exciting and remarkable gift,” says U of T President Meric Gertler. “It builds on U of T’s strength as one of the world’s greatest research resources, and our global stature in the humanities. We are very grateful to the Larry & Cookie Rossy Family Foundation for entrusting us with this truly fascinating collection.”

Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was an American poet and nonconformist whose influence extended far beyond the United States. Along with his friends Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Gregory Corso, Ginsberg was at the centre of a network of writers and artists dubbed the Beat Generation. In the 1950s and 1960s their work and their personal example would forever alter the cultural scene. The Beats also influenced postmodern and avant-garde Canadian poetry.

Although known primarily as a writer, Ginsberg was an avid photographer. The collection includes images of writers Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones), Paul Bowles, Doris Lessing, Josef Skvorecky (who was a professor of English at U of T) and Evgeny Yevtushenko. Other Ginsberg subjects were photographer Robert Frank, psychologist R.D. Laing, author and activist Dr. Benjamin Spock and psychologist and drug guru Timothy Leary. Ginsberg’s friend and fellow writer Burroughs appears in more than 300 photographs. Another frequent subject is Ginsberg’s lifelong partner, Peter Orlovsky.

The Ginsberg prints provide visual insight into New York urban landscape from the 1950s to the 1990s. They also document Ginsberg’s international travels to Canada, France, India, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, the USSR and many other nations.

“This constitutes the ultimate ‘insider’ group of photographs on the Beats,” says Anne Dondertman, associate librarian for Special Collections, University of Toronto Libraries. “It contains important research material for the study of the life, family, work, travels and friendships of Allen Ginsberg from the 1940s to the 1990s,”

“This fabulous collection provides both scholars and students unique entrée to Ginsberg’s passionate eye and helps to confirm his status as a major 20th-century American poet with the camera,” says Louis Kaplan, professor of History and Theory of Photography and New Media, Graduate Department of Art. “One cannot overestimate its photo-historical, pedagogical and cultural value.”

Many of the prints have been digitized and are available via the Fisher Library’s Flickr site at http://go.utlib.ca/ginsberg and the UTAC Collections Online portal which can be accessed from the University of Toronto Art Centre’s homepage at www.utac.utoronto.ca. This fall UTAC in collaboration with the Fisher Library will present an exhibition of the Ginsberg photographs.

The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is ranked third among peer institutions in North America, behind Harvard and Yale. The system consists of 44 libraries located on three university campuses. Its Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library houses the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections including books, manuscripts and other materials, and is the largest rare book library in the country. For more information about the Fisher Library’s collections, visit http://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/resources.

The University of Toronto Art Centre is the third-largest fine art gallery in Toronto, and home to three collections comprising more than 6,000 objects. Collection highlights include works by European Old Masters and the early 20th-century avant-garde as well as the Group of Seven, and Modern and Contemporary Canadian artists.

The Montreal-based Larry & Cookie Rossy Family Foundation was established by Larry Rossy, founder and CEO of Dollarama Inc.

Boundless: The Campaign for the University of Toronto is the most ambitious fundraising initiative ever undertaken by a Canadian university. Meeting global challenges and preparing global citizens are the twin pillars of the campaign, which will support the exploration of new frontiers and the limitless possibilities of human experience. This gift will provide students and faculty alike with a new opportunity to explore human expression and social progress. Boundless has surpassed the milestone of $1.35 billion, more than two-thirds of the goal of $2 billion.

Margaret Wall is a writer with the University of Toronto Libraries System.

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Peruvian Silver Shines at University of Toronto Art Centre

sgupta — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:56:00 +0000

Peruvian Silver Shines at University of Toronto Art Centre sgupta Fri, 01/11/2013 - 09:56

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the Silver of Peru)

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Free exhibit displays one-of-a-kind cultural artifacts

The largest collection of Peruvian silver ever to be displayed in Canada will be in the spotlight at the University of Toronto starting January 15 in Luminescence: The Silver of Peru.

The spread of more than 140 objects—including sculptures, paintings, crowns, masks and regalia—spans Peruvian history from the pre-Columbian period to contemporary times.

“One can only imagine the incredible impact that silver must have had in pre-Columbian Peru,” said Anthony Shelton, curator of the exhibit. “Garbed in the precious metal, radiating and reflecting the harsh desert light, the Incas and their predecessors would have appeared as deities.”

While silver was used by Andean priests and rulers, its cultural significance evolved for employment in Catholic rituals and by colonial vice-regal elite who admired the use of silver in paintings

As Peru gained its independence in 1821, the style and subject of silverwork changed once again as it celebrated the country’s natural landscapes and wildlife.

“Even as the region underwent sweeping changes in subsequent centuries, the cultural importance of silver remained alive," said Shelton. "In Luminescence, we explore what the incredible, reflective properties of silver have meant to Peru over time.”

Featured artifacts include:

- Two surviving 19th century Silver Dance Crowns

- Two of only three existing silver tunics from the Chimu civilization dating back to 1450 AD

- Ancient silver artifacts from diverse pre-Columbian civilizations

- Three golden headdresses worn by pre-Columbian Lords

- 17th century painting of the Virgin Mary

- A reconstruction of an 18th century church altar decorated in silver

Luminescence: The Silver of Peru is on display at the University of Toronto Art Centre from January 15-March 9.

The exhibit is made possible by its sponsors, Pan American Silver Corp.,The Patronato Plata del Peru and The Silver Institute.

It is co-curated by Shelton in collaboration with the Patronato Plata del Peru.

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