Voicing Hamilton: History, Arts, Expression is the very first course of the McMaster Discovery Program. It is a free, university-level humanities inquiry course. The McMaster Discovery Program aims to create opportunities for local residents to take part in a processof learning and discovery in the liberal arts tradition, to nurture a passion for lifelong learning and to foster engagement betweenMcMaster University and the broader Hamilton community.

In the Voicing Hamilton pilot course, we focused our studies on the different stories people have told about the city we live in. We read a variety of works of history and literature about Hamilton as well as explored artistic works of drawing, photography, poetry and drama.We also developed our own story of Hamilton through creative expressions of our choosing, such as in writing, art, or media such as photography or video. Those creative expressions are now displayed in this space, to share and celebrate with the greater community the many stories and ways of seeing our city of Hamilton.

“Harmonious Contradiction”
A collection of photographs by Jennifer Kellner
September & October at the Freeway Coffee House
Opening Reception: Friday September 16th, 2011 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Jennifer Kellner is a Hamilton-born photographer who’s search for Beauty beneath the surface of this world, leads her to capture the moments when it peeks through the superficial – life’s moment’s of creativity and wonder.  This debut exhibition of her work, Harmonious Contradiction, is a journey of discovery through images showcasing the blend of paradoxes and the harmony that can exist within opposition.

Our art exhibition for March & April has been produced by The Salvation Army Lawson Ministries (SALM). It features 29 selected works, created by ten artistically gifted individuals with an intellectual disability. The exhibition was designed to showcase the artistic skills of the participants, and is intended to be a fundraiser with generated proceeds being used to help enrich the existing SALM programs. The displayed pieces within the exhibition were created through the participation in the art program, which is partly run in the basement of our coffee house. This program was developed in 2008 as a pilot project and has since grown to be a regular curriculum of Lawson Ministries. The program exposes the clients to a wide range of media and a multitude of techniques which assist in enhancing the artistic expression of the participants. Each piece portrayed in the exhibition is uniquely representative of its maker, and may stand to tell as story, express an emotion, capture a thought, or represents a series of actions carried out in time.

About The Art Instructor:

Kamila Miszelska has been a forerunner in the development and implementation of the art program at Lawson Ministries. Kamila has always been passionate about art and has been producing various forms of art works ever since she could remember. Kamila’s artistic drive lead her to pursue undergraduate studies in Fine Arts and Psychology at McMaster University. After graduating with honours in 2007, Kamila has upheld successful employment at various eminent organizations including BIS, Good Shepherd and The Salvation Army Lawson Ministries, where she facilities the art program twice a week. Besides her busy schedule, Kamila actively produces abstract/non-representational works which employ a wide range of media and draw upon the sub-consciousness, subjectivity and the intuitive impulses. Kamila’s artistic production has facilitated her personal growth and has lead her to experience the healing qualities of art firsthand.

Larry Strung is the Hamilton based photographer that created the much talked about art exhibit last year entitled Hamilton 365. For those of you who didn’t see our blog post about this project, the premise was that the artist would create a photo portrait of a different Hamiltonian for every day of an entire year.

After the 365 project was completed I remember running into Larry at a downtown street festival, we inevitably started talking about what was next for the artist who had dedicated a whole year to one subject. Larry had a couple different ideas but he was still looking for the right subject matter that he could immerse himself in.

Well it appears Larry Strung has found himself a new Hamilton based muse. The new project is called the: Stinson School Journal

A number of schools in Hamilton have been closed and put up for sale. Sadly many of these schools have not found new uses and remain empty and derelict. Because of this I am always happy to hear of any building being re-purposed and integrated back into the surrounding community (The Freeway Coffee House was originally a bank).

Developer, Harry Stinson (nicknamed the “Toronto Condo King”) purchased the Stinson School to turn the building into (you guessed it) condos. Larry Strung will be documenting the history of the school as well as the process of turning a collection of empty class rooms into homes. Pictures will be posted daily on the website: www.stinsonschooljournal.ca

Viewing some of the photos I can see why Larry Strung took on this project. There is so much Hamilton history and texture within the Stinson School Building. It will also be exciting to see the evolution of Harry Stinson’s vision for this historic Hamilton space.

As all change is in some way controversial, we would love to hear your comments about the Stinson School or any other re-purposed building.

“Silence”
February 2010 Art Exhibit
Featuring the work of: Scott Ireland

Opening Reception
Friday, February 5th, 2010, 7pm – 9pm
@ The Freeway Coffee House
Cost: Free admission (A “pay what you can” concert will follow at 9pm, featuring the music of Eric Hiedemen & Simon Fallon)

Scott Ireland’s Artist Statement:
The inspiration of my work initially came from urban telephone poles, used as advertisement for various reasons. These non-hierarchal examples allow my ‘posting’, the Bible, to intermesh into the fabric of life and society, infusing my thoughts and beliefs into my secular urban environment.

The process of my work includes the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the Bible. As I pull apart an antique book and staple it to the plywood, I restrict myself within the pattern of Renaissance wallpaper. Using this pattern, I feel alludes to past Renaissance artists who embedded Christianity into their neo-pagan art. By combining the wealthy Renaissance wallpaper pattern, with the message and physicality of the biblical text, allows me to comment on current changes and differences in culture and society.

The shiny staples relate to many aspects of the work; the words in the text, the sacrificial ideas behind its message as well as the ever pervading redemption story. In using the Bible, I am merely changing its package, still allowing for personal engagement and interpretation.

On Sunday I had the privilege of talking about The Freeway being geographically “planted” in the Beasley Neighbourhood. As part of the evening I wanted to have a slide show of local  photos to help us think about the area that surrounds the coffee house.

I sent out a general call to The Freeway community to send me their neighbourhood photos and I got an email from  Maja Hipkin (who also contributes to this blog) with a link to her Flickr page. I am always excited to discover that somebody has a creative gift, and I would just like to thank Maja for sharing her beautiful and artistic photographs with us.

If you would like to check out more of Maja’s amazing photographic tour of Hamilton click here.

All photographs (c) Maja Hipkin

“State of Beings”
A collection of new paintings by Karyn Black
January 6th – 31st, 2010 @ The Freeway Coffee House
Opening Reception: January 8th, 2010 |  7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Our featured artist for January 2010 is the very talented Karyn Black. Karyn’s sophisticated abstract paintings can be mathematically described as: 1 part beauty + 1 part style = 2 parts joy (as in a joy to behold)

You are all invited to come and meet this great local artist at her opening reception on Jan. 8th, 7-9 pm. It is a free event with a “pay what you can” concert happening afterwards featuring the music of Echo Mile and Either Day.

About The Artist
Karyn Black is a Hamilton-based artist. She attended McMaster University where she graduated with an honours degree in fine arts in 1998. Since then, Karyn has had the opportunity to work with many interior designers, creating custom canvases to suit the needs of their clients. The elements and principles of design, particularly line, texture, balance and colour are the inspiration for much of Karyn’s work. Currently, Karyn is focused on compiling a new body of work exploring modern symbols and stereotypes and is awaiting the arrival of adopted twins from Ethiopia.

On Sunday evening Adrian McFarlane and myself missed the gathering at The Freeway because our band 2x the Mono was on the road playing a show in Sarnia, Ontario called Empty Spaces. It was a great chance to catch up with former Freewayers Nathan and Rachel Colquhoun who have moved on to a community in Sarnia called The Story. We were introduced to an amazing cultural city that is off the provincial radar with many similarities to Hamilton.

First off, Empty Spaces (a monthly music showcase) was one of the best shows 2x the Mono has ever played. The crowd was electric and loved to dance. All the local Sarnia bands that played were amazing. Sarnia has a diverse underground music scene that reminded me a lot of all the local talent in Hamilton. Check out the band “Driving on City Sidewalks.” “Empty Spaces” also reminded me of The Freeway Coffee House’s weekly concerts and annual Art of Sound Festival (coming soon on January 23rd). Everyone in 2x the Mono said they felt so comfortable amongst Sarnia’s music scene, it was like a home away from home.

We also found out that Sarnia has a monthly art walk called “First Fridays” that is very much like  Hamilton’s  James Street North Art Crawl.

What excited me most was to hear from Nathan about all the things happening with his church community, The Story. The Story has recently moved into storefront property in downtown Sarnia. Nathan said that it has opened up all kinds of opportunities for his community to interact with local artists, musicians and the downtown small business community. The comparison to The Freeway in this regard was overwhelming. I have always thought that church communities belong in the downtown core of their respective cities, and I’m so glad to see The Story taking this path in Sarnia. I know that The Freeway could not be or do what it needs to if it did not reside in downtown Hamilton.

I wouldn’t want to leave Hamilton for anything, and I still think Hamilton is the best place to live, but if Hamiltonians ever get together to “Tar and Feather” me, sending me on my merry way, I think I’ll move to Sarnia.

You can see more pictures of the Empty Spaces show by clicking here.

National Film Board features various photo essays about various places in Canada. This one is about Hamilton: Link

Our featured artist for the month of December at the coffee house is Emily Wierenga. Why not come in and enjoy a delicious Christmas beverage, and have a look at her beautiful artwork.

Every month (or two) we change the art displayed on the walls of our coffee house. We get excited about showing incredible artwork by talented Hamiltonians… especially when the art helps to foster social change. We are very excited about November’s show by Good Shepherd Centres ~ Women’s Services (Link) & The Community Centre for Media Arts (Link):

A Woman’s Journey ~ A Photo Voice Project

Over the past four months we have gathered to discuss the complexities of a woman’s journey. Through honest conversation around woman abuse, motherhood, poverty and the strength of women we have begun to articulate these complexities.

Through the photo voice project women were given artistic freedom to capture how these realities intersect in their lives. The images and ideas depicted reflect the daily lived realities of the women involved.

This exhibit is not the end result; we hope that this exhibit and its images will encourage dialogue and foster change. We hope its depictions and narratives mark the beginning of a new understanding for those who experience and hear the message of A Woman’s Journey.

These are their voices.

Art Opening: Friday, November 6th
(Reception at 7:00pm, Live Music at 9:00pm)
Cost: Free admission

One of the great things about The Freeway Coffee House is the artistic characters that you meet. One such Hamilton character is  Larry Strung, an amazing photographer and cycling enthusiast who in 2008 took on an ambitious project called Hamilton 365. The idea behind Hamilton 365 was that for an entire year the artist would create a photographic portrait of a different person in Hamilton every day. The photos were then posted nightly on the Hamilton 365 blog. At first glance this seems a simple task until you realize that for one year this man immersed himself in the city streets and people of Hamilton. No summer vacation up north, no weekend getaway to Toronto. At some point Mr. Strung needed to be in Hamilton taking a snap shot of a Hamiltonian.

2008 has long come and gone, but the project lives on in a new and exciting way. The Art Gallery of Hamilton has all 366 portraits (turns out that 2008 was a leap year) from the Hamilton 365 project on display until November 8th in the Jean & Ross Fischer Room.

A couple weeks ago my wife and I took our kids to see the exhibit. I loved the way it was organized, the photos were displayed in grids organized by the month they were shot in. The result was delightfully reminiscent of a calender. My kids turned 365 into a game, they would run ahead and see how many people they could find that they knew. Since they spend a lot of time at The Freeway, and we love to explore Hamilton ourselves, they recognized a number of familiar faces.

If you haven’t already done so, you should check out this wonderful (and free) exhibit at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The AGH is just a 5 minute walk from The Freeway, and is located at 123 King Street West. Play the game, see how many people you know, or better yet, the next time you see a stranger on the street that you recognize from Hamilton 365, say hello and say you saw their wonderful portrait.

Just a suggestion for those of you who come to our worship gatherings on Sunday evenings: try to come a little early next Sunday and walk over to the gallery and check out the exhibit (the AGH is open until 5pm on Sundays). You’ll still have plenty of time to get back to The Freeway and enjoy your coffee before the worship gathering.

“Hidden, Eternal Things”

The paintings of Rebekah Cummings
September 3rd – November 3rd at The Freeway Coffee House

Artist Bio: Rebekah Cummings is a Hamiltonian who believes in the transformative power of beauty through the arts. Creativity is one of her highest joys! No matter the cost, and despite her own limitations, she considers creative expression vital, delightful, and absolutely worthwhile, making plenty of room for it in her life and encouraging others to do the same. Rebekah is currently in an intense season of artistic and spiritual growth, working towards a degree in music composition in Waterloo and painting during the summer. These oil paintings represent the precious truths she’s been learning during the past year of profound transition – the “Hidden, Eternal Things”. She hopes her work speaks to the deep places in you!

Art opening: Friday, September 4th, 7:00 pm
Cost: Free admission
Meet the Artist: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Musical Performance: 8:30 pm