The Pearl Company

Art Opening: Jessica Pamela CARRASCO: POSTPONED. Saturday, March 21. Door: 7pm to 10pm. CARRASCO, is an artist, born in Santiago de Chile in 1972, and arriving in Canada in 2005 with her husband and her 11-year-old girl. She has published two bilingual books for children: The Child That I Am / La Niña que soy (Familius, 2015) and Colorful Children/Niños de Colores (Tap Peques, 2011). She also illustrated the trilingual book for children Emma’s Symphony written by Camila Reimers (Mapalé, 2018) and published s book of poetry in Spanish named “Tatuajes de una Historia” (Mapalé, 2018). She writes a monthly column for the newspaper Presencia Latina and also participates as a permanent guest once a month in the radio show a Un Café con Luz. 

Hanna Bech Presents “Mirroring”: A Concert and Art Show Where Musicians and Artists Pay Homage to Each Other. Saturday, November 23. Doors: 7:30pm. Show: 8:00. Tickets: $20 / $10 students/seniors/un(der)waged/Artists. Featuring: Robyn Lightwalker & Hanna Bech; Anthony Haley & Wax Mannequin; Petra Matar & Nick Zyla; Carolina Gama & Rachel Nolan. Hanna Bech has done it again…. “You are invited to an evening celebrating creative collaboration among Hamilton artists.  The night features four artists, and four musicians pairing up, exchanging pieces, and creating a new work inspired by the piece they receive.  We think this sounds like fun, and hope you can come enjoy the night with us.”
Tickets at:  https://www.bruha.com/event/5164
Check out the bios of this diverse and exciting group! (more…)

Celebrating the Arts! April 11-14. Doors 6:30 pm. Curtain 8:00 pm sharp. Matinee April 14: Doors 12:30 pm. Curtain 2:00pm sharp. Tickets: $25 online or at the door. You are cordially invited to The Pearl Company for An Evening of Theatre, Visual Arts and Live Music in support of SAVIS of Halton and #FeedtheHammer . Start Spring right! Support this fundraising initiative complete with a silent auction, 50/50 draw, food drive, live theatre, visual arts displays and a full musical set by RnR. Special Musical guests include Robert Laszcz, Rod McTaggart, and Chris Reid, laying down those solid grooves while you browse works of art by professional local artists, bid in the silent auction, and take part in the 50/50 draw. At 8pm, round off the evening with 2 one-act plays: The Dilemma, a black comedy written and directed by Joel Pettigrew, starring Lucas James and Thomas Sarigiannidis, and Carol Churchill’s A Number, directed by David Nash and starring Chris Reid and Rod McTaggart. Latecomers will be seated at an appropriate break in the program.

POR LA VIDA…SIEMPRE!!! Opening: September 9 (11am-4pm)Two weeks only: 4 to 15 September. Opening: September 9 – 11:00am to 4:00pm. FOR LIFE ALWAYS!!! is the once aborted and now restored exhibition of the series of Antifascist Posters that were conceived in Santiago, Chile through the State Technical University. Exhibitions of the 18 posters were to take place in 500 simultaneous locations on September 11, 1973 the day the military coup led by Augusto Pinochet took place. Presidente Salvador Allende was scheduled to inaugurate the central exhibit at the university. The university´s main building was attacked, the organizers imprisoned and the exhibition destroyed. From those 500 sets of 18 posters, only one set of the original prints survived, and it has now been restored to the original set in remembrance of POR LA LA VIDA…SIEMPRE!!!, the exhibition intended to open over 44 years ago.
Violeta Parra‘s unpublished art work, titled CONTRA LA GUERRA (1963) accompanies this show as part of the commemoration of the centenary of Latin America’s greatest singer-songwriter and peace activist who took her life 50 years ago. Due to the historical importance of the messages and their current validity, this vital show is a must see.
Opening: A Tribute to Violeta Parra: Music. Art. Dance. Film: Appearances by: Marcelo Puente, Lil Medrano, Alec Dempster and Teresa Irene Barrera; the group Raices Latinoamericanas AFH, and the film: Cantar con Sentido, a biography of Violeta Parra.

David McLaughlin: Works From a Lifetime: David’s remaining furniture and glasswork (forty years of arts and crafts) continue to be on display.  It is no longer the complete show. Everything that has sold is, of course, gone. All of David’s work is utterly his own and a joy to experience.  His works in glass are forceful, eye-catching, and unique. The one-of-a-kind furniture pieces startle you with his quirky creativity. These stained glass panels and furniture pieces continue to be for sale. Free local delivery will be available. Payment can be made through Pay Pal. For more information contact David at: dmclaughlin1@sympatico.ca

GREGORY HOSKINS with TINA NEWLOVE:  ILLUMINATE ME: A Concert and Live Painting Performance. Two nights: Thursday / Friday, December 1 & 2: 8:00pm. $25 door.  A concert presentation of songs from acclaimed Canadian recording artist Gregory Hoskins set against a larger-than-life canvas being painted by Tina Newlove and projected over the singer. The evening begins with Hoskins under the stark light of the projected canvas and ends drowning in colour and form. The songs of Hoskins are cool and warm and sorrowful and hopeful all at the same time and the paintings of Newlove are organic and grounded, abstract just enough to make them otherworldly but recognizable.  The interactions between painter and singer are unrehearsed and the outcome is unplanned as he makes his way through solo renditions of the songs (with a dose of the “between song asides” he is known for) and Newlove’s projected “Hand of God” applies colour in all its’ drippy mess.  The audience gets a taste of the chaos that can lead to form.  And that is where the two meet. www.gregoryhoskins.com   www.tinanewlove.com   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmmUmr0EBKY
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ART Opening: OPIRG McMaster with ATZIN Mexico: “WE ARE YOUR FUTURE: Art & the Women of Tlamacazapa”: Saturday, November 19. 7:00. No fee.The “We are your Future” art exhibition portrays the daily reality of women weavers of palm who live in acute poverty in Tlamacazapa, Mexico. These Indigenous weavers are caught in a complex web of social disintegration and environmental toxicity with water shortage. Today, they are re-creating a sense of worth and identity through a re-weaving of their perceptions of themselves and of their strengths. Seventy high quality palm weavings accompany thirty original paintings and prints, done by two artists, Alejandro Aranda from Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico and Ray Dirks from Winnipeg. Manitoba. Each artist captured different dimensions of village life and illustrated the essence of development with dignity. www.atzin.org

The Pearl Company Summer Kick-Off Fundraiser Art Show and Music! Saturday, June 25. 7:00 to 10-ish. Pay What You Wish at the Door. This is The new Pearl Company non-profit corporation kicking off the summer with an Open House Party and you are invited. Come and join us for food, drinks, music and art at this PWYC fundraiser and get-together. This is going to be all about fun. There will be lots of fun art as well as serious…. Ian Andrews & Matthew King are always a good musical time! You can drop in or stay for the evening. We are getting ready to celebrate our 10^th season in the fall and this is the warm-up. 7 to 8: Art Show & Sale: Very reasonably priced.  Live music at about 8 from Matthew and Ian and you never know who else may show up. Come out and join in the fun!

Ted Basciano: WHO IMAGINED?! Friday, March 4: 7:00–10:00pm. Art Opening: No Charge. Ted Basciano is a nomad and the thread that brings him back home is his art.  He does much of his work when he is away in Korea, teaching; he comes back home to show it. His quirky, very “Ted” works are mostly colourful, mosaic sculptures on a variety of themes which have evolved from his experiences in Korea. The shards have been gathered from the streets and temples of Naju and other areas in the Asian country. This new work depicts whimsical figures and complete abstract forms.  “The characters in my new works show a range of emotions: joy, wonder, thankfulness, frustration, anxiousness, and sorrow.  All of the characters have been given simplified settings: a bedroom, a park, a cafe. I have used a variety of symbols: hearts, sunbeams, tears.  With emotions, settings, and symbols, I have tried to be a storyteller.”

Gregory Hoskins with Tina Newlove: A Concert and Live Painting Performance. Saturday, December 12: 8:00pm. $25 door. Acclaimed singer/songwriter Gregory Hoskins performs ‘songs of muscular sorrow’ drawn from his 25 year career, in a solo performance featuring visual artist Tina Newlove on a canvas that is projected over Hoskins.  The evening is a feast for the ears, the eyes, and the places those things are connected to. Two unique artists in a conversation that is totally unscripted.  Gregory Hoskins’ career has spanned 22 years, eight albums, Remember Gregory Hoskins and The Stickpeople on the legendary True North label?   Hoskins, (“….. depth, complexity and sincerity …inspired and 100% original!”) has appeared with Sarah McLachlan, The Indigo Girls, Bruce Cockburn, and folk-legend Odetta among many others. He also works with First Nations artists and arts organizations, as well as with media artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle in her ongoing creation project with women in prison. Tina Newlove continues to be recognized by her peers as an artist who is making a significant contribution to the cultural life of Canada. Her much-awarded work appears in numerous public galleries. She is a founding member of Tribe of One, a Canadian Performance Collective that fuses the soul of Indigenous folk-funk rock with English, French, First Nation and Metis, singers, dancers, painters and musicians. www.gregoryhoskins.com  www.tinanewlove.com  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmmUmr0EBKY

Photo exhibition: Dispossessed but Defiant: Indigenous Struggles from Around the World: Nov. 26-28 & Dec. 1- 9: 7:00-10:00pm. Dec 6, 2:00-6:00pm. Launch Reception: Dec 2: 7:00-10:00pm featuring a panel discussion, dramatic reading and refreshments. Admission Free at all times.
The exhibition, produced by the CJPME Foundation, features over 120 visually compelling photos taken by both professional and amateur photographers at pivotal moments of indigenous peoples’ struggles in South Africa, Palestine, and Canada. Photos spanning 150 years of history – from the very earliest days of photography – form this exhibition.  The exhibition is moving and inspirational, and provides fresh insights into the histories of indigenous struggles.
The Canadian segment includes many rarely seen images, of Indigenous life in the late 1800s and early 1900s, of the controversial residential schools system, and of more recent confrontations over land claims, resource extraction projects, and fishing rights.  The CJPME Foundation gratefully acknowledges The First Nations of Canada who contributed photos to the exhibition, despite the current demands of their ongoing struggle to overcome the legacy of the residential schools system; and thanks the Presbyterian Church of Canada, which has owned up to its part in the residential school tragedy, for helping to provide photos for this segment.
All three segments of the exhibition have been developed in close consultation with recognized academic specialists in the three respective geographical areas covered. See more re the South African and Palestinian Segments. (more…)

The Museum of Memory and Human Rights of Chile in Hamilton at The Pearl Company: Friday July 3 – (Opening 6:00pm-9:00 pm) to Sunday, July 5. No charge. Exact times below. The Museum of Memory and Human Rights of Chile has a mission: to divulge the systematic violations of human rights committed by the Chilean state during the period of 1973-1990; to avoid the repetition of events that compromise the dignity of persons; as well as to dignify the victims and their families. The Museum was inaugurated in 2010 by President Michelle Bachelet.
We are pleased to welcome the visit of this traveling exhibition to Hamilton.  Carmen Gloria Quintana will honour us with her presence. Carmen Gloria has a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology.  She is a human rights activist and the direct victim of  human rights violations during the dictatorship of Pinochet in Chile, surviving an attempt to burn her alive by the military in 1986.
The exhibition includes:
• The collection of 36 photographs “Fragments / Memory / Graphics 40 years after the coup”.
• The collection of 10 posters titled “Resistance Posters” which denounce human rights violations during the military dictatorship.
• The collection of 10 posters titled “Posters of the International Solidarity” made in exile during 1973 and 1990 in countries such as Canada, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, France and others.
Open: Friday July 3 – 12pm to 9pm (Official Opening 6:00pm-9:00 pm)
Saturday July 4 – 12pm to 8pm
Sunday July 5 – 10pm to 3pm
For further information please contact: Nancy Reyes- 905-745-6312

Light, Water, and Fantasy: Cora and Eric Brittan:  Opening: Sunday, October 26. 2:00 – 5:00pm. No charge. Cora and Eric spend their time between two worlds. From their homes here on Lake Ontario and in Mexico on the Pacific, they conjure their magical and compelling works celebrating nature, life, light, and fantasy. Cora and Eric are natural teachers lovingly passing on their passion for their art. They have enjoyed numerous solo, group, and two person exhibitions, with works in many private and corporate collections. We are honoured and delighted to be showing them on our walls.  They are local art royalty! www.brittanart.com

SPIRIT OF THE RED PINE: Opening Art Reception: Friday, July 11, 7–9. A fundraising exhibition of works by pARTners for Wolf Lake. Nineteen artists unite their voices in preserving the beauty of Wolf Lake in the Temagami area, NE of Sudbury. It is at the heart of the world’s largest contiguous ancient red pine forest.  This traveling art show and online auction brings awareness to an incredible ecosystem, while art sales contribute to the protection against mining exploration and excavation. The theme of human-environment interaction is woven into the show. The pARTners for Wolf Lake show features works from painters, photographers and poets who have created art inspired by their outdoor experiences and time spent on Wolf Lake.  Among them are two Hamiltonians: painter of shimmering landscapes, E. Robert Ross, and talented photographer Heather Buttrum. “They are bringing the beauty of Wolf Lake to a wider audience” says Bob Olajos, spokesperson for the Wolf Lake Coalition. http://savewolflake.org/  http://partnersforwolflake.ca/ July 11th – August 23rd, 2014. 100% of profits go to the Wolf Lake Coalition. Gallery Open by appointment, by chance, before events and, we hope, Wednesdays 7 to 9. Full Artist List Below:  (more…)

Celebration of Latin American Art in Hamilton May 16, 17:  May 16, 8pm: Spanjazz….See Below….    

Saturday, May 17: 12:00 – 5:00pm: Opening! Casa Mansang: Casa Mansang features the art of artists and artisans from South and Central America; also guest exhibitions of local established artists. The gallery is packed with gloriously colourful and upbeat art, jewellery, ‘artwear’, and curiosities, perfect for gifts and for just plain decorating!  If you want to be cheered by a vibrant and eye-catching display, check out the Face Book site: http://on.fb.me/1erjrvw  or come on by!     

Saturday, May 17: 8:00pm. Music Gala with  Singer, Idalid Parra. Dancing to follow…. $15.00/$10.00 students/artists. Idalid Parra is a Colombian singer with a deep understanding of the roots of Ranchera music. She started singing at the age of 6, performing in social events, weddings, birthdays, shows, and competitions. This talented, friendly, and fun singer also loves to dance, and is an equally capable artist drawing faces and places. She is active in the AFH Fraternity Hispanic Association in Canada. https://www.facebook.com/lindaforever?fref=ts&ref=br_tf  
This is an event with Latin American artists….  Dancing can break out at any time but especially after Idalid sings! Or maybe during…..