Earth Day Alert
In recognition of Earth Day on April 22, the McMichael invites visitors of all ages to reflect on the health of our planet, our families, and our communities. Enjoy eco-friendly drop-in art and music workshops, outdoor storytelling and a musical performance by Fana Soro, a talented Ivorian Coast musician, drummer, and dancer.
Art Activities and Workshops
Drumming Workshop with Fana Soro
Time: 12 pm
Ages: 3 to 12
Location: Founders’ Lounge
Ivorian musician Fana Soro will introduce participants to the basic sounds and rhythms of the djembe, a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum from West Africa. Soro will incorporate songs and teachings into the workshop that will include collaborative drumming, singing, and more!
Limited availability.
Registration required.
Sunday,
April 21, 2024
Art activities and workshops from 11 am to 4 pm
Drumming workshop at
12 pm and performance by
AKWAABA at 2 pm with
Fana Soro!
Special Family Sunday Kids Menu and Grab and Go options available at Cabin.
FREE ADMISSION on Family Sundays
Please note that parking fees ($7) are still in effect
Upcycled Garden Flower, Drop-in Family Art Workshop
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Ages: 3 to 12
Location: Education Space
This hands-on workshop led by artist Shashann Miguel Tash will challenge young artists to use a variety of recycled materials to create an upcycled garden flower collage using recycled cardboard, yarn, buttons, and other craft materials.
Listen to the Land, Outdoor Storytelling Circle
Time: 11:15 am, 12:15 and 1:15 pm
Ages: 3 to 12
Location: Starting in the Grand Hall
Tune in to the awakening of spring in the natural world while listening to the story of the Humber River Valley, an ancient and historic waterway. Learn about how settlers’ agricultural and urban interventions have affected and changed the ecosystem over time and hear about how Indigenous experts, community members, and McMichael staff and volunteers are working together to restore the land to balance and sustainability.
Exhibition Spotlight: Cobalt: A Mining Town and the Canadian Imagination & Moridja Kitenge Banza: Topographies
Time: 12:30 and 2 pm
Ages: Adults
Location: Starting in the Grand Hall
Join a guided tour of two special exhibitions that explore the impact of human activity on the natural landscape. Learn about the artists who visited and documented Cobalt, Ontario, and its silver mines between the First and Second World Wars, a time of intense resource extraction. Continue with the lush paintings of Montreal-based artist Moridja Kitenge Banza, whose gestural brushwork, bold colour, and contours reveal the devastating impacts of resource extraction in his home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in his current home in Canada.
Musical Performances
AKWAABA! Welcome to Africa with Fana Soro
Time: 2 pm
All Ages
Location: Gallery 8
Enjoy an invigorating and colourful performance of traditional songs, music, and dance in which the rhythms of the balafon, a type of West African xylophone, the djembe drum, and other percussion instruments will echo the heartbeat of the land. Musician Fana Soro will share the wisdom of the Senoufo people from the Ivory Coast, including their recipes for a happy life and a healthy community.
