A host of events are slated to take place across the University this fall as York continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
From special lectures, concerts and performances to art and archival exhibits, colloquia and symposia, the emphasis is on showcasing the learning, academic accomplishments and artistic endeavours flourishing at York.
To see a slide show of some of the events that have taken place so far, click here.
Details of upcoming 50th anniversary events can be found on the University’s U50 Web site.
The following are some of the highlights from the U50 calendar:
- York University has nine colleges and the college masters have designed a lecture series which will highlight for members of the University community, and the community at large, a sample of the diverse research in which faculty members at York are involved. Each of York’s nine colleges will host one such talk. Upcoming lectures include today’s by Michael Ridell on "Physical Activity: It’s Role in Diabetes Prevention and Treatment", Fred Fletcher on "How the Internet is Changing Canada" on Oct. 19 and Michael Jenkin on "Autonomous Robots in the 21st Century" on Nov. 5. The speakers and talks have been selected for the excitement in doing research that each speaker exhibits, and the fact that the talks will be geared to a general audience, with no technical knowledge of the subject matter, or the topic, being presupposed. Full details of the series are available month by month on the U50 calendar.
- On Sept. 30, York presents Arts Meets Science, consisting of keynote lectures by Richard Wingate and Martha Fleming, two internationally recognized speakers and York Professor Nell Tenhaaf. They will speak about the transformative potential of entanglements between artists and scientists. The lectures will be recorded for University Radio York and a video Web broadcast. Wingate is a scientist and lecturer at the Medical Research Council Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King’s College London. Fleming is an artist, curator and associate professor at the Medical Museion, University of Copenhagen. Tenhaaf is an interdisciplinary artist and theoretician with extensive publication, lecture and exhibition credits across Canada, the US and Europe.
- From Oct. 5 to 18, the Ambi-valent Objects Exhibition: The Art Gallery Meets the Science Fair will be at the Gales Gallery. Over 20 participants have come together from anthropology, mathematics, film, physics & astronomy, dance, environmental studies, visual arts, ecology, English, engineering and social & political thought to create catalytic collaborations, mind-bending artworks, hybrid performances, interactive videos, holographic projections, cosmic ray visualizations and more.
- On Oct. 6, Time Warp, one of Canada’s best known and longest-running jazz ensembles, takes centre stage in a celebratory performance at York. The quartet will be joined by more than a dozen other artists – all currently teaching and/or studying at York – to form the Time Warp Jazz Orchestra for its one-night-only performance. The concert will feature the world premiere performance of new large-ensemble arrangements of several favourites from the Time Warp repertoire, including Theme for Coleman Hawkins, Nima na Kombo, Gridlock, Reincarnation of Rat Boy"and Al Henderson’s Ellingtonia suite. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, and can be purchased through the Accolade Box Office.
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From Oct. 22 to 24, the Towards a Democratic Cosmopolis: Diaspora, Citizenship and Recognition conference will provide a unique opportunity to understand the emerging cosmopolitan reality that is contemporary Toronto – the region encompassed by the modern geo-political entity known as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Over time this area has attracted a very large number of migrants and immigrants in search of better economic, political and cultural conditions, and it continues to serve as the site for the relocation experiences of various peoples from a wide range of different social, cultural, religious, political and other backgrounds. The outcomes of migrations and immigrations in the GTA are essential for contextualizing discussions of citizenship, recognition and identity in the broader environment of resettlement, and to this end and in an interdisciplinary environment the conference will bring together members of various ethnocultural groups in the GTA, students and scholars.
- From Oct. 22 to 25, the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM) is hosting its 13th annual conference, Mothering and the Environment: The Natural, The Social & The Built. The conference will cover a diverse array of crucial mothering issues, including the environment and maternal health issues; maternal environmental activism and global citizenship; mothering, environments, sustainability and technology; mothering and environmental education; reproductive issues and the environment; breastfeeding and environmental toxins; mothers and social justice; mothering and HIV/AIDS; and environmental activism through the arts. The conference will include three full days of academic papers, workshops, performances, visual arts and other alternative format presentations by approximately 250 international scholars, students, activists, environmental agencies and workers, environmental educators, artists and mothers.
- The Aenaid: A Compendium of Scenes from Virgil, which will take place Nov. 11, is an original, contemporary cycle of musical tableaux based on the epic Latin poem. This remarkable story is retold in 12 dramatic scenes that draw on a dynamic and eclectic mix of opera, oratorio, cantata, dance and digital media. York faculty who will be featured in the performance include mezzo soprano Catherine Robbin, multi-instrumentalist Rob Simms, choral conductor Lisette Canton, and Bill Thomas, conductor of the York University Wind Symphony. Other guest artists include the award-winning Mississauga Children’s Choir, internationally renowned trumpeter Guido Basso, bass/baritone Peter Wall and York alumna, soprano Leigh Anne Martin (BFA Spec. Hons. ’09). Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 students and seniors, and can be purchased through the Accolade Box Office.
- From Dec. 3 to 5, the International Conference on Soccer/Football: History, Gender & Nation will take place at York. The conference will focus on critical analyses of soccer/football in a global context in advance of the 2010 World Cup, which is being held for the first time in Africa. It brings together scholars working in a range of interdisciplinary projects, who offer critical appraisal of how soccer shapes and has shaped social, political and economic relations in Canada and globally. The conference is particularly interested in hearing from scholars who offer historical analyses of the game, who interrogate the gendered dynamics of it and who explore how soccer engages nation-states and transnational flows of players and capital.
For a full listing of all U50 events, including the location of each event, visit the U50 Web site.