Two performances on March 8 will highlight International Women's Day as well as York University initiatives out of the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), including the Las Nubes Project and the 24th annual Eco-Arts and Media Festival.
The featured event will be a concert by Costa Rican artist Guadalupe Urbina in celebration of the Las Nubes Project and the Cultural and Artistic Practices for Social and Environmental Justice Certifical (CAP).
Beginning at 6:30pm at the Lula Lounge, Urbina will perform music that explores social issues including gender roles, the environment and the cultural identity of Costa Rica.
Urbina, who hails from Guanacaste, Costa Rica, was the youngest of 10 children and was introduced to traditional stories, songs and rhythms through her mother. Later in life, she travelled extensively across the globe, and has represented her country's musical tradition throughout Latin America, Europe, Central Africa, the U.S. and Canada.
Urbina is also a painter and writer. She paints with acrylics and oils using paper
made from natural fibers in tropical countries. Several of her paintings are available in limited edition museum quality Giclee prints.
Tickets to this event are $10; student tickets are free or pay-what-you-can with student ID.
The evening's second event, the Eco-Arts and Media Festival Cabaret, begins at 10pm and is free, but RSVP are required for seating.
The event lineup includes performances including:
Bob Wiseman – A Juno award-winning film composer, songwriter and music teacher and MES student at York University. His performance will incorporate a musical accompaniment to projections of his environmental videos.
Environmental Music Collective – The Environmental Music Collective was started several years ago in FES to call together students and faculty as a way to encourage musical expression and good times in an environmental context.
Long Branch – Dead leaves, bare trees, redemption, and resurrection are embodied in the fuzz-fueled guitars, violin, and vocal harmonies of Long Branch’s sound, which emerges from a solid guitar bedrock, with haunting violin voicings and the layered harmonies of the band’s four formidable frontwomen supported by nuanced, driving rhythms.
DJ Syrus Marcus Ware – A PhD student in FES, Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier Scholar, a visual artist, community activist, researcher, youth-advocate and educator. For 12 years, he was the coordinator of the Art Gallery of Ontario Youth Program. He is currently a facilitator/designer for the Cultural Leaders Lab (Toronto Arts Council & The Banff Centre), and is the inaugural artist-in-residence for Daniels Spectrum (2016/2017). He is also a core-team member of Black Lives Matter Toronto.
NOTE: Ticket prices include admission only. Guests are responsible for purchasing their own food and beverages. Guests who wish to guarantee seating for dinner, must call Lula Lounge to make arrangements (416.588.0307).
Both events are featured in the schedule for the 24th annual Eco-Arts and Media Festival (March 5 to 9), which was organized with the theme "Past-Now, Future Generations" and takes up the interconnection of all living things across time.
The full festival event listing can be found online.