Pier 21 will be closed, Saturday, September 10 due to weather conditions.
Participate in the First Ever Culture Days!
Join us for a free cultural awareness presentation titled Developing Cultural Awareness on Friday, September 24 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. As part of the Culture Days celebration, Pier 21 is partnering with Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services (ISIS) to engage participants in exploring how to build a welcoming community through cultural awareness.
Topics covered by the presentation include challenges newcomers face in Canada, settlement and integration and creating a welcoming community. This session is open to all, registration is not required, and will be held at Pier 21 in the Windsor Foundation Global Classroom. For more information call (902) 425-7770 ext. 0.
Culture Days, September 24 to 26, is a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. Make sure to participate in our Developing Cultural Awareness presentation along with experiencing all of the cultural events Halifax has to offer that weekend!
Diversity Spotlight Presents Home Out of Nothing
All are welcome to Pier 21 to attend a free screening of the independent film Home Out of Nothing, on Wednesday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m., part of the Atlantic Film Festival lineup.
As a newcomer who experienced culture shock firsthand, Marina Shepeta’s film reveals all the emotions and challenges she went through during her adaptation period in Canada. Unable to leave Russia legally, her husband defected in 1991; Marina was able to follow three years later. Marina shares the realizations and struggles she faced upon arrival in Canada, as well as how she dealt with them, how challenges in the new country affected her, her family and other people as newcomers.
Home Out of Nothing uncovers what appeared to be additional reasons for her to leave Canada and go back to Russia and shows how she overcame the shock of fundamental differences in cultural assumptions and values. Click here to view the film’s trailer. Filmmaker Marina Shepta will be present to introduce her insightful 45-minute documentary and lead a discussion following the screening.
This Diversity Spotlight is presented by Pier 21 in partnership with the Atlantic Film Festival. Admission is FREE. Show begins at 7:00 p.m. at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road, Halifax. 103 seats, first come, first served. For more information please call 902-425-7770 ext. 0.
Food: First Taste, First Impressions
There are thousands of stories and reminiscences in the Pier 21 collection, and many touch on the tastes left behind and the new experiences in Canada. Food is a necessity of life, and an important connection to place, family and society. It is a universal symbol of culture, of welcome, of memory. Who doesn’t remember their first taste of something new, something unusual? For immigrants, now and in the past, this is a huge part of the story. The things left behind, the items smuggled in, the search for the familiar – all continue to play a huge role in the journey.
Visit Pier 21’s special display to discover these stories and more. View archival images featuring food and listen to immigrant oral histories about tastes in Canada and from their homeland. Food: First Taste, First Impressions is on view alongside Food for Health and Hungry Planet in the Ralph and Rose Chiodo Harbourside Gallery until September 6.
Call for Newcomer Artists
Participate in Nocturne at Pier 21
Pier 21 is looking for artists to create live on-site within exhibitions in the Ralph and Rose Chiodo Harbourside Gallery as well as other spaces on the ground floor, on the evening of Saturday, October 16 from 6:00 p.m. to Midnight as part of the 3rd annual Nocturne Art at Night Festival. Our aim is to promote the artistic work of artists who are newcomers to Canada, as well as promote diversity, multiculturalism, and provide an avenue for expression. If you are interested, please download the PDF application form and send your completed form to Tanya Bouchard, Chief Curator, tbouchard@pier21.ca.
Even if you’re not an artist, you are still welcome to join us the evening of Nocturne. Pier 21 will be open late and free of charge on October 16, as part of Nocturne Festival. Pier 21 will feature new Canadian artists inspired by the themes of immigration, diversity and multiculturalism. We invite you to also take in our featured Community Presents partnership exhibitions.
Nocturne: Art at Night is a festival bringing art and energy to the streets of Halifax between 6:00 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, October 16th, 2010. The completely free, third annual event showcases and celebrates the exciting arts scene in Halifax. The Nocturne program, map, and walking tours guide residents and visitors alike to a variety of exhibitions in galleries and public spaces throughout the city. The signature event, designed and planned by volunteers within the community, is an opportunity for everyone to experience the art of Halifax – in a whole new light.
Hungry Planet: May 15 until September 6
The Hungry Planet exhibition, hosted by Pier 21 and produced by the Montreal Science Centre, will allow visitors to discover the extent to which food and the sharing of food are integral parts of culture.
This exhibition exposes the human condition and provides an opportunity to reflect on the great issues that challenge our planet: nutrition, famine, drought, poverty, power and globalization. A photographic exhibition, it features the eating habits of 25 families from 21 countries around the globe and is based on the book titled Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, written by Faith D’Aluisio with photos by Peter Menzel.
Food for Health: May 15 until September 6
Pier 21 will also host Food for Health, a bilingual exhibition from the Canada Agriculture Museum, which looks at concerns and questions many Canadians have about the role food plays in ensuring good health.
Food for Health combines hands-on interactive components, multimedia technology, historical artifacts and graphics to showcase Canadian initiatives designed to ensure that our food is as safe as possible. Food for Health can also be viewed online at www.foodforhealth.ca.
Food for Health is presented by the Canada Agriculture Museum and by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, in partnership with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada and the Canadian Partnership of Consumer Food Safety Education.
Special educational and public programming including workshops, events and family fun weekends will accompany both summer exhibitions. Both exhibitions will be on display in the Ralph and Rose Chiodo Harbourside Gallery.
Pier 21’s multimedia show Oceans of Hope is now available on DVD!
Oceans of Hope takes viewers on an emotional journey through Pier 21’s past. Relive history from the late 1920s to the early 1970s when Pier 21 was Canada’s “front door” to one million immigrants. The video also depicts Pier 21’s role during and after the war. Oceans of Hope includes an original score, and has been digitally remastered to fit your screen. $29.95
For more information, or to order, email our giftshop at giftshop@pier21.ca
The Pier 21 Society is a not-for-profit organization that strives to preserve the stories and pay tribute to the millions of immigrants who have made their home in Canada.
Generations of Pier 21 alumni, donors and volunteers have worked together to maintain Pier 21 and our efforts and contributions have enabled the Museum to expand, create exciting galleries and exhibitions, and create stimulating educational programs for Canadians across the country.
Today, we need your support to sustain the Pier 21 legacy for generations to come. More…
