NUIT BLANCHE LIGHTS UP LAKESHORE CAMPUS

Lakeshore Campus was alive with excitement last month as thousands of people visited the campus to experience the popular contemporary art event Nuit Blanche.

For the second year in a row, Lakeshore hosted the Etobicoke community, with 11 of 19 projects located on the campus.

“Literally thousands of people were here enjoying the artwork of not only our students but the national and international artists as well,” said June MacDonald-Jenkins, senior dean with the Faculty of Social and Community Services and principal of Lakeshore Campus. “It’s been just amazing to see the pure joy on their faces and how people are connecting with the art.”

Claire Wyllie and Tracy Zason drove from Brampton to experience Nuit Blanche at Lakeshore Campus. The fact it was being staged, in part, in Etobicoke was a factor in them attending. It was closer to home, and they didn’t have to commute downtown or to Scarborough to enjoy the projects.

“Everything we’ve seen has been so creative,” remarked Wyllie, adding Saturday evening’s pleasant weather made the night that much more enjoyable.

Asked to describe the experience in a word, Zason called it “entertaining.”

“I’ve really enjoyed speaking with some of the artists and learning more about their thought process,” said Zason.

Casey Norris, project lead with Humber Galleries and the Centre for Creative Business Innovation, said this year’s event proved to be a smashing success.

“It was amazing to see the community out for Nuit Blanche again and really bringing the Lakeshore Campus to life,” said Norris. “We do what we can to make this event as successful as possible and this year once again exceeded our expectations. Working with the City to bring projects both to the campus and the surrounding parks really brought the whole area together and created a space for people to spend hours exploring and discovering the various projects.”

Humber offers several fellowships that have students work with industry partners on projects. Two of these – the Nuit Blanche Fellowship and the Intercultural & Creative Music Fellowship – had Humber students create projects that were part of this year’s event.

UNIPLEX: Multimedia Explorations in Geometry, Symmetry, and Transformation, which came from the Nuit Blanche Fellowship, is an immersive, interdisciplinary installation that explores personal growth and unity through geometric shapes. It will be on display in the L Space Gallery from October 16 to December 1.

Something is Awake was part of the Intercultural & Creative Music Fellowship, which is a partnership between Humber and the Aga Khan Museum. It involved nine Humber students working together for 14 weeks to compose and record five songs, two films and a zine as part of the album Something is Awake.

Kelly Jackson, vice-president, External Affairs and Professional Learning at Humber, said Nuit Blanche was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the South Etobicoke community to the Campus as a Canvas initiative. It has expanded Humber Galleries’ presence beyond its physical space and is utilizing the College’s campuses by turning them into display spaces to showcase the work of students and faculty.

“We want our students to learn and grow in a space that celebrates public art and what better way than Lakeshore Campus being the site of the Etobicoke hub,” said Jackson.

The arts will further be supported at Lakeshore Campus through the Humber Cultural Hub. The facility will include a new 500-seat Performance Hall as well as a 140-seat Music Recital Hall and an informal interior amphitheatre designed for festivals, public events, and community gatherings. There will be classrooms for use by various faculties, a new gymnasium and cafeteria, labs and more than 300 student residence rooms.

The first phase of construction for the Cultural Hub is expected to be completed by spring 2024. The second phase is expected to be completed by 2026.

For more information, visit the Nuit Blanche website.