TORONTO, November 6, 2014 — The art of conversation is experiencing a renaissance in Regent Park.
As part of the community’s ongoing rejuvenation, Lorraine Segato, Regent Park’s Artist-In-Residence, is launching The Legacy Salon Series: Spirited Conversations with Cultural Guardians, sponsored by The Daniels Corporation.
The series, conducted in a traditional salon style, will feature dialogues with some of Canada’s leading artistic and cultural icons, including singers Molly Johnson and Jackie Richardson, before a live audience. All upcoming speakers are noted for their engagement in communities, issues and philanthropic associations, which feed and fuel their work.
Interviews will be underscored by thought-provoking questions that allow these prominent Canadians to reflect on their challenges, triumphs and experiences and how these helped shape their personal and professional journeys. Audience members will be invited to ask questions at the end of these candid conversations. The purpose of the questions is to inspire and invoke the art of conversation.
Sunday, November 23 at the Paintbox Bistro in Regent Park is the first event that sees Segato in conversation with Garvia Bailey, the new host of the JAZZ.FM91 morning show. Bailey’s success as a veteran CBC journalist and producer has a depth of experience and wisdom to impart in the reflection of her storied career. Her significant contribution in heralding and upholding Toronto’s ever-changing multi-flavoured cultural and social landscape is notable.
“The Legacy Salon series promises to be a dynamic forum for highlighting the exciting and untold stories of prominent members of Canada’s cultural community,” said singer and social justice activist Segato, co-founder and lead singer of iconic polyrhythmic 80s pop band, The Parachute Club. “I believe that these conversations are a passionate way to dig deep and engage the cultural spirit of Toronto and the Regent Park community. “ I thought Garvia Bailey would be a great person to inaugurate into the salon because she’s seen and been a part of so many cultural events in her years as a broadcaster and journalist. I thought it would be fun to turn the tables and have the interviewer being interviewed by the artist.”
Segato is currently serving a two-year term as Regent Park’s first honorary Artist-In-Residence. Part of her mandate involves finding new ways to enrich, celebrate and draw attention to the developing area, while curating cultural activities and events that further the envisioning of an international caliber artist residency program. The program, one of the most innovative of its kind in Canada, is designed to foster artistic expression across the city and was developed as part of the community’s new cultural program. The Artist-In-Residence initiative is sponsored by The Daniels Corporation, the private-sector developer behind Regent Park’s revitalization.
The inaugural Legacy Salon event featuring Garvia Bailey is taking place on Sunday, November 23 at the Paintbox Bistro in Regent Park (555 Dundas St. East, Toronto). Doors open at 3p.m., conversation and Q&A session begins at 3:30p.m. with a reception following.
Tickets are $15. To order tickets and to make reservations, visit www.thelegacysalon.com
The Legacy Salon Series is the first in a number of cultural events that are scheduled for 2015 in Regent Park, including the upcoming Wild Women (Don’t get the Blues) Cabaret Series.
Media Sponsor for this series is JAZZ.FM91
About Lorraine Segato
For the past 36 years, Lorraine Segato has fueled an impressive artistic career that has produced some excellent and edgy cultural work. Segato’s extensive experience as a respected musician, songwriter, filmmaker, event producer, artistic director, speechwriter, lecturer and social justice activist makes her one of Canada’s iconic recording artists and leading cultural commentators. As the co-founder and lead singer of The Parachute Club—one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful groups of the 1980s, Segato enjoyed an impressive career in the music industry before turning her attention to other creative endeavors such as directing, speechwriting, and producing large cultural events. Most recently, she has dedicated her time to a 2-year film project that unveils the interesting stories of the many talented homeless individuals who vie for shelter while playing the streets of Toronto. She has also finished a CD Invincible Decency slated for release in late 2014 and is about to workshop a one-woman show Get Off My Dress.
For more info about the Regent Park Artist-in-Residence program, visit www.lorrainesegato.com/dair