From Myth to Muse: CAMH Annual Report 2004-05

CAMH Annual Report

L - R: Alison Mackay, Artistic Director, Metamorphosis Festival; Pavel Janacek, Jean Simpson Studio Artist.

By its very nature, art transforms: concrete objects are made abstract; nature is changed to artifact; concepts are represented through visual or performing arts.

This year's Metamorphosis Festival celebrated the vibrancy of the many types of artistic transformation that take place in Toronto. As a vital part of this city's arts community, CAMH's Workman Theatre Project (WTP) was invited to participate.

Because the Jean Simpson Studio at CAMH's Queen Street site was just opening, Lisa Brown, the artistic director of WTP, saw an excellent opportunity to feature artists who used the studio. All artists who are part of the Jean Simpson Studio receive services from CAMH.

The idea of collaboration with visual artists intrigued those working in the world of baroque music. "We are highly specialized and isolated," says Alison Mackay, the principal bassist for the baroque orchestra Tafelmusik, and the artistic director for the Metamorphosis Festival. "The idea of the festival was to come out of our isolation and see how collaboration would affect us. It changed our dynamic. We learned a lot of interesting things and found artistic inspiration in the work of these very talented and gifted artists."
The result of the collaboration was a concert and an art exhibition.

The concert, From Myth to Music, featured excerpts from works by Monteverdi, Purcell, Handel, Rameau and Marais-great baroque composers who were inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses.

To keep with the festival theme, wtp commissioned nine giant paintings, also inspired by stories from Metamorphoses. From Myth to Muse was initially shown at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre with Tafelmusik's From Myth to Music concert series (February 24 - 27, 2005). "Workman Theatre was an amazing partner for us," says Alison. "They were very inspiring. Tafelmusik has never before had a visual arts component, and it was really exciting. The paintings added a great, great deal to our performance."

Contributing artists were Alan Parker, Donna Husiak, Christopher Hogue, Henry B. Benvenuti, Peter Smith, Pavel Janacek, Margaret Shaw and Stephanie Ann. The concert ran three evenings, with one matinee. John Ralston Saul, honorary patron, spoke and attended the opening, and actor R.H. Thomson narrated the stories during each performance.

"It was absolutely magical," says Lisa Brown. "It was one of those events where everything comes together perfectly. The partnership with Tafelmusik was absolutely exquisite."

The collaboration was not limited to the three evenings of the concert-the work of these artists continues to be brought to a much wider audience. After the initial concert, the paintings were shown at the festival's March performance of the Toronto Consort, an ensemble dedicated to music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. From May 18th to 30th, the exhibition moved to the Paper Mill Art Gallery at Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum. This fall, the exhibition will be on display at the Ontario Lieutenant Governor's suite for six months.

The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario: As a poetic image and a living process, metamorphosis implies change. And change is the one constant in our lives. It is an ideal subject for artists undergoing personal transformation, especially those on a healing journey towards mental health.

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