 BALIKBAYAN runs Jan 24 to Apr 21, 2018. | Kwentong Bayan Collective will launch our first solo exhibition at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre. BALIKBAYAN features a visual timeline of 150+ year history of caregiving in Canada by radicalized women, and balikbayan box sculptures that share labour and migration stories. In a series of gatherings, workers from Hamilton and Toronto will participate in a healing soup circle, create storytelling wearables, and plant native seeds. At each gathering, folks can create their own pasalubong (gifts) to take home and share with others. |
 In partnership with Kwentong Bayan Collective, the Library will host Caregiver Appreciation Day - an event for caregivers and friends to create postcards to send home (stamps will be provided) and relax to music in a supportive environment.
All caregivers are welcome to come share their experiences, enjoy some refreshments and feel thanked for their contributions. This is a free, all ages, Nuit Blanche in the day event! Date: Saturday September 30, 2017 Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Place: 239 College Street, Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library.
 Kwentong Bayan Collective is pleased to announce our new partnership with the Toronto Public Library! Please join us for Comics / Komiks Meet-Up - a regular workspace for those wishing to network, create and bring their comics/komiks to completion.
This is a space to meet other creatives and share resources in a supportive community! Some materials will be provided by the library but please bring your own tools and a sample of your work (or work in progress) to share with the group. Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Place: Lillian H. Smith Library, 239 College St. (at Spadina) Upcoming Dates: Mon Jul 10 Mon Jul 17 Mon Jul 24 Mon Aug 14 Mon Aug 21 Mon Aug 28 Mon Sep 11 Mon Sep 18 Mon Sep 25 Mon Oct 02 Mon Oct 16 Mon Oct 23 Call 416-393-7746 for more information or visit http://bit.ly/2tgSvf9 "Filipino 'komiks' have always been a political act - a form of resistance against our colonizers." - Althea Balmes, Kwentong Bayan Collective  Thank you to Amanda Parris, the host of Exhibitionists on CBC Television and Marvin's Room on CBC Radio, for featuring our work in her weekly column for CBC Arts.
Read: The newest comic-book heroes are real-life Filipino caregivers
 Kwentong Bayan Collective will present a talk at the Toronto Public Library as part of Asian Heritage Month and the Artists in the Library Program.
We will explore the work of Filipino Komikeros (traditional komik-makers) of past and present and how we use comics as Fil-Canadians to reframe Filipinx narratives in Canada. We will share how we understand colonialism through readings of historical cartoons and comics during the American occupation of the Philippines. And we will share excerpts of "Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love", our on-going community based comic book project -developed in close collaboration with caregivers, advocates and community allies - about the real-life stories of Filipinx migrant caregivers who came to Canada through the Caregiver Program (formerly known as the Live-in Caregiver Program). These are stories of love, struggles, friendships, and community empowerment. Monday May 8, 2017 7 - 8 PM Toronto Public Library Lillian H. Smith Branch 239 College Street Free event. Accessible space. Please come scent / fragrance-free. For more info: <https://goo.gl/9HBiSi> |
