Work by Ashley-McKenzie Barnes

There are firsts for everything, including showcasing the largest art exhibit ever produced by African Canadian artists. And what better place to feature the work than at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canada’s largest museum of world culture and natural history.

The exhibit, From the Soul: Caribana Art (July 22 to Aug. 3) will feature more than 50 artists presenting 100 works on canvas, Caribana parade costumes, bronze sculptures and award-winning ceramics.

“[The show] validates that art produced by African Canadian artists is indeed Canadian art and worthy of being shown in the halls of such a great institution,” says curator Joan Butterfield of the ROM and Scotiabank Caribana Festival collaboration.

Brampton-based Butterfield has been a practicing artist for 25 years. She is also an art director for the Association of African-Canadian Artists; creator, producer and curator of the critically acclaimed COLOURblind? annual art exhibit, author of Starving Artist’s Guide to Riches and writer of hundreds of articles on art.

A member of Caribana’s Festival Management Committee, Butterfield is also the ROM’s first Black Canadian guest curator. With her immense amount of experience, Butterfield says art plays an important role, not just in entertainment, but also in culture. “Art, aesthetically, links our past to our future. It documents and educates the viewing audience about our rich culture and heritage,” she says.

The ROM’s director and CEO, William Thorsell, couldn’t agree more. In a press release, Thorsell expressed his excitement at being able to showcase such an innovative exhibit during the 43rd Caribana celebration. “The Scotiabank Caribana Festival is a significant annual event advancing cultural celebration in the city of Toronto,” he writes in the release. “The ROM is proud to present From the Soul and offer festival attendees, Torontonians and visitors to the city the opportunity to experience a unique and powerful exhibition celebrating African Canadian art.”

Curator Joan Butterfield with the 2009 artists

From the Soul was produced by members of the Association of African-Canadian Artists, after a submission call was issued in December. Butterfield received more than 200 submissions from 63 artists. A two-jury process, of peers and art lovers chose the final pieces, Butterfield says. Each artist took the From the Soul theme and told his or her own story based on personal interpretation, histories, traditions and struggles.

The importance of this exhibit, says Butterfield, lies in its different style and spirit; it will expand boundaries and change the landscape of Canadian visual arts. It is also an exhibit that symbolizes escape, conveys passion, arouses the conscious, stills the mind, recaptures the rapture of memories and, of course, soothes the soul.

See here for more event details.