1. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625
VOL 7 | ISSUE 1 Spring
Welcome to the first of our quarterly newsletters. Going forward, we will be publishing seasonal newsletters instead of
bimonthly. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the newsletter team whose
two-year term of office ended last month. Under the leadership of Lynn Allen, the committee — Jennifer Chai, Nida Haroon,
Lidia Jarmasz and Kathleen-Sonja Mooney-Childs — worked hard to ensure each issue was packed with interviews, festival
write-ups and lots of photos of volunteers in action.
I would like to welcome the new team members—Sean McCluskey, Christine Dang and MaryAnn Punzalan—who will be
joining two current committee members who have kindly agreed to stay on: Lidia, who can edit like no one else, and Lynn,
who does the most amazing interviews. Welcome aboard!
It has been a long, blistering winter, but Harbourfront Centre was still a hive of activity in February with three very successful
festivals: Kuumba, HarbourKIDS Skating Festival and LunarFest. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers who
braved the cold and came down to work at the festivals. It was especially challenging to get volunteers for some of the
activities in the cold, and yet you did not let us down! At LunarFest we had volunteers in Ontario Square shepherding the cute
little sheep and making sure no one attempted to run away with them. And indeed we did not lose a single sheep! How
amazing was that?
It is such a relief to have the streetcars running again and to not have to walk to Union Station in the cold. Things are looking
good as the construction is nearing completion, and everyone is looking forward to strolling down the beautiful boulevards in
the summer.
The volunteer statistics for 2014 are on pages 2 and 3, and they look impressive. Do take a look to see the huge contribution
all of you are making to each of the departments at Harbourfront Centre. And to say a big, big thank you, we are hosting the
annual Volunteer Recognition Party on April 17. I hope you have sent in your RSVP for our Mexican- themed party with dance
performances and interactive workshops by the Mexican Folkloric Dance Group and a delicious, authentic dinner. It’s going to
be a great bash.
Enjoy the newsletter, and I hope to see you at the party!
Genevieve Peng
Volunteer Coordinator
Right to left: Elinna, Genevieve and Zuzana at LunarFest
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Festival Highlights
Kuumba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
HarbourKIDS Skating Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
LunarFest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Harbourfront History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Call for Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Upcoming Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 2
Acknowledgements
Congratulations and thank you to the following volunteers who contributed
an exceptional amount of their time in 2014!
Yingdan Zhang — 884 hours
Tom Bilenkey — 787 hours
Victoria Ojubuyi — 565 hours
Jasmine Ardio-Dalpe — 534 hours
Volunteer Contributions in 2014
Volunteer Office
14%
Performing Arts
6%
CEA (Festivals)
41%
IFOA
12%
Miss Lou's
Room
2%
School Visits
5%
Visual Arts,
Craft Studio &
Power Plant
9%
Facilities
(Front of House)
3%
Development
3% Finance 0.3%
Planning 1%
Integrated
Communications 4%
Volunteer Contributions in 2014Volunteer Contributions in 2014
4. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 4
Festival Highlights
The snowy weather didn’t stop the beat booming
down the halls at the Kuumba festival. I found my
head bobbing and my hips shaking to the rhythm
all the way to Miss Lou’s Room, an atmosphere lit
with delight. Spread across the long tables were
sparkling studs, glittering glue and silver sheets
ready to be claimed by creative hands (my own
hands were thawed to a tingle). The two different
projects communicated Afrofuturism imagined by
young minds, as seen through either a kaleido-
scope or the lens of futuristic specs.
Though it wasn’t the typical buzz of children
pasting and cutting or shuffling in and out, I did get
to meet a young girl named Eden and her father,
David. Eden, thrilled to be there, was quietly
immersed in creating her imaginary portal while
her father acted as her assistant. In the quiet
environment, we were able to take the
conversation beyond the project at hand. I learnt
that David often brings Eden downtown from their
home in Brampton to expose her to the city’s vi-
brant culture. When I informed them about the
upcoming craft activities included in February’s
calendar, Eden surged with excitement, and
although she was still in the middle of assembling
her futuristic lens, she anticipated attending the
upcoming festivals.
We continued exchanging pleasantries, and
after the duo left I found that the warmth shared
wasn’t just limited to the colourful crafts
scattered around the tables—it followed me as I
braved the wintery cold home.
Lidia sharing a laugh with a visitor Dorothy at the kaleidoscope crafts activity
Eji as a Greeter in Marilyn Brewer Community Space Lauretta and Dorothy talking with craft visitors
Part of the TD Then and Now Black History Month Series
Kuumba
By MaryAnn Punzalan
5. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 5
Prasanth and Stacey learned a great deal about slavery through a riveting and colourful high-definition app
created to complement The Book of Negroes. Clicking around a map of North America allows users to learn
about famous Afro-American or Afro-Canadian leaders who came from that area. There were biographies of
Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama as well as movies and interviews with famous artists and politicians.
Dorothy enjoyed seeing the African designs and clothing. There were so many beautiful patterns and colours
on the fabrics. She also really enjoyed the drumming.
Eji was a greeter at the Brigantine Room for a spoken word performance entitled 5 Fingers, 1 Fist: Looking to
the Future. He learned about freedom fighters around the world and how their messages are used to motivate,
unite and inspire others to work together towards a common goal.
Lauretta had learned a great deal about African heritage during the two years she lived in Johannesburg, South
Africa. She found that because she was a foreigner, people were very eager and proud to teach her about their
culture and heritage.
Jackie and Carol reminisced about past Kuumba festivals and how many wonderful memories they had made,
especially how colourful and musical it has always been. Jackie was particularly keen about the gospel choirs
that came one year. Both of them remembered that there was always a vibrancy about the festivals.
Lidia was greeter for the SocasizeTM
dance workshops, which were a creative blend of
high-and low-impact aerobics combined with African and Caribbean dance movements set to a variety of
musical styles. They reminded Lidia of how widespread the influence of African culture is all over the world. So
many aspects of African culture are part of disciplines that might not immediately come to mind, like South
American dance.
Festival Highlights
Stacey and Prasanth giving directions at The Space PLAYce
What did volunteers learn at Kuumba?
By Lynn Allen
6. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 6
Festival Highlights
Family Day, while cold, was bright and sunny,
making the rink a pleasant place to be for the
HarbourKIDS Skating Festival. The attempt to hold
the World’s Largest Skating Lesson fell a bit short,
but there were enough people there, including
sports legends Wendel Clark and Patrick Chan, to
make it a fun event.
Everyone was grateful to warm up indoors.
Our volunteers were on hand at the LEGO area,
craft tables and the ToyBox, where kids could get
into costumes and then see themselves on a
screen with interactive computer-generated back-
grounds.
Kayo at Play Zone
Carmina and Hanna helping a child with crafts
Audrey at the LEGO activityDi Li at StoryMobs
Presented by RBC Learn to Play Project
HarbourKIDS Skating Festival
By Sean McCluskey
7. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 7
Festival Highlights
We were joined that weekend by volunteers out-
side of our own group. RBC had their own team
for the Guinness World Record Attempt for the
World’s Largest Skating Lesson and RBC Sports
Day, and students from University of Toronto’s
Scarborough campus shared their enthusiasm for
all things scientific at the Let’s Talk Science
table.
Let’s Talk Science is a national organization,
with chapters in many universities. The
Scarborough group participates in several
community events every year, in locations ranging
from Dundas Square to the Toronto Zoo, and
makes many visits to high schools also. On Family
Day weekend, the students had kids playing with
dry ice and soap bubbles, working with slime and
looking at fossil snowflakes. Let’s Talk Science
coordinator Bilal Ahmadi said they always enjoy
coming to Harbourfront Centre; the organizations
have similar missions, and they feel like they fit
right in.
It was clear they were having fun, and I was
very impressed with the rapport they had with the
kids. I am not alone: Jo-Ann at the Info Desk
thought they were a lovely bunch and a pleasure
to work with. She credited Bilal’s friendly and
supportive training. We provided them with some
information on the Harbourfront Centre volunteer
programme, as we would be happy to have any of
them join us.
Let’s Talk Science volunteers
RBC at the RBC Guinness World Record Attempt
U of T students assisting children with crafts
Patrick Chan, RBC Athlete
Volunteer Partners
By Sean McCluskey
8. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 8
Festival Highlights
Juliet, Louise and I surveyed and photographed as
many of the HFC volunteers as we could during
their shifts at LunarFest on Sunday, March 1. We
asked them if they knew what their Chinese Zodiac
animals were and whether they felt the animals
reflected who they were. We were pleasantly
surprised to find that almost all knew their Zodiac
animals. Many volunteers knew a little something
about they represent too! Did you know that the
zodiac animals are either closely related to ancient
Chinese people’s daily lives or they have lucky
meanings?
Our findings are shown below as
percentages. As you can see, many volunteers
were snakes and tigers. Snakes like to help others,
are very flexible and sympathetic. Tigers like
challenges, are trustworthy and tolerant. These
zodiac signs make great volunteers! We could not
find a single person born in the year of the pig. Pigs
are very amiable, calmly diligent and compassion-
ate.
Almost every volunteer we surveyed felt that
the qualities of their zodiac animal fit with their
personalities. Only two volunteers did not relate to
their zodiac animal. Interestingly, they were both
rabbits. Rabbits are creative, but cautious!
We have such a wonderfully divergent group
of volunteers that it should not surprise you to see
that we found volunteers born under 11 of the 12
zodiac animals.
What animal are you?
By Lynn Allen
9. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 9
Festival Highlights
Thank you for helping make our Lunar New Year
festivities so special at this year’s LunarFest. We
hope you enjoyed the traditional and contemporary
art, music and food associated with this annual cel-
ebration. A programme of the complexity and size
of LunarFest 2015 is only possible with the coopera-
tion, contribution and hard work of every depart-
ment and all members of the entire Harbourfront
Centre staff and volunteer teams. We extend our
thanks to them all. Have a wonderful Year of the
Sheep!
Clayford printing lucky red envelopes Corazon assisting children with crafting masks
Yuezeng folding origami lanterns
Jeffrey and Christine at World’s Little Shepherds
Desiree and Areej making sheep lanterns
LunarFest
10. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 10
Harbourfront Centre History
In May 2006, Harbourfront Centre hosted the 25th an-
niversary edition of the Milk International Children’s
Festival of the Arts. The lineup was typical of the di-
verse offerings of Harbourfront Centre and this was, for
many years, one of our biggest annual events. Perform-
ing arts groups came from Belgium, France, Germany,
Mongolia, the Netherlands, Poland, the UK and the
USA. Yes, Mongolia! According to the Harbourfront
Centre press release, “the Mongolian National Song
and Dance Ensemble TUMEN EKH [celebrated] 800
years since the founding of the Mongolian Empire.”
Once again, Harbourfront Centre provided people with
experiences they could not easily find anywhere else.
While the festival was aimed at children, adults
tcould also enjoy the innovation and imagination in
many productions. That same year a German group
performed the play Henry the Fifth: “In this humorous
adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry V, a sand castle
within a boxing ring, battalions of balloon soldiers and a
sparkling chandelier provide the backdrop for the
staged conflict between French and English kings.”
Many productions aimed at older children were
not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking.
“Haircuts by Children” may sound like just so much silli-
ness: “Adults are encouraged to have their hair cut at
the festival by children (ages 8 to 12) who have trained
with a professional stylist.” However, the Toronto
group that created this activity, Mammalian Diving Re-
flex, describes its intent to make us contemplate trust
in the younger generation and “the consideration of
young people as creative and competent individuals.”
(http://mammalian.ca/projects/haircuts-by-children)
Actually, I recall more colouring and styling with
gel than actual cutting, so little lasting damage was
done!)
Sponsors over the years included the Ontario Milk
Marketing Board (later known as the Dairy Farmers of
Ontario), the Dairy Farmers of Canada and Natrel. Vol-
unteers looked forward to this week-long festival of
theatre, music, puppetry, visual arts and crafts. Week-
days were for school groups, with high school students
recruited to fill the many volunteer shifts needed (lots
of work for the Volunteer Office!). Weekdays were
open to the general public, when most of the regular
Harbourfront Centre volunteers took part. Changes in
sponsorship made all this difficult to maintain, but
some of the tradition continues with HarbourKIDS.
If you have memories of your own you wish to
share, feel free to pass them on to us!
Left to right: Helen, Sean and Barb
Remembering MilkFest
By Sean McCluskey
11. harbourfrontcenter.com/volunteer | 416-952-3625 11
Call for Volunteers
Craft & Design — Volunteer Animateur
Craft & Design at Harbourfront Centre operates the only national post-graduate programme of
its kind in Canada. The unique Artists-in-Residence Programme catalyzes designers-makers to
explore, pursue and accelerate their potential in an ideal studio environment. The Studio
provides an exceptional opportunity for people to witness and experience work being created
in the disciplines of hot glass, ceramics, jewelry and textiles. We wish to enhance and enliven
the public’s experience by helping them understand appreciate in more depth what the Craft
& Design Studio is all about.
Craft & Design is looking for a dedicated group of volunteers to act as Craft & Design
Animateurs to inform and enrich public visits to our Studio. As an Animateur you will have the
opportunity to engage the public in lively conversations concerning craft and our Artists-in-
Residence. You will also field questions about the activities and processes.
One Craft & Design Animateur is required every Sunday from 2 PM–4 PM
Volunteer shifts start on the May long weekend at HarbourKIDS and end in October
Craft & Design Animateurs are required to attend two mandatory training sessions in April and early May
Requirements
Would you love to engage the public about Craft and Design?
Glass Textile Clay
