We are a multi-use space in Toronto’s Roncesvalles Village offering lectures, workshops, art exhibits and courses for kids and adults in photography, video and other arts.

Our New Project: Collecting Seniors' Stories

Mapping our Memories

We’re embarking on an ambitious new project at Back Lane called Mapping our Memories, and we would love you to join us. Our plan: Collect seniors’ memories and link them to digital maps. This Mapping our Memories project was inspired by our friend Lois Broad, 95, and her stories about Growing up in the Junction.   More details here. This program was supported in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Extraordinary Women: Four Musical Families

Thanks to everyone who came to our screening of actor and producer Anthony Sherwood‘s documentary Music — a Family Tradition at the Revue on Sunday, Feb. 25.  The film, made in the 1990s, features four Canadian Black families in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver for whom the love of and talent for music has been passed down from parents to children to grandchildren. Many people left the cinema wondering why they had never heard of some of the remarkable musicians Anthony brought to the screen. The film ended with a rousing performance with members of all four families on one stage, backed by a 50-voice gospel choir conducted by Anthony’s brother Kim.

We had a fascinating panel discussion with Anthony; writer and historian Rosemary Sadlier, whose hard work led to recognition of February as Black History Month; and Lillian Jackman, who was a dancer and owner of nightclubs in New York, Montreal, Toronto and Quebec. We learned about the history of Blacks in Canada; about Little Burgundy in Montreal, where Anthony and Lillian both grew up (with Oscar Peterson a neighbour); and about Anthony’s remarkable grandmother, a music teacher in Halifax.  Below, our panel from left: Rosemary, Anthony, Lillian and Back Lane’s Ellen Moorhouse.

Extraordinary Women: Four architects

Mark this event in your agenda!

On Saturday, March 23, at 4:00 pm at the Revue Cinema, we’re screening the film City Dreamers about four women architects who succeeded in what was at the time a male-dominated field and have left their mark on our cities. Three of the women practised in Canada; two of these pioneers have passed away.

Architecture critic Christopher Hume joins us for what will be a lively discussion after the documentary. He has interviewed three of the architects in the past. The women  are Phyllis Lambert, architect and curator; Denise Scott Brown, architect and planner; Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, architect and urban planner who was Dean of Architecture at U of T; and Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, landscape architect.  Tickets: $15 on Eventbrite (fees included); $18 at the door.

Watch the trailer here.

To learn more about the four designers and the event, click here.

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Going to the Runnymede Theatre was a thrill for kids in the 1930s and '40s. Lois Broad, now 95, remembers. Click on the photo to watch her story!


Going to the Runnymede Theatre was a thrill for kids in the 1930s and '40s. Lois Broad, now 95, remembers. Click on the photo to watch her story!


Going to the Runnymede Theatre was a thrill for kids in the 1930s and '40s. Lois Broad, now 95, remembers. Click on the photo to watch her story!

Other Events and Projects

More exhibits coming!

We have a new exhibit coming up with an opening Friday, April 12. Artist Rob Gill will have you looking at trees and branches in a whole new way. But there’s still space during the summer months for others interested in showcasing their work.

The studio was used as a gallery for the first time when former judge Kevin Whitaker had his inaugural exhibit about five years ago. This past November, he had his 10th show at the studio. Kevin took up painting as a new profession after being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, a particularly virulent form of Parkinson’s. Since that first exhibit, with the help of his partner in life and love, Marie Moliner, he has raised some $200,000 for research into Parkinson’s and dementia through the sale of his paintings and through donations.

It has been an honour to host Kevin’s shows over the years. Now, Marie is working on another project, a graphic autobiography, The Accidental Caregiver, about their lives before and after Kevin’s diagnosis. Her aim is to share their experiences and highlight resources for others living with dementia.

Call us at 647-313-1654 or email ellen@backlanestudios.ca  if you or someone you know may be interested in having an exhibit.

 

Time Travel with archival photos on OldTO!

Welcome to OldTO. It’s an interactive map featuring a wealth of digitized historic photos from the City of Toronto Archives.

Are you interested in what your neighbourhood might have looked like? Do you want to revisit downtown before all of the condos went up? Have a look at the map and see. There are thousands of images, some dating back to 1856.

The map was originally created by Sidewalk Labs, the Google affiliate that was planning a downtown development in Toronto’s Portlands. Sidewalk abandoned its project in 2020 and eventually stopped hosting OldTO. However, they kindly left the source code freely available.

At Back Lane Studios, we were sad to see OldTO vanish. One of our main projects is our Mapping our Memories endeavour. This photo map parallels this interest, and we are thrilled to be able to restore it.

We will be forever grateful to software developer Michael Lenaghan for his terrific work bringing this mapping tool back to life! (Check the browser you use to access oldto.org. Try Chrome if you’re having problems.)

 

Nijinsky’s forgotten sister

She was a remarkable dancer and an innovative choreographer. But she was overshadowed by her superstar brother, Vaslav Nijinsky, and as a choreographer, particularly after she moved to the U.S. in 1939, her male counterparts, such as Balanchine, grabbed the limelight. Eva Stachniak, who lives in our neighbourhood, shown a spotlight on Bronislava Nijinska in The Chosen Maiden, a carefully researched fictionalized biography that brings the dancer/choreographer’s complex story to life.

Join us at the studio for Eva’s illustrated talk about Nijinska on Sunday, April 21 at 2:00pm. Reserve a spot on Eventbrite here. 

Food, memories — a great gift

This Back Lane Studios’ book, compiled during Covid lockdowns, is a collection of recipes and stories about seniors’ favourite childhood foods illustrated with wonderful family photos. We are grateful to everyone who contributed. Not only does it offer some classic comfort food dishes, but it also offers some fascinating glimpses of history. It would make a great gift! To order, please email us: info@backlanestudios.ca. The book is $20, plus $8 to mail if we can’t deliver in person!  Meanwhile, read several food stories here, and watch some video versions!

Wisecracks: A Great Afternoon

The cinema was packed for our screening of Gail Singer’s 1991 film Wisecracks about women stand-up comments. We were able to interview Gail on Zoom about the making of the film — her serendipitous meeting with Whoopi Goldberg at an ice cream stand, her refusal of Robin Williams pleas to take part in the film in drag, and her visit to Phyllis Diller’s house, where the talented comedian played the harpsichord for her.

We were also thrilled to have Sandra Shamas and Johanna Householder, both of whom had been in the film, and stand-up comedian Carolyn Bennett at the cinema for a discussion after the screening. Thanks to everyone who came out to the event.

 

Film Club off to a good start!

We had our second screening at the studio Sunday, March 3, with Alain Resnais’ 1997 quirky musical Same Old Song. Club member Francine Ravel introduced it and lead a discussion after the film.
Our next film on Sunday, April 7, 2:00 pm: Women He’s Undressed, an entertaining, offbeat docu-drama  about costume designer Orry-Kelly, who worked on hundreds of movies, including Casablanca, Oklahoma!, Harvey, Auntie Mame. He won three academy awards for Some Like It Hot (including Marilyn Monroe’s remarkable dress), Les Girls and American in Paris. He allegedly gave Cary Grant (then Archie Leach) his stylish look when they roomed together in Greenwich Village. Watch the trailer!
We have a few spaces still open in the club. If you’d like to join for an annual fee of $25, email us. Our once-a-month screenings (usually the first Sunday of the month) are free once you join. Click here for more information.

 

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