Our Main Project: Collecting Seniors' Stories
Extraordinary Woman Series: Abstract Artist Pioneer
Mark Sunday, Aug. 30, 12:30 pm on your calendar for a documentary and discussion at the Revue Cinema about the mysterious, unique artist Hilma Af Klint.
Born in 1862 in Sweden, Af Klint was well educated, studied art and like many intellectuals and artists in the late 19th century, was attracted to the philosophies of the occult Theosophist and Anthroposophist societies. She was interested in the paranormal and found inspiration through seances. She was also influenced by the flood of scientific discoveries at the time. such as radio waves, x-rays, electrons and radioactivity. She set out through her visual medium to portray the invisible reality of our world and the unseen spiritual dimension. The result was abstract images a few years before other major artists such as Kandinsky and Mondrian pursued similar paths.
Although some paintings were shown in her lifetime in spiritual circles, she instructed that her work, which was prolific, be kept secret for 20 years after her death in 1944. In recent years, though, her art has gained attention, with major international exhibits (one at the Grand Palais in Paris closes at the end of this month). Her story has also inspired books, films, a graphic novel and operas.
We will be screening the 2019 documentary Beyond the Visible — Hilma af Klint. Our guests for the Q&A are U of T Associate Prof Alison Syme, who focuses on late 19th and 20th century art, including early abstraction, and PhD student Brownen Cox, who is exploring women artists and the occult around the turn of the last century. There will be lots to discuss, from the widespread influence of spiritualism and the occult in intellectual circles and various controversies about Af Klint’s life and work.
You can still see this summery art show!
Karen Lucas’s show Connections continues at the studio. Her paintings and pastels feature water and shorelines, perfect for these warm August days.
Karen spent the last two summers in a cabin her father started building in the 1960s on Lorimer Lake near Parry Sound. The shoreline became a motif, a way of exploring her own connection to land. Swimming and kayaking gave her other perspectives, and she was able to go further in her kayak into still bays.
As part of her exhibit, she has also included a visual narrative she titled Sonia Delaunay at Lorimer Lake. “I was able to experience Lorimer Lake through the French textile artist Sonia Delaunay’s eyes, using both her textile geometrics and her colour play.”
Viewing is by appointment. Email us at info@backlanestudios.ca or call 647-313-1647 to schedule a visit.
Fall Memoir workshop starts Sept. 21
Writer an comedian Carolyn Bennett returns to Back Lane once again to offer her workshop for those interested in getting their memories down on paper for family, friends, and possibly a wider readership. A special emphasis will be placed on finding the funny in your memories. Carolyn will use themes as guides, with an emphasis on Toronto memories.
The workshop will be offered in a combination of in person and online sessions, Mondays at 7:00 pm starting Sept. 21 and running to Nov. 9. The program will wind up with a public reading at Back Lane on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7:00. (Above, in the photo, Carolyn emcees the public reading from her memoir-writing session at the beginning of the year.)
The Fee: $200. Limit of 12 people in the class. Deadline to apply is Sept. 17. Email info@backlanestudios.ca if you’re interested.
Drop-in video-making sessions
We have recently completed our Monday morning video-making workshops series, but we are continuing the Monday and Wednesday afternoon drop-in video-making sessions from 1:00-3:00 pm. We’re offering help for people continuing to work on their videos and for anyone who would like to start a new one. If you’re interested but haven’t attended one of our workshops, please come by. Email us — info@backlanestudios.ca — or give us a call 99 647-313-1654.
Videographer Cheryl Rondeau is our instructor. Cheryl has made many short videos, most recently about Inuit art and artists. Our summer employee Diogo Nobre is also helping with the workshops.
The image above is of Fred James and his wife Margaret, who owned James Gardens, now a city park. Margaret James was Doris Dunne’s great aunt. Doris’s daughter Maureen Chicorli put together a documentary about the Etobicoke landmark featuring her mom’s memories. Watch it here. Sadly, Doris passed away in late 2025. We are so grateful to have her stories on video.
The programs are free. Donations are welcome!
Researching Toronto History
Wayne Reeves, recently retired from his post of Chief Curator for Toronto, has shared his knowledge on research tools that are useful for anyone researching Toronto’s history.
Toronto’s Stained Glass Treasures!
Henry Knight, a stained glass artist and restorer, gave an illustrated talk on the stained glass jewels in many of Toronto’s older homes.
Older Toronto homes are filled with stained glass windows featuring birds, flowers, vines and intricate patterns. Who designed and made these leaded panes? Henry has made it his urgent mission to find out. This city’s housing stock in historic neighbourhoods is being demolished, and antique features like the windows are being lost.
We thank Henry for his April 15 talk in which he likened to archeological research. The process took him three decades. First, he had to collect images of 19th century glass in homes, categorize according to style, date them and then conduct extensive research using Toronto’s City Directories. He was able to identify the men who made the windows. We hope to record Henry’s presentation on Zoom so that we can share it. His talk was fascinating.
This presentation has been organized by the Sunnyside Historical Society.
Back Lane Film Club 2026: Orlando
The Back Lane Film Club last selection before a two-month summer break is Orlando, a film interpretation of Virginia Woolf’s novel about a gender shifting poet who lives for centuries. The screening takes place on Sunday, June 14. (The date has been changed from the usual first Sunday of the month to accommodate the West Toronto Artists Studio Art Tour.)
Film club members receive a private link to reserve a spot. Spaces open up after Wednesday, June 10 on a first come-first served basis. Email us at info@backlanestudios.ca if you’re interested in attending. Screenings are usually the first Sunday of each month, with the exception of July and August. The film starts at 2:00 pm.
Find more details about the club here.
OldTO.org: Mapping Archival Photos
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.org. However, they kindly left the source code freely available.
At Back Lane Studios, we were sad to see OldTO.org 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!
Read the article about OldTO in BlogTO!