JOY. SORROW. ANGER. LOVE. PRIDE.

A celebration of Toronto Pride, from 1970 to Present

 

 

Presented by
Magenta Foundation in partnership with The ArQuives and Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival

Group Exhibition
Curated by the Joy. Sorrow. Anger. Love. PRIDE Emerging Curatorial Team

Launched in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of The ArQuives—Canada’s only LGBTQ2+ archive with a national scope—Toronto Pride’s first exhibition and publication feature enlarged archival photographs, print media, and ephemera carefully selected from among the archives’ holdings and a public call for submissions. Kicking off Pride Season, this remarkable multifaceted project focuses on Toronto Pride from 1970 to the present day.

On August 1, 1971, a group of gay and lesbian activists organized Toronto’s first “Gay Day Picnic” at Hanlan’s Point Beach, and the efforts put forth that summer afternoon sparked a movement. Since then, millions of local and international visitors have attended and supported Toronto Pride. Today, it is one of the largest gatherings of the LGBTQ2+ community and their allies in the world.

Joy. Sorrow. Anger. Love. PRIDE: A Celebration of Toronto Pride, 1970s – present is the first broadly available publication and exhibition on the Canadian movement. Incorporating photography, ephemera, posters, and writings by community leaders, the project focuses on the history of Toronto Pride throughout its long and sometimes turbulent journey. Highlighted in both the exhibition and publication are diverse materials generated by the LGBTQ2+ community—which includes beloved and vital organizations like Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Black Lives Matter, Casey House, 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations, and more—interspersed with photographs and other materials, such as t-shirts, buttons, issues of XTRA Magazine, protest signs, zines, and posters.

 

Pre-order the Book

Foreword Essay by Kerry Manders
Lead Essay by Gaëlle Morel
Historic Events Essay by Tim McCaskell

Published by The Magenta Foundation
in partnership with The ArQuives

Format & Features

Hardcover
8.25×11 in
256 pages
400+ b/w & colour photos

Released

Books will ship July 2023

Join us for Events

Join us for the Opening Reception
June 1, 2023 from 7pm–10pm

Collision Gallery
30 Wellington St W, Unit G114
Toronto

See the photos from the Opening Night →

Curatorial Tours
June 10, from 2–4pm
June 14, from 6–8pm
July 8, from 2–4pm
July 12, from 6–8pm

This unique experience allows you to meet with the Emerging Curators responsible for curating the exhibition and bringing this project to life. Come and hear them talk about this unique and important exhibition first hand.

Opening Panel talk with The ArQuives
Finding LGBTQ2+ Communities in archival photographs
June 6, 2023 from 6–8pm

The panel will discuss the role of photographs and photograph collections in building LGBTQ2+ communities. Focusing on The ArQuives photograph collection, the panel will touch on the role of photographs in archives, the challenges associated with undescribed photos, and how LGBTQ2+ communities can activate photographs as they work to establish their own community identities.

Embroidery Workshop
Presented by Erin Shadoff
June 17, 2023 from 12–4pm

The embroidery workshop will educate participants on basic knots and stitches and provide the opportunity to experiment with varying approaches as well as troubleshooting while in the process. Throughout the workshop, participants will choose between two images to embroider. Both designs are inspired by the Fruit Cocktail posters and costumes from Toronto Pride (1983-85). Participants can take home their chosen design in a patch-style form that can be sewn onto clothing, bags or framed as an art piece.

Erin Shadoff (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Toronto. Her work explores the reconstruction of her dreams and memories to create an altered personal narrative and investigate the limits of personhood. Her detail-oriented approach is highlighted by a strong value scale that creates an atmosphere with surreal qualities. Erin holds a BFA in Drawing and Painting from OCAD University (2016) and was selected to participate in the Florence Off-Campus Program in Florence, Italy (2013-14).

Thank You to our Partners & Supporters

Presented by
Magenta Foundation in partnership with The ArQuives
and Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival

  The ArQuives

Lead Sponsor

Opening Night Event Sponsor
TD Bank Group

With Special THANKS TO ALL OUR AMAZING SPONSORS

  Partners in Art     Pride Toronto

     The ArQuives    TMU The Image Center


Venue sponsor
Collision Gallery

Printing & Framing for Exhibition

  

 

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to the Great Canadian Giving Challenge.

About the project
Joy. Sorrow. Anger. Love. PRIDE

More than 40 years after its inception, the influence of Toronto Pride on public education, social development, and the recognition of human rights for people of all sexualities and genders is rarely reflected on within the historical context of the city. To address this gap, the Magenta Foundation partnered with The ArQuives, and then established a curatorial partnership between The Ontario College of Art and Design University and Toronto Metropolitan University, prioritizing the work of Canadian scholars through the Magenta Leadership Lab pilot program. Through this initiative, the project uncovers and creates inclusive histories, ensuring the work of emerging historians is championed and supported, and that these critical and overlooked histories are etched into public awareness. These partnerships complement the ArQuives’ mission to collect, preserve, and share the histories of LGBTQ2+ people in Canada in a way that reflects the diversity and values of Toronto’s varied and intersecting communities. The project also amplifies the ArQuives’ role as a significant resource and catalyst for those who strive for a future imbued with LGBTQ2+ recognition and inclusion.

Pride has always been a protest and a celebration. The massive annual parade has been the focal point of Toronto Pride for decades, characterized by an ever-evolving crowd that embraces people from all over the world. Three years in the making, the exhibition and publication presented here reflect this celebratory atmosphere back to the public, saturated with the energy and power of Pride in all its glory. Accompanying talks, panel discussions, and workshops will further activate the various components of the project, bringing history to life in the present day to honour, reflect upon, and celebrate all we have accomplished together.

Emerging Curators & Researchers

Emerging Curators

  • Melissa Bessie
  • Anqi Li
  • Sadaf Rezakhan Khajeh
  • Olivia Cerda
  • Lex Barrie
  • Peyton Keeler-Cox

Researchers

  • Cole Anderson
  • Sophia Dime
  • Sarah Griffin
  • Shadio Hussein
  • Maria Kanellopoulos
  • Nawang Tsomo Kinkar
  • Kalina Nedelcheva