Celebrate Caribbean Carnival through dance and movement, hands-on “mas” (masquerade) camp workshops, a panel discussion, and a procession!
The Art Museum is thrilled to present a celebratory cycle of programming titled Carnival Blues to mark the conclusion of the exhibition Land. Sea. Sugar. Salt.: Terrestrial and Aquatic Contemplations of the Caribbean. Guest-curated by Bushra Junaid and Natalie Wood, the program is inspired by the exhibition’s multifaceted geographical, historical, environmental, cultural and deeply personal reflections on the Caribbean region.
As Bushra and Natalie observe, “Stepping into the gallery space for the first time, we each felt the movement of people across, toward, and outward from the vast territory of islands, mainlands, and waterways of the Caribbean, as well as the influence this migration has had on Canada and the world. We also thought of one of its most significant exports and gifts to humanity: the distinct form of Caribbean Carnival.”
Through dance and movement workshops, hands-on “mas” (masquerade) camp workshops, panel discussion, and procession, Carnival Blues takes us beyond the frame of the exhibition space to consider and celebrate the enduring legacy and impact of Carnival. The workshops and panel are rooted in traditional mas/Carnival practices as championed by the Blue Devil Moko Jumbie Mas Camp, a community-based Carnival arts initiative founded by artists-activists Natalie Wood and Michael Lee Poy.
All events are free. Registration is required for most programs.
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African Rhythms Dance Workshop
Thursday, July 23, 10am–12pm
Hart House Fitness Centre, Exercise and Dance Studio
Artist-scholar and dance educator Collette Murray (aka Miss Coco Murray) and musician collaborators lead participants in an all-ages dance and movement workshop celebrating and dramatizing African influences on Carnival rhythms.
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Mas Camp Hands-On Workshops
Thursday, July 23, 12pm–4pm
Hart House Reading Room
Artists and educators Charmaine Lurch, Alyssa Mattrasingh, and Mosa McNeilly together lead hands-on mas camp making workshops utilizing recycled and sustainable materials. Participants will make horns, wings, and tails to cherish or wear on the parade route as they embody Blue Devil masqueraders.
Materials, supplies, and light refreshments will be provided.
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Moko Jumbie Mas Camp
Thursday, July 23, 12pm–4pm
Location TBA
Led by multidisciplinary performance artist Xica Dieffenthaller-Lee Poy, Moko Jumbie Mascamp invites youth ages 10–17 to learn the art of balancing and walking on two-foot stilts.
Inspired by the West African Moko Jumbie tradition that has become a celebrated figure in Caribbean Carnival and diaspora festivals, participants develop confidence, balance, teamwork, and creativity while exploring the history, culture, and performance traditions of Caribbean masquerade. Through hands-on practice, participants experience the joy of movement, cultural expression, and community building.
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Tidalectics Panel Discussion
Thursday, July 23, 6pm–7:30pm
Online and in-person
Paul Cadario Conference Centre
This panel brings together a multidisciplinary group of artists, scholars, and educators to reflect on Carnival in Caribbean art practices and expand its discussion into mainstream museum culture. Together they consider ideas of freedom, liberation and resistance represented by Blue Devil and traditional masquerade; maroonage and queer maroonage; tidalectics and diasporic breathwork; ecoaesthetics and architectonics.
Featuring: Dr Ronald Cummings, English and Cultural Studies scholar; Michael Lee Poy, artist, architect, and educator; Geneviève Wallen, independent curator, writer and researcher; and Natalie Wood, artist, scholar and educator; with moderation by Rhoma Spencer.
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Land. Sea. Sugar. Salt. Exhibition Tour
Friday, July 24, 11am–12pm
University of Toronto Art Centre
Join the Art Museum’s Executive Director and Chief Curator Barbara Fischer for a guided tour of Land. Sea. Sugar. Salt.: Terrestrial and Aquatic Contemplations of the Caribbean.
This exhibition brings together artists with familial and lived ties to the Caribbean, reflecting on the region’s intersecting histories and cultures—including those of Indigenous peoples, colonialism, and the African diaspora—as well the ongoing struggles for sovereignty and environmental justice. The works foreground embodied knowledge of land and sea, and the resilience, creativity, and solidarity that shape Caribbean life.
The tour is free and open to the public. No registration is required.
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Caribbean Rhythms Dance Workshop
Friday, July 24, 12pm–2pm
Hart House Fitness Centre, Exercise and Dance Studio
Move, sweat, and explore Caribbean rhythms in this all-ages dance workshop led by artist and educator Stephanie Cole and musician collaborators.
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Procession
Friday, July 24, 2pm–4pm
University College, Southwest Entrance
Come together with facilitators and participants of the African and Caribbean dance and mas camp workshops, musicians, Moko Jumbies and more for a celebratory procession.
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Image: Moko Jumbies, photo by Nila Gupta.
Have questions about this event?
Contact the Art Museum, University of Toronto at artmuseum@utoronto.ca
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