NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 26, 2010 – On April 23rd and 24th, 2010 the Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council is hosting a symposium Creating 1812: Commemoration, National Identity and Role of the Arts. With the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 approaching, the symposium will examine the impact of the War on shaping Canadian, American and First Nations identity and how the Arts can contribute to our understanding of that impact.
On Friday, April 23rd at 7:00 p.m. the symposium will open with a presentation by keynote speaker R.H. Thomson at the Lincoln Alexander Centre in the Crowne Plaza Hamilton Hotel. The well-known Canadian actor/director will speak about The Vigil 1914-1918, a collaborative project between Thomson and Martin Conboy that paid homage to the Canadians killed in WWI. Thomson’s presentation will be followed by the World Premier of “Warships Down,” an episode of yap films’ Dive Detective Series for History Television and National Geographic. The episode, which will be shown in HD format, will explore War of 1812 shipwrecks the Hamilton and the Scourge, which are under the stewardship of the City of Hamilton.
On Saturday April 24th, the program will take place at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and feature workshops which examine the role of the Arts in relation to the War of 1812. Workshops include a variety of topics such as drama, music, visual arts, documentaries and shorts, monuments and statuary, commissioning opportunities for artists, material heritage, the acting in re-enacting and the role of landscape in pilgrimage. For more information about workshop topics and presenters please visit www.discover1812.com.
Registration for this event is $99.00 for the full symposium fee which includes full programming, light refreshments on Friday and Saturday as well as lunch on Saturday. A partial symposium fee of $49.00 is also available for participants who wish to attend Friday’s presentations and Saturday’s workshops only with no refreshments or lunch included. A registration form and more information can be found on the website www.discover1812.com.
Creating 1812 is presented by the Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council in partnership with the City of Hamilton Culture Division, the Grimsby 1812 Bicentennial Committee and representatives from Six Nations. The Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council is a multi-national non-profit organization established to commemorate the War of 1812 and celebrate the 200 years of peace between Canada and the United States which have followed.
For media inquires please contact: Jen Burkholder, Niagara 1812 Bicentennial Legacy Council, 905-984-3626 Ext. 3456, communications@discover1812.com