By: Anthony Manrique
I was sitting in my Urban Planning class when our teacher asked us what we thought about Hamilton and its reputation as the Steel City. A classmate responded sarcastically with a rhetorical question, “Hamilton sucks?” At first, I shrugged, feeling indifferent to his statement, but I began to realize that he might have been too harsh on Hamilton.
I’ve visited different parts of the city and my experiences within it have been both saddening and uplifting. I remember walking from Confederation Park to Barton Street on the East End, passing by countless warehouses and factories and seeing rugged semi-trailers along the run-down road ongoing constant renovation. There I felt the rough, blue-collar, industrial feel of the Hammer.
This is how most people think of Hamilton, but that is just a small part of its identity. The year before, I decided to volunteer for the Hamilton Fringe Festival that was hosted in various theatres in downtown Hamilton, with most of the performances at night. Getting involved in the event gave me exposure to the arts and culture that this city has to offer, through the playful performances and poetic sense of humour of the local artists.
There’s also the recent Supercrawl, the first one I’ve ever been to, and it was even bigger and louder. Seeing Charles Bradley sing to a lively audience, local artists showcasing their art pieces in tents, and the massive crowds lining up along the food trucks was like a glimpse of what the colorful nightlife in this city looks like.
The juxtaposition of the cheerful, festive atmosphere of events such as the Fringe and Supercrawl against the derelict, run-down ambience of the Hammer almost feels like a surrealist painting. Through it all, the city manages to give a bit of wonder to the life and times of the people living in it. Most people would probably never notice it, but there it is, the real beauty of the city.
It’s strange that somehow, most of the people I know who don’t like the city are also the ones who always find ways to enjoy it. Often, I’m invited by my friends to come to Bayfront for some relaxation, or go skating at Hamilton Waterfront Trust, see a movie in Jackson Square, or just go for a walk at Lime Ridge. By the end of the day, we go home and talk about the experiences we had, and we’ll laugh about it in the days to come, and all of that happened here in this very city. Somehow, we managed to have a bit of fun despite how “boring” they say Hamilton is.
So, no, Hamilton does not “suck”. Hamilton is a beautiful city to live in and the number of people who are paying attention to all it has to offer is always growing. People are finally finding ways to enjoy Hamilton and are seeing the real beauty of living in the Steel City.
By: Nicole Vasarevic
They say that your first will always hold a special place in your heart. Supercrawl 2014 now sits beside my first bike and my first kiss.
People. Poutine. Power outages. That would pretty much sum up my first Supercrawl experience. As I arrived with a group of friends the first thing I thought was, “take a deep breath Nicole, you won’t be able to breathe in that crowd.” I soon realized that being pressed up against strangers was more of a blessing then a curse seeing as I did not dress for the frigid weather. My anxiety of crowds was quickly swallowed by the smell of poutine, and my mission soon turned from surviving to devouring. A greasy poutine from the Texas Tornado food truck was calling my name. However, by the time I came to the front of the line, my initial craving was still lost in the sea of people.
While aimlessly walking around, having second thoughts about that poutine line, I stumbled onto a few galleries and marveled at the artists’ work while silently scorning myself for giving more priority to the food than the art. We stopped by the Baltimore House for some local music and caught the end of the set of Toronto band, Greys. After grabbing a beer, we headed out back into the droves of revelers for the The Arkells.
Losing about 90% of my friends was a given when you go to such a big event, but I can’t say I was expecting the steady flow of drunken people who continuously climbed the traffic light only to be pulled down by the police minutes after. The Arkells toughed it out through some power outage hiccups and played a nostalgic set that had me singing at an inappropriate volume. Before I knew it, my first Supercrawl experience had come to an end. I’ve got to admit I was a little bit bummed that I didn’t have more time to really explore all that Supercrawl had to offer, but there is always next year.
My first Supercrawl experience was just like the HSR buses at the end of the night, full of people and passing by me in the blink of an eye.
By: Rachel Katz
McMaster students will soon have a little more elbow room in the hallways between classes. On Sept. 4, the Hamilton City Council approved the motion to donate between two and four acres of land to the University to develop a new downtown campus.
In mid-August, city councillor Jason Farr proposed the development of a McMaster downtown campus in addition to the new health campus, which is scheduled for completion this year. When the story first broke, it appeared as though a number of councillors opposed the development of a downtown campus.
“[Councillors] complained, and rightly so, that they didn’t have enough information. Once they got all the information and it played out according to the normal schedule, it was unanimous,” Farr said. “We have, as a council, confirmed [our] support in the application process by saying ‘we’ll partner with you’ with respect to [donating] parking lots or city lands, if needed.”
The city will now take the request to the province for approval.
Few elements of the new campus have been confirmed. Possible locations include various surface-level parking lots. A lot between Vine St. and Cannon St. has been suggested, and the city is even considering currently unused land behind City Hall. No announcement has been made regarding what faculty the new campus will house, but Farr is confident the university’s president and his team will make the right decision.
“Both students and faculty can play off the expertise that is […] located nearby,” said Farr.
No matter where the campus is built, or what faculty it will serve, there is no doubt that it will generate plenty of business for local merchants.
“The average [McMaster] student spends between $6,000 to $9,000 in the local economy […] and I am sure that when, not if, the province approves the application and the downtown campus is built, even more business will come to our core,” Farr said.
Not only will a satellite campus make use of city land that is currently underused, but it will also create residential development as companies and landlords find ways to add affordable student housing to the area near the new campus. It seems as though students will be met with no hostility from residents of downtown Hamilton.
Around Ontario, there is sometimes bad blood between towns and the universities that call those towns home. Fortunately, this is not the case for McMaster students and their relationship with the people of Hamilton.
When asked if he had concerns about the behaviour of McMaster students in the city’s downtown core, Councilor Farr confidently said the topic “was never discussed in our debate and approval process. I think the buying power, the vitality that is added by having so many smart, talented young people going into our bookstores and drinking our coffee and shopping at our farmer’s market far outweighs the possibility of a few who might get a little too celebratory after a midterm.”
Council seems to be looking forward to having McMaster students even closer to Hamilton’s core, and councilor Farr calls the deal “a slam dunk for both parties.”
Located in the north end of the city and about a 45-minute bus ride from campus, 270 Sherman is a hybrid of the old and new Hamilton.
Once a cotton mill during the height of Hamilton’s textile production industry in the 1900s, the five buildings that make up 270 Sherman have been re-adapted as studio space for artists. The space has also been the set of popular television series including Murdoch Mysteries, Nikita and Bomb Girls, and films such as The Art of the Steel.
Laine Groeneweg, a tenant at 270 Sherman, is one of few printmakers in the world who continue to practice mezzotint, a technique with origins in the 17th-century that involves carving images out of flattened copper plates. Groeneweg showed us how he goes about his craft and spoke about challenges he faced getting started as an artist and freelancer.
"After I graduated, I was terrified to go freelance...to live on doing my work or putting myself out there to run my business or live off my artwork," he said. "And that fear was actually what ended up propelling me into doing this. I oftentimes, as horrible as it sounds, let the fear fuel me to keep on going, to keep on making more stuff, because I don't ever see myself working in an environment where it's dictated by somebody else."
Originally from Calgary, Groeneweg moved to Toronto and then to Hamilton's burgeoning arts scene.
"This is a bit of a fresh start kind of city right now. It's cool - it's starting to take on a bit of a new life from its industrial roots. Arts and culture is what's really bringing this city back, I think."
Hamilton artists Katrina Camilleri and Cheyenne Federiconi have come a long way since high school. The two longtime friends and graduating Mac students have just put the finishing touches on their upcoming art exhibit.
They’ll be showing a joint collection of original artwork at Manta Contemporary Gallery starting April 4. Aptly entitled BOMBS AWAY, their exhibit features pieces that seek to expose the “naked reality" behind political issues. The artists tackle war, violence, pop culture and sex in a way that is alluring yet unsettling.
The duo grew up in Hamilton and took high school art classes together before both enrolling in McMaster’s studio art program.
Coming out of high school as a painter, Federiconi says she now does more sculpture and performance art. Camilleri said she’s also discovered her preferred medium at Mac.
“I’ve found how to channel my personality into my artwork,” said Camilleri.
They said the biggest challenge of putting the show together has been reconciling their individual styles. After confirming their slot at the gallery at the end of February, the two had only a month to drum up original pieces for the themed exhibit.
Camilleri, who usually works in one colour, took on Federiconi’s vibrant colour palette, while Federiconi experimented with themes of war that aren’t usually a focal point of her work.
“We have two opposite styles, so finding one theme was hard,” said Camilleri.
Federiconi said her favourite piece in the show is an assortment of toy weapons, which she purchased and repainted pink.
“I [embellished] them with diamonds, pearls and lace to take objects often associated with violence and terror, and change their interpretation into something cute and non-threatening,” she said.
The artists say they’re excited to be showing at an up and coming gallery in Hamilton’s downtown core that doesn’t typically exhibit student work.
“Culturally, I think we [in Hamilton] embrace art more now,” said Federiconi, who referenced the boom that James Street N. has experienced in recent years with Artcrawl and Supercrawl.
Federiconi says she wants to make a living in Hamilton’s art scene after graduation this April. She’s got four or five exhibits under her belt, some of which she organized, and wants to keep going.
After graduating, Camilleri will be leaving Hamilton to pursue teacher’s college. She has aspirations to teach art at the high school level.
“I think the beauty of [Mac’s] program is that you start out new...and in your graduating year they let you go and apply what you’ve learned,” said Camilleri.
Their exhibit will be in the Manta Contemporary Gallery on King William St. The show runs from April 4 to 30, with an opening reception on April 12.
Dyson Wells
The Silhouette
A new app has been released to burst the campus “bubble.”
MyHamilton, a new community-based app, was released last Thursday at a City Hall event. The app was produced by a collaboration of McMaster University, Mohawk College, Columbia College, the City of Hamilton and Weever Apps.
While still in the growing stages, there are high expectations for the interface, which was named through a contest open to McMaster/Mohawk students.
The MyHamilton app attempts to address the issue of students not being connected with the community by offering students an interactive way to explore Hamilton and explore the culture and spirit of the city.
The McMaster Students Union conducted a survey last year to gauge students’ plans following the completion of their studies. Of the 800 students polled, 40 per cent stated they would not consider living in Hamilton following graduation, 24 per cent said they would not look for a job within the city and 34 per cent said they would only take the job as a last resort.
The app currently focuses on the downtown area, spanning from the escarpment to Bayfront Park, and from Wentworth Street to Dundurn Street.
Kathy Woo, Social Media and Digital Communications manager at the Student Success Centre, explained the app’s use of Twitter, as opposed to other social media platforms like Facebook.
“Hamilton is such a huge Twitter community, and that seems to be where a lot of the students are engaging right now. It’s immediate, it’s real-time, and it’s on the fly,” said Woo.
The app, using Twitter and Google Maps, enables users to explore Hamilton, sharing their finding with friends.
Once a post is made, the tweet, along with picture provided by the user, will appear as a pin on the map that will then be visible to other users.
The app also includes a list of discounts for local events and businesses, as well as directions and methods of transportation to navigate the city.
It is expected to give a leg up to local businesses in Hamilton while helping students find those “hidden gems” throughout the city.
The app’s profiling feature, in which students enter information such as their name, email, faculty and year of study, allows businesses to track their client demographic.
Talks regarding the development of the app have been going on since May. Discussions about the app’s progress and features will take place once feedback regarding the app has been received.
Gisela Oliveira, Employment Services Coordinator at the Student Success Centre, said, “the best part about this app is that it’s a student telling a student, or it’s a young professional telling a student [about local businesses].”
“It’s not necessarily the businesses shoving it down their throat that Hamilton is the place to be,” said Oliveira.
To get the app, students must scan a QR Code.
To join the Twitter conversation with MyHamilton, users must tweet a picture with the geolocation setting on and include the hashtag #MyHamilton.
