The Grey Cup is back in Toronto and four ex-Marauders are getting rings, one of which played for McMaster just last year
It was one year ago that Hamiltonians watched their hometown Tiger Cats suffer a Grey Cup defeat to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. While the Ti-Cats failed to make a Grey Cup return this year, the defending Canadian Football League champion Blue Bombers once again found their way.
The 2022 Grey Cup matchup wound up being the two top seeded teams in each conference, the Blue Bombers and the Toronto Argonauts. For Hamiltonians, this matchup is about as bad as it gets, having to choose between the team who beat them in the Grey Cup in each of the last two seasons, or their long-time rival Argonauts — the longest rivalry the league has ever had.
For McMaster students, it may have been a little bit easier to determine the lesser of the two evils, as the Argos featured four ex-Marauders in fullback Declan Cross (2012-2016), wide receiver Tommy Nield (2017-2019), defensive lineman Fabion Foote (2013-2016) and linebacker Enoch Penney-Laryea (2017-2022).
Penney-Laryea may be the most familiar name for Marauders fans, as he graduated following the 2021-2022 season and is now just in his rookie year as an Argonaut. In just a three year span, he is both an Ontario University Athletics provincial champion, and a Grey Cup champion after the Argonauts put an end to the Blue Bombers three-peat attempt in a nail biting 24-23 victory.
“The Yates Cup was unreal when it happened at the university level — to a lot of us it was the highest level we had achieved at the time. But honestly, I can’t say it in any way compares to winning the Grey Cup. The stakes were higher, the sacrifices everyone made [were] higher, and we all understood that . . . The Yates Cup, that was an unreal experience, but the Grey Cup definitely tops it,” said Penney-Laryea.
"The Yates Cup was unreal when it happened at the university level — to a lot of us it was the highest level we had achieved at the time. But honestly, I can’t say it in any way compares to winning the Grey Cup. The stakes were higher, the sacrifices everyone made [were] higher, and we all understood that."
Enoch Penney-Laryea, Toronto Argonauts
The championship victory is the Argonauts first since the 2017 season, which ex-Marauder Declan Cross, the highest paid member of the team, was also a part of. The 2022 championship makes him a two time CFL champion after just six years in the league.
The expectations on the Argonauts were high from the season start - in 2021 they finished atop their conference, but lost in the division final. People knew that this was a team who had a shot at the title.
“When you take it to the pros it’s just like man, these guys are freaks of nature. That’s my first memory from my first practice, just seeing how gifted everyone was . . . From the very start it was instilled in us, this was it, man. We had to go get it done,” explained Penney-Laryea.
“When you take it to the pros it’s just like man, these guys are freaks of nature. That’s my first memory from my first practice, just seeing how gifted everyone was . . . From the very start it was instilled in us, this was it, man. We had to go get it done."
Enoch Penney-Laryea
The Argonauts were confident from the start, and come time to perform, they were ready to go. Some had done it before, but it was a whole new experience for others. Regardless, the team was able to take it in stride and hit the ground running.
“I wouldn’t say I sensed a lot of nervousness. If anything, it was more excitement, definitely a lot of confidence. Guys couldn’t wait to get going, you know? They put it all out there — even some guys who were injured, the season had taken a toll on their bodies, they were ready to go. Knowing this was the last game you could really give everything,” said Penney-Laryea.
The game was very back and forth, but Winnipeg pulled ahead early in the fourth to a score of 23-14. Toronto fought back to a 24-23 lead and in the final minute Robbie Smith made a huge play, blocking a field goal attempt to save and win the game.
“As soon as it happened I was jumping. Everyone around me was jumping. Guys were running up and down the sidelines, everyone just burst into pure happiness and excitement. That was a crazy play to make. In the moment we were all just celebrating because we knew it was pretty much over . . . I remember thinking wow, we did it. It felt really good to defeat a team like Winnipeg,” explained Penny-Laryea.
“As soon as it happened I was jumping. Everyone around me was jumping. Guys were running up and down the sidelines, everyone just burst into pure happiness and excitement. That was a crazy play to make. In the moment we were all just celebrating because we knew it was pretty much over."
Enoch Penney-Laryea
With the season complete, the team will have several months to celebrate the victory before starting up again next year. Congratulations to ex-Marauders Declan Cross, Tommy Nield, Fabion Foote and Enoch Penney-Laryea.
C/O McMaster Sports Community, Guest speakers Sundeep Dhillon & Richard Martinelli
McMaster alum and 2021 World Series Champion Alex Anthopoulos to headline event with the McMaster Sports Community
The McMaster Sports Community is offering McMaster students an opportunity of a lifetime to those interested. Alex Anthopoulos, the General Manager of the Atlanta Braves, will be joining MSC for a general discussion and a question and answer session over Zoom, marking the first time the speaker has ever returned to the school. The event will be taking place on Dec. 8 at 6:00 PM.
At the event Anthopoulos will be joined by close friends of his from his time at McMaster, Sundeep Dhillon and Richard Martinelli, who Anthopoulos credits as being highly impactful in his career success, and a large part in both his life journey, and his time in university.
As a former Mac student who studied economics, Anthopoulos has built an impressive career for himself in the world of sports. He acted as the GM of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2009 to 2015, and currently works as the GM of the Atlanta Braves. Impressively, he has recently become a World Series Champion in the 2021 season, and is the first Canadian to ever do so as GM.
Why is Anthopoulos’ experience relevant to MSC? Jack Hinde, Co-President of MSC, described the excitement club members feel towards the opportunity to meet and hear from a Mac alum who has carved such a successful sports career for themselves.
“Everyone within the club is extremely excited to have Anthopoulos over to talk about his career. It really is an amazing opportunity for all McMaster students. Not only is he one of the most important GMs in [Major League Baseball], but he is a Mac alumni, which makes this event even more exciting to all of us,” explained Hinde.
Interestingly, it was during an interview for the Silhouette that Anthopoulos was invited, and accepted to attend this MSC event. Jovan Popovic, Sports Editor for the Silhouette and Co-President of MSC, invited the accomplished Mac alum to host the event for the club.
“Well, when Jovan [Popovic] had an interview with Anthopoulos a couple of weeks ago, he offered the GM an opportunity to host the Q and A over zoom for the club. To our excitement, Anthopoulos accepted and that is what made us really happy: to have a very busy man with consistent duties take some of his time to do an [event] for our club,” explained Hinde.
While this is an excellent chance for students to learn from a figure in sports of significant stature, this is also an opportunity for Hinde and the rest of MSC to represent the Mac community for all it’s worth.
“Most of us are still in disbelief about this, as it means so much to the community, especially the baseball fans who knew about Anthopoulos for years. We are just so thankful for it, but now I feel like we have a bigger job to do when it comes to the interview. We have to be well organized and we want to represent the club in the best way possible to him,” said Hinde.
Those interested can keep their eyes peeled on the MSC Instagram page, where they will post frequent updates about the event. Sign ups for the event also remain open through their Google form. The guest speaker appearance is available to all McMaster students, not just club members, although sign-ups will be capped at 50 people.
C/O John Lott
One alum's journey to winning a World Series
The year was 1996 and McMaster students were arriving on campus. For some, it wasn’t just their first time at McMaster, but also in Hamilton. This was the case for a first year economics major making the trip from Montreal. This was the story of Alex Anthopoulos.
“I remember having left Montreal [with] my father and brother . . . Waking up in Hedden Hall the morning after I got dropped off, I didn’t know a soul. I remember calling home and I had a lump in my throat,” said Anthopoulos.
The experience of leaving home can be stressful, but it’s what follows that makes all the difference.
Anthopoulos remembers his time at McMaster fondly. School, his experiences and his friends had long-lasting effects on his life.
“Definitely the best, both academic and social, experience of my life,” said Anthopoulos. “My best friends in the world are friends I made at Mac and the life experiences and everything I went through, I would never change it for the world.”
It was during his time at McMaster that Anthopoulos would enter the baseball world. He loved sports, specifically baseball, but never expected to work in the sport. He recalled frequently discussing the possibility, but never made a move on it until a friend of his just couldn’t take it any longer.
“One of my good friends to this day, Rich Martinelli, went to Mac with me [and we] roomed together. He was the one who I would just annoy, [telling] him about how I just wanted to get into baseball, [and] kept talking about it. He finally snapped on me one day and said ‘I’m sick of hearing you talk about it, I want you to do something about it,’” explained Anthopoulos.
After that conversation in his third year, it was exactly what he decided to do, reaching out to the Blue Jays and Expos in search of an opportunity. Although it wasn’t exactly what he expected, he found his way in.
“The Expos said, ‘we don’t have an internship in baseball operations, but we have something where you can basically open the players mail, coordinate it, work with them, work in the clubhouse, those types of things.’ It was a non-paying job, but I just wanted to get my foot in the door,” said Anthopoulos.
As minimal as the role seemed, it would play a big part in the advancement of his career. He always eyed scouting and felt he had an opportunity at hand. He would complete his mail duties during the day and spend his nights working on scouting.
“At night when I was done and the games were starting, I would go sit in the seats and write scouting reports. I knew I was capable of more than doing player mail, but that was a way to get my foot in the door. I got paid in experience,” explained Anthopoulos.
"I knew I was capable of more than doing player mail, but that was a way to get my foot in the door. I got paid in experience."
Alex Anthopoulos
This is where things began to take off. The organization took notice of his skills and determination and had him travel to Florida to work as an international scout. After a year and a half, he would become a scouting coordinator. Two years later, he took on a scouting coordinator position from the Blue Jays and would get his big break after another two years.
“I got offered [the] assistant [general manager] position, did that for four [years] and then the GM position came up. A lot of it was right place, right time — no doubt about that. I think the key was that I really enjoyed what I was doing . . . I couldn’t wait to get into the office,” said Anthopoulos.
He discussed many late nights at home, watching VHS tapes and DVDs of draft videos. He worked so hard not just to get ahead, but because he was genuinely interested and loved what he did, calling it “a real labour of love.” He was just glad to do something he loved.
For those wanting to follow in his footsteps, he emphasized the importance of having a true passion for the job, suggesting that it’s a requirement for the line of work.
“Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons, meaning you absolutely adore it,” explained Anthopoulos. “The sacrifices, socially, time commitments, things like that — it’s really a way of life. . . I’ve told people before that have interned with us — there’s nothing wrong with just being a sports fan and having another career.”
Anthopoulos was always very passionate and never stopped working on his way to the top. After being named the Blue Jays GM in 2009, he spent six more seasons with the organization. In his final year with the team in 2015, they won the division and made the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
Anthopoulos gained a reputation as a top-tier GM that season and was named the Major League Baseball Executive of the Year following a flurry of moves to bring the team into contention. With a 53-51 record at the trade deadline, Anthopoulos pulled off one of the “best-ever” trade deadlines, acquiring five time all-star and Cy Young winner David Price, and five time all-star, Troy Tulowitzki, along with several other pieces.
In 2021, Anthopoulos found himself in a similar situation with the Braves sitting third in the division with a 51-54 record, and batting injuries.
Over the course of the season the Braves would see Canadian ace Mike Soroka retear his achilles, perennial MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr. tear his ACL, and two time all-star Marcell Ozuna break his hand while also being arrested on domestic violence charges. All three would miss the remainder of the season.
Leading up to the trade deadline, Anthopoulos rebuilt the Braves outfield entirely, trading for Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler, all of whom were huge contributors in the title run. Rosario was named NLCS MVP and Soler was named WS MVP.
“We still had a chance to get in the playoffs . . . Your job as a GM is to try to get your team in. If you get your team in, anything can happen. Our runs allowed, our runs scored, we had scored a lot more runs than we had allowed, it just wasn’t resulting in wins. We thought we were capable of a lot more,” said Anthopoulos.
"We still had a chance to get in the playoffs . . . Your job as a GM is to try to get your team in. If you get your team in, anything can happen."
Alex Anthopoulos
Anthopoulos surely made the most of this opportunity, never giving up after many had written his team off.
“Our run differential was like plus 100 and something and we were a game under .500, we should’ve been so much better — it just ended up showing up over six months. It wasn’t a tough call. Selling just didn’t make any sense,” explained Anthopoulos.
A few months later, he would be proven correct, as it was the Atlanta Braves celebrating with the World Series trophy during their parade.
It was a long journey for Anthopoulos to become the first Canadian GM to ever win the World Series and it was a journey that all started at McMaster University.
“[McMaster] will always have a piece of my heart. . . I definitely wouldn’t have been where I am today without having experienced it."
Alex Anthopoulos
Black McMaster students reflect on the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020
This article is a part of the Sil Time Capsule, a series that reflects on 2020 with the aim to draw attention to the ways in which it has affected our community as well as the wider world.
In the summer of 2020, sparked by the death of George Floyd, there was a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests spread across the United States and the world. Businesses and individuals, both with and without a history of supporting Black communities, began posting messages of solidarity on social media and pledged to do better.
In just over a month, it will be a year since George Floyd was murdered. In addition to the killings, we have also seen how Black folks have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. For Black folks around the world, this year has been exhausting and retraumatizing.
It’s been exhausting and retraumatizing to learn of more killings and what little action has taken place. It’s been exhausting and retraumatizing for our organizers and protesters, who have been met with police violence. It’s been exhausting and retraumatizing to field questions and concern from those in our lives who have never before cared about our Blackness.
It’s been exhausting and retraumatizing for Black students. All year, Black students, alumni, staff and faculty have been observing McMaster University's response to the resurgence and continuing to advocate for safe spaces and meaningful action.
So as this academic year comes to a close, it was important for me as a Black woman at McMaster to use one of my last articles at the Silhouette to discuss how Black students have been dealing with this tumultuous year.
Student activism in summer 2020
On May 25, 2020, in Minnesota, George Floyd was killed while in police custody, for which now-former police officer Derek Chauvin currently is standing on trial, charged with murder and manslaughter. The news and video of Floyd’s murder flooded traditional news and social media. In the days and weeks that followed, protesters took to the streets across the United States and the world.
While this wasn’t the first time a Black person had been unjustly killed, for many, Black and non-Black alike, the summer of 2020 felt different. There are many factors that influenced the increased response, chief among them the pandemic. Black folks, who have been disproportionately affected, were fed up with government neglect while non-Black people quarantining at home had no choice but to pay attention.
“People rioting and actually protesting and doing stuff like that was the reason people started talking about it more, because, essentially you had something for white people to debate about and to fight about . . . [T]hat eventually just made a chain of events so people were being like, “Why are black people rioting?” Okay, well, why are black people rioting and then people were actually looking at it,” said Aaron Parry, a fourth-year student and promotions executive on the Black Students’ Association.
“People rioting and actually protesting and doing stuff like that was the reason people started talking about it more, because, essentially you had something for white people to debate about and to fight about . . . ”
Aaron Parry, a fourth-year student and promotions executive on the Black Students’ Association
Black McMaster students were among those protesting both online and offline last summer, continuing the work that many have been doing for years. For instance, on June 17, 2020, McMaster student organizers held a protest to demand the removal of the special constables on campus and the dismissal of Director of Security and Parking Services Glenn De Caire, who has a history of supporting the highly controversial practice of carding. Students have been advocating for De Caire’s removal since 2016.
Black students also spent the summer further educating themselves and having difficult conversations with friends, peers and others in their life.
“I actually did summer school in June, July . . . Since I'm in political science, race [is] a topic, especially during this course. I feel like I tried, as a Black person, to educate some of my fellow peers about what we experience,” explained fourth-year student and Women and Gender Equity Network Research Coordinator, Shae Owen.
Online, many students responded to McMaster’s statements on Floyd’s death and anti-Black racism at the university with demands that they fire De Caire. Students were quick to point out that McMaster’s statements did little to address Black students’ concerns and calls for action.
Both current and former students took to social media to share their experiences of racism at McMaster. Canadian football player and former McMaster student, Fabion Foote, tweeted about the systemic racism he experienced at McMaster, which was met with support from other Black McMaster students, alumni and faculty.
However, while students were generally glad to see increased awareness, many worried that it was performative or fleeting.
“Doing nothing is no longer acceptable. However, reposting on social media is classified as hardly doing anything, because it lacks your personal tone and influence,” wrote the Silhouette Production Editor and Black Students Association Photographer Sybil Simpson in a June 2020 Silhouette article.
Effects on mental health and academics
While Black students were at the forefront of the activism, many also found the summer and current academic year overwhelming. Students didn’t get to take a break from their everyday lives to grieve, having to continue to work, attend summer school classes and study for tests.
“In Nigeria — this was in October — there were killings of peaceful protesters . . . and that was very close to home. Things don't necessarily slow down. When all of this is happening, it's not like school pauses. You still have deadlines. I used my MSAF for the first time in four years last semester, that's how much I just felt like everything was going on. I had to ask for extensions and I couldn't make deadlines,” explained Toni Makanjuola, a fourth-year student and director of logistics with Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster.
For some students, these feelings of being overwhelmed were compounded by the physical and emotional isolation caused by the pandemic. Students who were not able to go home to see family often had to deal with the devastating news on their own.
“There's a lot going on with just COVID by itself. I couldn't see my family because of COVID and I was already planning to see them. I think I mentioned I'm an international student and my parents live abroad and my family's kind of dispersed. So it was definitely a lonely time,” said Makanjuola.
“There's a lot going on with just COVID by itself. I couldn't see my family because of COVID and I was already planning to see them. I think I mentioned I'm an international student and my parents live abroad and my family's kind of dispersed. So it was definitely a lonely time.”
Toni Makanjuola, director of logistics with Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster
Moreover, Black students expressed how the summer of 2020 changed their relationships. Students reported that they got closer to Black family members and friends as well as non-Black allies. On the other hand, relationships fractured with those in their lives that failed to check-in or speak out.
“I found myself being like, “okay, I can't actually be friends with this person, even if they make a racist joke like here and there.” That’s now too much for me. It wasn't too much before, but now that everything's become more extreme, my barriers have to become more extreme,” said Aaron Parry, a fourth-year student and promotions executive on the Black Students’ Association.
Response to university initiatives
During the summer, McMaster put out several statements, some of which addressed how the university intends to tackle anti-Black racism on campus. While none of these intended actions included firing De Caire as students had demanded, some positive actions included the accelerated hiring of Black faculty, the hiring of an anti-Black racism education coordinator and the announcement of a Black student services office.
“In terms of the hiring, I think that was extremely needed because personally, I'm in my fourth year, and this was like the first year that I've had Black professors and that's because I'm taking history . . . I'm interested in research right so [when I found a potential Black supervisor], I emailed her. I was so excited because I knew she wasn't there before. I got to share a research idea with her. But I don't know that I would have felt as comfortable emailing someone else,” said Makanjuola.
“In terms of the hiring, I think that was extremely needed because personally, I'm in my fourth year, and this was like the first year that I've had Black professors and that's because I'm taking history . . .
TONI MAKANJUOLA, DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS WITH BLACK ASPIRING PHYSICIANS OF MCMASTER
However, the fact that many plans were created without the input of Black students begs whether they’ll be helpful at all.
“What little they do give to Black students, it's not even involving Black students that often and then they just kind of surprise us as if it's a gift . . . They design whatever services they think that we want rather than actually actively involving us and actively asking us, “what do you want, what do you need, what are you looking for in a Black Student Services, what do you think will help?”,” explained Parry.
In response to Foote’s tweets, the university organized a Black student-athlete review, which was completed in October and revealed “a culture of systemic anti-Black racism within the department.” However, many students believe the review did not do enough.
Some of those who were involved in the review noted that internal politics played a role in what actually made it into the report and how what was included was worded.
“[W]e know that they have their agenda and it's not in the interest of Black students most of the time. It was definitely disheartening to know that I was a part of a project that was doing that,” said Parry, who was part of the review’s task force.
Many students wondered why the review was restricted only to athletics when many of the stories told are experienced by Black students across campus. Others were eager to know what comes next.
“[The positive changes] are, however, being done so very slowly and with caution; this is unchartered territory for Mac. However, I’m growing increasingly frustrated, not only with the immediate aftermath but with the contents of the review. How could they let this happen? How has it taken so long for someone to finally put their foot down? Moreover, where the heck do we go from here?” wrote McMaster rugby player Payton Shank in a December 2020 Silhouette article.
Creating safe spaces
Support for Black McMaster students this year didn’t come directly from the university, but through the actions of Black students, faculty and staff. For example, on June 11, 2020, Black staff members facilitated a Black student virtual check-in to give students a safe space to share their thoughts and experiences.
Black community members at McMaster took on this work for no pay on top of their work, school and personal lives. Many Black students at McMaster are executives on multiple Black-focused clubs while the African-Caribbean Faculty Association of McMaster offers mentorship and events with no funding from the university. However, because of the importance of these spaces, Black students, staff and faculty feel an obligation to continue.
“We are going to help ourselves and our siblings because there's not a lot of us at McMaster. But it kind of brought us closer together, because during that time a lot of clubs had talks and chill sessions and discussions . . . I even made some new friends that way,” said Owen.
“We are going to help ourselves and our siblings because there's not a lot of us at McMaster. But it kind of brought us closer together, because during that time a lot of clubs had talks and chill sessions and discussions . . . I even made some new friends that way.”
Shae Owen, WGEN Research Coordinator
All year, Black students have been continuing or creating clubs and events to have important conversations and take a break from the constant stress. Some of these new clubs came from discussions among students that occurred last summer, such as the Black BHSc Association.
Established Black clubs used their platforms to empower Black students and support new Black clubs. For example, BAP-MAC chose the theme Black Resilience for their annual iRISE conference and had talks and workshops dedicated to medical racism and health advocacy. In November 2020, the Black Student Mentorship Program held an event for first-year students that focused on coping with loneliness and online school.
“[The summer] also made me a lot more conscious of other people's mental health and that was like one of the reasons [behind] the loneliness event idea. Because of what I was experiencing during the time, I just thought it would be nice to do something where people could speak out and be vulnerable and know that they aren't alone with that during the school year, especially first years,” said Makanjuola, who came up with the idea for the BSMP event.
However, in creating these safe spaces, Black students had to be wary of other students infiltrating these spaces. On Nov. 20, 2020, the Law Aspiring Black Students of McMaster experienced a racist attack during their Zoom LABS Chat. Since then, Black clubs have been trained on how to avoid Zoom bombing and have had to take special care to avoid similar incidents.
“I was shaking because I never expected something like this to happen at a university, especially because we can’t put a face to the name. We don’t know who these people are. So it’s like am I walking amongst people who feel this way, am I sitting in classes with people who could possibly infiltrate a chat?” said Maab Mahmoud, the vice-president of events for LABS, during diversity services’ podcast, Listen Up.
The incident served as a reminder of the importance of safe spaces, but also made it clear that Black students at McMaster are not safe among their peers. This was also seen in the reactions to Black student initiatives such as the new Black engineering student scholarship, where non-Black McMaster students complained that it gave Black students an unfair advantage.
“Mac did the exact same thing where they just go, yeah, here's the scholarship to help Black students. We're going to ignore all that shit about non-Black students attacking Black students . . . we're going to continually let you go to school with and live with your abusers, constantly,” said Parry.
Yet through it all, Black students have continued to be there for one another and create places where they can be seen and heard. We do not know what the future holds and if the university will become a safer space for Black students.
But I know that we are resilient. As I graduate this year, I have faith that the Black students, staff and faculty of tomorrow will continue to make McMaster a place where Black students can succeed.
Multidisciplinary artist speaks about the importance of conversation and our histories
C/O Bhavika Sharma
This article marks the beginning of the Artist Talks series. The pandemic has resulted in the closure of many galleries and limited the opportunities for artists to showcase their work. However, Hamilton artists have been far from idle this past year, continuing to create and exploring new experiences.
Bhavika Sharma is an emerging multidisciplinary artist and is currently the artist in residence at Hamilton Artists Inc.
They recently completed their undergraduate degree in architecture and visual arts at the University of Toronto. Sharma points to their time as an undergraduate student as a pivotal point for their art practice, as they gained more experience through studio courses and were also able to experiment with different mediums.
“When I was younger, like in high school I did [advanced placement] art and I did a lot of oil painting and stuff. But I feel like as I went to university, I think also it really was a lot of the professors I met who encouraged me to work in these mediums. Learning how to use video editing software and stuff that interested me and incorporating sewing and fabric, it really opened up a lot of opportunities. It was like, “Oh, yeah, this is what art can be. It can be like a whole range of things. And it can be just a drawing or a painting,”” said Sharma.
"Learning how to use video editing software and stuff that interested me and incorporating sewing and fabric, it really opened up a lot of opportunities."
Bhavika Sharma
Regardless of what medium they are working with, whether it be textiles or video installations, there are two key elements at the core of all their work: conversation and space. Sharma hopes their art encourages and holds space for conversation, with particular concerns surrounding the spaces we live in.
“[It’s about] getting people to think about [these spaces] differently or thinking about how we consume these spaces. And maybe we can change our ways of thinking about these places . . . I think just for people to think more about the way we learn about places or interact with the spaces that surround us,” explained Sharma.
Sharma begins all of their projects by doing thorough and thoughtful research about the history of space they’re exploring in their art. These histories are a crucial component to both key elements of their work. These histories — particularly the non-dominant histories Sharma works to shed light on — are important aspects of the spaces they’re exploring and important topics of conversations.
“I also want people to understand personal narratives deserve a space within these conversations. Shared experiences, non-dominant histories, they are something that we need to actively look for and actively try to find. We shouldn't just take what is there as the [only] history,” added Sharma.
"I also want people to understand personal narratives deserve a space within these conversations. Shared experiences, non-dominant histories, they are something that we need to actively look for and actively try to find. We shouldn't just take what is there as the [only] history."
Bhavika Sharma
In January 2020, Sharma had an installation piece at Christie Pits Park in Toronto, which included soft sofa-like sculptures. Sharma wanted to explore the narratives that converged in the park and after compiling their research about the more traditional historical narratives. Sharma invited community members to join them in conversation about the space.
“I hosted an event and I had people come over and we sat on these soft sculptures. I brought people tea and people just talked and shared. I read my research to start the space, but then I opened it up and we talked. People just talked about like “Oh, I used to play ping pong here with my boyfriend.” Just people saying small things and memories that they have associated with the space and building on to the history of a space,” explained Sharma.
The pandemic has forced Sharma to rethink their art. Their current work at the Inc. has given them the opportunity to explore new ways to bring their work into the virtual environment.
Currently, Sharma is working on a project surrounding the Grand River, which is close to Hamilton and their hometown of Brantford, focusing on its connection to Indigenous communities and histories.
The pandemic has forced Sharma to rethink their art. Their current work at the Inc. has given them the opportunity to explore new ways to bring their work into the virtual environment.
Looking to the future, Sharma noted that they are still an emerging artist and plan to continue exploring and experimenting with different mediums.
Sharma also offered some encouraging words for students interested in pursuing an art practice of their own.
“I would say just start making, I feel like it's the hardest thing to do. I think that for me, at least, I plan a lot and then it takes me a lot to make it but making can be thinking. You can think about your work while you make it. So just really just starting it and making it and also taking things that you're interested in outside of maybe art and bring that into it. Like if you have a nice interest, incorporate it into your artwork. Why not? People will want to learn about it or want to hear about it. If you like going on Wikipedia wormholes or like research wormholes like me, incorporate it into your art,” said Sharma.
The McMaster alumnus story of Alex Anthopoulos, a Canadian kid turned major league GM
Alex Anthopoulos is a Major League Baseball front office executive most well known for his time with the Toronto Blue Jays and presently, the Atlanta Braves. Anthopoulos is a native of Montreal, Quebec and grew up a big fan of the Montreal Expos baseball team.
His love of baseball brought him into the Expos organization, where he found himself in a voluntary role as the team’s “mail boy.” It was a small role for someone with big aspirations, but it proved a significant stop on the route to a larger role.
Sorting fan mail has nothing to do with baseball operations, however, it was the foot in the door that Anthopoulos needed. It gave him the opportunity to get into the stadium, meet others within the organization and talk baseball. Through this, he managed to impress some of the scouts that he had an opportunity to talk to, which is how he got his big break.
Anthopoulos managed a busy schedule year-round, working with the team over the summer while completing a degree in economics at McMaster University in the early 2000s. In 2002, he joined the Expos’ scouting department as the team’s assistant scouting director. However, he would leave the team to take up a new opportunity that would have a substantial impact on his career.
In 2003, Anthopoulos would be hired into the scouting department of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2005, he was promoted to assistant general manager under the guidance of J.P Riccardi. Three years later, Riccardi was fired, with the McMaster graduate taking the reins at the age of 32.
During Anthopoulos’ six-year career with Toronto, he made what many believed to be aggressive moves for the team. He started his career by moving Roy Halladay — who many have considered one of the greatest Blue Jays of all time — to the Philadelphia Phillies.
He shed the once thought of “unmovable contracts” of Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. He would sign unproven stars Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion to long term contracts. R.A Dickey — the recipient of the 2012 Cy Young, given to the league’s top pitcher — would later be brought to Toronto coming off his award-winning year.
Anthopoulos would acquire Josh Donaldson prior to the start of the 2015 season, and he had become the Blue Jays’ first MVP winner since George Bell in 1987. At the midway point in the season, he would have one of the craziest trade deadlines in MLB history, acquiring Cy Young winner David Price, and perennial all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. He would bring back a buzz to Toronto, and the team would make their first playoff appearance since 1993.
Following the 2015 season, Anthopoulos would leave the team for a new opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I don't know that I've had to make a harder decision in my life . . . I just didn't feel like this was a right fit for me going forward,” said Anthopoulos to Business Insider.
"I don't know that I've had to make a harder decision in my life . . . I just didn't feel like this was a right fit for me going forward,” said Anthopoulos to Business Insider.
Source: In their 1st & only meeting, new Jays prez Mark Shapiro scolded Alex Anthopolous & staff for trading so many top prospects this yr
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 29, 2015
He would spend the next two seasons with the Dodgers before joining the Atlanta Braves as the team’s general manager. In his three seasons with the Braves, they have won their division three times, but have fallen short of the championship trophy each year.
Their furthest push came during the 2020 season, led by the national league MVP Freddie Freeman; however, they fell one game short of the World Series. Going forward the team remains in championship contention, as Anthopoulos looks for the final piece to get them over the hump.
WHAT IS IT
Gold Bars Dessert is a travelling dessert shop that opened in March 2020. From butter tart bars to brownies, the shop specializes in dessert bars. Gold Bars Dessert offers holiday-themed bars and uses seasonal ingredients.
They offered Easter egg brownies around Easter, peach cobbler bars during Ontario’s peach season in August, pumpkin spice bars in October and are currently selling holiday cranberry bars and candy crunch brownies for the holiday season.
Gold Bars Dessert has also partnered with the Hamilton-based specialty coffee company Detour Coffee to offer their whole beans. Gold Bars sells espresso and medium roast, which were handpicked to pair with their dessert bars.
The dessert business combines owner Germaine Collins’ love of adventure with her love of sweets. The adventure lover has created a business that allows her to travel and connect to people through food.
View this post on Instagram
HOW TO GET IT
While the shop doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar location, they frequent farmers’ markets and host pop-up shops. In the summer and early fall of 2020, Gold Bars Desserts was a weekly vendor at Connon Nurseries’ Fall Farmers’ Market in Waterdown. They also did a Christmas pop-up at Connon Nurseries on Nov. 28. Check their website and social media to find out where they’ll be next.
When they are not at a market, Gold Bars dessert does local doorstep drop-offs. If you’re located in the Greater Hamilton area, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga or Toronto, you can order online for next-weekend delivery. The delivery days are announced on their website and on their social media.
View this post on Instagram
THE COST
At markets, you can buy individual bars for $3. For doorstep drop-offs, Gold Bars Desserts sells the boxes of bars on their website. A box of nine bars is $20 to $25 depending on the type. Each bar is about the size of a coaster. The delivery is an additional $5.
View this post on Instagram
WHAT TO GET
You really can’t go wrong with any of these dessert bars. They’re all decadent, filling and beautifully decorated. I would definitely recommend the OG brownie if you’re a chocolate fan because even after a couple of days, the brownie is still moist and rich inside. If you’re not a chocolate fan, I’d recommend the blondies or lemon bars.
If there is a seasonal dessert bar when you’re looking to purchase, definitely try that. I tried the cranberry holiday bars and it gave Starbucks’ cranberry bliss bars a run for its money.
View this post on Instagram
WHY IT'S GREAT
Gold Bars Desserts is perfect for the sweet tooth who adores a large, classic brownie or dessert bar. The variety of flavours and the seasonal creations make it an exciting business to visit month after month.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the perfect way to support a small business and satisfy your sweet tooth without having to leave your house. Having Collins visit my house on a Sunday afternoon to deliver me handmade sweets was the highlight of my weekend. With the pretty packaging and Collins’ handwritten notes, Gold Bars Dessert bars make the perfect gift for your loved ones.
View this post on Instagram
Piper & Carson’s second album Edgewalker’s Remedy is about divesting from colonist structures
By: Tracy Huynh, Contributor
For singer-songwriter duo Piper & Carson, music is about disarming people, building community and creating intentional art that heals. They sought to embody these ideals in their second album, Edgewalker’s Remedy, which was released on Oct. 23, 2020.
Piper & Carson is the stage name of duo and couple Piper Hayes and Carson Ritcey-Thorpe. Hayes and Ritcey-Thorpe met when Hayes, who was raised in the east end of Toronto, was performing at a Harvest Bash in Ritcey-Thorpe’s hometown of Millgrove.
Feeling a deep connection with the land and the community, the two moved to Hamilton five years ago. In 2017, they released their self-titled debut album, Piper & Carson. The theme of nature is apparent throughout their music, with sounds of water and birds underlying the melody.
Their second album, Edgewalker’s Remedy, is about divesting from capitalist and colonial systems. The title paints a picture of how colonialism pushes groups of people to the edges of society. Tackling themes of anti-racism, Indigenous sovereignty and respecting the Earth, the album is strikingly relevant to the topics currently explored by media today.
View this post on Instagram
For example, in Mother’s Prayer, background heartbeat sounds, vivid imagery and lyrics such as “Decolonize your mind/You don’t own anything” bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s clear from the first listen that this duo isn’t trying to shy away from topics that spark conversation.
“We felt really strongly that it's really our responsibility as settlers here to be part of anti-racism and to be part of amplifying the voices of Indigenous people. It's people [and] it's communities that are going to change things. I have very very little faith in the current structures that are in place,” said Hayes.
The duo has been amplifying Indigenous voices by sharing content from Indigenous activists on their social media platforms. However, they aim to create a long-term exit strategy from social media.
“For years it has felt imperative as musicians to have a Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account. Lately, however we are questioning this reasoning and wondering what better ways we can collectively invest in each other and our relationships,” said Hayes and Ritcey-Thorpe in a press release.
Wanting to further reject the predatory capitalist practices of the music industry, Hayes and Ritcey-Thorpe did not put the album on streaming platforms. Instead, the album is available on their website and Bandcamp in a pay-what-you-can model. They wanted to make decisions centred around their art, rather than around what would do well on the market.
View this post on Instagram
The project also includes a companion book of lyrics and stories for “adult children.” The book features custom illustrations by Métis artist and friend of the couple Riley Bee. The physical and digital versions of the book are available on their website.
“Our goal is to just get us all collectively to slow down, reflect and hopefully seek out the connection to this natural world, to step into that as much as possible and build and foster wonder,” said Ritcey-Thorpe.
Hayes and Ritcey-Thorpe recorded their latest album in their Hamilton home in the midst of the pandemic. For the pair who are used to performing live, this was new territory. With the help of their friends, Greyson Gritt and Chris Bartos, the duo navigated the challenges of learning new equipment, setting up their home studio and working digitally with other artists.
It was important for the duo to collaborate with artists like The Rough and Tumble and Lacey Hill. They found that the digital space combined with the insights of other artists allowed for creative and serendipitous ways of building a song.
Piper & Carson are livestreaming a show on Nov. 29, 2020. As with their other work, tickets are being sold using a pay-what-you-can model. Hayes and Ritcey-Thorpe are going to use the show to serenade, tell stories and connect with their guests. Through this show, they continue to build community with their music even during the pandemic.
Casey Rogan and Matthew Milne, two level III commerce students at McMaster University, are collecting knit hockey socks and repurposing them into toques that they’ve been handing out to help vulnerable community members, particulary those facing challenges of homelessness, stay warm this winter. The duo has co-founded Toques from the Heart, a Hamilton-based non-profit organization that provides an opportunity for hockey players to donate hockey socks to give back to their local communities. According to Rogan, he and Milne came up with the idea on July 30, 2019, while both of them were enrolled in summer school.
“[Milne] had the initial idea when he was younger, and got the idea to ask his mom to change knit hockey socks into toques just as a fun little thing . . . and his mom actively sews so she did it for him, [so] we’ve had some of the toques for a while,” explains Rogan.
Upon further discussion, Rogan and Milne decided to start donating toques by directly handing them out in Hamilton and Toronto and selling others to raise money to support hockey programming for children. “As McMaster students in our third year of commerce, [we] really felt that we wanted to get the most of our university experience . . . [we] wanted to make things happen for us, and not just wait around to get out of university without having any experience,” said Rogan.
A hat made from a hockey sock. Photo C/O Toques from the Heart website.
Four months later, Toques from the Heart officially launched on Nov. 15, 2019, with the goal of collecting 200 knit hockey socks by the end of the year. In 2019, the organization reported that they were able to achieve more than triple their intended goal, receiving approximately 700 knit hockey socks. Each sock donated can be repurposed into two toques. Rogan explains that he was overwhelmed by the amount of support and feedback the program received from the community.
“In just under two months, we were able to pass our goal and collect 700 knit hockey socks through donations, [this can make] approximately 1400 toques . . . and have donated many of them [to the] Downtown Hamilton and Toronto areas,” said Rogan.
Toques from the Heart also sells repurposed toques to community members for $20 to raise money to support children’s hockey programming.
“We have enough money to cover [the] initial costs and all the funds coming in now are going towards this initiative [of supporting hockey programming]. In the future we would love to sponsor our own Toques from the Heart team and have kids who don’t have these opportunities to be able to play hockey,” explains Rogan.
Hats made from a hockey sock with patches with the Toques from the Heart logo. Photo C/O Toques from the Heart website.
By the end of 2020, Toques from the Heart has set a goal of raising $5000 and help 500 Canadians stay warm this winter by collecting 2000 knit hockey socks. The organization is also looking for potential sponsors, partnerships and opportunities to expand within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas.
By the end of 2020, Toques from the Heart has set a goal of raising $5000 and help 500 Canadians stay warm this winter by collecting 2000 knit hockey socks. The organization is also looking for potential sponsors, partnerships and opportunities to expand within the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas.
“We are actively contracting Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and Canadian Tire. We’re [also] trying to get donations in local arenas and bigger arenas and work with these bigger companies to get the word out there and get exposed in the hockey community,” Rogan added.
According to Rogan, the organization has also given them the opportunity to engage with seniors in the Hamilton community.
“[On Jan. 26], we went out to two retirement homes, and held a [toque-making] session . . . folks helped to make some toques and in the coming weeks they will take on the production of the toques. They were all super excited about [us] coming and happy that they had a chance to give back to their own communities,” Rogan explained.
Rogan adds that Toques from the Heart is always looking for additional volunteers. More information about the organization can be found on their website.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
It's no secret that Canada has a long history of systemic racism and injustice. However, much of that history has been buried deep, locked away in old filing cabinets in disused archives. Deanna Bowen's exhibit, A Harlem Nocturne, seeks to break open those cabinets and reveal that history to the world.
Deanna Bowen is an interdisciplinary artist based out of Toronto. Her work explores race, migration, historical writing and authorship. In creating A Harlem Nocturne, she spent three years combing through public and personal archives to uncover the truths of institutionalized racism that have been long forgotten or ignored.
A Harlem Nocturne takes its name from the nightclub that Bowen’s family owned and operated in Vancouver in the 1950s and 60s. It was the only Black-owned nightclub in Vancouver at the time and was subjected to repeated police raids and violence. The exhibit explores the institutionalized racism of the Canadian entertainment industry — and the country as a whole — through the stories of her family members, and others in the industry, from the 1940s through to the 1970s.
Kimberly Phillips, a curator at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver, where A Harlem Nocturne was first exhibited, curated the exhibition for the McMaster Museum of Art. Phillips describes Bowen’s work as an effort to expose the past by transforming it into something that’s impossible to ignore or overlook.
“[Bowen] starts with the archival material itself, and so each [artwork] will find its own form, a new form in the world that’s very much through a process of extraction from the archive, a kind of translation, often an enlargement and kind of bringing it forward in a different form than you would’ve encountered it originally,” said Phillips.
One of the more literal ways that this is done is through the physical enlargement of a newspaper ad for the nightclub, Harlem Nocturne. The ad was originally the size of a postage stamp, but is now larger-than-life, taking up much of the gallery wall. By sizing up the ad, Bowen is calling attention to the club, inviting the audience to interact with the document and the history behind it that might have otherwise been overlooked.
“[T]here's no point in having these documents around unless you do something with them … the document existing in and of itself is not is not meaningful. It's like we have to take them up, and in order to take them up, we need to make them visible,” said Phillips.
Several of the pieces in the exhibit are hidden or obscured by black fabric, or are set up to be viewed at a distance. Phillips says that these varying levels of visibility reflect the difficulties that Bowen experienced while compiling her research.
“Deanna and I talked a little bit about how those registers of blackness does a number of things. One, which is speaking towards a kind of sense of opacity, or the kind of difficulty in … actually reaching some of this material, not because it doesn't exist or it's hard to find, but because of the blockages that [Bowen] experienced in the form of archivists and trauma, and other things that you know, different members of the community gatekeeping who gets to tell what story. But it's also a measure of protection as well of not over exposing bodies who have been subjected to discrimination and hyper visibility in certain ways,” said Phillips.
Each aspect of the show is intentional and purposeful, even choosing where to exhibit the show. When choosing where A Harlem Nocturne would be shown, both Phillips and Bowen emphasized the importance of working with other women curators. The McMaster Museum of Art’s Senior Curator is Pamela Edmonds, which is part of the reason why the show is being exhibited there.
[pjc_slideshow slide_type="harlem-nocturne"]
“The word that I used to define all the people that we're working with is that they're all co-conspirators, feminist co-conspirators. And that's something that I think is super important. I liked the idea that we could generate something, a project that could span over many years and many institutions and all of it being done with women. It maybe speaks to an unspoken reality that more often than not, it is women doing this hard labour,” said Bowen.
A Harlem Nocturne blends the personal with the public. One of the pieces is a transcription of an interview between Bowen and her mother, and the exhibit itself is named after a building that was integral to her family. She says that A Harlem Nocturne is a homecoming for her, and in some ways a form of healing.
“[G]rowing up in Vancouver, my family was not always well regarded. And so if anything, I hope that people come away and feel the compassion and love that I have for these people, my family, especially for the hard edges that they have and the rough and tumble-ness of their story. These are beautiful people that have persevered over generations of resistance and discrimination and I hope that people really come to see and value their strength and importance,” said Bowen.
Bowen’s work also applies more broadly, underscoring the realities of life for Black Canadians and the injustices they continue to face today. She emphasizes the idea of perseverance in the face of adversity, and the refusal to be silenced.
“The project also helps to push against... Vancouver's old narrative about [how] 'they used to have a Black community and now it's gone.' This show for me is about affirming 'there used to be a Black community, and we're still here,' and really trying to undermine this notion of again, the demise of a Black community, locally, and then of course, nationally,” said Bowen.
Bowen hopes that viewers will leave the exhibit with new curiosity, and a desire to explore their own family history.
“I would encourage people to see themselves in what I'm doing. There's so much rich history in our own family histories. And I think it's important to emphasize that everybody's family story has some impact on the making of a nation … You know, it's about recognizing that the power to create our history and our personal and our national narrative really does kind of boil down to people like you and I,” said Bowen.
A Harlem Nocturne will be exhibiting for free at the McMaster Museum of Art from Jan.16 - May 9, 2020.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
