Regina Poet & Artist launches new Sketches
Regina Poet & Artist launches new Sketches
In honour of pride month, Regina Poet and Artist Zachari Logan launches a new collection of sketches and essays . Get to know more about his projects here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
37 minutes ago
- CBC
Sudburian builds fleet of Star Wars droids as a hobby
Sudbury man makes Star Wars droids as a hobby 5 days ago Duration 1:37 Social Sharing If you're a Star Wars fan in the Sudbury, Ont., area, these might be the droids you're looking for. Since 2019, software engineer Patrick Ryan has embraced the art of building droids, the robot characters from Star Wars. His creations have grown in complexity, and now he brings them to multiple conventions each year, letting fans interact with real-life versions of their favourite fictional characters. "I just love the aesthetic of them," said Ryan. "Kids especially, they just think it's real." Ryan's creations have grown in complexity since his first build in 2019. His first project was an MSE-6 repair droid—sometimes called a 'mouse droid'—which was built on an old remote control car. But his signature piece is a BB-8 droid, a much more complex creation from 2015's The Force Awakens. The main body of the droid is the rough size and shape of a soccer ball, but a floating 'head' piece rests on the top of the robot as the ball rolls freely underneath. "It doesn't look like it should work. It does look like magic," Ryan said. A lifelong passion for electronics Ryan uses 3D printing to create the parts for his droids and hides an array of electronic components inside the robots to enable their various functions, from movement to sounds. He estimates the BB-8 cost more than $1,000 to build, a process which lasted a year and a half. However, he didn't have to develop the blueprints from the ground up. An online community of droid-builders share their plans so others can recreate and upgrade their own droids. Ryan developed an improved circuit board to reduce the mess of wires inside, and also add an MP3 audio player to reproduce the droids' sound effects. He then shared those board designs back to the group so future builders could benefit from his work. Ryan studied electronics in college after growing up tinkering with gadgets of all kinds. He now works as a software developer. Having grown up in the 1980s, Ryan said he has always been exposed to Star Wars, but it was the 2015 sequel trilogy that reignited his passion for the franchise. That's what linked him back to his passion for electronics. Droids more advanced than movie props Ryan's latest creation is known as a B2EMO. He said the build process was similar, since other builder-groups exist with pre-made plans that he could 3D print and program. However, this unit is a relatively new addition to the Star Wars franchise, so few other models exist. An added challenge is that, during the filming, the droids were often not functional at all. Instead, puppeteers manipulated the robots and were edited out of the shot in post-production. "In the case of BB-8, there was never one that was operated, like you see with mine. It's just, it's so complicated," said Ryan. "Anytime it encounters a bump, the head falls off." However, the film team did complete a functional, remote-controlled BB-8 prototype in time for the film's red carpet premiere. As someone with a successful build, many people take notice of Ryan and his BB-8 at fan conventions. The puppeteer who worked on the set of Star Wars met Ryan at Toronto Comicon, and used Ryan's droid for fan photos. Ryan also has a photo with his BB-8 and television personality Adam Savage. Ryan said he knows of two other droid-builders in the Sudbury area, but he suspects more may exist. Although Sudbury's Graphic-Con is often the best way to see Ryan's droids in person, the event was cancelled this summer. The next chance for the public to meet Ryan and his creations will be at Fan Expo in Toronto in August.
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
Canada Day celebrations in the U.S. take on a deeper meaning this year
On Canada Day, the Canadian community in Los Angeles will gather to celebrate at an art deco bar in Hollywood. A DJ will spin Cancon classics and the menu will feature poutine, Caesars and Moosehead. Unlike in past years, however, there will be no cover charge or photographer, in a bid to encourage as much attendance as possible. It will be a chance, organizers hope, for Canadian expats to commiserate after an often-stressful six months. 'It's about pulling everyone together and keeping everyone unified,' said Erin Buckley Burnett, president of Canadians Abroad of Southern California. 'We just want everyone to come to a safe place and talk and have a good time.' For many of the estimated 800,000 Canadians living across the U.S., the holiday has taken on added meaning with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. There are worries over visa renewals amid the horror stories of people with valid work permits getting thrown into immigration detention. There is the trade war. And there are Mr. Trump's '51st state' annexation threats. 'It definitely felt more important to do it this year and get Canadians together to, for lack of a better term, unify ourselves,' said Marty Seed, who organized his 19th Canada Fest in Atlanta last weekend. The event, held at a brewery, drew about 300 people with live music, kids street hockey and a poutine truck. New Brunswick Celtic folk-rockers Jason Martell and Corey MacDonald got the children up onstage to dance. 'I'd never seen so many families and kids attend. It was a great turnout. It was a great, fun day,' Mr. Seed said. Toronto-based Big Sugar had been scheduled to perform, he said, but the band had to pull out after his drummer couldn't get his U.S. performers visa processed on time. A computer programmer who lived in Halifax, Toronto and Ottawa before moving to the U.S. in 2000, Mr. Seed's prominence in the local expat network has meant he's received a lot of ribbing in recent months about his country being annexed. 'The humour didn't last too long for me, personally. It's like, okay, now you're being disrespectful,' he said. But the Americans he spoke to at Canada Fest took the opposite tack. 'They jokingly said, 'We apologize for how our president has been treating you.'' Within his circles, he has been advising people eligible for U.S. citizenship to apply for it, to have the best chance at avoiding immigration problems. One man Mr. Seed plays hockey with, for instance, has lived in the U.S. for 30 years but has chosen to remain on a green card. Even before Canada Day, the tidal wave of patriotism back home was washing across the border. When the Canadian Association of New York held an election-watch party in April – piping in a CBC feed – the venue was packed until after midnight, said Reena Bhatt, the group's vice-president. The event was at Terroir, a Tribeca wine bar owned by Toronto native Paul Grieco. Ms. Bhatt, a lawyer originally from Ottawa who has lived in the U.S.'s largest city for 25 years, said she believes Mr. Carney is 'the right person for this time,' given his level-headed demeanour and economic experience running Canada's and Britain's central banks. 'Are people experiencing the patriotism? I would say yes. I always have been. I feel very patriotic, and I am even prouder to be Canadian today given who's leading our country,' she said. The group is expecting its Canada Day party, at a bar overlooking the Hudson River in Manhattan, to sell out, as it does every year. The most official celebration in the U.S. will be that at the Canadian embassy in Washington on Tuesday. The host, Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, is leading Canada's talks with the Trump administration for a bilateral economic and security agreement. Arguably the most prominently located diplomatic outpost in the city, the embassy sits on Pennsylvania Avenue with sweeping views of the Capitol. The evening celebration will unfold on the building's front terrace, bringing a display of Canadian patriotism to the main street of U.S. political power. On top of these larger events put together by the Canadian government and sundry expat groups, Canadians across the U.S. will be marking the day with more casual celebrations. In Anchorage, Alaska, local Canadians will gather at a lake this Saturday to share food, play games and go canoeing. In Dallas, they will mark the occasion on Sunday with a DJ at an outdoor swimming pool. World Bank employees in Washington are planning a happy hour for Wednesday. They are all examples of the coming-together that Ms. Buckley Burnett is seeing in SoCal. Many expats feel uncomfortable talking about the situation in person but have reached out to her for phone chats. Others have joined protests in recent weeks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. A former political staffer at the Ontario provincial legislature, Ms. Buckley Burnett moved to the U.S. in 2014 with her American husband. She's settled in Santa Monica, Calif., where she works in the non-profit sector. The diversity in her adoptive city means that the Americans she knows have been supportive of their immigrant and expat neighbours. 'The overall sentiment here is that we're lucky we're in California, because everyone has been so welcoming and made us feel at home,' she said. 'In fact, they've been talking about opportunities to move to Canada.'
Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Globe and Mail
In town and in the country, two events raise funds to support the arts
Bruce Bailey's Canadian Fête Champêtre, June 7, Ontario Countryside Arts patron Bruce Bailey opened the gates to his county pile outside of Toronto on the afternoon of June 7 for the third edition of his Canadian Fête Champêtre, a daytime gathering that raises funds for the Montreal Museum of Fine Art. This year additional institutions including the Canadian Opera Company, Calgary's Glenbow Museum, the Israel Museum and the Pelee Island Bird Observatory were also on the receiving end of some of the money raised, which totalled $1.5-million. Rogers Communications Inc. was the presenting sponsor, with additional support from the Schulich Foundation, Hatch and David and Carol Appel. Per the invitation, which listed author Margaret Atwood as guest of honour, the theme was A Masked Ball or Un ballo in maschera (after Verdi's 1859 opera). Guests followed suit, with variations on Venetian masks made of feathers and flowers and even a theatrical papier-mâché bird. Performances and speeches were given in Bailey's hayloft, which was filled for the occasion with gilt ballroom chairs fixed toward members of the Canadian Opera Company orchestra (Bailey is a devoted patron). God Save the King was sung in addition to Canada's national anthem and later they performed alongside the always-impressive soprano Ambur Braid. Also taking to the planked stage of the hayloft were dancers from the National Ballet School. A cocktail lunch overseen once again by chef Cory Vitiello followed, with guests taking to various green corners and out buildings on the property for a casual afternoon. Lovely to see was an exhibition of works curated by and from the collection of Bailey, which were displayed on the first floor of his home. A monumental work sprawling the length of the drawing room by American artist Kerry James Marshall, who Bailey has long patronized, was a standout. OCAD University Gala, May 28, Toronto The previous week, OCAD University held its inaugural gala. The school, which has trained and fostered generations of artists since its founding in 1876, opened its site on McCaul Street for the occasion. Amy Burstyn Fritz, founder of tabletop brand Misette, and Jeff Hull, president of real estate development firm Hullmark, co-chaired the event, which was cozy by gala standards, with just a couple of hundred in attendance and a handful of key sponsors (including Christian Vermast of Sotheby's International Realty, host of yours truly). This was an intentional move, said the co-chairs during their remarks. They wanted to start small and hoped to grow the gathering in years to come. This year, the nearly $400,000 raised will establish student bursaries at the school to minimize the financial barriers that come with an art and design university education. Ana Serrano, president and vice-chancellor of the university, and Jaime Watt, chancellor, both spoke between courses to the important work being done at the school and the vital need for bursaries of this nature. It was a perfect segue to the live auction, where donated works by artists including Stanzie Tooth and Steve Driscoll, both OCAD U alum, were sold for the cause.
