Shift 2020

Join Professor Juliet Daniel and four outstanding Black Canadian scholars for a galvanizing discussion of the impact of race within the Canadian Academic and scientific community. Panelists include: Dr. Maydianne Andrade, Dr. Lisa Robinson, Dr. Kevin Hewitt, and Dr. Loydie Jerome-Majewska.

Multiple award-winning Anishinaabe artist and filmmaker Lisa Jackson (Biidaaban, Savage, Lichen, Suckerfish) introduces this online portal created as part of her monumental installation, Transmissions, due to be presented in Hamilton in early 2021.

View the Transmissions Expanded portal!

Dr. Vanessa Watts, Paul D. MacPherson Chair in Indigenous Studies, moderates a panel of Indigenous language speakers and cultural carriers to discuss how their ancestral language shapes their worldview and how they see this challenging time through that lens. Our current environmental and social crises have been described in apocalyptic terms, and Indigenous people have in many ways survived their own apocalypses since colonization. Indigenous futurism often refers to the idea that Indigenous cultures are not just of the past, but that these knowledge systems can provide guidance for the future.

2019 Polaris Award-winning performer, composer, activist, musicologist, Jeremy Dutcher performs for us direct from his home in Montreal. Jeremy Dutcher’s art, like his way of life and his music, transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day struggles of resistance.

COVID-19 has upended traditional methods of health care delivery and quickly redefined relationships between patients, providers and families. Today, we have an opportunity to develop a new ‘social contract’ for family caregivers.

Why would anyone build a luxury hotel in one of the most remote corners of the country? Visionary entrepreneur, environmentalist, and philanthropist, Zita Cobb discusses the vital importance and feasibility of building a localized, global economy. The founder of the award-winning Fogo Island Inn and the  Shorefast Foundation takes us through a model that is both unwaveringly specific and infinitely spreadable, holding relevance for communities worldwide

Margaret Atwood has been described as a ”buoyant doomsayer.” The author of The Handmaid’s Tale, however, describes herself as a realist: “Optimism means better than reality; pessimism means worse than reality. I’m a realist.” Join us for a lively discussion with one of Canada’s most respected authors, activists and thinkers.

Today’s job market is being impacted by automation, driving tasks away from people to automation and AI. It is also seeing new jobs being introduced daily.  This session highlights this development, and how we can best prepare for the future of jobs, making them more competitive in a world awash in artificial intelligence.

This panel discussion, featuring noted Sustainable Economist Tim Nash, explores the routes to divestment and reinvestment in green energy for McMaster University. The presentation will contextualize reinvestment within the divestment movement, attend to how it can be done, and discuss how you can help reshape McMaster University’s investments of Endowment funds.

Registration for this event is separate. Please click Learn More for registration link.

Native plants are critical to maintain the sensitive and beautiful ecosystems all around us. Learn about the importance of native plants, and how you can make a difference for our local environment by gardening with nature on your own property! 

Registration for this event is separate. Please click Learn More for registration link.

On the heels of Covid-19, the entire globe is facing another dilemma, that of climate change.  There is one leading answer, the global bioplan.  The parameters of this bioplan involve positive action from the entire human family. This talk will be moderated by Daniel Coleman PhD.

Factory Media Centre presents a curated screening of artist-made short films to watch on your cellphone! An intimate at-home viewing experience of local and regional creation developed over the past months speaks to the possibility of creation and artistic response in a time of new ‘normals’.

Tune in for sneak previews of four short scenes by cutting edge Hamilton-area BIPOC artists. Created by Hamilton indie theatres, Industry and Porch Light Theatre, The Garden Project is radical first step in fostering equity in Hamilton’s cultural scene awarded providing seed money allowing artists vital time to focus on creating new work.

These two outstanding public intellectuals and activists explore  Care and Repair: A Framework for Recovery  addressing the paths from the urgent crises of our time to a healthier, more sustainable and just future.

Creating a beautiful concert hall isn’t good enough anymore.  Hamilton needs cultural spaces that are aligned with the community and guided by values that see positive impact being made throughout the city.

On September 25, The Music Hall, a partnership between New Vision United Church and non-profit arts service organization Cobalt Connects, will launch its capital campaign entitled Do Well by Hamilton with a performance featuring Gareth Inkster, shn shn, Ellis and LTtheMonk.

A link to the concert will be posted on the website closer to the date.