Dis/Mantle Group Art Exhibits - Toronto History Museums - Spadina Museum

On the MOVE to the Dis/Mantle x Raptors VIP Event tonight! This is one of my 1st events after coming back from my trip. Although tonight is super hot but I appreciate the hot summer days in Toronto. This VIP event kickstarts this Dis/Mantle art exhibit that begins tonight (August 5, 2022) to December 31, 2022 at the Spadina Museum.

MoVernie FUN FACT: Did you know…..the word “Spadina” is pronounced as “Spa-dina”? Like, instead of “dine”, it should be “din”. Along, I always pronounce it as “Spa-dine-na”. But one of the City of Toronto staff told me, it should be pronounced as “Spa-DIN-na”. The word “Spadina” originate from an indigenious word and it means “Rise of the Hill”. Anyway, thought I wanted to share this fun fact with you!

As I told by one of the City of Toronto staff, she told me this Dis/Mantle art exhibit is open to the public during business hours from now til December 31, 2022. So, any Raptors fans or anyone who just luv arts can come and check it out.

I have to say, I didn’t know Spadina Museum existed until after I attended this event. It’s located right beside the famous castle “Casa Loma” but I just never heard about this place. This is why collaboration events such as this one between the City of Toronto and Toronto Raptors is such a good one, they cross-promote and cross-support each other, bringing different demographics to different variety of events.

Backgound INFO: Based on the Raptors invite, they provided a brief description of what “Dis/Mantle” program is about. “Dis/Mantle is a multi-sensory art experience featuring local artist Gordon Shadrach’s painted portraits of our favourite Toronto Raptors.

Dis/Mantle is the newest installation of the Lieutenant Governor’s award-winning Awakenings Program. Supported by the Toronto Raptors organization, the Awakenings Program was founded two years ago with a mission to engage Black, Indigenous, and artists of colour and seeks to engage communities in anti-colonial, anti-oppression narratives, and anti-racist practices.”

I was given a map (this place is quite big) to roam around different exhibit at my own pace and my own time, I like that! But first, the event provided us with food and drinking tickets. So, let me fill my tummy before enjoying all the art exhibits located throughout the property.

The food was being served in a very unique way, there was a bell ringer who rings the bell as he walks towards the food station. Followed behind him were 4 people holding up a massive wooden platter filled with all the delicious food. Then, they slowly dropped off the platter at the food station. Then, the bell ringer shouted “Dinner is served!” and the guests went towards the table to grab food. I came early so I managed to tried every food item without a crowd. But as guests slowly arriving, more people are trying to get the food. LOL

As for the bar, we were provided with drinking tickets. There was only one special cocktail being served, it’s sponsored by Ciroc and it’s called the Descendant, it’s based on the Ciroc Summer Citrus vodka. It was alright, super light alcohol content and the sugar rim just makes the drink messy. I actually prefer ice water and coke as the weather was super hot that I needed to stay hydrated.

After filling up my tummy with drinks and snack bites, it’s time for me to roam around and check out Dis/Mantle. This Spadina Museum has a beautiful botanical garden and apple trees, it’s so tranquil and relaxing. Then, there was a live band performance inside one of the rooms and then artwork are located all over the entire museum stretching from the basement to ground floor, to 2nd and 3rd floor. We got to learned more about this building and its history.

Without further adieu, let me share some of the photos of my outing at the Dis/Mantle x Raptors VIP Event. Click here to watch more Raptors artwork in another MoVernie BLOG here.

It’s very cool to see the Toronto Raptors collaborate with the City of Toronto to provide the platform for local artists to showcase their talent with their artwork. And by attending this event, I learned more about the programs that existed by the City of Toronto and I hope they continue to launch more programs and initiatives like this so it connects our local communities together along with our local talent. I honestly wouldn’t know about this Dis/Mantle, Awakenings programs or heard of the Toronto History Museums or Spadina Museum if I didn’t attend this event invited by the Toronto Raptors.