WORLD RELIGION DAY 2015: “Service: The Heartbeat of Community“
“Service: The Heartbeat of Community” is the theme of this year’s celebration of World Religion Day in Ottawa, to be held at City Hall on Sunday, January 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. All are welcome at the event. Music by Bruno AR and the Congolese Christian Choir will be featured.
“We strive, in our communities, to enact the age-old call to compassion, to find ways in which service to others overcomes a narrow concern for our own well-being,” says Linda Uhryniuk, member of the event organizing team. “This is faith in action. This is what keeps us good and green and growing.”
Ms. Uhryniuk says that service is its own reward: “By participating in the betterment of our society or extending our hands to help those in need, our own hearts and minds expand, and it brings new life to the spiritual communities we hold dear.”
This year’s World Religion Day celebration recognizes and honours the many paths of service inspired by each person’s faith and how they lead to strength and solidarity within and beyond their own communities.
The program includes:
- Welcome and proclamation of World Religion Day by Mayor Jim Watson
- An aboriginal blessing
- Devotional music by Bruno AR
- A panel discussion with members of Hindu, Muslim, Mormon, Christian and Baha’i communities on “Service: The Heartbeat of Community”
- A choral reading of diverse religious scriptures by members of Ottawa’s faith communities, and
- Spirited music by the Congolese Christian Choir.
What: WORLD RELIGION DAY 2015
When: Sunday, January 18, 2015, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: Jean Piggott Place, Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa
Theme: Service: The Heartbeat of Community
For further information please contact:
Jay Howden jay.howden@gmail.com home: 613-255-4994 mobile: 613-262-8427
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Tuesday, January 20, 2015, 11:00 am -12:30 pm
Feng Shui master Ingrid Hauck will be making a presentation on “Feng Shui and the Baha’i Faith” on at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur. Devotions start at 11:00 am, followed by the presentation at 11:30, and a Brown Bag Lunch & Discussion at noon. Coffee & tea provided. All welcome.
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Book Launch: “The Sea Replied”, Selected poems of Damian Firth
Saturday, October 25, Ottawa Baha’i Centre
The Ottawa Creative Writers’ Group invites you to a book launch of The Sea Replied, poetry by Damian Firth (1941-2013).,. There will be a musical interlude with guitarist Sacha Bourdeau as well as refreshments to cap the evening. Free, all welcome.
Note from Jack McLean:
“Treasures lie hidden beneath the throne of God; the key to those treasures is the tongue of poets.” The Bab, quoting an Islamic tradition to Mulla Husayn, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 258.
Dear Friends in Ottawa,
Some of you on this list will have met our close friend, Damian Firth. Those of you who did,
quiet ways, his humility, his sense of humour and his wisdom. He said that he practiced all religions without being a member of any one.
Through a profound spiritual transformation and meditative practice, Damian left behind the miserable life of an alcoholic as he attested, and became a noble and loveable human being. Among his qualities and talents, Damian was a superb poet who crafted short, evocative imagist poems that always found their mark.
None of us in the writers’ group suspected that it would take Damian’s death to realize his desire to have his poems published.
Del Carrie has done a superb job with the graphic design. Sylvie Nantais and Jim Desson, co-editors, spent long hours collecting Damian’s poems and arranging them for this special memorial edition. Del, Sylvie and Jim have achieved a standard that is nothing short of professional.
Please join us at the above-mentioned time and place, to remember Damian. Prepare to be moved by his poetic renderings of the human journey. For those who would like to purchase The Sea Replied, the collection will on sale for the modest price of $10.00 dollars.
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Concert by Bruno AR and Friends
Saturday evening, October 18, 7:30 p.m. Ottawa Baha’i Centre
CDs available, all welcome, no admission charge. Pot-luck refreshments appreciated.
Check out this great article about Bruno’s Sellout Concert at CD Launch of “Celestial Mosaic” at http://www.bahai-ottawa.org/
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Refresh and Gladden lunch-time gatherings
The Fall series of lunchtime gatherings begins on Tuesday, September 23, and features a presentation by Jay Howden. His intriguing topic is “Where are we exactly? Identity and Disorientation” Jay has been a Baha’i since his youth. He been, at various times, in his life a high school teacher, speech writer, blogger and coach. His love of language is reflected in all that he does.
We begin at 11:30am with a short devotional program, followed by the presentation at 12:00 noon. About 12:30, when the presentation ends, we get together for lunch and discussion. Please bring your own lunch – coffee and tea are provided.
Our schedule for this Fall:
Tuesday, September 23: Where Are We Exactly? Identity and Disorientation
Presenter: Jay Howden
Tuesday, September 30: The Education of Children Presenter: Brooke Talisman
Tuesday, October 7: Huququ’llah: The Right of God Presenter: Parvin Rowhani
Tuesday, October 14: Teaching the Baha’i Faith through Music Presenters: Ron and Juanita Perry
Tuesday, October 21: Understanding Beauty and Perfection in our Daily Lives Presenter: Louise Profeit-LeBlanc
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Film Screening: “Luminous Journey: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in America
Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, 7:15 p.m., Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur
Please arrive on time. Due to the length of the film please arrive at 7:15 so that we can start at 7:30 sharp. The screening is free and all are welcome. We look forward to seeing you and your friends.
If you missed it the first time, please save the date for a second film screening of “Luminous Journey: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in America, 1912” at the Baha’i Centre on Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
It’s the first in a series of monthly arts events coming up at the Baha’i Centre over the next several months. The film will be advertised on community bulletin boards so we hope that there may be interest from the larger community. Please invite your friends to this high-quality historical documentary.
Description: At the age of 67, having lived much of His life as a prisoner and an exile in Persia, Iraq, Turkey and Palestine, ‘Abdu’l-Baha travelled across the United States and to Montreal for 239 days. With a message of universal peace, the unity of East and West, racial harmony, gender equality, and a visionary view of America’s future, captivating all strata of American society. He encountered thousands of people while traveling from coast to coast, attracting the notice of the press and imbuing America with a new sense of its destiny. Free. For more information and to see the trailer please visit http://www.luminousjourney.org/
The film was produced by Anne Gordon Perry and Tim Perry, Baha’is from Texas.
Anne Gordon Perry, PhD Aesthetic Studies, teaches at the Art Institute of Dallas. Co-producer and primary scriptwriter of the film, Luminous Journey, she has also recently published a new edition of “Green Acre on the Piscataqua, a book about the history of a New England conference center. She has long been active promoting the arts at the Association for Baha’i Studies.
Tim Perry, video producer/director, has worked over 30 years as a media professional in Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas and worked full time for over a year on Luminous Journey as its co-producer, director, and editor.
Please arrive on time. Due to the length of the film please arrive at 7:15 so that we can start at 7:30 sharp. The screening is free and all are welcome. We look forward to seeing you and your friends.
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Caridad Cruz – Color Esperanza Concert, National Arts Centre, Friday, Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Chelsea Baha’i Caridad Cruz will be having another fabulous performance at the NAC on Sept. 5.
Caridad Cruz with the Miguel De Armas Latin Jazz Quartet and Cuban friends
Date: Friday September 5, 2014; Time: 7:30 pm Address: National Arts Centre, 53 Elgin St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1 Tickets: $25.00
Info/Reservations: National Arts Centre (613) 947-7000 http://nac-cna.ca/en/community/event/9918 Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1455085048075543/
Description: Caridad Cruz is one of the most exciting performers on the Ottawa scene today. Steeped in Afro-Cuban culture from an early age and with a formal musical education in her native country, she made a career as a principal singer in Cuba’s tourist hotels and night clubs for more than a decade, until marriage brought her to Canada in late 2003. Her Canadian musical debut the following spring was broadcast nationally by the CBC and her “warm ocean of a voice” was applauded in the Globe and Mail. Since then she has excited and mesmerized audiences with her own special mix of salsa, Latin jazz and traditional Cuban songs, in Toronto, Montreal, New York and all around Ottawa. “Havana native Caridad Cruz packs a powerful punch,” pronounced The Ottawa Citizen. “To really appreciate Caridad Cruz’s music, you have to see her perform live.” Be prepared at some point in the evening to be out of your seat and up on your feet! Havana-born keyboard colossus Miguel De Armas also makes Ottawa his adopted home. A founding member of one of the most influential Cuban bands of the late 20th century, Miguel has recorded over fifty albums and collaborated with renowned Cuban artists like Chucho Valdés, Los Van Van, Pablo Milanés and Compay Segundo. Since arriving here in late 2011, Miguel has been rapidly building a Canadian following with numerous musical projects, including his flagship Miguel De Armas Latin Jazz Quartet. The level of talent has to be seen to be believed.
Caridad Cruz with: MDA Latin Jazz Quartet: Miguel De Armas – piano Michel Medrano – drums Arien Villegas– congas Marc Decho – bass Also: Roberto Jerez – violin & vocals César Ricardo – guitar & vocals www.caridadcruz.com
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Art by Milook Aqiqi featured at the Fireside Gallery in July and August 2014
As an artist Milook has produced many works of sculpture and many paintings; she has also developed, implemented, and coordinated art programmes locally, nationally, and internationally. The last few years Milook has communicated her visual art through mixed media combining a wide range of traditional mediums with a variety of other materials. She says “it permits a great involvement between me and the viewer to uncover the various layers and material I used to express a social statement and to translate emotions into images.” Milook uses different combinations of media and variable composition, vivid and rich colors on erratic textures to symbolize the emotional and physical impact and gives the eye a feast of joy to last.
Through abstract mixed media art, Milook have been expressing her ideas by connecting natural surroundings with her spiritual feelings as solitary dialogue to depict rather mystical vision. She uses a glass-like multiple layers of resin to amplify the lucidity of the painting and entice the viewer into her art.
Sister to Sister
I know how hurt you may
When a sentence is convey
If people choose to stay away
When no solution, nothing to say
With your strength we can achieve deceleration
With friendship we can prevent your isolation
With love and enormous appreciation
With hope let us celebrate your affirmation
Sister share with me your grief memories
Speak to me without straining your adversaries
We feel for you and value your steadfast and braveries
We are here announcing to the world your documentaries
Dance of the Martyr
Unceasing and everlasting whirl of gown kept up eternally
Until the advent of a new era announced and accepted faithfully
Sufferer for a precious cause seeking justice and freedom
Sacrificing own self by drinking the chalice of martyrdom
We sacrifice our existence and all possession
We are faithful servant of Baha’i identification
We await His great bounties through mystical adoration
We honor the spiritual connection to Baha’u’llah with anticipation
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Free “Introduction to Painting” workshops April 5 to June 10 with Paul Saindon
Visual artist, Paul Saindon, is giving a one-hour “Introduction to Painting” workshop at various branches of the Ottawa Public Library (please consult following schedule). The workshop, for which there is no charge, will include an overview of techniques and equipment required for studio and plein air painting, an outline of important current painting concepts and common errors to avoid, some take-home references and resources for participants to continue exploration of the subject. Most workshops will be in English; the Cumberland one on June 3 rd will be in French.
Paul Saindon, artiste visuel, donnera un atelier d’une heure intitulé “Introduction à la peinture” aux succursales de la bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa (voir horaire ci-dessous). L’atelier, qui vous est offerte gratuitement, inclu un survol des techniques et de l’équipement requis pour faire de la peinture en studio ou bien en plein air, une énumération des idées directrices importantes ainsi que des erreurs communes à éviter, une liste de ressources et de références afin que les participants puissent explorer le sujet à leur guise. La présentation du 3 juin à Cumberland sera donnée en français.
| Date | Succursale de la bibliothèque / Library Branch | Adresse/Address | Heure/Time |
| March 27 mars | Greely | 1448 Meadow Dr | 7-8 pm |
| April 5 avril | Nepean Centrepointe | 101 Centrepointe Dr | 11 am-12 |
| April 9 avril | Alta Vista | 2516 Alta Vista Dr | 7-8 pm |
| April 16 avril | Blackburn Hamlet | 199 Glen Park | 6:30-7:30 pm |
| May 15 mai | Emerald Plaza | 1547 Merivale | 6-7 pm |
| May 22 mai | Sunnyside | 1049 Bank | 7-8 pm |
| May 26 mai | Carlingwood | 281 Woodroffe | 6:30-7:30 pm |
| May 31 mai | Greenboro | 363 Lorry Greenberg Dr | 2-3 pm |
| June 3 juin | Cumberland (en français) | 1599 Tenth Line Rd | 14h-15h |
| June 10 juin | Ruth E. Dickinson | 100 Malvern | 7-8 pm |
Junior Youth Art Gallery
August 1, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., Greenboro Community Centre
Currently there is a camp taking place for the junior youth in the Greenboro area. The theme for this camp is ‘media’, and as a service project the youth have decided to present an art gallery in order to showcase what they have learned throughout the week. The art gallery will be held at the Greenboro Community Center this coming Friday August 1st, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
If any friends could come and join us at the gallery to support the initiatives of the junior youth in our sector that would be wonderful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Saba Foroughi: 613-315-9990.
The Champions of Justice Camp Coordinating Team
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Canada Day concert at Baha’i Centre
La communauté baha’ie d’Ottawa vous présente un concert plein air avec Tine Rufaro Marimba Band! https://www.facebook.com/groups/90781250558/
The Ottawa Baha’i Community presents a free outdoor concert with the Tine Rufaro Marimba Band! https://www.facebook.com/groups/90781250558/
spiritual connection to Baha’u’llah with anticipation
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Song of Spring in the Studio: A showing and sale of paintings by Joyce Frances Devlin. May 31, June 1st, 7th and 8th, 2014
7590 Dwyer Hill Road, Burritt’s Rapids, ON
See Joyce’s interview with CTV at http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=373419
Joyce Frances Devlin is a prolific local Baha’i artist known for her vibrantly coloured paintings, creating what she calls “interior landscapes”: spiritually metaphorical images of birds and flowers as well as the juxtaposition of abstract collage with landscape imagery.
“There is so much beauty in the ordinary places that few would notice,” she says.
Her artistic education includes an Emily Carr Scholarship in 1954; two years Post Graduate Study in London, Florence and Rome, as well as classical mural design at the Royal West of England College of Architecture, Bristol. She was a Scholarship student from 1950 to 1954 at the Vancouver School of Art, graduating with Honours.
She has had selected solo exhibitions in Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg, Merrickville, Kemptville, as well as in London, England. She has taken part in group exhibitions in the United States, the United Kingdom and in prestigious galleries throughout Canada. Her work is favoured by serious collectors and is represented in many major public and corporate collections. As well, she has had selected commission works by the University of Ottawa, McMaster University, the Senate of Canada, The federal Court Commission and many others.
Joyce Frances Devlin lives and works in Merrickville, Ontario. To see Joyce’s stunning paintings please visit: http://www.galleryperth.com/Devlin.htm.
Read more about Joyce on our Artists’ Profiles page.
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Free “Introduction to Painting” workshops April 5 to June 10 with Paul Saindon
Visual artist, Paul Saindon, is giving a one-hour “Introduction to Painting” workshop at various branches of the Ottawa Public Library (please consult following schedule). The workshop, for which there is no charge, will include an overview of techniques and equipment required for studio and plein air painting, an outline of important current painting concepts and common errors to avoid, some take-home references and resources for participants to continue exploration of the subject. Most workshops will be in English; the Cumberland one on June 3 rd will be in French.
Paul Saindon, artiste visuel, donnera un atelier d’une heure intitulé “Introduction à la peinture” aux succursales de la bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa (voir horaire ci-dessous). L’atelier, qui vous est offerte gratuitement, inclu un survol des techniques et de l’équipement requis pour faire de la peinture en studio ou bien en plein air, une énumération des idées directrices importantes ainsi que des erreurs communes à éviter, une liste de ressources et de références afin que les participants puissent explorer le sujet à leur guise. La présentation du 3 juin à Cumberland sera donnée en français.
| Date | Succursale de la bibliothèque / Library Branch | Adresse/Address | Heure/Time |
| March 27 mars | Greely | 1448 Meadow Dr | 7-8 pm |
| April 5 avril | Nepean Centrepointe | 101 Centrepointe Dr | 11 am-12 |
| April 9 avril | Alta Vista | 2516 Alta Vista Dr | 7-8 pm |
| April 16 avril | Blackburn Hamlet | 199 Glen Park | 6:30-7:30 pm |
| May 15 mai | Emerald Plaza | 1547 Merivale | 6-7 pm |
| May 22 mai | Sunnyside | 1049 Bank | 7-8 pm |
| May 26 mai | Carlingwood | 281 Woodroffe | 6:30-7:30 pm |
| May 31 mai | Greenboro | 363 Lorry Greenberg Dr | 2-3 pm |
| June 3 juin | Cumberland (en français) | 1599 Tenth Line Rd | 14h-15h |
| June 10 juin | Ruth E. Dickinson | 100 Malvern | 7-8 pm |
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The ART and POETRY of John Dickie, April and May 2014
Artwork on exhibit in the “Fireside Gallery”, Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur Ave.
Samples of Poetic Tidbits that landed during March 2014
You will never see
The light of day
Until you’ve felt
The heart of darkness
Red is the colour of birth unrehearsed
screamin’ for an extension of our souls
Breathe in the fire of life
let it consume you
reproduce you
into an eternal wave
*** See another story about John on the “News and Events” page: “Skywalkers, Mystics and Dreamers,” You Tube video by Ottawa Baha’is receives honorable mention
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Invitation to the 12th Day of Ridvan Celebration
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Video montage, “The Revelation in the Black Pit” by Neil Macmillan
Saturday 3 May 2014 at 7:30 pm Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur Avenue
The focus of this presentation is the Person of Bahá’u’lláh, as depicted in a 35-minute video montage of a live multimedia performance in dance, video, acting, photography and music about the circumstances of His Revelation in the Black Pit (dungeon prison) of Tehran in 1852.
The presentation will be followed by discussion and light refreshments.
For more information please contact uhryniukli@gmail.com
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Fiona Armstrong Cello Recital
Tuesday, April 15, 7:00 p.m.
Perez Hall, 50 Perez Private, University of Ottawa
All welcome, Free Admission
Ottawa Baha’i cellist Fiona Armstrong will give the first official recital of her undergraduate degree, performing works by Bach and Myaskovsky with pianist Frédéric Lacroix. All are welcome. The 35-minute repertoire will be:
J.S. Bach – Viola da Gamba Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029
I. Vivace
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
Nikolai Myaskovsky – Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante cantabile
III. Allegro con spirito
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Refresh & Gladden Series IX to April 15
A Series of Lunchtime Gatherings with the purpose of reciting the Holy Writings, exploring topics of interest and sharing our thoughts as we share food together.
The Ottawa Baha’i Centre
211 McArthur Avenue, Vanier, Ontario
Tuesdays @ 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
11:30 a.m. Devotions, 12:00 p.m. Presentation, 12:30 p.m. Lunch and Discussion
Tuesday, April 1: Presenter, John Moore
Topic: How the Gospels Fit into the Baha’i Faith
Tuesday, April 8: Presenter, Sylvie Nantais
Topic: From the Mouths of Angels: Arias that sing the Soul
Tuesday, April 15: Presenter, Milook Aqiqi
Topic: The Art of Norval Morriseau
Please bring your lunch, coffee & tea provided
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Pauline Irving Art Exhibit
To March 31, 2014, Vernissage on March 30, 1:30 p.m. Baha’i Centre “Fireside Gallery”
Fireside Gallery, Ottawa Baha’i Centre
All welcome, Free admission
Pauline Irving started painting as a hobby in 1986. She first painted in oils under her maiden name of Pauline Flinn. One of her paintings is the large oil painting of flowers which is on loan to the Baha’i Center and hangs in the stairwell. In the early 2000’s she switched to watercolors and continues to paint in watercolor whenever time and motivation allow. Her shift to this new medium was influenced by two factors. First, she became concerned about painting with oils in unvented areas. Secondly, and most importantly, she was drawn to watercolors by the beautiful work done by her husband’s cousin, Linda Barkhouse.
Since making the switch to watercolors, Pauline has tended mainly toward painting flowers, although she feels the watercolor work that best illustrates the techniques of watercolor is a painting of a small red boat anchored in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia (above). In oils, she was drawn to painting textures, snow scenes, doorways and windows. Her work in oils also included flowers. What she considers to be her best work in oils is a snow scene with trees laden with snow set against the background of the setting sun.
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Invitation to Baha’i New Year’s Celebration
March 20, 2014: Doors open 8:00 p.m., program starts at 8:30
St. Elias Centre, 750 Ridgewood Ave. , Ottawa
All welcome
The Baha’is of Ottawa and their friends warmly invite everyone to join us for our New Year’s celebration on March 20. You can look forward to a wonderful arts program, refreshments, and Persian and western music and dancing.
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Refresh and Gladden: A series of Lunchtime Gatherings with the purpose of reciting Holy Writings, exploring topics of interest and sharing our thoughts as we share food together.
Ottawa Bahá’i Centre, 211 McArthur Ave., Tuesdays, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
11:30 am: Prayers and Readings; 12 noon: Presentation; 12:30 pm: Lunch and Discussion
Please bring your lunch – coffee & tea provided
Tuesday, January 21:
Why Should I Become a Bahá’i? Presenter: David Smith
Tuesday, January 28:
On Being a New Bahá’i Presenter: Carol Gravelle
Tuesday, February 4:
The Family Story: Yours, Mine and Ours Presenter: Sherri Yazdani
Tuesday, February 11:
The Art of Norval Morrisseau Presenter: Milook Aqiqi
Tuesday, February 18:
A Brief Overview of Books by and/or about Bahá’is in Canada Presenter: Linda O’Neil
Tuesday, February 25:
From the Mouths of Angels: Arias that Sing Presenter: Sylvie Nantais
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Artists, Architects & Artisans: Canadian Art 1890-1918
National Art Gallery, till February 2
Yesterday, I went to the National Art Gallery to see an exhibit titled Artists, Architects & Artisans: Canadian Art 1890-1918, and to my very pleasant surprise, discovered that two people who are extensively covered in this exhibition of paintings, sculpture, textiles, arts and crafts, blueprints, drawings, furniture and architectural design plans are William Sutherland Maxwell and his brother Edward, who had their own architectural firm in Montreal. A very young W.S. Maxwell can be seen in photos as well, since he was a member (and 1st president of the Pen and Pencil Club, a club for artists), the Renaissance Club and other artistic and architectural organizations. He even designed government buildings for Wellington Street here in Ottawa but the plans were never realized.
I would recommend anyone who has a love of Canadian art and architecture and who wants to know a little bit more about the stupendous talents of this Hand of the Cause to go and see it. You won’t be disappointed. The exhibit runs until February 2.
~ Sylvie Nantais
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Two Book Launches Coming Up!
Book Launch: “An Uncommon Canadian: The Story of Fred Graham” by Dale Sims
Ottawa Baha’i Centre: Saturday, November 30 at 7:15, program starts at 7:30
211 McArthur Avenue, Vanier
About the book: Fred Graham was a man of humble beginnings who met trials and tests with an indomitable spirit and emerged as one of the foremost Canadian Baha’i servants in the time following the turmoil of the Great Depression and the Second World War. In the words of the Universal House of Justice, Fred Graham became a “devoted servant,” an “inspiring teacher” and an “exemplary believer”.
Copies will be available for sale and signed by the author. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Heather Harvey at centremanager@bahai-ottawa.org 613-742-8250.
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Book Launch: “Pages from a Prairie Saga” by Beth McKenty
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2:00-4:00 p.m.,
The Palisades Retirement Home, 480 Metcalfe St. at O’Connor Ave.
Please join author and Ottawa community member Beth McKenty as she reads from her new book, Pages from a Prairie Saga. The story is told through the eyes of a preschool age daughter and a large farm family.
Here’s a taste:
It’s the last day of July, a bright perfect day for harvesting a crop. The flat, though sometimes rolling land in southern Man, chosen in 1880 by an underage, hopeful settler from Ontario, later home for almost the first six years of my life, refuses to be forgotten.
Only now, seven decades later, is the focus real, the debt accepted, my heart acknowledging it to be immeasurable. ‘Timelines are blurring, exact details no longer important, just the urgent longing to say across the years, “I would not change a day of the journey.”
About the author:
Returning to her Canadian roots after 15 years teaching English in Arizona, China, Japan, and Sakhalin Island, Beth pioneered to Nunavut. There she started a painting project, “The Arctic Youth Art initiative,” which has reached youth in many Inuit settlements and led to her winning a Governor-General’s “Caring Canadian” award.
The reading will be followed by a book signing and sales with refreshments courtesy of The Palisades.
Please mark your calendars and share this invitation with friends on your email lists.
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Vernissage: Photo art exhibit by Stephen Thirlwall, Nov. 17, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur St.
Sunday, November 17, 2013, 2:00-4:00 pm.
Stephen is presenting a series of visually thrilling and thought provoking images in an exhibition entitled Myriad reflections on the automobile. The main series of photos runs at the Baha’i Centre from November 9 through to the end of December, 2013. However, please note that at the Vernissage, there will be many more photos displayed, as well as a chance to hear about the methods used and ask questions of the artist.
To enhance the atmosphere of this event, there will also be original music playing composed and recorded by Del Carry. Light refreshments will be served.
The exhibition, with its theme of “Myriad reflections on the automobile,” is not so much about cars or trucks, but rather it deals with the collage of reflections – images, colours, patterns, and textures – seen on, through, and around the surfaces of the automobile in each photo. In some of the photos, you will even have trouble recognizing that there is a car there at all. These are digital photos but none have been manipulated on the computer. Instead, they are studies of perception and visioning.
All of you who come are also invited to “take in” the photos in whatever way you want — as a personal meditation; a social commentary; an artistic study; or just one moment captured in time that shows something interesting, mysterious, or beautiful. Please take your time and visit each one and give it a moment of reflection. Together we will gain a myriad of reflections.
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Film Premiere: “The Gardener”
November 8-12, 2013
The Bytowne Theatre, 325 Rideau St., (613) 789-FILM
Ottawa will be the first city in Canada to host a theatrical screening of the film The Gardener” at The Bytowne Theatre, November 8-12.
The film was produced and directed by acclaimed Persian filmmaker Mohsen Makmalba, who also made “Kandarhar”. It was filmed in the Baha’i gardens in Haifa, as well as in other significant holy places in Israel.
The film has wide appeal, being of interest to those who have connections to Israel, those who enjoy Persian films, as well as those who enjoy exploration of spiritual matters.
A film the NY Times calls “intimate, discursive” and Variety “entertaining and engaging.” Watch the trailer: www.thegardenerfilm.com
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/222444804576666
Synopsis
The Gardener is a poetic film about the relevancy of religion in today’s world, told from two distinct perspectives represented by the director/Makhmalbaf himself and cinematographer/son Maysam as they travel to explore this question as Iranians in Israel.
The film follows a gardener from Papa New Guinea as he explains the Baha’i Faith, a religion that these filmmakers were deprived of learning about and given a misrepresented
While the father follows the gardener to understand who he is and why he is there, the son rejects the concept of religion all together and goes out to explore the sacred sites of Christians, Jews and Muslims of Jerusalem.
Together, they question one another on many current-day controversial subjects and leave the audience to reflect and find a satisfying and personal answer for themselves.
Bytowne Review
The Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf opens The Gardener with the declaration: ‘I am an agnostic filmmaker.’ From anyone else, this might seem like a simple statement, but not from the complex Mr. Makhmalbaf. In 1974, when he was 17, religious and involved in a guerrilla group, he stabbed a policeman.
He went on to become a filmmaker and restaged the attack in A Moment Of Innocence. In that re-creation, though, the assault doesn’t end with one Iranian shooting another, but with a flower and bread supplanting the gun and knife.
That symbolically freighted flower is multiplied a thousand-fold in The Gardener. An intimate, discursive inquiry into religious belief that opens to include questions about cinema, the movie is largely set within the perimeters of the astonishing Baha’i gardens.
Holy sites for the Baha’i faith in the Israeli cities of Haifa and Acre, the gardens serve as shrines to the Baha’i prophets. As such they’re kaleidoscopic manifestations of belief, affirmations that have been realized in meticulous, geometric arrangements of hundreds of plants – including towering pines, bright blooms, luscious succulents and gnarled olive trees – and that are intersected by coloured paths.
It’s fitting that Mr. Makhmalbaf makes his entrance in the movie on one such path, dressed in dark clothes, accompanied by a second man, his son, Maysam Makhmalbaf, who wears a light-colored jacket.
They’re lugging camera equipment that they will soon use to digitally record the garden, some other visitors and each other during a dialectical exchange on religion, with the elder Makhmalbaf ostensibly arguing on behalf of faith and the younger man more or less presenting the opposing view.
Like the movie, the discussion is soothing, civilized and quietly touching, and because the Baha’i continue to be persecuted in Iran it’s also inherently political.
Although he folds in some archival material, Mr. Makhmalbaf pointedly steers clear of contemporary policies and politics and instead focuses on a few Baha’i believers, including Ririva Eona Mabi, a gardener from Papua New Guinea whose mellow words and manner verge on the otherworldly.
There’s also a woman, an educator of some kind, who’s seen running about with her pink shawl fluttering behind her, an image that’s so embarrassingly goofy and so nakedly sincere that you may feel ashamed for your unkind thoughts, which may be the point.
In July, Mr. Makhmalbaf traveled to the Jerusalem Film Festival with the movie, prompting the head of Iran’s official cinema organization both to denounce him for falling ‘into the arms of the occupier, the murderous Zionist regime’ and to call on the state cinema museum to remove his awards.
The outrage that his visit provoked may seem to have little to do with The Gardener, but to separate the movie from its maker and his history would be a mistake.
Mr. Makhmalbaf’s radical tolerance is itself an act of political defiance. Given this, it’s worth considering that the English word ‘paradise’ originates in the Persian one for enclosure, pairidaeza. – Manolha Dargis, The New York Times
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All are welcome at our next holy day celebration.
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Musical Introduction to the Baha’i Faith by Rose-Marie Peterson
Friday, October 4, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur Avenue
Rose-Marie Peterson, musician/singer/composer from Peterborough, Ont., returns to Ottawa to offer a fireside using Baha’i sacred Writings set to her compositions. This will be an uplifting and inspiring event. All are welcome.
To hear a sample of Rose-Marie’s CD Intone please click on http://rosemariepeterson.bandcamp.com/ .
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Sky-watching
~in search of the sacred~
A photo exhibit by Barbara Pope
(Land Meets Sky)
September 19, 2013 to October 31, 2013
Ottawa Baha’i Faith Information Centre and Bookstore
211 McArthur Avenue, Ottawa
Monday to Friday 11 – 4 and weekends 12 – 3
My first understanding of the sacred belongs to my childhood. Memories of visiting grandparents go hand in hand with Saskatchewan skies. Recalling being held in the arms of my father as he stood in the middle of my grandfather’s fields, I think of the skyline first, a panoramic horizon of maturing wheat set against the vast expanse of blue. Staring at those skies, I still remember being awe-struck with an awareness of something greater than myself. From that time forward, back at home in Ontario, I would steal away time whenever I could in my mother’s rock garden and surrounded by her lillies of the valley stare with wonder up at the sky.
Capturing photos for Sky-watching began when I moved to Barrhaven and unexpectedly discovered its skies, the familiar and comforting heavens from my childhood hovering above what remains of its farmer’s fields or what once was. All but one of these images are from this suburb. Photographing each one has been part of a joyful journey of recapturing a special sense of the sacred that surrounds me every day. ~ Barbara Pope.
(Fallowfield II)
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All are welcome to a:
Film Screening: LUMINOUS JOURNEY, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Journey to America
Baha’i Centre: Fri. Sept 20, 7:00 p.m.
Free. 150 minutes with intermission. Suitable for ages 10 and up.
Refreshments will be served.
Click on poster to enlarge.
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REFRESH AND GLADDEN Gatherings
A series of Lunchtime Gatherings with the purpose of reciting Holy Writings, exploring topics of interest and sharing our thoughts as we share food together – (Series VII)
Where: Ottawa Baha’i Centre
When: Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
11:30 am: Prayers and Readings
12 noon: Presentation
12:30pm: Lunch and discussion
Please bring your lunch – coffee and tea provided
Tuesday, September 17: Shoghi Effendi: Guardian of the Baha’i Faith Presenter: David Smith
Tuesday, September 24: Awakening: History of the Babi and Baha’i Faith in Nayriz Presenter: Jack McLean (book review)
Tuesday, October 1: Teaching at the Forbidden University Presenter: Phyllis Perrakis
Tuesday, October 8: Meditation Presenter: Maury Miloff
Tuesday, October 15: Aboriginal Spirituality and the Baha’i Faith Presenter: Victoria Boucher
Tuesday, October 22: Bright Glass of the Heart: Elder Voices on Faith Presenter: Wendy James (book review)
Tuesday, October 29: Gender Equity Presenter: Del Carry
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September 7th, 2013
Caridad Cruz, Latin Jazz singer
National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage, 7:30 p.m.
$25 at NAC or Ticketmaster
Caridad, a Baha’i who lives in Chelsea, is well known in the region having performed several times at the Ottawa Jazz festival, and many venues throughout the Outaouais, etc.
“Accompanied by the Miguel De Armas Latin Jazz Quartet, Havana native Caridad Cruz packs a powerful punch. To really appreciate her music, you must see her perform live”.
~ NAC review.
To learn more about Caridad and her music, please see the Artist Profile page.
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Reading by Baha’i author Heather Cardin from her new book:
The Bright Glass of the Heart: Elder Voices on Faith
Tuesday, August 13th, 2013, 7:30pm
Ottawa Baha’i Centre
211 McArthur Avenue, Ottawa
Free, All are welcome. Accessible.
Heather Cardin’s new book is an inspiring collection of personal stories of elder Bahá’ís whose commitment and service laid the foundations of the Bahá’í Faith around the world.
That most precious of gifts is attainment unto His unfailing guidance, that the inner reality of humankind should become as a niche to hold this lamp; and when the scattering splendours of this light do beat against the bright glass of the heart, the heart’s purity maketh the beams to blaze out even stronger than before, and to shine in glory on the minds and souls of men. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
We are living the future that the elders envisioned when they, themselves, were young. What was that vision? What did they do to make it a reality? What made them adopt a new religion, perhaps in the face of opposition from family and friends, and spend the rest their lives serving it? What insights can they offer to inspire rising generations?
These are the questions Heather Cardin asked elder Bahá’ís around the world. She invited them to share their stories of how and why they became Bahá’ís, their adventures as they lived a new life, often far from their homes, and what the Bahá’í Faith has meant to them.
These are the authentic, powerful voices of elder people as they look back on their many years as Bahá’ís helping lay the foundation of the Faith in different parts of the world, and as they look forward to their role in the 21st century.
Copies will be available for sale and to be signed by Heather Cardin
For more information contact: centremanager@bahai-ottEawa.org
The Bright Glass of the Heart: Elder Voices on Faith.
Edited and compiled by Heather Cardin, published by George Ronald
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ART EXHIBITION BY JANE MACMILLAN
The Green Door Restaurant, July 1-27, 198 Main St., Ottawa
Come out and see some wonderful paintings by Cornwall Baha’i artist Jane McMillan.
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TINE RUFARO MARIMBA BAND AT ALMONTE HERBFEST
Sunday, 28 July 2013, 9:00 – 9:45 .a.m. For more information please visit http://www.herbfest.ca/line-up/
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CANADA DAY FREE CONCERT WITH THE TINE RUFARO MARIMBA BAND
OTTAWA BAHA’I CENTRE, 211 McARTHUR, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
OUTDOOR PATIO AND PARKING LOT
Please join the Ottawa Baha’is for a free outdoor concert to celebrate Canada Day. Come out to enjoy the upbeat, danceable rhythms of the Tine Rufaro Marimba Brand and other local artists. All are welcome at this family event. Light refreshments will be served. Potluck snacks are welcome.
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Baha’i Holy Day, Ridvan Festival
Centurion Banquet Centre
April 21, 2013, 3:30 – 6:00 p.m.
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Baha’i Holy Day, Celebration of the Declaration of the Bab,
May 22, Ukrainian Orthodox Hall, 1000 Byron St.
Doors open at 8:00, followed by refreshments 8:30-9:30. Program begins at 10:00 p.m. sharp.
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LUNCH TIME DEVOTIONS AND TALKS ON GREAT TOPICS
SERIES VI
- Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur St, Ottawa, ONMondays, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.11:30 Devotions12 noon Presentation12:30 Lunch & DiscussionPlease bring your lunch. Coffee & Tea providedMonday, April 1Monday, April 1: My Experience as a First Nations Baha’i. Presenter: Doris ToegMonday, April 8: Mindfulness: A Tool for Stress Reduction. Presenter: Diane RichardMonday, April 15: Baha’i Scholarship and the Association for Baha’i Studies. Presenter: Parvin RowhaniMonday, April 22: How to Better Know Ourselves and Stay On Track with Our Life’s Purpose. Presenter: Dr. Sharon LetovskyMonday, April 29 – Ninth Day of Ridvan – no presentation.Monday, May 6: Building a Spiritual Science . Presenter: Stephen ThirlwallMonday, May 13: Where Have I Been and What Have I Been Doing Since 1997? Presenter: John DickieFor more information, please call 613-742-8250 or follow Ottawa Baha’i Centre on FacebookIf you wish further information on Baha’i Centre Activities contact:Heather @ the Centre: 614-742-8250 or centremanager@bahai-ottawa.orgAll are welcome!***Photography Exhibit by Barbara Popebeauty in stillness Second InstallmentRuth E. Dickenson Branch, Ottawa PublicLibraryTo May 31, 2013Eight new photos are featured in the second installation from Barbara Pope’s on-going series entitled beauty in stillness. Providing a glance at some of the visual sanctuaries encountered on the campuses of health centres, they are accompanied by Baha’i writings on health and healing. The first installation of this series was shown at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre in March. See “Past Events” page for more information.
- All are welcome. Please join us!
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1.b. Invitation to the Ridvan Holy Day celebration. Gatineau.
The Bahá’i Community of the Outaouais Region invites you
to celebrate with us …
the 150th anniversary of
The Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh in the Garden of Ridván
Sunday, April 21st, 2013
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. – The program starts at 3 p.m.
A spiritual and artistic program celebrating unity in diversity :
‘We are the flowers of one garden.’
If you wish, come dressed in the cultural attire of your choice!
***
La communauté bahá’íe de la région de l’Outaouais vous invite à célébrer avec nous …
Le 150ième anniversaire de
La Déclaration de Bahá’u’lláh dans le jardin de Ridván
Dimanche, le 21 avril 2013
Les portes s’ouvrent à 14 h 30 – Le programme commence à 15 h 00
Un programme spirituel et artistique célébrant l’unité dans la diversité :
« Nous sommes les fleurs d’un seul jardin. »
Si vous le désirez, vous pouvez venir vêtus d’un costume culturel
de votre choix!
http://www.bahai-biblio.org/centre-doc/cib/baha-u-llah1.htm#ridvan
Centre Communautaire Tétreau (parc Moussette) – 361, ch. Lucerne, Gatineau, Québec
http://bahai-library.com/davidmerrick_holydays_declarationofbaha
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- curbside
“Considering Concrete:beauty in stillness”
Photography Exhibit by Barbara Pope
February 1st to March 31st, 2013
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 Mc Arthur Avenue, Ottawa
Monday to Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Weekends from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Considering Concrete features the first installation of images from a series of photographs entitled beauty in stillness where Barbara Pope has captured moments of beauty from the ordinary encountered in everyday life. These photos explore the most widely used man-made substance and one of the most mundane while recognizing the unacknowledged beauty that surrounds us but can be taken for granted, in the rush to keep pace in a frantic world.
- light and shadow
Barbara Pope is a visual artist whose work investigates spiritual concepts through a variety of mediums including photography, water colour and ink. Most recently, she was featured in the inaugural issue of Capital Woman magazine and her artwork appeared as the opening motif for Survivor’s Guide to Freedom from Violence, the first Canadian documentary on violence against women. While collaborating with organizations that promote cultural diversity, environmental health, and human rights, she has displayed art work at events supporting Beijing’s 4th Annual World Conference on Women, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Harmony House, Heritage Canada, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group, and the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa.
For showings by appointment: 613-742-8250
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Art Exhibition by Manouchehr Niknafs
Centrepointe Art Gallery, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Dr.,
Jan. 11 – Feb. 13, 2013
Manouchehr Niknafs, a member of the Ottawa Baha’i community, is well known in the city as an accomplished poet , composing in Persian. Over the past year he has been creating works of art using only tree bark to depict three dimensionality and color change. His work has been selected by the City of Ottawa to be exhibited in Centepointe Art Gallery from January 11th to February 13th 2013. The attached provides the address and we encourage you to visit this collection. This collection comprises of the ancient historical Persian relics and also some prominent contemporary buildings in Iran and Canada.
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An Evening of Persian Poetry and Music
دوستداران شعر و موسیقی ایرانی– شب شعر و موسیقی
بدینوسیله به اطلاع میرسانید که جلسه آینده شب شعر و موسیقی غروب شنبه شانزده فوریه دو هزار و سیزده۲۰۱۳ در سالن بلک برن هاملت در آدرس ۱۹۰ گلن پارک درایو بلک برن هملت رآس ساعت هفت و نیم بعد از ظهر تشکیل خواهد گرفت لطفا این تاریخ را در تقویم خود ثبت فرمائید و مشتاق دیدار شما در این جلسه خواهیم بود. برای اطلاعات بیشتر با شماره زیر تماس حاصل فرمائید
The next evening of Persian Poetry and Music will take place on Saturday February 16th at 7.30 PM at usual venue being 190 Glen Park Drive (off the old Innes road), Ottawa ,K1B 5A3. Please join us for a memorable evening and as the capacity of the hall is only 90 the doors will be closed at 8.00 PM. The organizers charge an entrance fee of $5.00 to defray the cost of the hall rental and the refreshments. For further information contact (613) 590 7030.
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LUNCH TIME DEVOTIONS AND TALKS ON GREAT TOPICS
SERIES V
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur St, Ottawa, ON
Mondays 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
11:30 Devotions
12 noon Presentation
12:30 Lunch & Discussion
Please bring your lunch Coffee & Tea provided
Monday, January 21: The Art & Poetry of John Dickie
Presenter: John Dickie
Monday, January 28: One Common Faith: The Oneness of Religion
Presenter: Wendy James
Monday, February 4: Health and Healing
Presenter: Laurie Zrudlo
Monday, February 11: Meditation (this presentation will begin at 11:30 am)
Presenter: Maury Miloff
Monday, February 18: Are Science & Faith Coming Together?
Presenter: Jennifer Phillips
Monday, February 25: Challenges in Understanding the Religion of the Bab
Presenter: Jack McLean
For more information, please call 613-742-8250 or follow Ottawa Baha’i Centre on Facebook.
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JOYCE DEVLIN EXHIBITIONS
November 28-December 31, 2012
Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron (150 St-Patrick near Sussex Drive
Vernissage on Sunday, December 2, from 2-5pm
Joyce Frances Devlin, a distinguished Canadian painter known for her abstract collages, tapestry-like patterns, daringly coloured landscapes and what she calls “interior landscapes” that are metaphorical paintings of birds, trees and flowers, has an important exhibition coming up:
Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron (150 St-Patrick near Sussex Drive), from November 28-December 31. This is an exhibition of her work, including a vernissage that is open to the public, which will take place on Sunday, December 2, from 2-5pm.
Please come one and all and support Joyce Devlin’s fabulous work. Her paintings are stunning – Sylvie Nantais.
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Lunchtime Devotions with a Focus on the Arts – Series IV
Where: Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur
When: Mondays, 11:30am to 1pm
11:30 am: Prayers and Readings
12 noon: Arts Presentation
12:30pm: Lunch and discussion
Please bring your lunch – coffee and tea provided
Monday, October 15: Book Talk: “Healing Mind, Body and Soul” by A. Bryson Presenter: Zilda Milne (Topic: Health and Healing)
Monday, October 22: A Musical Presentation “Music Enables the Spirit to Soar” Presenter: Stephen Thirlwall
Monday, October 29: Book Talk: “Founders of Faith” by H. Rosen Presenter: Nathalie Thirlwall (Topic: The parallel lives of God’s Messengers)
Monday, November 5: Book Talk: “Wisdom Man: Banjo Clarke” – autobiography Presenter: Sandy Brown (Topic: Life and beliefs of a remarkable Aboriginal Elder)
Monday, November 19: Book Talk: “The Maxwells of Montreal” by Violette Nakhjavani Presenter: David Smith (Topic: Story of Canada’s most amazing Bahá’í Family)
Monday, November 26: Book Talk: “Lighting the Western Sky” by K. Hogenson Presenter: François Couillard (Topic: Story of the first 15 Western Pilgrims)
“It is natural for the heart and spirit to take pleasure and enjoyment in all things that show forth symmetry, harmony and perfection. For instance: a beautiful house, a well designed garden, a symmetrical line, a graceful action, a well written book, pleasing garments, in fact all things that have in themselves grace or beauty are pleasing to the heart and spirit…” ‘Abdul’-Baha
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Baha’i Choir to perform at interfaith prayer service
Sunday, October 21st, 3:00 p.m.
Hadas Synagogue, 2310 Virginia Drive
The Capital Region Interfaith Council is hosting its third annual Interfaith Prayer Service on Sunday, October 21st at 3:00 p.m. at the Machzikei Hadas Synagogue, 2310 Virginia Drive in Ottawa. The theme of this year’s event is “Teachings on Prayer”.
Organizers hope the service will bring together at least 15 faith communities from the National Capital Region. It will be followed by a reception. All are welcome at the service.
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“A Celestial Burning” book launch and talk: “Shoghi Effendi: the Guardian, the Writer, the Divine Interpreter.”
Saturday, Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00)
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur (accessible)
Jack McLean’s “A Celestial Burning: A selective study of the writings of Shoghi Effendi” , which sold out at the Association for Baha’i Studies conference, will be launched in Ottawa on Oct. 20. Congratulations, Jack! What an achievement! It’s a beautiful book.
Here’s what noted Baha’i author John Hatcher said about it:
“Your book is a wonderful insight into some of the breadth of the Guardian’s genius. What a rich resource you have created for the future…Your writing is erudite but accessible.”
And here’s the publisher’s blurb:
“This book is a comprehensive study of selected writings of Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (1897-1957), the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. The author has approached Shoghi Effendi’s writings from two main perspectives: the Guardian as the divine interpreter, a man of incisive religious thought; and Shoghi Effendi the eloquent writer, a vocation that was inseparable from the sacred office as Guardian of the Faith. This book covers comprehensively five core-works of Shoghi Effendi containing valuable guidance he left for the shaping up of a new world order.
“The book will serve to inform not only scholars but also all those teachers, administrators, and general readers who seek a deeper understanding of these aspects of the writings of the Guardian, and who may wish to develop them in their talks or publications.”
– Arun Sonha, General Manager of the Bahai Publishing Trust of India
Copies will be available at the launch or can be ordered through Baha’I Distribution Service at http://www.bds-canada.com/
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Zentangle Workshop – A Meditative Drawing Method
Tuesday, Aug. 7, 7:oo-9:00 p.m.
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 711 McArthur (accessible)
- Taught by Margaret Bremner, certified Zentangle teacher, former Ottawa area resident
- Learn background and philosophy
- Learn the simple Zentangle method, several tangle patterns create 2 beautiful drawings, and have fun!
- Note there is a cost of $45 which includes a small kit of supplies
- You must pre register! Please email Margaret at margaret.bremner.artist@gmail.com to register. Following registration, payment can be mailed to or dropped off at the Baha’i Centre to Heather Harvey, Centre Manager (Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 711 McArthur, Ottawa, ON K1L 6P6.
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Wednesday, August 8 from 7pm – 9pm
Poetry Evening with BK Filson
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur (accessible)
- Former Ottawa area resident, Baha’i publisher, poet and author of Angel Ruckus will be reading from his newest collection of poems, Parallelograms.
- In his own words: “I won’t just be reading – I like to perform my work dramatically. Parallelograms is my second book after Angel Ruckus. This collection spans several years’ work written in Canada and China. It includes the long poem for two voices, ‘The TV’s on and nobody’s home’. The poems deal with such topics as love, writing, the mystical nature of time and reality, and the strange duality of the self.”
- There will be music, pot luck refreshments, and books available for purchase
- This event is free.
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Saturday, July 28th, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Collected Works Bookstore, 1242 Wellington Street West, Ottawa
A reading of some of the poems Shahbaz has translated will be followed by signing.
Says one reviewer:
“This book deserves close attention and promotion as it promotes women’s literature in a country where women continued to be oppressed; despite all that women have endured in Afghanistan, including the horrors of war that many of them have experienced, their poetry continues to be more uplifting and hopeful than Afghan poetry written by men. While some of the poems are unsparing, they paint the inner world of women’s experience in that traumatized country. Hope and love both spring eternal, even in the face of national disaster. These poems are well worth our attention.”
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Sat. July 21st, University of Ottawa, Alumni Theater
چهره به چهره” در آستانه فصلی سرد”
A PLAY NOT TO MISS – “Face to Face – At the Threshold of a Cold Season”
Please attend and bring your friends. We are counting on the Ottawa Baha’i Community to support this event due to its nature and attendance of Mrs Nazanin Afshin Jam.
It’s a play about two amazing figures in Iranian history: Tahirih Qurrat’ul-Ayn and Forough Farrokhzad. Written and directed by Niloofar Beyzaie.
We are delighted to announce that Ms. Nazanin Afshin-Jam’s will be hosting the event.
‘Nazanin Afshin-Jam is an international human rights activist, singer/songwriter, actor, former Miss World Canada and President and co-founder of Stop Child Executions organization.’
She will present a brief introduction to her recent book (“Tale of two Nazanins”) and will be available for book signing after the show.
Please note that the play is in Persian. Doors open at 8:00 PM. Play Starts at 8:30.
Tickets: $25, $20 for students. Available at Arya, Shiraz, Alpha, and Cafe 97 ( 97 Main St)
You may also purchase your tickets on line at bia2ottawa.com Info line: 613-292-6181
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Book launch: “Mirrors and Songs, A Glimpse into Poetry of Afghan Women” by Shahbaz Ehsani (in translation)
Baha’i Centre hosts Canada Day Celebration on Sunday, July 1 
The Tine Rufaro Marimba Band is hosting a Canada Day jam session party from for the Baha’i community, their friends and the Vanier neighbourhood on 1 July 2012, from 1-3 pm in the main parking lot of the Baha’i Centre at 211 MacArthur Rd, Vanier. This will be a potluck event with some refreshments offered. If you are a musician or musicians and would like to join in the fun, please bring your instrument(s). We would love to see diversity! There will be tables and chairs, and dancing is definitely encouraged! If you would like to perform or assist in setup, please contact Sylvie Nantais at snantais@gmail.com. ***Baha’i Singer Munirih Sparrow in Ottawa on April 22, 2:00 p.m. 
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur (accessible)“The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is uplifted.” – ‘Abdu’l-BahaThe joyful spirit of Munirih Sparrow will be coming to Ottawa on April 22 to share her beautiful music based on the Baha’i Writings at a concert at 2:00 p.m. at the Baha’i Centre. The singer/guitarist and recording from Saskatoon is on a cross-Canada tour honouring ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s visit to Canada, starting in Halifax on April 11 and finishing in Vancouver in early in May.Munirih recently released her latest recording “Morning to Midnight”, a selection of Baha’i sacred scriptures set to music with the warm textures of soul, folk, prayer and devotion. She recently completed a three-month tour of the U.S. where she performed 45 shows. She is currently writing for her next record and planning a U.K. tour for July 2012.Munirih’s performance weaves Baha’i prayers with originally written songs resulting in an intimate performance exploring the interplay of spirituality and art. You’ll be moved by her voice and story. Her performance is intuitive and genuine; you will leave with the feeling that you’ve just made a new friend.To learn more about Munirih and sample her music, visit her website: http://www.munirihsparrow.com/“Many in the audience were moved to tears through Sparrow’s soul stirring music. Everybody loved the way she intertwined personal stories with her music to illuminate the meaning and reason for her chosen songs. She is funny, warm, engaging, and genuine.” – Event organizer, Yellow Springs, OH.
This concert will be a point of attraction for Baha’is and their friends and families. Don’t miss Munirih Sparrow on April 22 at 2:00 p.m. at the Baha’i Centre. The concert is free but donations to defray part of her travel expenses are welcome. Pot-luck refreshments would be appreciated.
Book Launch and Evening of Remembrance
- 18 February 2012 7:30pm – 9:30pm
- Ottawa Baha’i Centre , 211 McArthur, Vanier
- All Welcome (wheelchair accessible)
- Launch of BLUE HERON RISING Early Poems, Late Poems, by LARRY ROWDON (1923-2001), September Pines, Publisher
- Larry Rawdon
There will be refreshments and a musical interlude. Larry was a founder of the Ottawa Baha’i Writers’ Group, authored books about his pioneering experiences in the Magdalen Islands and Montserrat, and of several books of poetry and short stories. The Ottawa Writers’ Group has arranged this reading from his newly published book.
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Rose-Marie Peterson returns to Ottawa Feb. 3rd and 4th!
- Musical Introduction to the Baha’i Faith on Fri. Feb. 3, 7:30 p.m.
- Free concert on Sat. Feb. 4, 8:00 p.m. featuring Rose-Marie Peterson, Eric Peterson, Suzanne Hébert and Marie-Claire Saindon, and Dona (Fanfan) Seleger
- Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur. Vanier (wheelchair accessible)
- All welcome
- Pot luck refreshments would be appreciated.
Please come and invite your friends to these special events featuring Rose-Marie Peterson, Canadian singer-songwriter and recording artist.Rose-Marie will be giving a musical introduction to the Baha’i Faith at the “First Friday Fireside” on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
She will also be performing accompanied by her son Eric Peterson at a free bilingual concert on Feb. 4 at 8:00 p.m. along with Ottawa’s own Suzanne Hébert and her daughter Marie-Claire Saindon of Montreal.
- Suzanne Hebert
- Marie-Claire Saindon
All are welcome at these events where you will encounter accomplished artists and a true spirit of Baha’i fellowship. Rose-Marie has recorded two albums, “Intone” and “Treasures”, both available at the Baha’i Centre.
Suzanne has recorded an album, “Ode”, and toured eastern Canada and France for six years with other Acadian artists in the 1970s. She is also choir-master of the Ottawa Baha’i Choir.
Marie-Claire is a composer, musician and member of the Hidden Words of Montreal. The group recently released its first CD, “Free Thyself from the Fetters of This World”, now available at the Baha’i Centre. Google “hidden words band” to check out their Facebook page and many Youtube videos.
- Fanfan Seleger
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To all who love the arts in Ottawa – Please contribute your ideas at an Arts Consultation and Planning event
Sunday, December 18, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., Baha’i Centre upstairs
We have so many wonderful Baha’i artists in Ottawa – singers, dancers, actors, visual artists, photographers, film-makers, writers, story-tellers, craftspeople, and more. Some are long-time professionals, others are just starting out; some are experienced performers or teachers, others are less experienced, but willing, with encouragement, to make that first step to perform, exhibit, or run a workshop. Those of us who don’t consider ourselves artists can all enjoy learning about art and be supporters of the arts.
How can we develop our vibrant Baha’i arts community even more?
- How can we get to know our artists better and encourage them?
- Provide more opportunities for performances/exhibits, etc.?
- Promote the arts and elevate our community life?
- Create more opportunities for members of our community to learn/participate in various arts?
Many individual initiatives in these areas are already taking place. Are there ways we could involve more people, including some in supportive roles, to make arts events and opportunities more sustainable and more available to the whole community?
Please join us for this consultation. If you can’t come, please share your ideas by contacting Linda: at lodestone.media@gmail.com.
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Evening of storytelling, Saturday, December 17th
Café ninety7, 97 Main St.
While the weather hasn’t turned frosty cold yet, the nights have creept into our days, leaving us with l-o-n-g dark nights. To bring cheer to this dark time, Kim Kilpatrick and I are hosting an evening of storytelling this Saturday, December 17th at Cafe ninety7.
Come and share an evening together with warm drinks, delicious treats and delightful stories! Stories are inspired by the approaching season of Christmas – a season of generosity and goodwill.
Cafe ninety7 is a wonderful new cafe opened by a friend of mine. It’s at97 Main Street. It is a wonderful space for friends and stories!
7:00 – Stories for children
8:30 – Stories for adults only!
Would love to see you there!
Sherri Yazdani
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Ottawa Children’s Festival – Ottawa Story Tellers
Sat. Nov. 5, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Story telling workshop 10:00-12:00 (fee), Afternoon programming is free
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington
The Ottawa Story Tellers are thrilled to present this year’s Children‘s Festival line up! Join us on November 5th, at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington for a day of stories and fun! Our Sherri Yazdani will be telling stories on “A Kid’s Life” from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Hear about the boy who never said please, a girl who came to Canada as a refugee and experienced Halloween for the first time, and an Egyptian princess who loved a little blue hippo. Learn more about Sherri on our Profiles page. http://www.ottawastorytellers.ca/
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Lunchtime Devotions with a Focus on the Arts at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre
All Welcome!
Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm (or 1:30 if you would like to stay a little longer)
12:00 noon: Prayers and readings
12:15: Arts presentation
12:40: Lunch and discussion
Speakers:
Thursday, October 13: David Erikson, poet
Thursday, October 20: No devotional – Birth of the Bab
Thursday, October 27: Barb Rager, writer and visual artist
Thursday, November 3: Jim Desson, writer
Thursday, November 10: Barry Brown, website artist
Thursday, November 17: Linda O’Neil, playwright
Bring your lunch – Coffee and Tea Provided
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Story-telling: “Small Town Tales”
(“because Dog River isn’t the only town with a story to tell”)
With storytellers Leah Sander and Sherri Yazdani
Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Cafe 97, at97 Main Street close to Lees.
Stories start at 7:00 and go until 8:30, with breaks for coffee and conversation.
Donations will also be collected to support the October UNICEF campaign.
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Painting Exhibit by Paul Saindon
Oct. 16-Oct. 30, 2011 Vernissage Oct. 16, 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Espace 33ArtGallery, 33, Rue Principale, Aylmer, Québec
(819) 682-6186
You are cordially invited to the opening of Paul Saindon’s painting exhibit (husband of Suzanne Hébert)Vous êtes cordialement invités au vernissage de l’artiste-peintre, Paul Saindon (mari de Suzanne Hébert)
Exposition Paul Saindon ESPACE33
Book Launch and Evening of Remembrance
An Evening of Reflection: Religious Persecution and the Strength of the Human Spirit, with art exhibition ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and the music of the ‘Hidden Words’.
Saturday August 27, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Ottawa Bahá’í Centre 211 McArthur Avenue, Ottawa
We ask people of all beliefs to join us and show their support for religious freedom as we collectively honor, remember, and pray for the safety of the seven Bahá’í leaders currently imprisoned in Iran. The program will feature the first Canadian showing of the art exhibition Seven Deadly Sins from the UK, and the music of the Hidden Words.
Seven Deadly Sins is a powerful, seven-part piece dedicated to the Bahá’í leaders currently imprisoned in Iran. The poignant and compelling exhibition invites you to imagine that each of them could eradicate, by ransom of their freedom, one malady from the spiritual body of humankind and correct, by virtue of their sacrifice, one sin from our collective trespasses. We are honoured to have the artist, Rosita Niknafs present during this event. Visit : thisevanescentsoul.wordpress.com.
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Commemoration of the Master’s visit to Canada
Friday, September 9, 2011, 7:30 PM
The Chamber in Ben Franklin Place
101 Centrepointe Dr., Nepean
The annual commemoration of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit toCanada will mark the 11-day period from August 30 to September 9, 1912 when the beloved Master visitedMontreal.‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s eldest son and appointed successor, led the Faith after His Father’s passing.
Imprisoned at the age of eight, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spent most of his life in exile and banishment. After His release in 1908 at the age of 64, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá set out on a series of journeys which, from 1911 to 1913, took Him to Europe andNorth America. There He proclaimed Bahá’u’lláh’s message of unity and social justice to church congregations, peace societies, members of trade unions, university faculties, journalists, government officials, and many public audiences. His journeys brought Him toCanadafrom 30 August to 9 September 1912.
This year’s commemoration, which will include a video, live music and stories of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, will be based on the following theme:
“Uncompromising in defence of the truth, yet infinitely gentle in manner, He brought the universal divine principles to bear on the exigencies of the age. To all without distinction—officials, scientists, workers, children, parents, exiles, activists, clerics, sceptics—He imparted love, wisdom, comfort, whatever the particular need. While elevating their souls, He challenged their assumptions, reoriented their perspectives, expanded their consciousness, and focused their energies. He demonstrated by word and deed such compassion and generosity that hearts were utterly transformed. No one was turned away.”
Don’t miss this outstanding exhibition:
JOYCE FRANCES DEVLIN’s solo exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery (accessible)
So Much Beauty | Tant de beauté
The Ottawa Art Gallery | La Galerie d’art d’Ottawa
Curated by Catherine Sinclair, Conservatrice
2 June to 4 September 2011- à partir du 2 juin au 4 septembre, 2011
2 avenue Daly Avenue, Ottawa
(Arts Court – corner of Nicholas and Daly / La Cour des arts – À l’angle de Nicholas et Daly)
info@ottawaartgallery.ca www.ottawaartgallery.ca
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Tine Rufaro Marimba Band in concert
17 August, Gatineau/Hull, Sound & Light Festival (Les Grands Feux du Casino) Lac Leamy
20 August, Lumiere Festival, Ottawa http://www.facebook.com/l/bAQBSZ484AQD5E6okivwGGfyv6DnTRwdP0leOwTh5Ylc9uQ
Saturday, August 6, 5:00pm – 5:30pm
Parliament Hill, Centre Block (accessible)
In the Ottawa Drumming Festival
For more information; http://ottawadrummingfestival.com/drum/
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Saturday, August 6, 7:30 p.m. (accessible)
Book Launch: David Erickson’s ”The Flower at the End of the World”
David Erickson, a poet living in Gatineau and a long-time member of the former Baha’i Creative Writers’ Group, has just published his first book, “The Flower at the End of the World”. There will be a launch to introduce the book to Baha’is and the general public at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre on Saturday evening, 6 August, 7:30.
The Flower at the End of the World is a book that contains not only poetry but a drama in poetry and prose, and short fiction. It is published by One Voice Press, in Baltimore, MD.
One Voice Press describes the nature of Erickson’s work: “The fundamental questions of existence, and the ways in which faith informs, sustains, and challenges each of us are the themes of this perceptive collection. The author brings his experience as a follower of the Baha’i Faith to a wide range of human concerns, exploring the depths within the self and the grandeur of a God-suffused universe. This book will inspire, amuse, and awe you by turns.”
David’s book is now available from the Ottawa Baha’i Centre Bookstore, from Baha’i Distribution Service and from three local bookstores:
Libraire Michabou Bookstore at 210 Chemin d’Aylmer, Plaza Glenwood in the Aylmerpart of Gatineau(819-684-5251
Solstice Bookstore at 815 ch. Riversidein Wakefield, Qc. (819-459-2797) and
Bookmarket at 3754 Richmond Rd.in Ottawa (please call Belinda at 613-266-3680 to arrange for a copy to be available).
The book can also be ordered directly from the publisher, One Voice Press at
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Lunch Time Devotions with a Focus on the Arts
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, Thursdays throughout June – noon until 1pm (accessible)
June 9: Sherri Yazdani tells stories of Goodness and Sacrifice
June 16: Sylvie Nantais speaks on composers inspired by God and the Divine: from Bach and Pergolesi to Poulenc and Thoresen (17th to the 21st centuries)
June 23: Jack McLean
Bring Your Lunch – Coffee and Tea provided.
All welcome!! Bring your friends!!
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Noon: Prayers and Readings
12:15: Arts Presentation
12:40: Lunch and Discussion
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Africa Night Benefit Concert
June 25th, 2011, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 270 Crichton Street, Ottawa (accessible)
Join Baha’i and other artists at this great benefit. Featuring talented song writers and guitar players Juanita and Ron Perry. Kunundrum group: Enjoy the fabulous drums and voices of Ottawa’s own. Tine Rufaro Marimba Band, and Colour of Diversity Marimba Band: The irresistible marimba sounds of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Drum 4 Life: Rhythms of Afro-Cuban and West African percussion with Jesse. M. & Docta Lee. Samba Ottawa : Stomp your feet to the spectacular samba drums of Brazilian and Afro-Latin rhythms. Omely International Showcase: with Vietnamese traditional charming Trong Com drum dance. Venue: St. John Lutheran Church 270 Crichton Street Ottawa, Ont K1M 1W4 New Edinburgh, bus route # 9 Time: 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm Cost: A Voluntary Contribution will be appreciated. All Proceeds Go Towards Construction of schools in Liberia & Zambia. We are looking forward to seeing you, please join us and bring all your friends, family & kids. www.stjohnlutheran.ca www.fountainsoflight.org jesse@ottawadrummingfestival.com
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Please join the Ottawa Baha’i Community on May 23, 2011 to celebate a holy day, the anniversary of the Birth of the Bab. All are welcome!
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Please join the Baha’i Community to celebrate the most joyous of Festivals, Ridvan, on Thursday, April 20. It will feature the inpsiring story that unfolded in the Ridvan Garden outside Baghdad on April 20, 1863, with professional story-teller Sheri Yazdani. All welcome!
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Sunday, April 17, 3:00 P.M. at The National Gallery
Don’t Miss “The Hidden Words”
The event we’ve all been waiting for is here:
The Hidden Words (mystical writings) of Baha’u’llah will be sung in one of Ottawa’s best venues this Sunday by a group of young and exceptionally talented musicians from Montreal, who call themselves “the Hidden Words.“
The group sets the Sacred Writings to unique, accessible and beautiful melodies.
Enjoy a magical afternoon, bound to bewitch believers, seekers, music-lovers, and jaded hipsters:
This Sunday, April 17 at 3 PM at Ottawa’s National Gallery.
Here is the advert from the National Gallery:
*Sunday 17 April at 3 pm**
The Hidden Words is a young group of musicians fromMontreal. Using voice, guitar, fiddle, suitcase, cello, accordion, and hand claps, the band sets original melodies to the writings of Baha’u’llah, a 19th century Persian prophet. While their medium is musical, they share a strong belief that music is a unique means of approaching the intangible and mysterious. In the Canadian gallery A109. Included with Gallery admission which is $9.00.
http://www.gallery.ca/english/index.html*
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Ottawa Creative Writers’ Group Poetry Reading & Launch
Saturday, April 23rd, 7”30 p.m. , Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur St.
The Ottawa Creative Writers’ Group will be launching “Markings”, its 2011 chapbook on Saturday, April 23rd at the Ottawa Baha’i Centre at 7:30 p.m. Hosted by Jack McLean, “Markings” will feature readings by members of the Baha’i community and their friends, including Sylvie Nantais, Barbara Rager, Barbara Pope, Maryl Weatherburn, Peter Brady, J.P. Quinn, Paul Touesnard, Damian Firth and Jack McLean. Poems by Heather Cardin and B.K. (Bruce) Filson, formerly of the Writers’ Group, will be read in absentia. Musical selections will be offered by local musicians. “Markings” will go on sale following the readings. Come out, enjoy yourself, and support this writers’ group that has been active since 1993.
Poster for poetry reading (Version 2)
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BAHA’I NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION ON MARCH 20
All are a welcome at our wonderful Naw-Ruz (New Year’s) celebration!
Sunday, March 20, 2011, Centurion Conference Centre, 170 Colonade Road South, 8:30 p.m. (Doors open at 8:00)
- Hope you can join us!
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Congratulations Peter Morgan, on your first opera production!
Studio Theatre in Perth
March 10, 11, 12 at 8:00 p.m., March 13 at 2:00 p.m.
Popinjay Productions presents the world premiere of “Open House”, a contemporary opera that is the culmination of decades of work by opera composer/librettist Peter Paul Morgan. Peter is a long-time Baha’I living in Lanark. It is the first full opera ever to be produced in Perth, written by an area resident and featuring a cast of twelve community performers, directed by Grace Main and C. Lee Bates, and a professional ten-piece orchestra, under the direction of Mark Bailey.
Dubbed a “popera”, Open House is a unique work: a “through-composed” true opera that draws on contemporary, popular musical styles from jazz and swing to rap for its score (longer description below.)
It’s seemingly very simple. A woman, recently widowed; her growing family; her precious home; the choices that must be made. It’s very simple, yet, when you consider it, that’s what life consists of: simply a series of choices, a series of moments, a set of changes.
Summed up, that is the plot of Peter Paul Morgan’s new opera, “Open House,” which will see its world premiere in March at Perth’s Studio Theatre. The show deliberately moves away from great dramatic devices and, instead, looks closely at the real drama to be found in every moment of every life. The opera was originally sparked, many years ago, when Morgan noticed the rhythm inherent in a sign for live bait that read “Minnows soaked in oxygen, with a five day guarantee.” The simplicity of that lyrical sign nudged his thinking into an opera about simple things.
Carrie has recently lost her husband and finds herself lost and facing difficult decisions. It is apparent that her family’s beloved home is beyond her ability to keep up and must be sold; her children are determined that they will stay, somehow. With the help of new-found friends and a sympathetic real estate agent (surely the first such ever presented in an opera!), they make plans of their own. However, children’s plans and mother’s wishes may not be enough to overcome reality, in the form of a developer who has his own plans.
It’s a show, not only of small things, but of small wisdom. “A new friend is a new self to explore” Carrie advises her children about the new neighbours. Watching children at play, the real estate agent muses “When I see children climbing a tree, my heart rejoices.” On finding balance in life, “a bird must have two equal wings to soar” the children are told.
All of these are small things, but put into context by the musical layout of Morgan’s opera, they become thought-provoking moments that make the audience stop and consider the validity of what they just heard. The music is what makes this a true opera, as opposed to a musical with lots of songs: it supports and connects the characters and weaves a web that brings the whole show together. It is “through-composed”, meaning not only that it has music under the whole show, but that the score uses a set of themes that are re-worked and re-invented through-out the piece, changing their meaning as the characters change.
Open House will surely be the region’s most unique production this winter. It’s the first true opera ever mounted in Perth. In addition to that, it’s an original work, receiving its premiere performances. In addition to that, it’s written by an area resident, the culmination of many years of work on an idea that started nearly forty years ago, with a lyrical bait sign.
Open House will run for four performances only at the Studio Theatre in Perth, March 10, 11, 12 at 8:00 p.m., March 13 at 2:00 p.m. (the first day of Daylight Savings Time!). Tickets are $25, all inclusive, and are available at Tickets Please, 39 Foster St. (Jo’s Clothes), Perth, or online at www.ticketsplease.ca. Call 613 485 6434.
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“Ayyam-i-Ha”, or “Intercalary Days”, is a joyful period in the Baha’i year, special days of celebration that fall between Feb 26 and Mar. 1 each year. You are warmly invited to celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha at a (free) wonderful arts afternoon for all ages:
Sunday, Feb. 27, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur, Vanier
Our fabulous entertainment will include:
- Folk music/Baha’i songs by Stephen Thirlwall
- Story telling by Sherri Yazdani
- Classical and pop guitar music by Pooya Fallahdoust
- “Dueling Poets”: A blitz of light short poems read in turn by Sophie Crump, Hayley Hanks, Jack McLean, Sylvie Nantais, Linda O’Neil, Barbara Rager, Paul Touesnard, Maryl Weatherburn
- Stories about ‘Abdu’l-Baha from “Treasures of the Cause”, a wonderful Baha’i book compiled by Ottawa’s own Rose Deloomey, read by her daughter Nina Toeg
- Door prizes!
- Your MC: Parisa Yazdani
- Pot-luck refreshments are appreciated.
Please invite all your friends and join us for a great afternoon.
For more information, please contact:
Linda O’Neil, lodestone.media@gmail.com
Baha’i Arts Ottawa. Get all the arts news at:
https://bahaiartsottawa.wordpress.com/about/
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« Ayyám-i-Há » ou « les jours intercalaires » est un temps joyeux durant l’année bahá’íe. Il s’agit de quatre ou cinq journées de célébration spéciale entre le 26 février et le 1er mars chaque année. Nous vous invitons tous, grands et petits, à venir célébrer Ayyám-i-Há avec nous lors d’un merveilleux après-midi artistique.
Le dimanche 27 février de 14 h à 17 h
Cetre bahá’í d’Ottawa, 211, avenue McArthur
Ottawa (quartier Vanier), Ontario
Voici les présentations artistiques formidables au programme :
- Musique folklorique et chansons bahá’íes par Stephen Thirlwall
- Narration par Sherri Yazdani
- Musique classique et populaire à la guitare par Pooya Fallahdoust
- « Duel des poètes » : un blitz de poèmes brefs et légers, lus tour à tour par Sophie Crump, Hayley Hanks, Jack McLean, Sylvie Nantais, Linda O’Neil, Barbara Rager, Paul Touesnard, Maryl Weatherburn
- Anecdotes au sujet d’‘Abdu’l-Bahá, tirées du livre Treasures of the Cause, un livre bahá’í merveilleux compilé par notre chère Rose Deloomey, lues par sa fille Nina Toeg
- Des prix de présence!
- La maîtresse de cérémonie Parisa Yazdani
- Un goûter-partage (Vos contributions seraient grandement appréciées.)
Invitez vos amis et joignez-vous à nous pour un très bel après-midi.
Pour de plus amples renseignements, vous pouvez communiquer avec Linda O’Neil à l’adresse suivante : lodestone.media@gmail.com
Arts bahá’ís d’Ottawa. Pour toutes les actualités se rapportant aux arts, consultez le site Web suivant : https://bahaiartsottawa.wordpress.com/about/
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An Evening of Persian Poetry and Music
Saturday February 19th at 7.300 P.M., Blackburn Hamlet Community Centre, 190Glen Park Drive, Blackburn Hamlet
We announce with great pleasure the next evening of Persian Poetry and Music on Feb. 19. The event will be held in Farsi. Please come and join us for another unforgettable evening. As announced in our last get together we have allocated a part of the program to participation by the audience. If you are willing to participate please contact the following persons expressing the time required and the nature of the presentation.
We welcome the presence of any of your friends and acquaintances in this event. There will be nominal charge of $4.00 to cover the expenses.
For further information please contact :
Parviz Mottahed : Tel (613) 590 7030 Manouchehr Niknafs: Tel (613) 830 7542
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Leslie Cole – Meet the Author/Book Signing:
Note: The signing has passed but copies of the book are still available at Britton’s.
Under Construction: A History of Co-operative Housing in Canada is the story of a national social movement to develop affordable housing and safe neighbourhoods across the country. From the coal mining communities of Cape Breton to inner city neighbourhoods in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver housing co-ops have been built by small groups of people dedicated to the principle that good housing should be affordable for all. From booming growth in the 1970s and 80s to drastic cutbacks in the 1990s this is a story of the people who built the movement – their victories and frustrations. It is also a reflection of the change in Canada’s social conscience and follows the decline public support for community welfare and the rise in homelessness and poverty. The book ends with a hint of optimism that new investment between 2002 and 2008 may signal a change.
Author Leslie Cole is a Baha’i and Ottawa resident who has worked as a journalist and writer/editor in the Yukon, Ontario, West Africa, and Denmark. She lives in the Glebe with her husband and three daughters.
Under Construction is published by Ottawa publishing house, Borealis Press and sells for $19.95.
Meet the Author/Book signing at Britton’s Magazine shop Sunday January 30th, 1-3 pm, Bank Street at 5th Avenue.
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OST Programming is sponsored by the City of Ottawa, the Ontario Arts Council, Heritage Canada and Canada Council for the Arts.
December 16, 4th Stage, National Arts Centre, 7:30pm
With Rose-Marie Peterson, Suzanne Hebert & Marie-Claire Saindon, and Fanfan Seleger.
Suzanne Hébert, singer-songwriter from Ottawa and choir-master of the Ottawa Baha’i choir, wrote her first song at the age of five. She toured eastern Canada and France for six years with other Acadian artists in the 1970s. She’ll perform an eclectic set that includes traditional Acadian music from her album “Ode”.
Suzanne will be performing with her daughter Marie-Claire Saindon, who performs French-Canadian fiddle, Irish singing, and gypsy-jazz violin. She has also written chorale music and is completing her second year in a Master’s degree in Composition: Film and Multimedia music at Université de Montréal. Among many other musical activities, Marie-Claire is a member of the Montreal group The Hidden Words. Check out her fabulous blog at http://randomivity.wordpress.com/
Dona (Fan-Fan) Séléger, Haitian drummer living in Ottawa, will perform breath-taking drum solos as well as accompanying Rose-Marie.
ART EXHIBIT
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st November, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Dominican University College,96 Empress Avenue
Artworks by Manouchehr Niknafs depicting relics of the ancient Persian Empire. This novel method utilizes different materials such as leather, tree bark, etc. to portray the majesty, grandeur and the beauty of this era. Admission free, all are welcome.
نمایش مجموعه ای از آثار هنری منوچهر نیک نفس
مربوط به عهد باستان و دوره هخامنشی
در نمایشگاه مؤلفین و هنر کاران آتاوا
به شیوه ای کاملا ابداعی و جدید
محل….
Dominican University College, 96 Empress Avenue (Bronson & Somerset West)
تاریخ …….20و 21 نوامبر 2010
ساعت 10 صبح تا 4 بعداز ظهر
There will be a benefit concert for Burkina Faso, Sunday, November 07, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Blacksheep Inn. The “Mères-enfants du monde” organization is raising funds to send surgeons to this small African country to treat women afflicted with fistulas. Please visit http://www.mem-international.org/ for more information on this worthy organization.
It will be essentially an acoustic afternoon with performances by Lindsay Ferguson, Lee Bowie, Claude Lachaîne, Chris Hopkins, Honeyman and the Brothers Farr, Jan Purcell and Pine Road, Bruno Randimbiarison, Justine Miyanda and Ron Perry, Peter X, Christian Plouffe, Louise Profeit-LeBlanc. (Baha’i artists bolded).
Saturday, Oct. 30, 4:30 p.m., Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur, Vanier
“The Hidden Words” a music group from Montreal, performs the compositions of Alden Pennerwho has set some of the Hidden Words, and prayers of the Bab and Baha’u’llah to music. The group has been doing some shows in Montreal, including the Pop Montreal festival recently, to growing acclaim. Marie-Claire Saindon, the daughter of Suzane Hébert-Saindon & co. is now living in Montreal and invites all the Ottawa Baha’is and their friends to the show. Free admission. Come on out, it’s going to be fabulous!
The Group features:
Jamie Thompson, suitcase & percussion
Eric Farr, voice & piano
James Farr, voice & guitar
Neah Kelly, cello & melodica
Marie-Claire Saindon, voice & fiddle
MUSIC! MUSIC! MUSIC! – AN EVENING TO MIX IT UP!
AFRICAN MUSIC NIGHT AT THE BAHA’I CENTRE
Saturday, Oct. 2, 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a concert featuring:
Justine Miyanda
Justine, self taught guitarist and singer, Justine is one of the hottest acts on the gospel music scene in his native Zambia. is a skilled and experienced performer on a variety of percussion instruments, including the drums, keyboards, and the Marimba (a traditional wooden xylophone. He is well-known in Zambia, on the radio, and plays gospel, rock, African folk songs, all kinds of stuff with an African flavour. Check out his website at http://www.jmiyanda.com/about-justine/
Tine Rufaro Marimba Band
Tine Rufaro Marimba Band is an eight member group based here in Ottawa that plays music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The band performs traditional and contemporary Zimbabwean music on marimbas, a traditional wooden xylophone. Check out their Facebook page at http://ja-jp.facebook.com/group.php?gid=90781250558
Other Performers
Bruno Randimbiarison, Juanita and Ron Perry, Stephen Thirlwall and Pierre Tremblay will also perform, and there may be an African drummer or two, so look forward to some great jams.
Bring yourself – family and children, contacts and friends to music for your soul!
No entry charge but your loving support and happy faces.
Ottawa Baha’i Centre, 211 McArthur Avenue Ottawa, ON K1L 6P6
Here are some of the clips from the African night show;
Bruno; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH92YDQXFcU
Bruno; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-wLyXc_Maw
Stephen (Ron, Justine, and Juanita) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdF7G9d9ams
Junaita, Stephen, Ron, Sylvan, and Justine; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5-O6jJZmiY
Justine Ron, Zvondai; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64_Hz4w0ZTI
Baha'i Arts Ottawa 