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<br />WASHINCTOll FlYER
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<br />., .( I"NU^U t FEBRUARY ~Oll
<br />
<br />the Gladstone employs a director of ex-
<br />hibitions. Britt Welter-Nolan. During my
<br />visit. she walks me through some of the
<br />galleries. where I See film director 10na-
<br />,than Demme's collection of Haitian and
<br />Jamaican art. (The Dcmme exhibit ended
<br />last faU, This winter, the Gladstone Gal-
<br />lery celebrates its fifth anniversary with a
<br />retrospective Jan. 2'-23; a party will be held
<br />Ian. 21.)
<br />In January. as an alternative to the mam-
<br />moth Interior Design Show at the Metro
<br />Toronto Convention Centre (Ian, 27-30), the
<br />Gladstone hosts "Come Up to My Room," For
<br />four days, II of the Gladstone's rooms and
<br />'4 public areas are blank canvases for local
<br />designers to create wildly inventive, livable
<br />spaces, "Ule competition is pretty intense,"
<br />says Nolan, "and the results will absolutely
<br />blow you awa)'." II's like HG1V on steroids
<br />unfolding in fi'ont of you,
<br />
<br />~Jq
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<br />When \isiting the Gladstone. don't over-
<br />look the work of resident artist BnmoBiI-
<br />Iio, whose sculptures repurpose everyday
<br />items (books, furniture) and transform
<br />them into tilting art. One look at the precar.
<br />iously leaning skyscraper of stacked tomes
<br />in the Gladstone reveals a genius who tests
<br />the boundaries of proportion and, indeed.
<br />gravity.
<br />On any given night, the 19-room, fabu-
<br />lously restored Drake Hotel (thedrake
<br />hotel.ca; fr6m $189) might host a fashion
<br />show. bo~ launch, burlesque revival. in.
<br />die concert or a spoken-word poetry slam
<br />in the Drake Underground, Much like the
<br />Gladstone, this is an artistic epicenter that
<br />also happens to have rooms where you Gill
<br />crash for the night.
<br />The Drake's central obsession is film,
<br />and when I walk inlo the lobby, a vintage
<br />flick plays on a 1V near a fully functioning
<br />photo booth. It.s also a place to hold fast to
<br />
<br />the notion of stardom, real or imagined,
<br />as a series of Xs mark the floors for, you
<br />know, your c1ose.up. But when I (~nter love
<br />Interest, the Drake's lounge restaurant, I
<br />know I'm home, With cushy green ban-
<br />quettes, red faux alligator-skin barstools
<br />and a movie screen above the fireplace that
<br />rolls classic and independent films, it's
<br />easy to see how the lounge has b.ccome a
<br />must for anyone measuring the richness of
<br />Toronto's art scene.
<br />Next door is the Drake's General Store,
<br />a trove of kitsch and urban warmth, where
<br />manager Carlo Colacci says everything
<br />comes from contemporary art shows,local
<br />fashion lines, vintage shops and the bot-
<br />tom oflong-forgotlen attic trunks. It's fun.
<br />Alongside a new Hudson Bay wool blanket
<br />(SI50), )'ou might find DIY Russian nesting
<br />dolls ($20), sterling silver dagger earrings
<br />($80) or Popeye candy sticks ($'50), Much
<br />
<br />
<br />like the sights and sounds of the Drake, the
<br />store's collection changes continually. giv.
<br />ing visitors the constant buzz of discovery.
<br />
<br />Shop Around
<br />The thrill of walking along Queen Street
<br />West is roughly the same as getting lost.
<br />and stumbling upon the finest bar on the
<br />planet, or even those times when you feel
<br />as though you've discovered a band no one
<br />else knows about. They're yours for the mo-
<br />ment. Originals, Such is the vi be on Queen,
<br />And such arc my thoughts when I stand in
<br />front of The Paper Place (thepaperplace,ca),
<br />In a digital age, why would it be so appeal.
<br />ing? Well, for starters, you'll find a ridicu-
<br />lous collection of journals, albums, cards
<br />and invitations. Or you can take a quick
<br />workshop on origami or winter printmak-
<br />ing and feci like an artistic rock star.
<br />Two dogs, oblivious to passersby, snooze
<br />on the floor of the Kalharine Mulherin
<br />
<br />...;
<br />
<br />J
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<br />wash ington flyer ,com
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