Enjoy these wonderful arts and culture offerings from the comfort of your home.

Bata Shoe Museum

The Bata Shoe Museum is bringing you #BSMFromHome - new online content to experience everyday. Listen to Creative Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack every Tuesday and Saturday with their #AskACurator IGTV series. Get creative with fun family weekly crafts and Colour the World at Your Feet colouring sheets released every Friday. And don't forget to tune into their social media channels for daily content on their extraordinary collection that features over 14,000 artefacts. There is something for everyone - visit batashoemuseum.ca for more details.

Alliance Française de Toronto

Now is the time to learn French, at the Alliance Française de Toronto. They recommend Culturethèque an e-library offering many books, audio books, movies ... all inn French, of course! It's the best way to learn French from home. Also, if you are an AFT student or member, you get a free one-year long access.If you want to have more online content in French, rendez-vous on their website to discover our many other more recommendations. Please visit their website for more details. 

Toronto Reference Library

While the doors of the Toronto Reference Library and other library branches may be temporarily closed, it's the perfect time to explore TPL's digital content. If you don't have a library card, you can now get an Instant Digital Card to access the library's largest collection of ebooks and eaudiobooks. Information about how to get one can be found on the library's website. But there's lots to explore whether you have a library card or not. Listen to one of TPL's three curated Podcasts, and watch hundreds of videos of onstage interviews with today's leading writers and thinkers on TPL's YouTube channel. Take a virtual tour of TPL's exhibits and collections, and dive into the library's Digital Archive for access to rare historical photos, maps, books and more. Check out more ways to enjoy your library with the handy "38 Ways to Use the Library From Home" guide featured on TPL's homepage. Click here to learn more.

Soundstreams

Soundstreams believes that music has the power to bring people together, and break down barriers. It's a mark of our collective humanity. The recent spread of COVID-19 in our society makes gathering difficult, but we continue to carry on this mission.
Over the coming weeks and months, Soundstreams will be doing what they do best; curating adventurous musical content. Only this time, instead of in Toronto concert venues, they will be doing so online. Follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts as they roll out videos of the best in contemporary music, from Canada and abroad. Click here for learn more.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

While the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library remains closed, they want to remind everybody that their many digital resources are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Among these include some of their most treasured and important collections, including The Discovery and Early Development of Insulin Digital Collection, featuring the archival materials related to this most famous of University of Toronto discoveries (it will be the 100th anniversary next year of this landmark, which the Fisher will be celebrating with a major exhibition) and the Wenceslaus Hollar Digital Collection, which showcases one of the largest repositories for the artistic works of the 17th century artist and etcher. All of these can be accessed directly from the Fisher's website.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to offer online experiences in theatre, art, music, and much more through their #WeAreItaly campaign, while the Istituto's partnership with DopoLavoro Teatrale continues with live theatrical performances you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home in its Theatre On-Call series. #StayTunedonIT by checking their website often for new offerings in Italian culture - click here for a list of events.

The Royal Conservatory 

Watch Koerner Hall concerts a variety of ways online! Join them for Koerner Hall concert watch parties on Facebook every Wednesday at 4pm and chat with artists and host Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts. Upcoming watch parties feature concerts by Mariza, Oscar @ 90 (the CD release of "Oscar, with Love"), Jane Bunnett & Maqueque All-Stars, and Lighthouse: 50 Years of Sunny Days. You can also watch more past Koerner Hall concerts any time by going to their Live From Koerner Hall concert stream here.

Museum of Estonians Abroad (VEMU)

The Museum of Estonians Abroad/VEMU is sharing online lectures and recordings of their other events on their YouTube channel, including academic lectures every Tuesday and workshops, performances, and more every Friday. While over on their Facebook page are a series of quizzes about the history of Tartu College (if you have had any contacts with Tartu college in the past, please send memories to pirate.noorhani@vemu.ca in preparation for their 50th anniversary!). Meanwhile, the Estonian Music Week's Facebook page contains news about different virtual concerts. Please visit their website.

Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre

The Miles Nadal JCC is connected to the cultural community throughout the month of May. On Monday May 4, join Professor Phillip Silver on a new 5-part Zoom series: All the World's a Stage: The Designer's Canvas. Meet the author Alan Simons on Thursday May 14 when he discusses his latest book, The Village of Little-Comley-on-the-Marsh. Celebrate Shabbat in Song with Klara Bagley on Friday May 15. Please visit their new YouTube channel for an amazing array of free cultural, wellness and fitness programming for the whole family, and check out their website.

Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir

#TafelmusikTogether is a way for the music group to gather virtually with you to share beauty and comfort through music of the past. They invite you to participate by following their social media channels or their blog, and using the hashtag listed above. While their stages remain dark for the time being, they are developing creative ways to support you with the comfort of music throughout this rapidly evolving situation. Watch for mini performances, Q&A's, articles, and more. Click here to learn more.

The Japan Foundation, Toronto

During these challenging times, The Japan Foundation believes it is even more important to share the beauty of cultural and humanistic bonds with the global community - and one powerful way is through their film project Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2016: Reflections, a compilation of three short films. Directors, crew and cast from Japan, Cambodia, Philippines and Malaysia have joined forces across national borders to reflect on the lives of characters who journey between the four countries. This film project was co-produced by The Japan Foundation Asia Center and Tokyo International Film Festival and is now available for free streaming until June 30, 2020. Please visit their website to see our culturally engaging recommendations for you to experience during this month. They look forward to the day when they can open their doors to you and meet in person. More details are available here.

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