The Pride In Art Festival Tourism Essay

The Pride In Art Festival Tourism Essay The scope of the festival will reach throughout the University of Toronto Scarborough campus, whereas everyone attending will be informed through various media outlets (such as social networking websites, posters, radio, and word-of-mouth). The Pride In Art Festival will be held annually at the beginning of November to commemorate Diversity Week. The festival will feature a wide array of works from queer students of various programs while aiming to present the campus as a hub for creativity and inter-disciplinary innovation. In the first year of the festival, attendees can expect to experience approximately 5 projects spread outdoors throughout the campus grounds, including interactive installations, exhibitions, and a theatre stage. The main act will be La-Nai Gabriel (a prominent figure in the LGBTQ community in Toronto). The festival will also include 2 visual artists, 1 music major, as well as 2 drama students (working together for a drama performance). The event will take place on November 12th and will run from noon to 8:00pm (the visual art pieces will be left running for a week, whereas the performances will be a one day event) and will take place outdoors.  [1]   The event will be governed by a reliable student body consisting of students from the VPAC13- Planning and Project Management course as well as volunteers from the LGBTQ Committee at UTSC. The specific roles that will be occupied during the event are outlined in Appendix A: Organizational Chart. In order to develop this project and plan it accordingly, we will look at previous UTSC arts events, shows, and exhibits, as well as previous University of Toronto LGBTQ events to assist us in efficiently and effectively executing the festival. These will include events such as; Art Side Out, DMG Exhibitions, Gallery 1265 Exhibitions, LGBTQ events, and etc. The stakeholders will include the student body attending UTSC, all UTSC employees (including faculty), the community, the artists involved, the LGBTQ committee, the sponsors, and potential funders. The short-term(this year) and long-term(following years) sponsors we seek out will be TD Canada Trust, 103.9 Proud FM, PizzaPizza, and LGBTQ Committee at UTSC, DMG Gallery, Pride Toronto, AMSA( Arts Management Students Association) and Inside Out. We will also be seeking out media sponsors and partners, including CP24, NOW Magazine, Toronto Star, GayCities.com, and OUT TV. The short-term and long-term sponsorships are ambitious but it is important to keep in mind that the megacity of Toronto is very well supported in terms of its acceptance of the LGBTQ community.  [2]  Most of the sponsors listed have also previously supported the annual Pride Festival and therefore have a track record that we can use to our advantage.  [3]   In order to proceed with the event, we first have to attend to the triple constraints of organizing any function. These include time, cost and scope. Due to the fact that we are only a few weeks away from November, the scope of the event will be narrowed down. This is precisely why the first year of the festival will only include 5 productions. The time constraint also puts a definite restriction on the cost aspect of the event. The last-minute fundraising will have to be conducted through approaching the Students Union (they provide grants for organizations at UTSC and we could potentially record the LGBTQ group as the applicant), through donations (that we can request from small businesses in the community as well as some of the sponsors), raffles, and etc. The cost value of the event must be narrowed down to accommodate these restrictions. We will need to heavily rely on volunteering (organizers, artists and performers) as well as donations. These constraints could create critical issues in running the event and thus a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis must be conducted. The strengths of the event would include the fact that UTSC is a large community of people and although there is little time to plan and execute the festival, marketing the event should not be difficult. Due to the fact that the exhibitions will be in public places, there will be a lot of ongoing traffic throughout the day. Another strength would be the fact that the LGBTQ community is well connected in the city and queer oriented websites, as well as other social networking websites are consistently updated with new events (and they are free to use). A further strength would include inviting a high profile queer artist to the festival ( La-Nai Gabriel with her band). This will draw outsider crowds. The weaknesses of the event are fairly obvious and include the three constraints. Without the proper planning and organization of the event, the execution can result in a catastrophic outcome. Without the proper time, and money invested, the scope of the festival will significantly be narrowed down. The following weakness could be considered either a weakness or strength. In our case, due to the time constraint, it will likely fall under weaknesses. The festival is taking place during Diversity Week. At this time there will likely be other events running simultaneously with ours. If given the right amount of time we could coordinate our show times with other planners in order for us not to step on anyones toes (and suffer in attendance numbers). However, if we had enough time, we could even collaborate and cross promote the other events alongside our own. The opportunities would include creating a safe space to engage communities in the celebration of the arts as well as various sexualities. We could also connect with and help promote the LGBTQ communities, fostering essential partnerships with sponsors, and stake holders. We would also be providing a platform for education through a significant public presence at UTSC (which is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world). The threats of the event may include the fact that not everyone at UTSC or in the public in general is supportive of the LGBTQ community. In fact there are many who publicly display messages of hate (such as in the case of the broken LGBTQ showcase at UTSC in the previous year)  [4]  . This could potentially become a dangerous situation for the artists, participants and stakeholders of the event. This would require increased security and in turn more money (unless the university provides us with free security). Another threat to the Festival is the availability of the preferred showcase spaces. They all need to be booked ahead of time and due to our time constraint this will need to be done last minute. This fact alone could potentially force us to postpone the event until next year. Other threats may include small attendance numbers (due to the fact that the event is last minute), unreliable artists (perhaps the work will not be completed on time or the contracted outsider acts may not be available for the day of the event), and etc. In order to avoid such issues, we must create contingency plans and work out various options for funding, locations, sponsors, and etc. To assist us with this step we will need to look at a SMART (specific, manageable, achievable, realistic, time-limited) analysis. The specific objective of the festival is to commission and present queer artists at UTSCS Diversity Week. The festival will combat homophobia by building greater public awareness and acceptance of individuals and groups outside sexual and gender norms. The success of this event will be measured through Due to the narrowed scope of the event (because of the constraints), the event will be very difficult to manage. We will need a fully committed staff in order to accomplish our objectives. The sponsors will also be hard to attain in time for the event (due to the fact that a lot of them are big organizations and companies where it is usually very difficult to get through to the sponsorship director because they receive so many proposals on a daily basis). It will also be tough to find flexible volunteers during the exam period. Many students and professors will not have the time to devote to planning and executing this event. The event will be difficult to achieve due to our monetary limitations. The estimated expenses (food catering, equipment rental and artist honorariums, props, and promotion) for the event will be in the 2500 range (please see APPENDIX B: Estimated Budget). There will be a stage set up outside, in between the Student Centre and the Arts and Administration building, for the main act (La-Nai Gabriel). There will not be a seating area but rather space for students and viewers to watch the performance. This same method was also done during the Art Side Out festival for the music acts. The time limitations of the event make it rather unrealistic. However, one must remember that the success of our event would be measured in fulfilling our mission rather than reaching a break-even on our return of investment. Therefore, the cost to benefit ratio is not as easy to disprove as with a profitable event. Even if the event was to pale in the face of its proposal (give or take an extra artist or two), it would still be fulfilling the mandate of creating awareness in the general public and writing history for the annual expansion and reinvention of the festival. In conclusion, the proposed event is one that is very hard to achieve, but can nonetheless be done in a way that would satisfy the agenda of the mission. The constraints of this event will create many barriers, such as time, and money and will make it difficult adequately execute the event. However, like with many artistic events, the focus will be to satisfy the ambitious mission rather than to fill our pockets. With this in mind, the event will be a ground-breaking move towards spreading awareness about the LGBTQ at UTSC and in the general community an eradicating homophobia through the healing power of multidisciplinary arts.

African American Literature Essay

Throughout this semester in African American Literature we have read and analyzed many different literary works from The Norton Anthology of African American Literature by Henry Louis Gates Jr. We have discussed several of them in class either as a whole or in groups. I thoroughly enjoyed gaining useful knowledge about my own culture and heritage. This course also furthered my knowledge of the African American Experience. A few literary works stood out to me in particular; I’ve Been to The Mountaintop by Martin Luther King Jr. , â€Å"What to a slave is the Fourth of July â€Å" by Frederick Douglass and Long Black Song by Richard Wright. These powerful works of literature really allowed me to hypothetically â€Å"put myself in their shoes†. Some of the imagery portrayed in the text really effected me and made me reevaluate myself as an African American male. The impact that these powerful men and women had in their time period still affects us in present time. I’ve been to the Mountaintop delivered by the late, great, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 3,1968 was one of the most powerful speeches of his life. During this sermon Dr. King spoke of some of his encounters with racist white people. One of his encounters was a brutal stabbing incident in New York City. Dr. King was in critical condition for four days â€Å" if I had sneezed I would have died. † (King 115) Even though he was treated horribly he knew that one-day things 1 2 would get better. Martin Luther King jr. used a certain form of Vernacular called call and response/ call and recall engaging his audience and evoking a deeper response. He also made a few biblical references during the speech. Martin Luther King Jr. compares himself to a present day Moses stating â€Å" He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain†¦and I’ve seen the Promised Land, I may not get there with you, but, I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land† (King 116). King’s speech really portrays the power of Non violent Direct Action. Frederick Douglass also played a big role this semester. The speech that intrigued me the most was â€Å"What to a Slave is the Fourth of July†. This speech is one of Douglass’ most controversial speeches. It allowed me to visualize the pain that they endured to help instill equality in America. One excerpt that moved me states â€Å"This Forth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. †(Doug468) this meant that Frederick Douglass did not count himself apart of American traditions if he is not being treated like an American. The speech impacted me personally because it made me appreciate the value of freedom more than before. Thousands of men and women died in hopes of making a change. Their efforts were not in vein, and me, an African American male have to hold myself to a higher standard because living in a white America I am already at a disadvantage. Long Black Song by Richard Wright played a major role in my understanding of African American Literature because with its unique portrayal of inequality amongst 2 3 races. Richard Wright had a unique writing style that blended realism and naturalism in his stories. There dialogue alone brings the story to life. The battle that Silas is facing is not an easy one. He is constantly being provoked by the white man directly and indirectly until he can no longer take it and retaliates. In closing, I’ve Been to the Mountaintop, What to the Slave is Forth of July, and Long Black Song are all powerful literary works that helped me progress tremendously in my understanding of African American Literature. the main thing I got from each of these works was that you can not take anything for granted. Nothing in life is fair, so if you want to change something you have to take it upon yourself to initiate it. As an African American student attending an Historical Black College University I must be a leader in everything that I do. 3 4 Works Cited Gates Jr, Henry Louis. â€Å"Folktales. † The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. 2nd edition. Eds. Nellie McKay and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Norton, 2004. P. 110-116, 468 Print.

Facebook vs. Twitter Essay

In the age of technology, trends come and go almost instantaneously. The trend of the decade; Social Media. Ten years ago when someone thought of Social Media, he or she only thought about Myspace. Today, however, Myspace is an afterthought, and there are two new faces atop the Social Media world. These new faces are Facebook and Twitter. They may seem very similar but they are extraordinarily different in their overall structure, their friend/follower format and their communication layout. Even though Facebook and Twitter are both set up to make it easier for people to communicate, they are structured much differently. Facebook, on one hand, gives the operator the total ability to customize his/her wall. From favorite foods to relationship status, Facebook truly has it all. One can write a vague description of his or her life in the â€Å"about me† section or a detailed autobiography instead. After that, if one wants to tell what he/she is doing, he/she can write a post with no limits. Facebook, without question, gives the user the ability to completely customize his/her page; whereas Twitter is set up in a much more basic format using a Twitter Feed. A twitter feed is basically a wall in the vaguest sense. The user can write a brief biography, which has a maximum amount of characters about oneself on the top of his/her page. Also one can â€Å"tweet† his/her thoughts, in limited characters as well, to depict what he/she is thinking. So Twitter is far les s user friendly than Facebook. In addition to the differences in structure, Facebook and Twitter also have different friend/follower formats. Essentially, Facebook and Twitter are set up differently in the way friends are made. Facebook is set up in such a way that one can find his or her friends and send a friend request, and if one’s friend accepts, the website lists that person in the user’s friends list. Once that person has friends, he or she can use a privacy setting where only the user’s friends can see his or her wall. In this way, Facebook lets users know what his/her friends are doing. On the other hand, Twitter is set up with the concept of followers. This means if one wants to add another user as a friend, all the user must do is click â€Å"follow†. Any user can follow another user which will allow him or her to see what that user is doing. Lastly, Facebook and Twitter have different communication setups. Both Facebook and Twitter allow  users to send direct messages to f riends, but both websites have different ways to communicate. Facebook allows users to post on another user’s wall to start a conversation. As well as using posts, one can also comment on a friend’s post. If a user is interested in one of his or her friend’s posts, the user can simply click the comment button to say what is on his/her mind. Twitter on the other hand, does not give its users as many ways to communicate. In addition to the already stated direct messaging Twitter only allows its users to tag their friends in a tweet to talk. If they do not want to direct message, they can publically message them. So in the communication aspect, Facebook definitely has the advantage. On the surface, Facebook and Twitter seem alike but they are definitively different. Facebook and Twitter each have different structures, friend/follower formats, and communication layouts. Facebook is much more user friendly allowing its users to fully customize their walls and statuses in an unlimited amount of characters, giving the user complete control of their wall. Also, Facebook is much more private in the ability to accept a friend request which gives that user to view one’s profile. Twitter on the other hand has a much simpler layout with very little privacy.

Essay about American History Pocahontas - 989 Words

In sixteenth century, a lot of Indians migrated to states all over America. There were many wars between Indians and white men at that time. A prominent figure who was among representative of the Indians brought friendly relations with white settlers was Pocahontas. She was Powhatan Indian woman who befriended the settlers and married John Rolfe, the Jamestown settler, Virginia. In my opinion, Pocahontas was a compassionate little girl, a peaceful ambassador and a typical Christian Indian woman. Pocahontas was extremely gracious and mild girl. She helped the settlers out of famine, disease and Indian attacks. Sometimes, she bore some foods to aid the hard-pressed settlers. I think Pocahontas was invaluable friend to the colonists; she not†¦show more content†¦In this circumstance, Pocahontas was also known as a heroine. She broke the rule of her father when she saved and became friends with the colonist. She was not fearful while they were able to take advantage of her anytime. Otherwise, they could set a trap so that Pocahontas fell into it. She was really calm and enthusiastic; she did not think about complicated affairs which might fare badly. I admired her to be brave woman, but she’d better have a think before her decision. Because helping people is meaningful, sometimes it is made to betray us. So I always consider before helping someone if I do not know who they are. Eventually, Pocahontas was kind-hearted, tolerant and open-minded Indian woman. She d eserved a heroine that everyone ought to follow. At that time, Pocahontas also symbolize a piece of peace, she blew fresh atmosphere into oppressive space in Jamestown. She had fallen in love with John Rolfe – a successful tobacco planter in Jamestown. In the spring of 1613, English Captain Argall took Pocahontas hostage, hoping to use her to negotiate a permanent peace with her father. During her captivity, Pocahontas met the colonist John Rolfe. 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