Online project more than just a snapshot of black art scene

Artist Danilo McCallum is building Instagram database showcasing Toronto artists

Using the tools of today, Danilo McCallum is memorializing the roots of Toronto’s black arts scene and building its future.

McCallum is building what he calls an Instagram database, a profile called Black Canvas 101, that will feature images from the Toronto artists and organizations that have built the scene into a vibrant community.

Ranging from veterans such as Camille Turner to Instagrammer So-TeeOh, who boasts more than 60,000 followers, McCallum hopes to create a resource for the arts community and the city as a whole.

“There are so many movements in Toronto, artistic movements . . . it’s about unearthing and shining light on Toronto history and Toronto contemporary artists,” he told the Star.

He chose Instagram for its accessibility and discovery-enabling fea- tures, such as hashtags and links.

“If you are interested in (an artist), you can go into the tunnel and down their rabbit hole and find out more about their work,” he said.

McCallum’s Instagram project is one of 25 featured in the Myseum of Toronto’s Intersections festival.

“Because we don’t have a city museum per se, there are many stewards of the city’s culture,” said Myseum’s director of programs Britt Welter-Nolan. “That’s what makes the ‘my’ in Myseum.”

The “call and response” curatorial process opens the exhibits to participation at every phase, she said. “We wanted anybody who came to add something, question something, meet someone or take away a new idea.”

In addition to the online component, McCallum is mounting a show at the Daniels Spectrum. Called Black Toronto 2116, it carries on the Afrofuturism themes he has been exploring in “Black Future Month” shows since 2013.

He said he defines Afrofuturism as a movement that aims to imagine a future separated from the oppression still experienced by black people today.

“Also it’s a reflection on today of where our psyches are at and how far we can stretch in terms of creating optimistic black images,” he said.

Although McCallum speaks of the past and future, the present timing is significant, too — for once, Black Future Month won’t be shown in February (Black History Month).

Instead, black art can be celebrated “all year round,” he said. “Imagine that.”