How do we remember the places that made us?
How do the places that made us show up in the places we are?
The H.E.R.E. Together Project is a story about land and the people connected to it—those who stayed, those who left, and the social technologies/cultural infrastructures that keep us together. This evening brings together an exhibit, a conversation, and a shared listening experience, inviting you to engage with personal histories that reflect larger movements of migration, belonging, and home.
Exhibit Opening
Explore family archives, soundscapes, photography, and creative maps that document histories of movement and land-based storytelling. A multimedia presentation that weaves together photos, music, and oral histories, celebrating the resilience and creativity of H.E.R.E. diaspora tactics.
Panel Discussion
A lively conversation with Prentiss Dantzler, Keisha St. Louis-McBurnie, Reza Nik and Theresa Wang on memory, migration, and the power of placemaking.
Come for the stories, stay for the tunes, and leave with new ways of seeing your own history.
The exhibit is hosted at Top Top Projects, 165 Geary Avenue – enter off Bartlett Avenue.
- 5:30: doors open
- 6:00-6:45: One-on-one intro with Prentiss Dantzler
- 6:45-7:00: musical interlude
- 7:00-8:00: Panel discussion with Keisha St. Louis-McBurnie, Reza Nik, & Theresa Wang
- 8:00-9:00: Reception
This work is presented by the School of Cities Early Career Canadian Urban Leader, Sam Carter-Shamai. Sam is an urban planner, cultural researcher, and creative strategist with a decade of experience bridging community-driven initiatives and academic inquiry. As the University of Toronto School of Cities Early Career Canadian Urban Leader and CCAxMellon Multidisciplinary Research Fellow, he explores the intersections of cultural infrastructure, collective memory, and alternative land tenure models. Sam employs multimedia storytellingto illuminate the role of social technologies in community-building and place-making. His practice engages diverse audiences, fostering dialogue across disciplines and geographies to imagine viable alternatives to extractive urban development practices.
