POETRY | Poetry to Save A City, Poems for Rob Ford
In response to the city's many recent issues with public art projects ("The Good Bike Project" and commissioned art murals, to name a few), R3 Artists' Collective is hosting Poetry to Save A City, Poems for Rob Ford, an open mic event that welcomes Toronto artists to present messages to the mayor through poetic verse. Supported by OPIRG Toronto and the Toronto Arts Council, organizers invite readings that will help Rob Ford become a better mayor who will liven the city rather than dampen arts and culture. The event, which has been dubbed the Gray V Trane reading, will feature poets and speakers such as Truth Is, Nomanzland and NoubeSe Philip with proceeds going towards 7 Directions and The African Reparations Fund.
Blue Moon Pub (725 Queen Street East) 9PM $10

ART | Moments Intercepted
The (re)collection project is a social experiment turned art project that is looking at how memories affect the past, present and future of a being's thoughts. For the past month, the Moments Intercepted Project has been challenging creative collaborators from across North America to participate in making spur-of-the-moment projects out of present memories. The artists were sent challenges via text or e-mail to creatively and impulsively turn a moment of their day into a small art piece. The 112 participants had 48 hours to design and create and tonight, at the opening of Moments Intercepted, those projects will be on display for the public. Some samples of the 10 challenges that were issued and will be on display at the evening's show and art sale are creations made from garbage, interpretations of how to capture summertime and meals made into works of art. This intriguing, personal exhibit runs for this weekend only at Labspace before the studio shuts its doors to become a nomadic art space.
Labspace Studio (2A Pape Avenue) 7PM Free

MUSIC | Steely Dan with Sam Yahel
'70s rockers Steely Dan are the real deal and they make a return to Toronto tonight to play their songs about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll for an outdoor crowd at the Amphitheatre. The classic rockers, who now look less like rocker hippies and more like your dad, released their most recent album Everything Must Go in 2003. Their ninth album over the course of a 30-year career, the record was the band's least successful but their cult following remains strong enough today to warrant the Shuffle Diplomacy Twenty Eleven tour. Jazz trio Sam Yahel will open the show.
The Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (909 Lake Shore Boulevard West) 8PM $24.50-$129.50

FILM | Movies Under the Stars--Megamind
Downsview Park has jumped on the bandwagon of free outdoor film screenings and tonight, for the northern GTA crowd, the film of choice is the 2010 Dreamworks animation movie Megamind. The story about superhero villain Megamind, who kills his last enemy and becomes the good guy on his quest for a replacement, this film houses the voices of an incredible cast of actors, including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Ben Stiller. Like most recent animation films, this children's movie is full of adult jokes so having a child in tow is not a requirement to enjoy the event. The film begins at sunset and goes on rain or shine (and as a bonus, the stars will actually be visible from the park)!
Downsview Park (35 Carl Hall Road) 9PM Free

ART | "Welcome to My Parlour" Sound Sculpture
Artist Chan Ka Nin has designed a six-foot tall sculpture to be displayed at Artscape Wychwood Barns as a part of Soundtravels Festival of Sound Art. The festival, in its 13th annual year, features installations such as Chan's "Welcome to My Parlour" as well as performances, transmission and radio arts and electroacoustic music. Chan Ka Nin's piece contains strings that, when struck, produce tonal and atonal sounds for several users to experiment with at once. The piece premieres tonight and will be open until the festival closes September 3rd. The artist will be present at the art space August 10th for a demonstration of how the interactive art installation works.
Artscape Wychwood Barns (601 Christie Street) 12PM Pay What You Can

OTHER EVENTS ON OUR RADAR

• Headaches, Kuhrye-oo, Foxes in Fiction
• The Toronto Burlesque Festival: Canadiana-Rama Friday Gala

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

For Toronto movie showtimes, view our Movie Listings section.

Photo by simon.carr in the blogTO Flickr pool