Photo: "Bacon Wrapped Ontario Quails" by Stacey McCool, member of the Toronto Food Flickr Pool.

Events on Toronto's Radar for MONDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2010... lovingly handpicked from blogTO's events calendar.

VISUAL ART | Beyond the Rhythm
The Association of African-Canadian Artists teams with the City of Toronto to kick off Black History Month with a visual art exhibition in the rotunda of City Hall. Now in its fourteenth year, Beyond the Rhythm has come a long way since it began as a small display in the lobby of the Human Rights Commission office at Bloor and Church. Growing every year in size, the show exposes the public to new and emerging artists from Toronto and the surrounding area and aims to inspire with a message of courage, love and respect while celebrating black Canadians' accomplishments and heritage. Runs til February 10.
City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., Free, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

THEATRE | OutSpoken: A Collection of Lesbian Scenes and Monologues
For over 25 years Playwrights Canada Press has been the country's drama publisher, giving a written voice to theatre writers across Canada who may not otherwise have a chance to appear in print. Tonight they launch their latest title OutSpoken: A Collection of Lesbian Scenes and Monologues which was edited by NOW Magazine's Susan G. Cole and features the contributions of da Kink in my hair writer trey anthony, graphic novelist Mariko Tamaki, and Jess Dobkin, the performance artist who caused an international sensation in 2006 when she opened a bar that served human breast milk. Dobkin, Tamaki, anthony and other contributors will be on hand to read from the book.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., Free, 7 pm

GALLERY | And My House by Ashley Guindon
One of Toronto's more unique galleries, Roadside Attractions doesn't open its doors to the public. Instead it showcases work by Canadian and international artists in its Davenport storefront, allowing passersby to stop and take in site-specific visual art installations. Starting today the gallery is exhibiting a new installation by emerging artist Ashley Guindon called And My House, which invites pedestrians to press their noses to the storefront glass and look through peepholes to view cabinets of curiosities inspired by childhood. Using video, images, and family artifacts Guindon prompts us to think about our own past and how our upbringing has shaped our present selves.
Roadside Attractions, 911 Davenport, Free,

MUSIC | Asobi Seksu
One has to wonder if Brooklyn dream pop outfit Asobi Seksu would be as successful had they kept their original name. Sure, Sportfuck has a certain ring to it, but it's just hard to take seriously. Thankfully the band dropped the name in 2001 and have been darlings of the indie shoe-gazing set ever since. Having just released their third studio album, the band comes to the intimate setting of the Drake Underground tonight to play some pared down acoustic versions of their hits. In such a small venue, playful frontwoman Yuki Chikudate should have the crowd eating out of her hand. Kat Burns of Forest City Lovers opens.
Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W., $10 advance, $12 door, 8 pm

FILM | Black History Month at the National Film Board
For all of February the National Film Board Mediatheque is granting Torontonians free access to one of the country's richest film repositories of Canadian black history. During Black History Month, you can visit one of the NFB's 16 digital viewing stations and watch films from its catalogue of African-Canadian movies, including In the Name of the Mother and the Son which tells the story of two young Haitian-Canadians battling prejudice in Montreal, Hardwood, the documentary on former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis, and Speakers for the Dead, in which a small Ontario community deals with wounds reopened by the restoration of a black cemetery. The digital viewing stations are suitable for one or two people.
National Film Board Mediatheque, 150 John St., Free, Tuesday - Wednesday 12 pm - 7 pm, Thursday - Saturday, 12 pm - 10 pm, Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm

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