Media advisory - Exciting new political cartoons exhibit in Toronto!

TORONTO, April 1, 2014 /CNW/ - Huzza for Freedom! Political Cartoons from the War of 1812 kicks off April 2 with a launch event at the Parliament interpretive centre in Toronto. The exhibition features 23 reproductions of cartoons produced by historical British and American cartoonists, and contemporary Canadian cartoonists.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and remarks begin at 7 p.m. The exhibition closes September 1, 2014. The cost is included in the Parliament interpretive centre entrance fee.

The exhibition is curated by four University of Toronto, Master of Museum Studies students - Keely Bland, Oriana Duinker, Kristie Nairn and Hilary Walker - in collaboration with staff from the Ontario Heritage Trust. The students have worked with the Trust staff since September 2013 to curate an exhibit that explores how the production and consumption of political cartoons during the War of 1812 allowed American citizens and British subjects to exercise their democratic freedoms.

The interpretive themes for the exhibition explore how political cartoons were used for spreading news, ridiculing and dehumanizing the enemy, and critiquing internal politics. The contemporary cartoons examine modern Canadian commemoration of the War of 1812, and draw a connection between past and present graphic satire.

The collaboration gives the students hands-on experience with museum practice. It also produces an entertaining and enlightening exhibit with both visually compelling and important historical sources for the Parliament interpretive centre.

The Parliament interpretive centre - owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust - is a place of discussion and exchange, where a variety of perspectives are voiced, represented and interpreted. We regularly host lectures, discussions, tours and a range of other activities for visitors of all ages.

The Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

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SOURCE: Ontario Heritage Trust

For more information about Huzza for Freedom! Political Cartoons from the War of 1812, contact Kathleen O'Brien, Communications Officer at 416-978-7184 or [email protected]

For more information about the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Parliament interpretive centre, contact Niya Bajaj, Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist, at 416-325-5074 or [email protected].