The Parallel Destinies Speaker Series will explore the lives and careers of the two great Canadian landscape artists Homer Watson (1855-1936) and Carl Ahrens (1862-1936). These insightful and entertaining talks will highlight the similarities and differences, to make their work known, understood and appreciated.

There are three events scheduled for this summer.

We begin each with an exclusive up close and personal tour of the show led by Sandu Sindile, our Collections Manager and the curator of the exhibit. A lecture will follow the tour. The evening concludes with refreshments, and more time for questions and reflections.

As a bonus, if you are the proud owner of artwork by Homer Watson or Carl Ahrens, you are invited to bring it along for a “show and tell”. Sandu will be happy to speak with you about your piece and you may learn something you didn’t know!

1.”Carl Ahrens : The Man Behind the Paintings”  by Kim Bullock.
Saturday, July 18, from 1.00-4.00 pm. Lecture begins at 2.00pm.
Kim is the youngest great-grandchild of Carl and Madonna Ahrens and has recently completed a novel inspired by their lives. She has an MA in English from Iowa State University, where she taught for two years. Kim is an assistant editor and regular contributor at Writer Unboxed, a popular writing blog. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and two daughters.

2. “A Twin Talk on Two Grand River Painters: Carl Ahrens and Homer Watson” by rych mills.
Thursday, August 6, from 5.00-8.00 pm. Lecture begins at 6.00pm.
rych mills is a Kitchener local historian with a deep interest in Waterloo County’s historical artists. mills has authored two books on Kitchener history and dozens of historical articles for various publications. He is currently editor and publication chair for the Waterloo Historical Society and contributes a weekly column titled Flash from the Past to the Waterloo Region Record.
In “A Twin Talk on Two Grand River Painters”, rych will guide us through some lesser known aspects of the two artists’ lives and work.

3. Creating a Culture: A Musical Equivalent to “Parallel Destinies” presented by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Thursday, August 20, from 5-8 pm. Lecture begins at 6.00pm.
Dr. Abigail Richardson-Schulte, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra Composer-in-Residence will explore the development of Canadian music following the fascinating story of Sir Ernest MacMillan and his impact on the development of culture in Canada.

The Parallel Destinies Speaker Series is free. A suggested donation of $10 for each event will support the exhibition program of the Dundas Museum & Archives.