ANNUAL REPORT A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 5 - M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 6

M I S S I O N

To advance the arts and letters, by and through our members, who practise and

contribute to the arts, in the conviction that the arts are essential to a healthy,

enlightened society.

CONTENTS President’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Governance & Strategic Plan Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Member Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Membership & Catering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Painting (Visual Arts) and Photography ‘HotShots’ . . . 8

Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Ad Lib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Film & ‘Documenting The Art of Exploration’ . . . . . . 11

Public Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Evening Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Special Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Archives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Curatorial Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Treasurer’s Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Directors, Committees & Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

14 Elm Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada MSG 1G7 Tel. (416) 597-0223 | artsandlettersclub.ca

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

From the start of my term I have been clear that I would focus my efforts on the

Club’s Strategic Plan. It is a good plan, carefully thought out and constructed

by a team led by Marianne Fedunkiw, my predecessor.

In my experience, the greatest downfall of strategic plans is that they are not followed through. Boards seem to think that creating the plan is the end of the process, when in fact it is the beginning.

At my first Board meeting as President, I asked each Board member to assume responsibility for some aspect of the three strategic priorities, and I have shared with you my gratitude at the eagerness with which they agreed to participate. In this Annual Report, you will find reports from Directors, but here I would like to review some of the things that have happened this year within these priorities.

1. Increase the Club’s influence and impact on the artsWe have established partnerships between the Club and The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation and the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story. In addition, we have entered into an agreement with the Ontario Society of Artists for them to use our clubhouse for all their meetings. We have introduced five other new arts organizations to the Club by hosting their meetings, and held the NEXT! exhibition to showcase some of the best visual artists across the province. NEXT! will be repeated in fall of 2017. The Breakfast Series continues to sponsor discussions for members and guests in the area of public policy and the arts.

2. Make the Club the preferred destination for its members Penelope Cookson is conducting a review with the LAMPS committees to explore good or better ways of programming to engage our members. Judith Davidson-Palmer has a committee working on some new hospitality initiatives. This group is also working to examine new menu selections and catering options. Margaret Kerr and Anne Evans of the Membership Committee have developed fun social events for members, organized not around programs but around informal interaction, first Mardi Gras and a summer party. And Carol Anderson continues to work on the website to make it more accessible.

3. Be strong and financially viable Judith Davidson-Palmer also has an ad hoc committee looking into our fee structure so as to more fairly distribute the financial burden. John Ryerson is working aggressively on finding Foundation and Government sources of funding for our capital projects. At the Annual Meeting we will hear a report on the findings of our Capital Expenditures Committee. Club General Manager Fiona McKeown and Carol and Ken Anderson are working to expand our current management software to enable members to search the calendar, reserve events on-line, and access member directory information. We are also working to establish a Planned Giving program for members who wish to remember the Club in their Wills. Finally, the Membership Committee and the Membership Retention Committee are working hard to increase our membership numbers. And there is still more to go. Challenges lie ahead for the Club and we are preparing to meet them.

It has given me a great deal of pleasure this year to work for and with you all. We, all of us, have been given an amazing privilege to carry on the traditions of The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto. It is an honour for me to be your President and I sincerely hope you are satisfied with what I am doing on your behalf. Together we will overcome the challenges and will continue to enjoy each other’s company, conversation and talents.

John H. Goddard, President

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GOVERNANCE

The Board met six times and participated in one conference call during the fiscal year. There were 10 Directors and five Officers (the full slate is listed on the inside back cover). All Directors are members of the Club and collectively possess the knowledge, skills and experience for appropriate Board governance. Minutes of the Board meetings are posted at the Club.

Artistic programming is carried out by five LAMPS committees: Literature, Architecture, Music, Painting and Visual Arts, and Stage. The LAMPSletter which is issued both electronically and in print form 11 times each year and the Club website (www.artsandlettersclub.ca) are the primary communication tools with members.

BOARD ACTIVITIESAmong the activities achieved by the Board this year were:• discussing and approving Finance Committee reports and the Treasurer’s recommendations;• receiving and discussing Club Committees reports, and approving significant events;• approving capital expenditure budgets, including the maintenance of our heritage building;• receiving and approving operating budgets;• receiving the Auditor’s Report and approving the Annual Financial Statements;• scheduling and holding a Special General Meeting on October 14 to approve a borrowing by-law;• continuing to operationalize the Club’s Strategic Plan by making each Director responsible for particular aspects

related to each of the three key priorities:

1. INCREASE THE CLUB’S INFLUENCE AND IMPACT ON THE ARTS• Art Service Organization Relations – Wendy Boyd• Art School Relations – Peter Russell• Club Branding – Alan Somerset• Liaison with The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation – Jess Hungate• Social Media – Irene Katzela• The Breakfast Series – David Phillips

2. MAKE THE CLUB THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR ITS MEMBERS• Activities – Penelope Cookson• Hospitality and Events – Judith Davidson-Palmer • New Member Orientation – Margaret Kerr• Property – Ian McGillivray• Website Development – Carol Anderson

3. BE STRONG AND FINANCIALLY VIABLE• Fundraising – John Ryerson • JONAS Software – Carol Anderson/Kenneth Anderson• Membership Recruitment – Susan Goddard• Financial Performance – Bill Buchanan• The Great Hall – John Snell

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Art Service Organization Relations are being identified and approached. Among those with whom the Club has been in contact are: Playwrights Guild of Canada, Pluralism in the Arts Movement (CPAMA); St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society; The Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Concert Group; The Mozart Project; The Ontario Association of Art Galleries; The Ontario Society of Artists; and Viva! Youth Singers of Toronto.

Liaison with The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation links the Club to the Foundation whose purpose is to advance education by providing scholarships and bursaries to Canadian youth pursuing a post-secondary education and to provide awards for demonstrated excellence in the arts to those under 30 years of age from the Greater Toronto Area. To help identify ideas that would further the complementary objectives of these two separate organizations, we have developed partnerships with institutions such as The Royal Conservatory of Music, Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story and Playwrights Guild of Canada. We are also meeting with younger artists at the Club for new ideas and speaking with non-Club members to broaden the scope of outreach.

The Breakfast Series seeks to accomplish increasing the Club’s influence and impact on the arts by addressing topics that sit at the intersection of the arts and public policy in Canada. Speakers included:• Ian Morrison, Spokesperson, FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting, on “What’s Next for Public Broadcasting in Canada”;• Roanie Levy, Executive Director, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, on “Protecting Creativity: Guarding the

Rights of Writers and Artists”.

The Great Hall Committee, formed in January 2014, continues to investigate ways to improve the usefulness and quality of our historic Hall. Highlights included:• improving control of the environment related to comfort (hot/cold) and acoustics

including noise from mechanical systems;• engaging an electrical/mechanical engineering firm to prepare a master plan and

asking a contractor to comment on pragmatic and cost aspects including ways in which a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning design would impact the stage by removing equipment behind the proscenium which would allow for more flexible use of the space;

• reviewing blackout blinds and an electronic induction hearing loop; • continuing discussions regarding use of the stage, acoustical design and lighting.

Hospitality and Events Committee began by working with staff to identify initiatives and to collect information from groups and individual members about ways to enhance services. Some new initiatives included:• revitalizing the Lounge as a gathering place for multiple groups;• publicizing menus for specific arts events;• promoting new ways to bring members together for informal arts discussion.

New Member Orientation is a key element of member retention. Initiatives include:• continuing with “Meet and Greet” opportunities before evening programs and a

Club Table at events where new members can meet other new members as well as established members;

• including events with minimal programming to facilitate informal arts discussion;• encouraging programming that includes material of general interest.

JONAS Software includes features that would allow members to book events online, would provide online access to member information, and would provide the ability to include better searches and more information, while maintaining full and robust security for use with both computers and mobiles. Future improvements include:• better marketing of Club events to members;• maintaining our current website with a member login that gives access to the

additional JONAS Online features and services;• allowing members to reserve for Club events online by Fall 2016.

Member Donors April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 (Heritage Toronto Funds, In-Kind, and Estate)

Peter W. AlbertiKenneth & Carol AndersonTony BattenJim BirnieLucy BrennanAnn Crichton-Harris & John W. SendersPatricia ClearyThe Dalglish Family FoundationGeorge FierhellerJohn FreiGeorge GarlockPeter GarstangJohn & Susan GoddardMary Glendinning & Ian McGillivrayJames HewsonPatterson & Patricia Hume FoundationDiane M. KrugerJohn Stanley & Helmut ReichenbacherJohn LawsonMary & Kenneth LundJames MacDougallRichard Moorhouse & Jean SimontonKatherine MorrisonJohn M.L. RammellRyan A. SobkovichCallie StaceyEstate of Les TibblesSheila Craig Waengler

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MEMBERSHIP

During the 2015/16 fiscal year, the Club welcomed 66 new members, had 57 resignations and eight deaths of members. We, therefore, ended our fiscal year at the end of March with 572 members.

The Constitution requires that at least half of the members be professionals in the LAMPS disciplines, and our professional count was 50% as of March 31. Although we continue to attract younger members, the Club’s overall demographic represents those who are retired and have generous amounts of time to enjoy what is on offer.

In looking for innovative ways to increase our membership, this past year we initiated Club ‘business cards’ which can be easily carried and given out by members to interested people they meet. The initiation fee was not re-instituted, and a Board committee was formed and is looking into our fee structure. Club members understand that recruitment is everyone’s responsibility and 58 members sponsored new members this year, 13 on multiple occasions.

On-line posting of applications on the Club’s website now makes it much more convenient for all members to see who is applying and who they might be interested in meeting. The Membership Committee welcomes comments and ideas about any aspect of membership. In response to the Club’s Strategic Priority 2 – ‘Making the Club the preferred destination for its members’ – we continue our New Members Program which ensures that newer members feel welcome, get involved and remain with the Club; our designated “meet and greet” and “Club Table” events are much appreciated. We also passed along requests for more opportunities to relax at the Club after work and our proposed coffee bar on the second floor is in response to requests from members who want to be able to enjoy specialty coffees during the day or evening.

CATERINGThe Club provides a variety of in-house catering services to members and their guests and to rental clients, under the direction of General Manager Fiona McKeown, Chef de Cuisine Kenneth Peace, and Catering Manager Joseph Sweeney. The contribution from these catering services is an essential source of revenue to the Club’s operating budget. Catering is provided by a group of dedicated culinary and service staff, and along with our administration staff, many of whom have been employed at the Club for some time. There were 439 Club and rental events and more than 13,000 meals enjoyed by members, guests and rental clients.

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LITERATUREE.J. Pratt Honourary Member for Literature

2015: Don McKay | 2016: Michael Ondaatje

The Literary Committee organized 45 events this year, including Literary Table talks on successive Tuesdays centring on literary activities, and a number of Club Nights designed to reach a wider audience. This year we welcomed 26 invited speakers, and enjoyed hearing talks from 19 Club members. They were well attended, informative, and enjoyable.

This year’s literary talks covered the usual huge range of topics, with speakers including bestselling novelists, poets, and writers on the arts, politics and social history. Topics ranged from Shakespeare to Harry Potter, Marshall McLuhan and Afghanistan, Sharon Singer’s new opera, Isis and Osiris, the diaries of Robertson Davies, Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace, and the Welsh in Patagonia. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED: • Sharon Johnston, wife of Governor-General David Johnston, speaking about her new

novel, Maintenance and Madams;• A freewheeling, witty and thought-provoking Club Night with Michael Enright, with some

thoughts on CBC Radio;• We welcomed Don McKay, our E. J. Pratt Honourary Member for Literature for 2015, for

an hour of poetry reading, birdsong imitations, and Newfoundland lore. As special guests, the Editorial Board of Brick Books accompanied Don, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of that publisher;

• Two talks centred on the Second World War: Peter Russell talked about The First Summit, his study of the meeting in Newfoundland between Roosevelt and Churchill, and Jack Granatstein spoke at a January Club Night about his book, Our Greatest Victory;

• Politics – national, provincial, and local – were the theme of several talks, including John Ibbitson, on his biography, Stephen Harper, Dalton McGuinty on his political memoirs, and John Sewell looking back in his new book, How We Changed Toronto, 1969-1980;

• To bring us back to earth, and to give us hopes of springtime, Mark Cullen spoke about his new book, The New Urban Garden, and answered our many questions about the art of growing plants.

Literary Committee

Alan Somerset, ChairKenneth AndersonLucy BrennanMary Frances CoadyRobert (Bob) DouglasRichard GwynPeter HarrisKirk HowardPeter LevittElizabeth Lockett (Honourary Member)Carole Moore Rose NormanNorma RowenPeter Russell

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ARCHITECTUREEric Arthur Honourary Member for Architecture – Jason Dobbin

Club Members from the architecture and design communities were active in advising and supporting the repairs and improvements to the physical premises again in the past year.

PROGRAMMING INCLUDED:• Christopher Armstrong’s overview of the new City Hall on the fiftieth anniversary of its opening in 1965. Some

current members of the Club were involved with the competition that led to the design and it was distinguished Club member, Eric Arthur, who spearheaded the campaign to obtain the iconic design which we celebrated;

• A collaboration with Film Night convener Peter Harris to present the film Finn with an Oyster: The Story Behind Toronto’s New City Hall by documentary filmmaker Michael Kainer with the assistance of former City archivist and Club member Karen Teeple;

• The LAMPSweek Architecture Luncheon featured landscape architect Robert Allsopp who spoke on “The Victims of Communism Memorial and the National Capital Plan”;

• In March, Marianne McKenna, of KPMB Architects, the designer of Koerner Hall, the much-applauded concert hall associated with the Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning;

• A visit to St. Anne’s Church (below) in April to view the progress in the restoration of the church fabric, in particular the numerous decorative art pieces by three members of the Group of Seven, Franklin Carmichael, J.E.H. MacDonald and Frederick Varley, and their friends. Since Club members were instrumental in starting the fundraising drive to preserve this art, the invitation of Club member and pastor, Gary van der Meer and the discussion led by the host Roy Schatz were much appreciated;

• For Doors Open 2015, a review of the evolution of the Club’s own architecture over the years, prepared by Ian McGillivray.

Architecture Committee

George Hume, ChairTamara Anson-CartwrightJohn BlumensonJames HewsonLorna KellyMargaret McBurneyMark McBurneyIan McGillivrayMark OsbaldestonJohn Snell

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MUSICSir Ernest MacMillan Honourary Member for Music – David Jaeger (below right)

The Music Committee sponsored a total of 37 Wednesday noon concerts, 10 Club Nights, and two special Members’ Dinners, with music from the seventeenth century to the present day. The repertory ranged from Classical favourites, to jazz, to the latest contemporary compositions. We heard string quartets and flute quartets, sopranos and tenors, pianists, guitarists, and violinists, and several different choruses, as well as the fifth instalment of “Tenorissimi,” up-and-coming tenors from the University of Toronto (U of T) Vocal Department. Performances were all of the highest quality as seasoned professionals such as Robert Aitken, Meredith Hall, and Richard Herriott shared the limelight with performers starting off their careers as well as several who were barely into their teens. We are grateful to all the artists for their generosity in performing for the Club.

Club members who were performers this season included: William Aide, Penelope Cookson, Jean Edwards, Jonathan Krehm (left), Rachel Krehm, Patricia Parr, William Westcott, and composers John Beckwith and Walter Buczynski.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:• an evening of entertainment by Klez Konnection, a Klezmer ensemble led by Jonno Lightstone, that got a number of

the audience members dancing; • a celebration of the retirement of Ann Cooper Gay as director of the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus (CCOC) that

included a large chorus of CCOC alumni performing excerpts specially composed for that group;• an illustrated talk by John Beckwith about the genesis of his “Music for Huronia”; • a performance of “The Art of the Prima Donna” by students from the U of T

Opera Department; • excerpts from Henry Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen” by the Toronto Masque Theatre; • new and rarely heard chamber music performed by gamUT, the U of T contemporary

music ensemble;• an evening with Bill Westcott and Friends, who – as always – filled our Great Hall

to capacity.

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Music Committee

Timothy McGee, Chair William Aide John BeckwithPenelope CooksonJames DooleyBarbara Wright GeorgeElizabeth Kilbourn-MackieJonathan KrehmRachel KrehmDenis KuleshaJohn LawsonMary LundJane McWhinneyMarietta OrlovPatricia ParrJudy SimmondsJohn SnellJohn StanleyBarbara Wright

PAINTING (VISUAL ARTS)J.E.H. MacDonald Honourary Member for Painting – Irma Coucill

The Art Committee is responsible for booking all exhibitions to fit into a year-long schedule of monthly shows. Only work by Club members is eligible for the regular art exhibitions: this is a privilege of membership. Our goals are:• to exhibit a variety of members’ high-quality work that will interest the

general membership, guests and rental clients• to provide opportunities for the Club artists to show their work. We also sponsor speakers and special events related to the visual arts.

EXHIBITIONSThis year we had six group shows and five solo shows:• April – Spring Group Show • May – Photography Group Show• June – Ron Bolt solo show, “Retrospective: Five Decades”• July/August – Summer Group Show• September – Wendy Boyd solo show, “Sparkles and Dust”• October – Fall Group Show• November – NEXT! Competition • January, two concurrent shows:

Margie Hunter Hoffman solo show, “Ode to Ildy” and “Breaking the Ice” group show, including three works from the Club’s Permanent Collection

• February – Winter Group Show, with an archival feature, two paintings from a Club show held in 1925, borrowed from their owners

• March, two concurrent shows: Rosemary Aubert solo show, “City Love” and James MacDougall solo show, “A Brush with Others”

IN ADDITION TO SHOWS INITIATED BY THE ART COMMITTEE:• May – ‘Dish It Up’, a fundraising silent auction co-ordinated by

Hilary Alexander with members creating art on decommissioned Club dinner plates;

• November – NEXT! Ontario-wide open-juried drawing and painting competition, co-ordinated by Zora Buchanan and her committee.

OTHER ACTIVITIES• regular Painters’ Studio sessions led by Ingrid Whitaker (Wednesdays), Wendy

Boyd (Fridays) and Lynn Bertrand (Sundays);• Plein Air gatherings hosted by Ron Bolt in Cobourg, and Joan Dubros in Toronto;• Art Discussion Group, led monthly by Farhad Nargol-O’Neill;• The Executive List for 2014-2015, unveiled at the Annual Meeting in June, created

by John Inglis.

INNOVATIONS• Visual Arts e-list: monthly omnibus messages to any interested members;• Sunday Public Openings held at the beginning of each new exhibition;• larger red dots to be put on art that has been sold.

PHOTOGRAPHY – ‘HOTSHOTS’ The Photography Group, better known as ‘HotShots’ met nine times during the year. We covered various topics at our meetings held the first Wednesday of the month. On one occasion, we took to the streets and shot reflections on and off the buildings in the Club’s neighbourhood, then met back at the Club and critiqued each other’s work. But most often, we pick a photographic challenge for the next meeting, for example the idea of ‘Work’, then present up to three images for discussion. The group is becoming more vibrant and active. We have an annual juried show and this year a record number of photos were submitted for the May exhibition to produce the best show on record. The group also participated in many of the group art shows during the year.

Guest Speakers

David Silcox, Behind the Podium at Sotheby’sHarry Enchin, Toronto Moments in TimeRon Bolt, Constructing WonderDoug Purdon, film, The IlluminatorWendy Boyd, Sparkles and DustGeorge A. Walker, Alcuin Society AwardsMargie Hunter Hoffman, Ode to IldyAlan King, Laughing Till It HurtsDoreen Balabanoff, Light, Colour and Environment: Embodied Perception (LAMPS Week Speaker)Rosemary Aubert, A Lover Among the Masters

Arts Committee Marvyne Jenoff, Administration ChairAlan King, Exhibitions ChairPeter AlbertiDiane BoyerConnie CarterJudith Davidson-Palmer, Board LiaisonDawn DougallMelanie DurasRay FerrisJohn Inglis, Past Acting ChairJudy Raymer IvkoffDollina MacMillan BirchEmily MandyBonnie McGeeBarbara Mitchell, Club CuratorCorin PintoBarbara Rose

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STAGEJohn Coulter Honourary Member for Stage – Rosemary Dunsmore

Robert Beardsley Award for Young Playwrights The Stage Committee hosted the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s (PGC) Tom Hendry Awards on October 25, and simultaneously handed out the Robert Beardsley Award for Young Playwrights, administered by The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation. Excerpts from the two award-winning plays, Everything I Never Told You by Remi Long (second from left) and Definition by Luke Reece (third from left), were given staged readings at the Club in February.

PERFORMANCES The year included a number of productions and collaborations:• The annual Spring Revue, Vamp Till Ready!, under the

artistic direction of Ashley Williamson. Skits for the 2015 revue, written and performed by Club members, revolved around the theme of moving, with Club members having to seek alternative quarters during renovations;

• The Stage Committee joined the Literary Committee and Ad Lib in hosting the English-Speaking Union’s twenty-third annual student competition, Shakespeare on the Platform;

• Warren Clements and Julian Mulock collaborated on an evening of songs and stories about animals inspired by Aesop’s fables and the mean streets of Victorian London with projected images of Julian’s drawings;

• A hearty December tradition continued with the annual evening of seasonal readings, Merry Christmas, Nearly Everybody!

• Jay Turvey and Paul Sportelli’s musical 33 1/3, which won the PGC Musical Theatre Award, received a tuneful staged reading in January;

• For LAMPSweek, seven Club members picked favourite scenes from movies based on stage plays. The members then introduced clips of those scenes, which were screened for an appreciative audience.

THEATRE OUTINGS• Marianne Heller organized coach excursions to see The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt

at the Shaw Festival and The Taming of the Shrew at the Stratford Festival;• A shorter excursion led members to Ryerson University, where Ryerson Theatre’s third-

year acting-class students performed a concert version of the musical Urinetown.Stage Committee

Ashley Williamson, ChairMaya BielinskiJane CarnwathScott ChristianWarren ClementsJohn GoddardThomas GoughMichael Spence

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AD LIB

Ad Lib, the Club’s multidisciplinary Friday night creative journey, presented a total of 41 Friday night events over the course of the year.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED:• Rachel Persaud hosted an evening of classical South Indian music with singer Nanditha Srinivasan;• playreadings of Betty Trott’s The Gorge and Tennessee Williams’ I Rise in Flame, Cried the Phoenix;• The Canadian Songbook, featuring rarely performed works from Canadian musicals, with Gerald Isaac and his Gen Y

Singers;• The Art of Protest, featuring original photos by Laura Jones and her late partner John Phillips, shot during the

American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s;• an evening of avant garde accordion music with Branko Dzinovic;• Blue Art Night with artists Rebecca Collins, Dollina MacMillan Birch and Rob Prince, with live blues music by the

group Blues & Troubles;• marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, a night of poetry by W.B. Yeats, hosted by Lucy Brennan and directed by

Betty Trott;• celebrating the 10th anniversary of JOTO, Toronto’s friendliest open improv comedy jam, hosted by Damon Lum

and Steve Johnston (below);• Leon Warmski presented The Spanish Earth, a rare documentary film on the Spanish civil war, written and narrated

by Ernest Hemingway;• our annual chocolate tasting, with expert Kyle Smith and our very own Chocolateer Singers, with pianist Alan King.

Ad Lib Committee

Rob Prince, Chair (April-August) Rebecca Collins, Chair (September-March)Steve Johnston Irene KatzelaDamon LumCarole MilesJohn Rammell Betty Trott Elaine Wyatt

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FILM

Screening movies from around the world, Film Nights were held once a month, on Wednesdays from September to November and from January to May and every Monday during July. This year, 199 members attended the monthly Film Nights, coordinated by Peter Harris, and 154 attended the Summer Film Nights. That Hamilton Woman (UK, 1941)

Films were also featured in collaboration with other events. In June, The Illuminator was introduced by Doug Purdon and shown during Club Night as part of the opening of the Art Committee’s Summer Group Show. Ad Lib featured screenings of Mon Oncle Antoine (Canada, 1971), hosted by Betty Trott and Pulp Fiction (US, 1994), hosted by Rebecca Collins, and the Architecture Committee co-hosted a presentation and discussion of Finn with an Oyster: The Story Behind Toronto’s New City Hall (Canada, 2015) by documentary filmmaker Michael Kainer.

Divorce Italian Style (Italy, 1961)

Wadjda (Saudi Arabia, 2012)

Love’s Labour’s Lost (UK, 2000)

Cinema Paradiso (Italy, 1990)

The Green Man (UK, 1956)

Hot Millions (UK, 1968)

After the Wedding (Denmark, 2007)

And Then There Were None (UK, 1945)

No (Chile, 2012)

Forever (France, 2006)

Cold Comfort Farm (UK, 2002)

Genevieve (UK, 1953)

DOCUMENTING THE ART OF EXPLORATIONThe Eighth Annual Film Festival, organized by Elaine Wyatt and co-hosted by the Club and The Explorers Club of Canada, was held March 18 and 19. The Festival began on Friday evening with a presentation by Angry Planet host George Kourounis and producer Peter Rowe on the adventures they had filming the biggest brush fire in recent Australian history and Russia’s Pole of Cold, followed by a full day of films and finally a gala dinner and keynote presentation by filmmaker Stavros Stavrides.

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Film Night

Hosts

Carol AndersonWarren ClementsBob DouglasPeter HarrisNorma RowenPeter RussellSue RussellLeon WarmskiJennifer Young

PUBLIC EVENTS

In addition to Sunday public art openings held throughout the year, the Club participated in a number of special events to which the public were invited.

DOORS OPEN TORONTO 2015More than 900 visitors toured the Club during the 16th annual Doors Open Toronto event on May 30.

NEXT! PUBLIC ART DEMONSTRATIONS, STUDIO PAINTING, CLUB TOURS & DISCUSSIONSA province-wide drawing and art competition, organized by Zora Buchanan and her committee, was hosted by the Club in October. In addition to public openings on the weekends, visual artists Andrew Benyei, Pat Fairhead, Alan King (below right), Tina Newlove, Doug Purdon (below left), and Andrew Sookrah, also gave public art demonstrations at the Club; the Studio was open to the public for model painting, coordinated by Wendy Boyd, for three Monday sessions in October and November; artist Farhad Nargol-O’Neill led a viewing and discussion of the exhibition; and tours of the Club were coordinated by Sue Russell and other member volunteers.

“ICE, WINE & DINE”Once again, the Club joined our neighbours for the annual Downtown Yonge BIA event, “Ice, Wine & Dine” on November 21. This is an opportunity for businesses on Elm Street to open their doors to the public for six hours from 4 pm to 10 pm. More than 500 people walked through the doors of 14 Elm Street and were treated to entertainment by Club members Warren Clements and Julian Mulock, took in the artwork on the walls for the Small Works Show and Sale, and enjoyed hot chocolate.

“THE BIG CLASSY” SMALL WORKS SHOW AND SALEOur 10th Annual Small Works Show and Sale hosted by Judy Raymer Ivkoff kicked off a few weeks earlier this year on November 22 and sales exceeded $4,000. More than 100 people attended the Sunday event held in The Great Hall and more than 130 works, both books and art by members, were sold.

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EVENING PROGRAMMING

Members took part in more than 400 events during the past year, including performances, speakers, workshops, committee meetings, and excursions.

CLUB NIGHTSLAMPS Committees again organized and hosted 36 splendid Club Nights, held every Monday from September until the end of June. Performers and speakers ranged from the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre to Shauna Rolston’s cello orchestra, from readings of plays by winners of the Robert Beardsley Award for Young Playwrights or a discussion on “City Hall and the Arts” with City Councillor John Fillion to Club visual artists’ opening the latest exhibition.

We experimented with shifting Club Night to another evening for one event in September. Singer, conductor, and teacher Ann Cooper Gay, was fêted during a special Friday evening Club Night on the occasion of her retirement from her position as Artistic Director of the Canadian Children’s Opera Company. Twenty-eight singers from the Youth Chorus performed in the Great Hall and Michael Albano, Kristina Bjelic, Errol Gay, and Ken Hall spoke.

For more Club Night highlights, see the LAMPS Committee Reports.

MEMBERS’ DINNERSThis year, the Club held four Members’ Dinners, again coordinated by Kathleen Metcalfe. In April, Brigitte Shim, Partner, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects Inc., spoke about Toronto’s Integral House, named by The New York Times as one of the “houses of the century.” Lindsay Fischer, Artistic Director, YOU dance at the National Ballet School spoke at the Club in May. In October, Club member and composer John Beckwith gave a detailed account of his new opera, Huronia, with visuals and sound recordings. In March, Douglas McNabney, Violist and Artistic Director, Toronto Summer Music, spoke about the festival’s upcoming season.

BREAKFAST SERIES David Phillips took over organization of the Club’s Breakfast Series this year. For more on this initiative, see the Strategic Plan Update on page 3.

NEW ACTIVITIESOpportunities for informal discussion were expanded. Ann Evans and Margaret Kerr hosted a Mardi Gras party in February, the first in a series of events to be held on special calendar dates throughout the year, in addition to the Easter Buffet Lunch. Pub Night, which had been held on the last Tuesday of every month (‘Super Tuesday’) has been wound down in favour of a new venture which occurs on Wednesday afternoons to take advantage of the fact that several regular Club events also take place on Wednesdays.

SUPER TUESDAYSIn addition to the regular Literary Table, once a month members could also take join the Art Discussion Group led by various professional artists, the Calliope Poetry Group organized by Rosemary Aubert and Diane Boyer, and the Music Salon coordinated by Jonathan Krehm, before meeting up informally with other members for Pub Night.

ART OF CONVERSATION Carol Vine continued to host this monthly event on Wednesday afternoons, after Music Wednesday performances and before Film Night screenings. Topics included ‘War and Peace’, Homer’s Odyssey, and ‘Different Ways of Thinking/Thinking in Different Ways’.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

“A SAUCY SPRING FLING”More than 50 members and guests, including 13 Charter Women, (pictured right) gathered in The Great Hall on May 7 for an afternoon tea celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of women being admitted to the Club. Invitations, which included original artwork designed by Charter Woman and artist Pat Fairhead, were mailed out to all Charter Women. The afternoon programme, hosted by Club President Marianne Fedunkiw, included “Ode to the Charter Women” by Warren Clements and read by Thomas Gough and greetings from David Franco who was Club President from 1986 to 1988 soon after women became Club members.

While those present dined on freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves and a selection of sandwiches prepared by Chef Peace and his team they were entertained with songs, lyrics rewritten for the occasion by Fedunkiw, and performed by Thomas Gough and a filmed duet by Julian Mulock and John Rammell, as well as jazz selections on the piano by Bill Westcott. Fedunkiw gave a presentation on the history of women at the Club since 1985. Guests were also serenaded by Michael Hartley, with Ruth Morawetz providing piano accompaniment, and archival footage graciously supplied by Lesley Fairfield, of Jean Edwards and the cast of a skit from the tenth anniversary celebration singing, “Every Day is Gentlemen’s Day for Us”.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was special guest Russell Lazar recounting his role in women joining the Club. When artist Anne Lazare-Mirvish was told she could not enter the Club to hear her husband Ed Mirvish give a talk in the Great Hall, she quickly organized a protest. Lazar was asked to supply three placards and drove Lazare-Mirvish, her daughter-in-law Audrey, and Nancy Russell, an employee at Honest Ed’s and Mirvish family friend to 14 Elm Street to picket the event. The three women picket made the Toronto papers and the audience, including Lazare-Mirvish’s son David Mirvish, heard how this was a turning point that led to the Club admitting women as full members.

Finally, Past President John McKellar was recognized for his role in supporting women members at the Club; another Past President, Michael Spence, leapt into the breach to help a group of Charter Women with the presentation. The celebration ended with the announcement of a new scholarship for young artists being established.

SPRING REVUEVamp Till Ready, which ran for three nights from April 30 to May 2, was directed by Ashley Williamson and featured material written by Warren Clements, William Denton, Thomas Gough, Margot Trevelyan, and Morna Wales.

DISH IT UP! Hilary Alexander coordinated a Club fundraiser where artists would create works of art on decommisioned Club dinner plates which were then displayed at the Club before being sold in a silent auction on May 26. More than 40 Club artists took part – some with multiple entries – and $5,150 was raised for the Club.

THE PRESIDENT’S DINNER AND 2015 PRESIDENT’S SERVICE AWARDSOn June 11, following the Annual Meeting, 105 members gathered together in the Great Hall for the annual President’s Dinner. Club President Marianne Fedunkiw acknowledged Life Members, Charter Women and Past Presidents in attendance as well as welcoming new members.

One of the highlights of the evening was a special quiz and tribute to Fiona McKeown who celebrated her ten-year anniversary as the Club’s General Manager. Another highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the 2015 President’s Service Awards. Four members were honoured for their volunteer work and commitment to the Club: Angel Di Zhang; John McKellar; Barbara Mitchell; and David Skene-Melvin who was away and was recognized at a Club Night in September.

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John McKellarAngel Di Zhang David Skene-MelvinBarbara Mitchell

This award program was established by then Club President Richard Moorhouse in 2013. To date, 16 members have been honoured for their volunteer contributions. The award consists of three parts: a distinctive pewter medallion; a specially designed certificate by Club member Alan Stein; and a permanent listing of this distinction in the Members’ Directory.

Outgoing Board members were recognized as well as those continuing to serve on the Board and those joining the Board for 2015/2016. Because Fedunkiw was stepping down as President after one year due to health concerns, the evening ended with the introduction of her successor, John Goddard and his closing comments.

GARDEN PARTYOur annual Garden Party was held at the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC), on Prince Arthur Avenue on June 18. Judith Davidson-Palmer and Barbara Mitchell led pre-party tours of the building and WAAC’s Art Collection. This was the first attempt to hold the summer Garden Party at another art facility of interest to Club members.

CLUB EXCURSIONSMarianne Heller organized trips to the Shaw Festival in July to see The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt and to the Stratford Festival in September to see The Taming of the Shrew. Backstage tours and chats with performers were part of each day’s program for Club members. Carrying on with his idea to connect the Club with other arts groups, John Ryerson led an excursion in November to Dance Collection Danse (DCD). The Church Street building holds a collection of York Wilson’s paintings and Curator, Barbara Mitchell went along to speak about York Wilson’s legacy to DCD.

NEXT!A province-wide drawing and art competition was hosted by the Club in the Fall. Zora Buchanan (top photo, right) led a committee of 11 Club members (pictured below) who designed posters, took in applications, and hanged the works on the walls before the Gala Award Opening on October 23. Almost 350 entries were submitted from Ontario artists. The total amount of prize money available was $14,000. The ‘Best in Show’ Gold Award, presented by The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, OC, OOnt, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, went to Janet Hendershot of Toronto (top photo, left); Nancy De Boni, also of Toronto, received the Silver Award. Additional awards were presented to the following Ontario artists:• Award of Excellence in Drawing - Kevin Bae, Toronto • Cherry Carnon Award I - Peter Adams, Creemore • Cherry Carnon Award II - Erin Gillis, Vineland• Cherry Carnon Award III - Kathe Merlovich, Oshawa• Dr. Bruce Robinson Award of Merit - Jessica Mann, Toronto• Elisabeth Legge Gallery Award of Merit - Laurie de Camillis, Toronto• Margaret King Award of Merit - Warren Hayano, Brampton • Sedelmyer-Katz Award - Michael Zarowsky, Toronto • Zora Buchanan Award of Merit - Eva Widmaier, Toronto

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THE 105TH BOAR’S HEAD FEASTThere was much “horsing around” at the annual December feast which got off to a rollicking start with its usual theatrics, organised this year by Dollina MacMillan Birch. One hundred and eighteen members wearing tabards or costumes filled The Great Hall for this successful event which featured the Club Singers and soloists Connie Briant and Michael Hartley and which ended with spontaneous carol singing around the piano with Ruth Morawetz at the keyboard.

HOLIDAY LUNCHThe Great Hall was filled to capacity on December 18 for a luncheon that featured music and carol singing and festive decorations by 11 members and four staff. Members were aided by guest soprano Karine White and member Penelope Cookson, with Ruth Morawetz at the piano. Gord Fulton organised an on-the-spot reading by attendees of the classic 1823 holiday poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, more commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore.

NEW YEAR’S EVE Club President John Goddard and his wife Susan hosted a celebration with music provided by a disc jockey. Fifty-seven members and guests gathered in the Great Hall to ring in 2016.

BURNS SUPPERThe annual Burns Supper, hosted by Wendy Boyd and held on January 21, featured the return of past Club member, Malcolm Sinclair as Master of Ceremonies. He was assisted by pianist Eric Robertson, David McKane who gave the “Immortal Memory” and “Address to the Haggis”, and storyteller Frank Cairns. Doug Purdon delivered the Toast to the Twa Lands, Alexander Sterling, the Toast to the Lassies, and Rosemary Aubert replied to him. Peter Fleming and Wendy Boyd carried the haggis while Rob Noble played the pipes.

LAMPSWEEKOur annual week-long celebration of the arts began with Club Night, Monday, February 22 and ran through Friday, February 26. Programming featured:• Music: Larry Beckwith and The Toronto Masque Theatre,

performed excerpts from their production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen;

• Literature: Norma Rowen spoke on “Ada Lovelace: Daughter of the Devil” – the Devil being Lord Byron, and Ada being the mathematical genius who helped Charles Babbage set up an early computer;

• Architecture: Wednesday’s luncheon guest speaker Robert Allsopp spoke on “The Victims of Communism Memorial and the National Capital Plan”;

• Film: Cold Comfort Farm (UK, 2002), based on the comic novel by English author Stella Gibbons, published in 1932, was screened and introduced by Warren Clements;

• Painting/Visual Arts: Doreen Balabanoff, a glass artist, designer and Associate Professor in Environmental Design at OCAD University as well as President, Colour Research Society spoke on “Light, Colour and Environment: Embodied Perception”;

• Stage: members presented clips from various films that were adapted from stage plays.

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ARCHIVES

Every week multiple enquiries are received and answered by the archives volunteers. With collections of material relating to Club members and events dating back to 1908 the questions come from Club management, Club members and a broad community of scholars, media and the general public interested in our extensive contributions to the history of Canadian culture.

Research has been conducted on the life of early Club librarian Lacey Amy; on the Club’s 1945 production of Oscar Wilde’s “A Florentine Tragedy”, for La Société Oscar Wilde in Paris; and on Percy Schutte (member 1929 to 1968), an active Club thespian some of whose appearances are recorded in our 1930s film footage shot by Chuck Matthews.

Club archivist Scott James participated in early planning meetings aimed at establishing a museum of the city, now Myseum of Toronto, and was pleased their CEO Karen Carter has since joined the Club. James and Victor Russell collaborated on an article, “Institutional Memory”, about the photographs of member Arthur Goss, which appeared in the book, The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood, published in 2015.

Exhibitions in the lower level display cases featured Cleeve Horne, Hector Charlesworth, J.E.H. MacDonald as a designer and, the pièce de résistance, the Artists Jamboree of 1925. Two works by members Frank Johnston (right) and L.A.C. Panton created for the jamboree came to light and both owners kindly agreed to allow the works to be shown for the first time since 1925. The full program for this ambitious production has survived, clearly identifying these two paintings.

Acquisitions for the past year include a small 1913 watercolour gem by A.H. Howard entitled “The Coming Storm”; a large York Wilson painting (above) done in association with the 1980 Spring Revue, a gift of Harriet Bunting “Sis” Weld; and two editorial cartoons created for The Ottawa Citizen, a gift of artist and member Alan King.

The work of collecting and organizing, transcribing and digitizing Presidential papers (of Richard Moorhouse this year), committee minutes, and visual records of events continues with the invaluable assistance of Archivist Emeritus Raymond Peringer; and finally, the Club Scrapbook remains in the capable hands of Keron Platt.

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CURATORIAL CIRCLE

The Curatorial Circle held seven meetings during the Club’s fiscal year to discuss acquisitions through donation or purchase, the collecting goals of the Circle, possible deaccessions and the accessibility of the collection to Club members. The responsibilities of the Curator were to hold the meetings of the Circle and to attend to the installation, security, inventory, condition, restoration or repairs of works or their frames when the need arose.

The frames of a small number of pictures were upgraded this year. Fortunately no other restorations or repairs were necessary. About eight works received permanent labels.

Two years ago, the Circle circulated a ‘wanted poster’ of 25 past artist members whose art had never been represented in the Collection. The Circle’s goal was to acquire, over time, as many of these missing works as it was possible to do so. We are pleased to announce that since then, either through donation or purchase, the Circle has acquired for the permanent collection a representative work for 14 of these artists. Upon acquisition, each work was announced in the LAMPSletter and the work displayed for about a month in the front lobby.

The works of art acquired this year for the Permanent Collection were:• The Footballer c.1970, a bronze sculpture by William McElcheran, donated by Callie Stacey• Gea Gamboni 2008, an oil on canvas by James MacDougall, donated by the artist• Sprite of the Outer Islands 1988, an oil on board by James Hall, donated by Allison Skinner • Georgian Bay Sunrise, a watercolour by Jane Champagne, donation by member John Lawson• Mulmur Hills, Ontario, a watercolour by Jack Reid, donated by member Tony Batten• Boardwalk, Sunnyside 1947, a watercolour by Eric Freifeld, purchased at auction (below)• Portrait of Tom Bjarnason, a watercolour and gouache by Bill Sherman, purchased from the

WAAC collection• Haliburton Village 1993, a watercolour by Mary Tuck Corelli, purchased at a WAAC

members show• The Lost Cat c. 1950, an oil on board by William Winter, purchased at auction• The Palace of Turin 2011, watercolour by member James Hewson, purchased from the artist• Little Turtle Lake from Moore’s Hills c.1910-12 by J.E.H. MacDonald, donated by

member Jim Birnie

Only one work from the collection was loaned out this year. The late Kay Murray-Weber’s large silkscreen print, SPACE STATION, was lent to the Georgina Art Centre and Gallery in Sutton, Ontario for the month of July 2015. It was returned and now hangs in the General Manager’s office. In December 2015, the Curator reported that she had proposed, to the chair of The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto Foundation and to the president of the Women’s Art Association of Canada (WAAC), that she organize a joint art auction between the two clubs and the Foundation to benefit the building funds and scholarship funds of both clubs; the auction would be held in October 2016 on the premises of the Women’s Art Association in Yorkville. Her proposal was accepted by the WAAC and the Foundation’s Board and in principle by the Board of The Arts & Letters Club.

Curatorial CircleMembers

Barbara Mitchell, CuratorAndrew BenyeiScott James, ex officio Kathryn Minard Julian MulockDoug Purdon John Snell

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LIBRARY

The Library added more than 30 books this year, all meeting the collection policy that states we want all books by or about Club members or the Club. Many Club members donated copies of new publications, which are most welcome and the real source of the library’s growth. .

Robert Douglas gave the second in a two-volume set, That Line of Darkness, Volume Two: The Gothic from Lenin to bin Laden; Elizabeth Kilbourn-Mackie gave the first of her autobiographies, It Came to Me; James Musselwhite donated novels in the Two Spirits series (Lazarus, Pandora, A Fairy Tale, and Adam & Angela), plus Get Lost: A Black Mountain Story, and non-fiction works Eek! A Piano! Everything You Wanted to Know About Pianos But Were Afraid to Ask and “Dear Mr. Musselwhite . . . ”; Colin McNairn contributed In a Manner of Speaking: Phrases, Expressions, and Proverbs and How We Use and Misuse Them; George Rust-D’Eye gave one volume of local history, Cabbagetown Remembered, and the latest editions of three of his detailed legal works that will interest anyone who wants to know how Toronto really works (written with Ophir Bar-Moshe and Andrew James): Ontario Municipal Law: Statute Reference Guide–2015, Ontario Municipal Law: A User’s Manual–2015 and City of Toronto Act and Related Municipal Legislation: A User’s Manual–2014; David Skene-Melvin gave a copy of The Stranger and the Bees, a picture book he wrote that was illustrated by Kate O’Keefe, daughter of member John O’Keefe; and RoseMarie Condon donated a copy of The Canadian Shield Alphabet, by her and Myrna Guymer.

Other donations: Marni Blouin’s memoir of her work with Jack H. McQuaig, Lunch with the Boss; Alan D. Butcher’s Unlikely Paradise: The Life of Frances Gage (donated by niece Lynda Allman); Donald Rumball’s The University Club of Toronto: Its Life, Its Times, 1906–2006 (from the University Club); and J.P.B. Allen’s Landscapes from the Past: Memoirs of a Young Englishman (from his wife, Marillene Allen).

Sometimes books just appear on the librarian’s desk. This year these were: Eugene Bannerman’s Street Names of Blyth; Dennis Reid’s Alberta Rhythm: The Later Work of A.Y. Jackson; and Doug Taylor’s Toronto Theatres and the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. My thanks to whoever left them.

Raymond Peringer also donated several: Elspeth Cameron, Aunt Winnie; Irma Coucill, Canada’s Prime Ministers, Governors General, and Fathers of Confederation; Marian Fowler, Blenheim: Biography of a Palace; Carole Giangrande, Midsummer; Robert M. Hamilton, Canadian Quotations and Phrases, Literary and Historical; Harrison John MacLean, The Fate of the Griffon; and Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko, Munschworks: The First Munsch Collection.

The library is able to purchase some books, which this year were: Warren Clements and Julian Mulock, News of the Day, Lustily Shouted and Other Stabs at Victorian Verse; Ian Sigvaldason and Scott Steedman, Art for War and Peace: How a Great Public Art Project Helped Canada Discover Itself; and Richard Landon’s A Long Way from the Armstrong Beer Parlour: A Life in Rare Books: Essays by Richard Landon.

We also receive a number of magazines: BlackFlash, Border Crossings, Canadian Art, Canadian Notes & Queries, The Dance Current, Devil’s Artisan, Literary Review of Canada, Opera Canada, Ornamentum, Prefix Photo, and Quill & Quire. Suggestions for new subscriptions are always welcome. A printed catalogue is available on the desk in the library and in PDF on the private members’ area of the web site.

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TREASURER’S REPORT

The following discussion and analysis relate to the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended March 31, 2016, as presented to members at the annual meeting and summarized below. The Club presents its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for not-for-profit organizations in Canada. Significant accounting policies include accruals and the historical cost basis, revenue recognition, segregated funds, capital assets, major repair and restoration expenditures, amortization and a capital reserve. The Club combines its various arts activities in a comprehensive program to address members’ interests. Revenues and expenses reflect this consolidation of programs, and no attempt is made to distinguish between revenues and costs for each of the programs. As a not-for-profit organization, the Club aims to break even and maintains its fee structure at reasonable levels to meet its break even objective.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 2016 2016 2015 ACTUAL BUDGET ACTUAL

OPERATING REVENUES

Members’ annual fees $451,300 $460,200 $426,200

Members’ contributions 36,700 1,900 4,300

Catering and rentals 705,200 745,700 667,800

Activities and other revenues 40,400 47,200 42,500

Total Revenues 1,233,600 1,255,000 1,140,800

OPERATING EXPENSES

Catering and rentals, direct expenses 614,400 638,000 588,400

Activities, direct expenses 42,700 52,800 48,600

Property 200,600 214,800 207,000

Office and general 306,800 307,000 294,100

Interest expense 1,600 – –

Amortization 55,700 37,500 45,700

Total Expenses 1,221,800 1,250,100 1,183,800

Operating Revenues More (Less) Than Expenses $11,800 $4,900 $(43,000)

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OPERATING REVENUE There were 439 catered and rental activities and events during the year (2015: 465), including 211 art activities for Club members (2015: 202). Food and beverage prices are revised at least annually. We had 572 members at year end, about the same number we had a year ago. Members’ fees were increased by 5% at the beginning of the year (2015: 5%) Members’ fees were 37% of total revenues (2015: 37%). We need to increase membership numbers in order to maintain fees at reasonable levels. Other revenues include a generous bequest from the estate of a deceased member, donated Club debenturers, and rent from the long-term lease of office space to a tenant.

Rentals, catered events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38%

Members’ fees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37%

Members’ art activities, with catering . . . . 19%

Other revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%

OPERATING EXPENSES Catering expenses are carefully incurred under the watchful eyes of the chef and the general manager. Office and general expenses, which includes unallocated various expenses for art programs, activities and events, represents 25% of total expenses (2015: 25%). Property and maintenance cost for the building was 16% of total expenses (2015: 17%). Members are not paid for work at the Club. We will continue to control costs and pursue prudent financial management.

Catering, direct expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50%

Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%

Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16%

Amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%

Activities, direct expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4%

CAPITAL AND BUILDING RESTORATION EXPENSESSignificant future capital projects and restoration expenses include the building front façade to be undertaken next year, and the Great Hall further down the road. These projects are expected to be financed from various financing sources, including contributions made by members to Heritage Toronto.

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FINANCIAL POSITION 2016 2015 March 31 March 31

ASSETS Cash $84,700 $131,700

Receivables, inventories and prepaid expenses 69,000 47,000

Segregated funds investments 89,700 51,100

Capital assets, less amortization 2,138,600 2,022,700

Total Assets $2,382,000 $2,252,500

LIABILITIES Accounts payable and accruals $130,800 $103,400

Debentures 57,500 11,500

Mortgage 148,800 –

Total Liabilities 337,100 114,900

DEFERRALS Deposits and deferred members’ annual and initiation fees 178,000 262,300

Restricted use contributions 47,700 45,300

Capital asset contributions, less amortization 392,700 415,300

Total Deferrals 618,400 722,900

ACCUMULATED SURPLUS AND CAPITAL RESERVE Capital reserve 42,000 5,800

Accumulated surplus 1,384,500 1,408,900

1,426,500 1,414,700

Liabilities, Deferrals, Surplus & Reserve $2,382,000 $2,252,500

ASSETSCapital assets include the clubhouse land and building at 14 Elm Street, furniture and equipment, and the art collection. The assets of the segregated funds (restricted use contributions and capital reserve) are invested in interest-bearing accounts with Canadian Chartered Banks. Receivables, inventories and prepaids arise from the ordinary day-to-day operations of the Club.

Capital assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90%

Cash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4%

Segregated funds investments . . . . . . . . . . . 3%

Receivables and inventories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3%

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LIABILITIES In January 2016, a 15-year mortgage was arranged to finance the repair and restoration of the shingle roof. Accounts payable and accruals are incurred in the ordinary day to day operations of the Club. Several members have invested in a new program of Club debentures, with one to five-year terms, to help with future capital and bulding restoration expenses.

Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44%

Accounts payable and accruals . . . . . . . . . . 39%

Debentures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17%

DEFERRALSCapital asset contributions by members or third parties are in cash or capital assets. The Club follows the accounting standard that defers capital asset contributions and amortizes them over the estimated useful lives to which they relate. Rental deposits and members annual fees received in advance are deferred and accounted for as revenue in the next fiscal year. Restricted use contributions are held in trust to be used only for the purposes intended by the donors.

Capital asset contributions, less amortization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63%

Deposits and deferred members’ fees . . . . . 29%

Restricted use contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8%

ACCUMULATED SURPLUS AND CAPITAL RESERVE The accumulated surplus is invested in the net assets of the Club, principally capital assets. Most of the surplus was realized on the sale of investments and valuable paintings, when the Club purchased the 14 Elm Street property, 27 years ago. The purpose of the capital reserve is to set aside funds to assistin the financing of future major building repairs and equipment replacements. Members contributions, including estate bequests, are added to this important reserve.

Accumulated surplus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97%

Capital reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3%

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORSOfficers Directors

John Goddard, President Wendy Boyd Ian McGillivray

Judith Davidson-Palmer, Vice President Penelope Cookson Peter Russell

Bill Buchanan, Treasurer Susan Goddard John Ryerson

David Phillips, Secretary Irene Katzela John Snell

Jess Hungate, Counsel Margaret Kerr Alan Somerset

STANDING COMMITTEESFinance Committee Audit Committee Nominating Committee

Bill Buchanan, Chair Bill Buchanan, Acting Chair David Phillips, Chair

Anna Dowbiggin Anna Dowbiggin John Goddard

Mary Glendinning Mary Glendinning George Hume

John Goddard Derek Hayes John Inglis

Derek Hayes Don McLeod

Richard Moorhouse

Norma Rowen

John Stanley

Ashley Williamson

Property Committee Membership Committee Curatorial Circle

Ian McGillivray, Chair Susan Goddard, Chair Barbara Mitchell, Curator

Hilary Alexander Tamara Anson-Cartwright Andrew Benyei

Lucille Giles Scott Christian Scott James, ex officio

Jim Ireland Ann Evans Kathryn Minard

Lorna Kelly, ex officio Laura Jones Julian Mulock

Jonathan Krehm John Kehoe Doug Purdon

Bill Whiteacre Margaret Kerr John Snell

Don McLeod

Julian Mulock

Judy Smith

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Membership Fees Task Force Capital Expenditures Hospitality Committee

Judith Davidson-Palmer, Chair John Goddard, Chair Judith Davidson-Palmer, Chair

Bill Buchanan Bill Buchanan Elizabeth Greville

John Kehoe John Goddard Hilary Alexander

David Phillips Ian McGillivray Lorna Kelly

Lorne Rothman John Ryerson Kitty Gibney

Aida Tammer

Archives Library Website

Scott James, Archivist William Denton, Librarian Carol Anderson

Art Collection LAMPSletter Annual Report

Barbara Mitchell, Curator Carol Anderson, Editor Marianne Fedunkiw, Editor

Jane McWhinney, Copy Editor Orangecap, Designer

MANAGEMENT STAFFFiona McKeown, General Manager Kenneth Peace, Chef de Cuisine

Naomi Hunter, Membership Administrator Chris Gardiner, Houseman

Cornelia Persich, Administrative Assistant Matthew Percy, Catering Operations Manager

Joseph Sweeney, Catering Manager

CREDITSPHOTOGRAPHS

Judith Davidson-Palmer, Gord Fulton, Jack Gilbert, Barkley Hunt, Liam Jaeger, Marvyne Jenoff,

Ken Judd, Jonathan Krehm, Tim Leyes, Damon Lum, Ian McGillivray, Rob Prince, John Ryerson, Eric Saczuk,

and the Club collection.

ARTWORK

Rosemary Aubert, Andrew Benyei, Ron Bolt, Wendy Boyd, Warren Clements, Eric Freifeld,

Margie Hunter Hoffman, Frank Johnston, James MacDougall, William McElcheran, Julian Mulock, and York Wilson.

A R T S A N D L E T T E R S C L U B O F T O R O N T O

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 5

artsandlettersclub.ca