OCAD U professor recognized as one of Toronto’s most impactful women

OCAD University Associate Professor and critically-acclaimed filmmaker and activist, Min Sook Lee, will soon be recognized through a performance art project as part of Nuit Blanche 2023.

Women currently make up 52 per cent of the population in Toronto. To reflect this number, The 52: Stories of Women Who Transformed Toronto has commissioned 24 exemplary playwrights to write 52 monologues on the stories of 52 transformational women in Toronto. This Myseum of Toronto project will premiere as a participatory performance on Sept. 23 at RendezViews, 229 Richmond St. W.

“I’m pleased to be recognized in this way by an organization that has done substantial work on reclaiming hidden histories and under told stories and hope this spotlight brings awareness to the social movement for migrant worker rights, which my work is closely aligned to," says Lee.

About The 52: Stories of Women Who Transformed Toronto

This preview of Myseum of Toronto’s multi-year historical project at Nuit Blanche invites audiences to step into the shoes of 52 remarkable women who have made significant contributions to the history of Toronto.

The participatory event offers audiences the opportunity to learn about these extraordinary women by performing their stories written as dramatic monologues. Participants will portray Toronto's historic women on intimate stages in the heart of downtown Toronto at RendezViews’ entertainment venue on Sept. 23.

The monologues are written by 24 prominent playwrights, who have been commissioned for the project as some of Toronto’s most exciting and emerging artists.

About Min Sook Lee

Min Sook Lee has directed numerous critically-acclaimed documentaries, including: Donald Brittain Gemini winner Tiger Spirit, Hot Docs Best Canadian Feature winner Hogtown, Canadian Screen Award winner, The Real Inglorious Bastards and the ground breaking El Contrato.

Her documentary Migrant Dreams, which told the story of migrant farm workers fighting for justice, was awarded Best Labour Documentary by the Canadian Journalists Association and garnered the prestigious Canadian Hillman Prize, which honours journalists whose work identifies important social and economic issues in Canada.

Lee’s exceptional contributions have garnered her prestigious accolades such as the Cesar E. Chavez Black Eagle Award and the Alanis Obomsawin Award for Commitment to Community and Resistance. Mayworks, Canada’s oldest labour arts festival, named the Min Sook Lee Labour Arts Award in her honour, to recognize artists active in labour arts and working-class struggles.

Lee is an Associate Professor at OCAD University. Her area of research and filmmaking focuses on counter hegemonic narratives of resistance and feminist working-class cultural praxis.