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Joseph D. Carrier - 'I Am My Brother's Keeper'
By Catherine Smyth (cont'd) page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4 | page 5
The gallery opened with reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci's art and manuscripts that are considered rarities in themselves. A critic compared the show favorably with the blockbuster Leonardo exhibit in Montreal saying: "What is intriguing about the Carrier show is its ability to tackle the overwhelming theme of art, science and Utopia and wrestle it to the ground."
Carrier, himself an art collector, is proud of the gallery but he says, "what pleases me as much is the fact that three other members of the community have now pledged large sums to add a chronic care centre to our home for the aged, Villa Colombo, just behind this building." Columbus Centre and its present neighbors, the elderly people's home and a senior citizens' apartment building, all had their beginnings traceable to Carrier, whose long history began as a struggle for survival.
Born Giuseppe Domenic Carriero in 1910, Joe Carrier came to Toronto with his immigrant parents, Antonio and Cristalla, when he was a child of two. His lifelong friend, ethnic broadcasting pioneer Johnny Lombardi, says of Carrier: "His parents came over on the same ship as mine in 1912. It was a 35-day trip in steerage. They all came from Pisticci in the deep south of Italy, one of the poorest parts.
"My mother told me that, before I was born five years later, she hoped I'd look like little Joe with whom she'd fallen in love. Of the nine children Cristalla had, seven died in Italy. Only Joe and his sister Angelina lived. You know, 1912 was the year of the Titanic disaster, but I think even if they'd come over on that boat Joe would have survived." [ cont'd ] >>
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