Culture Days Launch 2012

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NAN celebrated with Culture Days 2012!

• Performances by Regent Park artists including COBA and Juno Award-winning recording artist Sean Jones
• Jian Ghomeshi - CBC Q, author and emcee
• Antoni Cimolino - General Director and Artistic Director Designate, Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Chair, Culture Days National Steering Executive Committee
• Mary De Paoli - Executive Vice-President, Chief Marketing Officer and Public & Corporate Affairs, Sun Life Financial
• Michael Chan - Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

 

Samba Kidz Final Performance

Samba Kidz celebrates diverse art forms in Potluck, the final performance of their summer program.

Anthony didn’t know any dance moves before participating in the Samba Kidz Summer Program but he introduces himself by saying, “I’m a breakdancer.” His greeting is an indication of the confidence and artistic identity fostered by the Samba Kidz summer camp, which culminated in a final performance at Drum Artz Community Centre.

Other participants are seasoned members of Drum Artz programs. Lia attends Samba Kidz afterschool programs, where she was introduced to samba and steel pan. At the final performance however, she can’t pick just one favourite art form and exclaims that she likes ‘everything!’

Children, youth, volunteers and professional artists showcase the skills they developed during the month-long Samba Kidz Summer Program at Drum Artz Community Centre.

Samba Kidz encourages this kind of all-embracing attitude to the arts. Anthony explains, “We do break dancing, stilts, samba and steel pan.” All of these art forms are incorporated into Potluck, the final performance. In Potluck, children, youth, volunteers and professional artists share the skills that they developed during their time at camp. The show starts with an energizing Samba number led by one of the campers then, as the music fades, storytelling owls swoop on stage.

“We are here to tell you a story about an island called Potluck…”

When the island of Potluck is threatened by a storm, samba bunnies, break dancing frogs and steel pan parrots combine their talents to save their home.

Canisia Lubrin, who facilitated theme development, explains that the story originated in the central theme “earth of common threads” that the children identified during discussions. In developing the story Canisia’s goal was to ‘focus on the lived experience of the kids.’ Working together through the arts, the children ‘take what happens at the camp and show it in the performance.’ Canisia confirms that, “It all comes from the kids.” Lia adds that, “We added some lines that had to do with the characters,” and Canisia describes this as the process of ‘all the kids vibing off each other’ to create the finished product.

The Island of Potluck is home to break dancing frogs…

The Samba Kidz final performance integrates art forms into a magical spectacle of movement, music and storytelling. The scenes become more complex as each child contributes to the collective effort to ward off the storm and save the island. Potluck celebrates the skills of campers of all levels of experience and ends with a finale of music, dance, and even stilts, in which everyone participates.

…and steel pan parrots!

Drum Artz Canada (DAC) is a registered charity committed to making music and arts programming accessible to all people regardless of age, class, race, (dis)ability or gender. With a range of educational programs headed by professional artists, DAC encourages creative expression, team building, youth leadership and self-esteem.

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Emily Macrae is the Neighbourhood Arts Network 2012 Summer Intern

Youth Arts Pitch Contest: Call for Artists

ArtReach Toronto, in partnership with City of Toronto Cultural Services, Art Gallery of Ontario and Manifesto invites you to participate in a pitch contest. If you are a young artist or a group of artists, between the ages of 16 and 29, we want to hear from you!

We want to discover and support some of Toronto’s finest innovative talent and encourage community participation through the arts!

Win $5,000 to support your community youth arts project, start your arts business or take your career to the next level!

The arts are a powerful and motivating way that youth can be involved in their communities. Whether it’s in someone’s basement, or through a community program – young people are creating art all over this city. ArtReach Toronto, City of Toronto Cultural Services, Art Gallery of Ontario and Manifesto want to support youth aspirations in the arts. We invite you to submit your ideas to us, which could land you a spot in front of an esteemed panel of judges for a live and interactive pitch contest!

To apply:

• You must be an artist or part of a group of artists
• You must be between the ages of 16 and 29
• Developing an artistic project or are serious about your arts initiative
• Have experienced barriers and those who are increasing access to the arts

ArtReach Toronto encourages artists working in a broad range of art forms to apply, including dance, drama, music, carnival and circus, film and video, TV and radio, new media, fashion, creative writing, visual arts, crafts, hip hop, design, multi-media, urban arts and more.

Prizes:
Nine lucky submissions will be chosen to pitch their ideas live on Friday September 21, 2012 for a chance to win one of three $5,000 prizes awarded to participants in the following categories:

• Community Arts (i.e. theatre groups, collective of filmmakers etc.)
• Creative Enterprise (i.e. singers, poets, MC’s, clothing designers etc.)

Exciting runner up prizes will contribute to bringing awareness to your project or art!

Process:

• To enter, you must submit a two page (maximum) proposal answering the series of questions listed below, pitching your idea to the committee by the deadline of Friday August 17, 2012.
• The nine lucky finalists chosen to make their pitch will be announced on August 30, 2012!  ALL finalists are required to attend a two-part workshop series entitled How To Make a Pitch. These sessions will be held on Wednesday, September 5^thand Wednesday, September 12^th, 2012.
• Finalists will then pitch their ideas LIVE on Friday September 21, 2012 making a creative, energetic, inspiring and convincing presentation, pitch or performance in less than 5 minutes!!
• A panel of knowledgeable, high profile judges will provide on the spot feedback to all finalists and award three winners with the grand prizes of the PITCH CONTEST!

Deadline for Entries: Friday August 17, 2012
Submissions are to be placed online.
The submission form is here: www.artreachtoronto.ca/submit.html

If you have any questions, please feel to email us at contest@artreachtoronto.ca or call Derick at 647-347-0086

Reflection at Gallery 44

Devonne Harbin, Untitled

A security camera, words scratched in sand, curving chrome chairs, a pair of roses, high school lockers. All of these objects are brought together in OUTREACH 2012 – Reflection, a powerful exhibition of black and white photographs by youth from five different community organizations on display at Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography until July 28.

I spoke with soJin Chun, Head of Education at Gallery 44 and Devonne Harbin, a York University student and one of the participating artists from NIA Centre of the Arts about this year’s show.

Showing me her carefully composed photo of a window washer, Devonne explains “Really, it’s all about reflection.” Indeed, each photograph presents a different approach to the show’s central theme. From streetscapes to introspective portraits, Reflection showcases diverse artistic visions.

Raven Flynn

For soJin, film photography creates an opportunity for reflection. She explains that, in contrast to “our immediate culture, where we need instant gratification,” the tangibility of film photography encourages artists to frame each image and the development process rewards patience and precision. In fact, soJin believes that “being in the darkroom creates a community environment.” She describes developing film as “magical” and refreshingly “tactile” in a world where point and shoot digital photography is the norm. Devonne adds that, using the camera for artistic and individual expression at Gallery 44, she “rediscovered” photography after her initial exposure to the medium during high school.

Although OUTREACH is rooted in the tradition of film photography promoted by Gallery 44, the program is about more than image making. soJin confirms that the goal is to “push youth to think conceptually, think critically.” For each artist, the challenge is: “How can you make images that say something?”

In addition to conceiving, producing and exhibiting the show, a smaller group of youth also created an e-zine that integrates film photography with digital media. For Devonne, creating the e-zine was an opportunity to collaborate with youth from other community organizations and share ideas in a supportive setting. The Reflection e-zine presents photos from the exhibition as well as additional images and written reflections by the artists.

Visit OUTREACH 2012 – Reflection at G44’s Members’ Gallery at 401 Richmond until July 28.

Check out Reflection e-zine online.

Shawnee McComb

Participating Organizations

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a non-profit artist-run centre committed to the advancement of photographic art through education, exhibition, production and publication. The centre is supported by its members and patrons, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.

519 Church St. Community Centre is the hub of community life in Toronto’s diverse Church and Wellesley Village. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, two-spirited and queer (LGBTTQ) communities and our allies and friends have always found a welcoming place at The 519.

Eva’s Phoenix is a transitional housing and training facility, which formally opened in June 2000. This organization provides housing for 50 youth, aged 16-24 years, for up to a full year, and since 2002 has also allowed up to 160 youth each year, aged 16-29 years, to participate in its employment and pre-apprenticeship programs.

Harmony Movement was founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit charitable organization to combat interracial intolerance and to confront the “us versus them” attitude which was prevalent in Canadian society at the time. Its mandate is to promote diversity, bring awareness to and challenge all forms of discrimination that act as social and cultural barriers to individuals’ full participation in Canadian Society.

Native Learning Centre is a partnership with the Toronto District School Board. This program allows students to work at their own pace with one-on-one instruction, in a non-competitive environment.

NIA Centre for the Arts: NIA is a word of Kiswahili origins meaning purpose. In Arabic niyyah means intent, it is a way to judge someone’s actions. Our use of the word Nia represents our desire to support young people in finding their purpose. Nia Centre for the Arts is a community space focused on supporting the holistic advancement of Afro-Diasporic young people.

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Emily Macrae is the Neighbourhood Arts Network Summer Intern

Nomanzland on the Mainstage: June 15-17

 From June 15 to 17, Young People’s Theatre presents Nomanzland: Known to Police.

In Known to Police, resident’s from Toronto’s most notorious intersection find themselves backed into a dystopian corner by ‘the Man’. Armed with art, a conscience and the echoes of the Arab Spring, they must decide whether to run, hide, stand their ground, or come out fighting. Known to Police is a celebration of the resilience, vibrancy and swag of a community that often finds itself on the wrong side of society’s ‘you are either with us or against us’ speech.

Nomanzland, a performing arts program that brings together youth from different artistic backgrounds, encourages the use of poetry, dance and theatre to address issues that affect today’s youth. Most of all, Nomanzland hopes to provide an opportunity for reclamation – of both personal voice, and local space.

To learn more about Nomanzland, check out the NAN video profile.

Supporting Our Youth & Pink Ink

Supporting Our Youth (SOY) is a community development program designed to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgendered youth in Toronto through the active involvement of youth and adult communities. SOY works to create healthy arts, culture and recreational spaces for young people; to provide supportive housing and employment opportunities; and to increase youth access to adult mentoring and support.

Recently, I sat down with with fellow George Brown student, Ryan Singh, who just recently finished up a placement with Supporting Our Youth Toronto. We covered quite a bit of ground regarding SOY’s use of arts programming in its work with LGBTQ+ youth as well as his own growth as a community worker throughout his time with SOY. He points out that SOY has allowed to him to utilize and expand upon his facilitation skills as well as operate within a diverse group environment. Individually, he is also very involved in the performing arts and we spoke about what SOY offers in terms of current programming. From April 7th through July 7th, SOY is offering a writing program called Pink Ink. It is facilitated by local Toronto musician and author, Vivek Shraya. In the past, participants have produced zines, poetry, short stories, essays, and more. More information about this program can be found below.

Pink Ink

Offered to queer, transgender, Two Spirit, and questioning youth (ages 14-29) who are interested in writing. It focuses on editing, performance, publication, and more! This program is also a great opportunity to meet other queer and trans individuals from all over Canada. In the past, participants have produced a variety of items including zines, poetry, short stories, essays, and more.

Ryan summed up his time with SOY as such: “It is great to work in an environment that is not only queer friendly and/or queer accepting, but queer. Everyone involved with SOY really lives the principles and values. It is living and celebrating positive queer values; being positive with positive people.”

To learn more about Supporting Our Youth and their services, visit them online at http://soytoronto.org

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Alex Pollard is the 2011-2012 Neighbourhood Arts Network intern.

Ten Shades with Domanique Grant

Come out and enjoy an intimate night of good food, great music and success in Toronto… We’d like to celebrate with you!

Your invited to the Ten Shades event on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012  inside of Harlem Restaurant (67 Richmond Street East).

Ten Shades is Domanique Grant’s going away celebration/ fundraiser and pre-album listening party, in celebration of the singer-songwriter’s up and coming international ventures to Vancouver and Uganda this summer.

The event will include an interactive live band and listening showcase, featuring unreleased material from Domanique Grants’s forth coming album, music by Dj Ty Hale, a special performance by June Ballentyne and giveaways. Partial proceeds for the event will be donated to The Shanti Uganda Society in support of new equipment for their facility in Luweero Uganda.

Dinner at 7pm; Performances & Live Band at 9pm

Hosted by Pivotal

Live Band: Avery Levin-Gold (Piano); April Lavine (Percussion); James Faulkner (Guitar); Kimi Suzuki (Violin); Tenisha Clarke (Vocals)

To learn more about Domanique Grant, check out her ACE Award finalist video!

Sponsored by:

The Cooperative Housing Federation of Toronto

Five Kut Diamonds

Timeless Apparel

Stolen from Africa

Pivotal

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http://domaniquegrant.com

http://twitter.com/domaniquegrant

http://facebook.com/DomaniqueGrantMusic

http://youtube.com/domaniquegrant

Skills Development for Malvern Youth Artists

Toronto Arts Foundation is sponsoring an information session for youth artists living in Malvern as part of the foundation’s Arts Impact Study, a research project to better understand how Toronto residents interact and engage with the arts at a local level. Youth attending will have an opportunity to participate in TAF’s Arts Impact Study.

How to Build a Career in the Arts will be held on March 22nd from 4:00 to 6:00p.m. at Blessed Mother Teresa Secondary School 40 Sewells Rd, Room 229

View Larger Map

 

How to Build a Career in the Arts is for youth artists interested in a career in visual arts, film, or the music industry. The two-hour, free session will explore:
-How to promote yourself
-How to get your work shown
-How to get a gig
-How to meet the people you need to meet
-How being creative makes an impact on your life

Session resource persons are:

Photo © John Sanchez Photography, Domanique Grant

Dominique Grant – dynamic artist, performer, dancer, and actor who has spent more than a third of her life on stage. She has performed with KRS-ONE, and MICHEE MEE, and opened for artists including EMMANUAL JAL and ANDREENA MILL. As a youth advocate she speaks out for affordable housing through her work with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.

 

 

 

Photo © Jessica Thompson

Jessica Thompson is a Canadian new media artist whose work explores sound and participatory artworks, and a commercial graphic designer. She holds a BFA in Visual Art from York University in Toronto and an MFA in Emerging Practices from SUNY at Buffalo. Her work has been shown in exhibitions and festivals in Canada, United States and Europe. Her projects have appeared in publications such as Canadian Art, c Magazine, Acoustic Territories, and numerous art and technology blogs.

 

 

Space is limited. Those wishing to attend should email: margo@torontoartscouncil.org by March 21st.

Toronto Arts Foundation exists to provide the creative opportunity for donors to support the arts in Toronto. TAF believes that a great city demands great art, and by supporting, celebrating, financing and advocating for Toronto’s local artists, we’re improving the quality of life of all Torontonians. Although separate entities, the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation benefit by being run as sister organizations, ensuring close contact with the arts sector in Toronto and an ongoing awareness of
activities and needs throughout the community. For more information on the work of the Toronto Arts Foundation, please visit www.torontoartsfoundation.org .

Media Contact:
Margo Charlton
Research Officer
margo@torontoartscouncil.org
416-392-6802 x 201

WRTN/SPKN at the Triangle Program

WRTN/SPKN is a story writing and story telling project that took place at the Triangle Program with a group of LGBTQ high school students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

For several weeks, we explored creative writing (particularly memoir) through practices including free association, “cut-up,” word strings, found poetry, and collaborative writing. We experimented with voice and form, and the relationship between the written and spoken, and visually explored word. Throughout our creative process, students were encouraged to claim their place as storytellers and experts in their own experience. I provided guidance for the work being produced, but students’ areas of interest (themes and motifs) led the project.

Our work together culminated in the production and presentation of individual zines. Student-creators gave me permission to photograph their work, and develop a video that anthologizes their zines. Together, we viewed the video and talked about what they’d like to see happen with it.

There was consensus amongst the students that the video should be posted and distributed online, and available to everyone as an educational tool. Triangle students particularly want to reach out to other youth who have been or are being bullied at school— and those who can make a big difference: school boards and trustees, school administrators, educators, and guidance counselors.

Many students said that if it weren’t for the Triangle Program, they wouldn’t be in school. Triangle students recognize education as a right for all students, and that safety, or lack thereof, reduces access to education for LGBTQ students, and many other students for a broad variety of systemic reasons. Triangle students would like their stories and creative work to be a beacon for all youth who are struggling with safety and acceptance.

–Anna Camilleri, artist educator

More Information

What is a zine?

A zine is usually a non-commercial, non-professional publication, kind of
like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine
and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add
other, often unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of
interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator.

From <http://artmatters.ca/wp/2008/08/what-is-a-zine/>

The Triangle Program is one of three micro-schools that are part of Toronto District School Board’s OASIS Alternative School. Triangle classroom provides a safe educational environment for LGBTQ-identified youth. As the only LGBTQ-focused TDSB school, the curricula and pedagogical framework include LGBQT history and contemporary concerns including shifting notions and locations of LGBTQ community.

VIVA Launch: Roots and Bridges

VIVA! Community Arts and Popular Education in the Americas

¡VIVA! Community Arts and Popular Education in the Americas is a literary and transnational research project than spans five years and five countries. It integrates “place, politics, passion, and praxis” in the focus of building and sustaining community engagement and education through the arts. Included in the book, is a DVD of nine videos that showcase the ¡VIVA! project’s growth and evolution, and bringing it to life.

The event was hosted in a space provided by the Native Canadian Centre in the Annex, which is where the project was first implemented exactly eight years prior. That conference, “Harvesting Stories: Popular Education in Social Movements in the Americas” would shape and develop the ¡VIVA! project, picking up many people, stories, and ideas long the way.

As the project began to grow trans-nationally, ¡VIVA! showcased many different styles of education and artistic community engagement. Specifically, it also strives to identify certain tensions that exist among these programs, projects, and artistic movements. Below are brief overviews of just a few partner projects that are featured and make up the core of this book.

Kuna Children’s Art Project (Kuna Yala, Panama)
The Kuna people are an indigenous population living in Panama, specifically the Kuna Yala region which is home to more than 365 islands and over 36,000 inhabitants. The Children’s Art Project was developed through a variety of artistic mediums (drawing, murals, theatre, puppetry, crafting, music, and dance) delivered via workshops. Integrated with both Kuna and non-Kuna artists, the focus was in structuring the creative possibilities of Kuna children and youth to recover their cultural roots. Due to a lack of sufficient documentation, the ¡VIVA! Project’s main initiative in this program was to help ‘recover this experience by interviewing artists, animators, and participants.’

ArtsBridge, Changing Positions: Bridging the University and the City through Arts Education (Los Angeles, California – UCLA)

ArtsBridge is an education and outreach program that was developed through the School of Art and Architecture at the University of California. Its principle goals is to link students to community arts and social justice groups and schools for community learning.  The program also focuses on the under-representation of the African-American and Latino community in Los Angeles arts communities – examining the root causes in post-secondary education and developing academic and professional skills, arts development, curating, organization building, and more.

Jumblies Theatre/York University - Bridge of One Hair (Toronto, Canada)

Over the past decade, Jumblies Theatre has operated with York University in diverse neighbourhoods and communities to develop long-term projects in a multidisciplinary, artistic mindset. They have facilitated large-scale productions that involve the participation of both professional and public outreach. ‘The Bridge of the Hair’ project is a partnership between Montgomery’s Inn and Toronto Community Housing with a specific focus on the Mabelle community that houses many new immigrants and refugees from the Caribbean, Korea, Somalia, Russia, and Poland. This partnership began in 2005 with a 12-week program engaging youth (ages 12-16) in storytelling, photography, puppet-making, spoken word, video production, installation, and performance

To learn more about all partner projects and their objectives, as well as the ¡VIVA! story and its vision, visit the project’s home page here.

You can also buy it now at Between the Lines.

$24.95 CAD; Paperback; 240 pages; ISBN 9781926662510

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Alex Pollard is the Fall 2012 Intern at the Neighbourhood Arts Network