Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Art City in St. James Town is committed to providing free and accessible art programs for the children of this community that foster creative thinking and nurture self-esteem and personal accomplishment through multidisciplinary arts. By providing a safe and non-discriminatory environment for young people with the help of professional artists and the community, we promote the development of problem solving and interpersonal skills, instilling confidence and teaching respect and tolerance of others. We strive to equip children for future success as members of the St. James Town community and society at large.

History of Organization

Art City opened its doors in 2000 as a not-for-profit organization that provides multidisciplinary after school art programs free of charge to children and youth. St. James Town is the most densely populated neighbourhood in Canada. The majority of the residents are recent immigrants, making it one of North America’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods. Almost 90% of the families living in the neighbourhood have incomes below the citywide average. For these reasons, residents of St. James Town face daunting social issues, have difficulty engaging with the wider Toronto community, and are at higher risk of negative social outcomes. For children growing up in the area, it is sometimes hard to avoid these negative outcomes making the need for the safe environment we provide all the more pressing. Through the arts, Art City facilitates childhood development and instils a love of positive artistic expression while engaging the youngest members of the neighbourhood with the wider Toronto arts community. Providing the children with this positive refuge, as well as building up a skill set focused on creativity and communication, makes them better able to tackle life’s challenges. The experience has lifelong rather than short-term benefits.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Programs

>Winter 2010: Arts, Eats & Treats - The Food Arts Project
>Murals and Winter Fun
>Summer 2010: Sun Celebration

All of our programs run Wednesday to Monday after school from 4-6. On Saturday and Sunday we run 1:00 to 4:00 and 4:30 to 6:00 on Sunday for Youth only.

Fall 2009: Let’s Play - The purpose of this project was to teach the children elements of art through play. We celebrated play as a natural learning tool that, if directed and encouraged, can be a powerful catalyst to learning.

Winter 2010: Murals and Winter Fun - We used this time to explore and develop, primarily on weekends, murals for installation at LKTYP that explored and reflected the character traits developed in this year’s season at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People.

Winter/Spring 2010: Arts, Eats & Treats – The Food Arts Project - The purpose of this project is to teach the children about art that incorporates the culinary arts and uses food in original and creative ways. We have explored the significance of food across the cultures represented in the St. James Town community and its relationship to art.

Summer 2010: Sun Celebration - Art and performing arts workshops that will encourage the children of the St. James Town community to celebrate the beauty, bounty and 'joie de vivre' that comes with summer. Workshops will be conducted over the 8 weeks of the summer and will conclude with an open community event at the end of each month: A Masquerade Ball and a Community Parade.

Fall 2010: Gallery Hop - The purpose of this project is to teach the children what a gallery is, how it is designed, how it functions and most importantly how to access it and what its potential benefits are. We will look at galleries internationally, nationally, in Toronto and in our immediate neighbourhood.

Our programs use "Mixed media" including: drawing, painting, textile, craft, silk-screening, printmaking, ceramics, set design, paper-cuts, drama and storytelling.    

Winter 2010: Arts, Eats & Treats - The Food Arts Project

We explored the significance of food across cultures and its relationship to art. Over a 13 week period, Arts, Eats & Treats taught the children how to employ a simple element of their immediate environment as a source of inspiration, as a model and finally as media to utilize in their art. The students examined the artistic attributes of food, its qualities and its cultural significance within their daily lives. Activities included:  a favourite foods mural, Egyptian foods and hieroglyphics - watercolour and ink drawing, Legume Portraits (using beans as media), paper maché and salt art, Dying rice - Rangoli Art, Origami Arts and napkin folding, Dying pasta - frames and sculptures, Cultural Foods Mural, utensil creation and culminated in an Art City "Cultural Foods Potluck".

The cultural diversity of our participants and their families was explored and celebrated as we encouraged an awareness of art through the observation and analysis of the things around us and how to utilize this in the creative process. Throughout, we fostered the creative thinking, self-esteem and personal accomplishment that are vital if our children are to develop responsible and healthy relationships amongst themselves and, ultimately, with the community in which they live.

Funding and Program Partners

This program was generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council – Arts Education Projects and numerous private donations.

Program Impact

There were over 700 attendances for this program from the children and youth registered in the program. There were 84 new registrations and, as we are a drop-in program, the same children do not attend daily. There were over 20 volunteers and over 60 event attendees to our “Cultural Foods Potluck” and on field trips.  Parents and extended family members were eager to come on trips with us and especially to showcase their cultural specialties at our lunch. The children have had great fun with the still life drawing, the multimedia murals and in particular using food as a medium in their art.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Culture and creativity are key to prosperity. Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical components of a global city.”

“We must invest more in education and youth, in particular. We must demand our governments lead with policies that go beyond their own narrow electoral horizon. We must move beyond the here and now and invest in the Torontonians of tomorrow.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

Rashmee (a pseudonym) is a quiet little girl who comes regularly to Art City with her older sister and has always been able to throw herself into any of the art projects but particularly those that involved finger painting or immersing her hands in any degree of texture. She would do this intensely but quietly, always with a little Mona Lisa smile, talking very little. In all of her work she invariably was able to fit a small dog and was fascinated on any of our trips should a dog, or any pet for that matter, appear. In this particular program, food for a dog was her inspiration.

Rashmee held up her picture with pride. “I was born to be an artist you know,” she said with confidence. 

Murals and Winter Fun

After attending LKTYP production of the “Princess and the Handmaiden” in November 2009, the children of Art City created a series of mural projects during Winter 2010. Children and youth were introduced to the elements of story development and character creation. We explored how to depict these ideas visually in just a few panels. Using the themes from “Princess and the Handmaiden” as our inspiration, the students developed the plot and characters for their narrative mural.  

The murals were completed in a series of 3 mini workshops, which lead up to our final culminating mural "Colourful spaces and surreal spaces".  This mural focused on Surrealism in painting, using bright colours, dream-like imagery and fictional subjects. The students of Art City were each asked to create a fantasy-like creature, developing its character traits and "special powers". We discussed the meaning and value of each character trait given and how the students can embody these characteristics in their daily lives.

First students completed an individual painting of their creatures in its habitat. Next the creatures were placed along Toronto's skyline in the large collaborative mural. The children experimented with different painting techniques and tools, and rollers to create a surreal skyline. They were asked to consider the importance of each mark made, emphasizing the use of line, colour and pattern. Finally the students considered how these colourful creatures would co-exist within the city, as friends and neighbours.

Funding and Program Partners

This program was supported by funds from the Canadian Art Foundation - Youth Bursary and private donations.

Program Impact

The impact of this program was that it totally engaged the students and families who participated with the greater Toronto arts community. Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (LKTYP) had an opening and celebration for us and the children could see their work on public display and enjoy the public attention of the audience. This was an extremely positive experience and one that built their confidence and self-esteem enormously. They had the additional benefit of translating the theme of the LKTYP season into their own work and applying these using a totally different medium. 

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“An educated population contributes to the city’s wealth, but income disparities leave some far behind.”

“Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical components of a global city. Culture and creativity are key to prosperity.”  (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

Juhn (a psudonym) is a 13 year old boy with long black hair who is extremely polite and quiet and who would always arrive early at Art City when Karen, our drawing teacher, was due to visit us. While waiting he would always sit at the table drawing something with extreme detail and care. He had spent many hours at Art City helping out and volunteering at workshops and on outings. As with many of our youth volunteers, he participated in the workshops as well but was keen to be part of a program that was designed for older kids and youth. He was clearly eager to help out in any way he could and eventually expressed that he was planning to apply to two high schools for the arts in Toronto. He demonstrated determination and organization and was eager to show us his work and accept any advice on his portfolio development. We were thrilled when we heard that he was accepted to the school of his choice and plans to make a career in the arts. 

Summer 2010: Sun Celebration

The ultimate elements of the summer programme will be two community events: a Masquerade Ball in July and a Community Parade in August. The site for these events will be Art City and the local community: the library, the community centre, playgrounds, parks and sidewalks. The Masquerade Ball would include a costume party with games and prizes made by the students. The Community Parade would include a marching procession with floats and performances by the students. 

Leading up to the Masquerade Ball and the Community Parade, the weekly programme at Art City would consist of five workshop types:

1. Thematic Exploration
2. Set and Prop Design
3. Performing Arts
4. Costume Design
5. Inspiration

The students will develop in these workshops the artistic content for the closing events. Various artists will conduct the workshops according to their special interests and abilities. We plan to include visual artists but also visiting musicians and dancers. We will also have a visiting magician.

Any child in St. James Town is eligible and we are encouraging youth to work as assistants or volunteers. We attract youth with artistic sensibilities who are not only interested in working with young children but in developing their own skills. There will be daily workshops at the Art City site and a weekly, Friday field trip.

Funding and Program Partners

This summer program is supported by a Toronto Arts Council Arts Access Grant and private donations.

Program Impact

The content of A Sun Celebration would be colourful and vibrant, and would be inspired by the range of international traditions surrounding 'festival', 'carnival' and 'circus'. Students would manifest their most marvellous, wondrous, delightful and fantastic visions through two multimedia spectacles. This rich display of art and performance could be enjoyed by local families, and would be seek to enhance community pride and identity. The summer program is our busiest and in 2009 we had 25 children attending daily. We also have many families who participate on our outings and as audience members.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

“Toronto is a city rich in cultural resources: 21 city-run museums, historic sites, performing and visual arts centres, 1,500 parks"

“Recession threatens Toronto’s steady job recovery, and youth are particularly hit hard.”

“Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical components of a global city. Culture and creativity are key to prosperity.”  (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Participant Vignette

Phoebe (psudonym) is a young woman of 16 who volunteers in our summer program and was preparing for an annual fashion show at the local high school. She has worked extensively as a volunteer at Art City and came to us seeking some assistance in learning sketching techniques for her designs that would capture the details of texture that her work required. Over many months she worked with Gillian, our artistic director, learning these new skills and how to apply them to her work. When the big night came Gillian was able to attend the event offering further support to Phoebe. The fashion show was a great success, Phoebe won the fashion show and received much appreciated and deserved accolades for her work.