Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

Art Starts uses the arts as a vehicle to encourage social change in Toronto's underserved neighbourhoods. We bring together professional artists and communities to work in and across all artistic disciplines. We ask. We listen. We create. Together.

Art Starts is an arts-based community development organization. We build healthier communities using the arts, offering educational, responsive, and relevant creative opportunities to those living in underserved and stressed neighbourhoods. We combine the best practices of hands-on community consultation with a collaborative art-making approach and sound organizational and administrative support.  We…

o    bring together professional artists with people from various Toronto neighbourhoods
o    create projects in all artistic media, with all ages, with artists and participants from various ethnic backgrounds  
o    reflect the cultures of the neighbourhood and build bridges among them  
o    celebrate communities, foster collaboration, foster job-readiness and learning skills & respond to local needs  
o    build capacity, knowledge, skills and understanding
o    produce art of high quality and integrity while identifying and nurturing artistic talent
o    partner with local agencies, schools, police, libraries, social workers, etc  
o    operate 5 neighbourhood sites whose programs are as distinct as the communities they serve

Art Starts has facilitated myriad responsive, meaningful projects.  We have made art in Laundromats and grocery stores.  We have helped youth to produce 5 original music CD's, facilitated workshops in photo-lit, textile arts, hip hop, mural arts, drumming, break & step dancing.  We have produced multilingual theatre productions, brought youth and seniors together during Sharing Stories, transformed a creepy old house into a kingdom of awesome & much more.

History of Organization

In 1992 four socially conscious artists came together in Toronto’s Oakwood-Eglinton area.  They wanted to use art…in their neighbourhood with their neighbours, as a way of positively addressing community tensions and celebrating the extraordinary diversity found on every block.  They wanted a place to make art – a place where they could see and be seen, make art with everyone.  An empty storefront seemed perfect.  But they needed money.  So the four artists, along with many supporters,  went to (city of York) city hall and did the unthinkable:

They Asked Politicians for Money to Make Art.  

Mindblowing.  

Groundbreaking.  

The politicians listened.  They mulled over the idea.  Carefully.  In the end they were convinced and Art Starts was born.  The storefront was never empty again.  Residents, once very isolated from one another, began to come together.  Through multilingual theatre projects (e.g. Somali, English and Italian!), music, dance and visual art pieces such as a community totem, that were integrated into the streetscape, a culture of mutual understanding and respect began to develop.  A shared sense of purpose was born.  Art Starts was quickly becoming a catalyst and a proven model for arts-based community development in Toronto.  

Since that time, Art Starts has grown in ways that continue to amaze even our founders.  The past six years have seen Art Starts’ expand its purview, branching out to work sustainably with five under-resourced communities across the GTA.  We continue to work with artists from all artistic disciplines and, like the communities we serve, our artists come from all walks of life.  

We have become the artistic hub of activity in the most culturally, racially and linguistically diverse areas of Toronto. We remain  a unique arts facility in our determination to reflect the different ethnicities of our communities.  We have conceptualized and crafted permanent public art installations, danced, performed, sung, celebrated, composed, laughed, designed, exhibited and learned.

Accolades and Accomplishments

The Art Starts name is synonymous with high quality, innovation, community connectedness and relevant results.  Being aligned with Art Starts means that ING DIRECT will be associated with the best in responsive, effective, relevant community building initiatives.

Awards and successes are plentiful as are innovative projects. We have received: Community Arts Ontario’s Best Practices Award, the Children’s Advocate Award, the Mayor’s Award for the Arts, a TCF Vital Ideas Award, nominations for the Governor General’s Award for the Arts & the Youth Arts Award, a Youth Challenge Fund Certificate of Achievement, and more.  Most recently our Managing Director, Liz Forsberg, received Vital People Award from the Toronto Community Foundation – a prestigous award associated directly with her work at Art Starts.  Art Starts has eradicated tensions around a basketball court by engaging every generation in the basketball mosaic project, we have empowered and mentored youth such that they conceptualized, designed, initiated and received funding ($40,000.00!) for their own program, we engaged over 400 community members in crafting a community totem, we have produced multilingual plays, we are bringing disperate groups together using photographs, literature & media, etc.  

While we can list an impressive number of programs and formal awards, our most meaningful accomplishments have nothing to do with formality or awards.  At the heart of Art Starts’ accomplishments lies the relationships we have formed with our participants and stakeholders during our 20 year history.  The people who have let us into their lives are catalytic.  They are enablers of and inspiration for our work.  These relationships empower Art Starts to collaborate meaningfully, create beauty and affect change.

Programs

>In the Hood
>Villaways Creative Programming
>One World

In 2011 we offered 34 programs.  Each of our sites has its’ own very distinct happenings.  Here are a few 2011 projects:

Eglinton/Oakwood Site

• Stressbusters: using the arts (focused on theatre) to address issues of stress, Stressbusters is for mothers and children aged 0-6.  The children work with their own artist.
• New Noize: a music program for newcomer youth in partnership with For Youth Initiative
• Dusk Dances: youth worked with an emerging local choreographer to create an original dance that was presented as part of the acclaimed Dusk Dances Festival in Earlscourt Park alongside professional dance performances.
• In the Hood: an after-school program that has seen children & youth do D-Zyne (silk screening++), School or Rap, Settin’ Stone (concrete blocks were crafted to adorn the street planters), breakdancing, animation, etc.
• Art in XS: a highly popular multi-arts summer camp for children and youth

Villaways Site

• Drug Prevention Program: forum theatre workshops for children and youth
• Villaways Women's Health Circle: an arts-based exploration of health and wellness for women and their children
• Art in XS: a multi-arts summer camp
• Upper Toronto: a series of workshops re-invisioning their comm
• Villaways Advisory Committee: a group of residents, agency and community organizations collaboratively working to build capacity amongst residents

Lawrence-Heights Site

• Supernova Arts: weekly multidisciplinary arts workshops for children at Neptune
• Feisty Seniors: a drama program exploring and expressing the experience of seniors culminating in a locally-travelling production
• The Element: an ongoing series of workshops emphasizing a variety of performance skills for Neptune youth
• UNITY Breakdancing Nights: weekly breakdancing workshops and cyphers at the Yorkdale Community Arts Centre in partnership with UNITY

Glendower Site

• One World: conceptualized and driven entirely by youth, One World provides people aged 13 - 22 with the opportunity to work with high profile artists to write, play, perform, record and produce original music.
• Mosaic Basketball Program:heading into its fourth year, this large-scale, multigenerational mosaic project has galvanized, beautified and strengthened the community.

In the Hood

• Age Group:      6 – 13 year olds
• # served:         75
• Timeframe:     September 2010 – June 2011
• Location:         Eglinton West & Oakwood/Vaughan
• Total Cost:      $17,000.

In the Hood is a Community-Based After School Program that will engage the hard-to-reach youth who hang out at Maria Shchuka Library and in the Eglinton-Oakwood area.  We expect between 10 and 18 kids will participate daily, working with experienced professional artists, a site manager and an assistant.  Healthy snacks will be provided each day. 

Because Art Starts works responsively, constantly striving to offer programming that is meaningful and relevant to our participants, the artistic disciplines for In the Hood will be determined by the children and youth in consultation with our site manager. To date the kids have indicated a strong interest in fashion design, dance and music.  They are also very invested in the idea of creating artwork that makes a permanent mark on the community.  Whatever they choose, the program will culminate in a public performance, an art exhibit and/or a piece of public art that will permanently beautify and impact the local streetscape.

Program Impact

Since 2006 Art Starts has worked with the police, local residents and libraries to serve over 532 children and youth, of whom over 75% represented racialized communities, in high quality, relevant, fun, and well-structured arts programs, In the Hood has made Eglinton West an increasingly cohesive, healthier, more vital community with less gang and gang recruitment activity.

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

“Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical component of a global city.”   
“After school programs make a critical difference in safety and skill development:

• Between 3 and 6pm unsupervised children are more likely to engage in gang-related or delinquent behaviour or become victims of crime.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)"

Participant Vignette

Police Perspective: "Art Starts is situated in the heart of an active street gang area, close to the gang's center of operations.  The local street gang actively recruits youth at a nearby public library,...  The gang dominates the cultural landscape of the area, heavily influencing youth behaviour and life choices..." - Staff Inspector McLeod, 13 division

Library’s Perspective: "The library can testify to the importance and benefits of Art Starts programs. We observe at least 30- 40 students dropping in each day to the branch. Some of these young people are out of school and out of work. Some have serious behavioral problems, involving bullying, physical aggression, threats, lack of respect for others and vulgar language. In the past the library had a high level of incidents, some requiring police intervention. Arts Starts has consistently offered programs that are successful. They provide opportunities that allow children and youth to express themselves in an open way, develop artistic disciplines, and stimulate self-esteem." 

Villaways Creative Programming

• Age Groups:   6 to 17-year olds
• # served:         45+
• Timeframe:     September 2010– September 2011
• Location:         Villaways, an isolated & underserved Toronto Community Housing enclave

Villaways Creative Programming will include two after school programs, one for children and one for youth, as well as a 2-day a week summer program for children aged 5 to 12 years.  The programs will feature a cornucopia of creative activities all exploring community.  The children and youth will explore various artistic disciplines including activities such as dance, photography, spoken word, pottery, visual and graffiti arts, capoeira, photography, basketry, theatre, wood carving, etc.  We expect between 12 and 22 kids will participate daily, working with experienced professional artists, a site manager and two assistants.  A full meal will be provided on most program days in the on-site kitchen and field trips will be an important part of the program. We are also beginning to strategize about reaching out to neighbouring communities. 

Villaways Creative Programs will culminate in a public performance, a communal meal, an art exhibit and/or a piece of public art that will permanently beautify and impact the Villaways enclave.

Program Impact

Since 2007 Art Starts has successfully and consistently engaged over 100 children and youth living in the extraordinarily isolated Villaways TCHC housing enclave.  Art Starts has employed and worked with Villawayz youth, many of whom have been involved in the criminal justice system.  We have prepared and served 100’s of healthy snacks and full meals to our hungry crew of participants.  We have worked with this exceptionally racially diverse group to: design and build go-karts, conceptualize and create an installation for Toronto’s Modern Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCCA), produce an original music CD, do a photography & media project in partnership with youth from outside Villaways, handcrafted a mosaic logo for the art space, gone on field trips to galleries and theatrical performances, designed programs with and for local residents and much, much more.

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

“Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical component of a global city.”   
“After school programs make a critical difference in safety and skill development:

• Between 3 and 6pm unsupervised children are more likely to engage in gang-related or delinquent behaviour or become victims of crime.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

Villaways Creative Programming includes after school and summer programming featuring a cornucopia of creative activities exploring community.

Participant Vignette

In May 2010, Villaways site manager Yvette was going door-to-door to tell Villaways families about upcoming programs.  Merlene, Brendon’s mom, greeted Yvette enthusiastically.  She had lots to chat about.  Since attending Art Starts programs in early 2009, Merlene was excited to report positive changes in Brendon, most notably his increased energy level.  Previously described as “so lazy”, Brendon now attends the Art Starts program consistently, he is eager, much more communicative and assertive.  He is not getting into trouble as much.  Moreover, Brendon demonstrated his newfound confidence and skill by taking on a leadership role in the Art Starts summer camp last year and, by participating actively in Art Starts’ Da Lenz program, Brendon is now interacting positively with youth from outside the Villaways community.

Justin’s relationship with local schools has been precarious: he has switched schools 3 times and was getting into trouble weekly.  He has stepped up wonderfully in response to the program and is motivated to work for achievement certificates.  We are pleased to report that his school troubles are slowly decreasing.

Finally, the Villaways kids are choosing to take art in school more frequently. They are making important links between the program and school, as demonstrated by Teisha who used her Villaways music and visual art projects as the catalyst for an in-school presentation.  Finally, we see the kids hanging out together, outside of the Art Start program.  Their interactions are more pro-social and inclusive, as 8-year old Mia, who is now included but was once shunned by the other kids, can attest.

One World

One World is a music program in the Steeles L'Amoreaux area. It provides youth with the opportunity to work alongside high profile professional artists and to explore writing, playing, performing, recording and producing original music.  One World currently houses a (portable) recording studio.  The program was conceptualized and designed entirely by youth and has yielded incredible results.  Most recently a One World CD was produced and a live performance-launch-fundraiser was held downtown.

This next One World phase will offer over 90 workshop hours to two groups of youth: 12 - 15 year olds and 16 - 22 year olds.  The program will continue to be participant directed; the youth will interview and hire the Project Manager (with guidance from Art Starts staff) and determine the musical direction of this next phase.  Also, youth from phase one will be hired as (paid) mentors.  Once again, professional artists, chosen based on the participants interests, will be hired to facilitate. 

While youth from all over Toronto are welcome, the focus will be on youth living in the Glendower, Bay Mills and Silver Springs areas of Steeles L'Amoreaux.  The youth will be exceptionally diverse and mostly comprised of visible minorities from Toronto Community Housing enclaves, where this program was conceptualized, seeded and developed.

Program Impact

Since 2008 over 25 diverse youth immersed themselves in developing and implementing a collective vision: One World. One World has changed lives, inspired all who experience it, built enormous leadership capacity, and empowered youth such that they designed their own program, sought out and received over $40,000.00 in start-up funds, hired a project manager and evolved into a solid, relevant, multifaceted music production program.

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

“Arts and culture inspire us, help fuel innovation and are critical component of a global city.”   
“After school programs make a critical difference in safety and skill development:

• Between 3 and 6pm unsupervised children are more likely to engage in gang-related or delinquent behaviour or become victims of crime.” (Toronto’s Vital Signs®, 2009)

One World is a music program in the Steeles L'Amoreaux area, providing youth with the opportunity to work alongside high-profile professional artists and to explore writing, playing, performing, recording and producing original music.

Participant Vignette

"The One World program is the most important thing going on in my life at this moment. I have had the time of my life working with everyone involved. This program has made me such a better artist, motivator and leader. I have had the great honor to hear others in Glendower, I lived here for four years and this program was the first thing to allow me to hear all the different talent. One World was an amazing idea and I can’t wait to be apart of all the other One World programs to come! THANK YOU SO MUCH ART STARTS FOR THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY!"   ~ Romantica, One World youth participant

"This program has even made a HUGE impact in my 17month old son, he always loved music but this program gave him a chance to actually touch and know how to work music instruments, and for that I am really and truly hopeful. That alone shows that we have been an impact on young minds and expanding music to the upcoming generations. Bringing One World to Glendower was the best idea that could’ve came about and I am truly greatly to have been apart of this perfect pilot project. I am even more excited to have the second wave and I KNOW that it will be even better. So for that THANK YOU ART STARTS! ONE WORLD, ONE SOUND!"   ~ One World youth participant.