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Welcome to our Community Blog

We invite you to read about and contribute to what’s going on in community-engaged arts and arts for social change initiatives across Canada. We post what people submit to us as well as "all things community-engaged arts" that we find out about. ArtBridges/ToilesDesArts shares all kinds of information:
  • Conferences, workshops, training, seminars, education
  • Events
  • Arts awards, funding and grant opportunities
  • Tools, tips, ideas & updates, project highlights, resources (including books & reports)
  • Inspiring stories
  • Introductions to community-arts initiatives

Send us your story, your tip, your announcement or your opportunity – all community-engaged arts information that others would enjoy learning about.

  • Click here to read the full policies and terms of use
  • We always get permission to post something, unless it has been sent to us for widespread circulation.
  • We don’t change any of the text that’s submitted
  • We post what people contribute in their own words.
  • Posts will be uploaded based on time-sensitivity, variety of region and language.
  • Where possible, we’ll link to profiles in our Directory and our Map and add relevant links to websites
  • We’ll share on our social media profiles (Facebook and Twitter)

Are you ready to submit? Email us!

Call for Submissions: 2023 Latin American Media Arts Symposium (LAMAS)

We are currently receiving submissions for the first edition of the Latin American Media Arts Symposium (LAMAS), taking place in Toronto from October 5 to 7, 2023. This three-day event will bring together scholars and artists to share and discuss the multitude of perspectives that inform the artistic productions and discourses of today’s media art. On the occasion of aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival’s 23rd anniversary, we will gather to meditate on the current state of the media arts practice of Latin American artists in Canada and speculate on its exciting, potential directions.

For more information, please visit: https://www.alucinefestival.com/lamas-2023

-from aluCine Latin Film + Media Arts Festival

Call for Applications: UforChange Core Arts Program (Toronto)

“If you are a young creative person between the ages of 16-29, UforChange is the right place for you. Our intake process is unique because we do not accept program participants based on their raw talent or experience, but their willingness to progress. Our tagline, “Creative Culture. Better World.” is built around the principle that with creative nurturing and tangible next steps any young person can succeed in whichever vocation their choose. If you have an interest in Fashion, Photography, Film or DJ we would like to encourage you to apply for our Core Arts Program.. Check out our news section for the latest information or one of our social media platforms below.”

For more information, please visit: https://uforchange.org/join-our-program/

-from UforChange

Yukon Riverside Arts Festival (June 1-4)

“The Yukon Riverside Arts Festival has been proudly presented by the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) since 2001. It is a celebration of arts, music, and culture featuring the work of local and regional artists, artisans, and crafters across a wide range of mediums. The festival includes workshops, an artist market and demonstrations, live music, a gallery hop, kids activities, and more.”

For more information, please visit: https://kiac.ca/yukon-riverside-arts-festival/

-from KIAC

Pendaison de crémaillère- nouvel espace Cirque Hors Piste (25 mai, Montréal)

“Nous organisons un Ă©vĂ©nement festif pour inaugurer notre nouvel espace dans le quartier Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve! Ce nouveau pĂ´le circassien est un projet innovant oĂą cohabitent cirque social, services aux artistes, laboratoire de crĂ©ation et loisirs circassiens. Cette nouvelle maison pour Cirque Hors Piste devient le premier lieu dĂ©diĂ© au cirque social, contribuant ainsi au dĂ©veloppement de cette pratique et Ă  son rayonnement comme outil efficace de lutte Ă  l’exclusion sociale.”

Pour en savoir plus : https://www.facebook.com/events/876745640105937

-source : Cirque Hors Piste

Newcomer Week (May 22-27, Neighbourhood Arts Network)

“Join us as we celebrate Newcomer Week from May 22-27, 2023.

Newcomer Week is an annual event organized by NAN along with the City of Toronto, ImagineNative, Doris McCarthy Gallery, Muse Arts and Toronto Arts Council,, to welcome and celebrate newcomers in Toronto.

Throughout the week, there will be a variety of events and activities taking place across the city, including cultural festivals, workshops, and networking events. These events are designed to help newcomers settle into their new home, connect with their community, and build new relationships.

Whether you’re a newcomer yourself or have been living in Toronto for years, there’s something for everyone during Newcomer Week.  Join us as we come together as a community to show our support for those who are starting a new life in our city. Participate in the Newcomer Week for a chance to learn about different cultures, make new friends, and celebrate the diversity of our incredible city.”

For more information, please visit: https://neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org/programs/newcomer-week

-from Neighbourhood Arts Network

Lancement annuel 2023 du Wapikoni

“Notre lancement annuel aura lieu le vendredi 12 mai prochain Ă  19 h au CinĂ©ma du MusĂ©e, Ă  MontrĂ©al.

UNE SOIRÉE SOUS LE SIGNE DU PARTAGE ET DE LA FIERTÉ !

Animée par Mélanie Alasie Napartuk, animatrice, comédienne et conférencière Inuk, cette soirée mettra en lumière les artistes de notre collectif et les œuvres réalisées au cours des derniers ateliers de création.

Réal Junior Leblanc, innu de Uashat mak Mani-Utenam et membre de notre collectif, ouvrira la soirée avec un slam.

Suivra le clou du spectacle, la projection d’une programmation des oeuvres récentes du Wapikoni, soigneusement sélectionnée par les commissaires Manon Barbeau, cofondatrice du Wapikoni, Carl Morasse, producteur à la Boîte Rouge vif ainsi que Johnny Boivin et Audrey-Lise Rock-Hervieux, ambassadeurs.drices des ateliers de sensibilisation du Wapikoni. Les artistes dont les oeuvres ont été sélectionnés seront présent.e.s.

Puis, la talentueuse Laura Niquay, auteure-compositrice-interprète atikamekw en pleine ascension, qui a déjà réalisé des œuvres avec le Wapikoni, nous fera l’honneur d’une performance musicale.

Finalement, quatre prix seront remis aux artistes : la bourse d’impact de la Fondation de la famille Kenny Tang, le prix de l’implication de la Fabrique culturelle, le prix de la relève Bell Média et le prix du public Bell Média, représentant un total de 10 000 $ en matériel et en argent.

Soyez des nĂ´tres, pour qu’ensemble, nous passions un moment de fiertĂ©, de partage et d’inspiration ! Pour vous procurer des billets

Pour en savoir plus : https://evenementswapikoni.ca/nouvelles/lancement-annuel-2023-du-wapikoni

-source : Wapikoni mobile

Northern Youth Cultural Fund (SaskCulture)

“The Northern Youth Cultural Fund (NYCF), delivered in partnership with the Northern Sport, Culture and Recreation District (NSCRD), provides funding for cultural, artistic or creative interactive activities for children and youth ages 4 to 19 in northern Saskatchewan. This funding initiative is made possible thanks to the support of Sask Lotteries.

Applicants are encouraged to connect with NSCRD staff for guidance regarding their application. Please visit the NYCF page for contact details.

The Northern Youth Cultural Fund aims to fund programs that:

  • connect children and youth to unique, life-changing artistic and cultural experiences in their communities;
  • provide all children and youth with the opportunity to participate in creative activities regardless of economic barriers they may face;
  • provide financial support so all kids have an opportunity to participate in creative activities like drama, art, dance, culture, and music; and
  • support cultural programming, which is critical to a healthy, vibrant community.

Priority will be given to:

  • The equitable distribution of funds across the northern District;
  • Projects and organizations not already funded significantly by other Lottery-supported grant programs;
  • Projects with a focus on implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action or other Reconciliation efforts.” 

For more information, please visit: https://www.saskculture.ca/programs/funding-programs/grants/northern-youth-cultural-fund

-from SaskCulture

Call for ArtMEETS Artists (East End Arts, Toronto)

East End Arts invites Artists and Makers to share your skills with the east Toronto community through ArtMEETS, 2023 Summer Edition! The deadline for submissions is Sunday May 7th at 11:59 PM EST.

When your hands are busy making something, your brain is happy and relaxed, and that can be a real opportunity for magic! For East End Arts, that magic has the power to bring people together in new and exciting ways; community can be built when we’re making, creating, or just plain getting our hands dirty together, and ArtMEETS is one of the ways that we build communities through art!

Originally launched in 2018, ArtMEETS is a series of low-cost arts workshops in Toronto’s east end, which invite adult community members to make, explore, experience, transform, and share. Led by talented, engaging, and supportive artist facilitators (both emerging and experienced), ArtMEETS workshops will take place on Saturday afternoons at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse in July and August, 2023 and will give adult participants an opportunity to learn a new art skill, meet new people, and let your creative side shine! Join us this summer for our FIFTH season of ArtMEETS workshops!

ABOUT THIS CALL FOR ARTISTS:

East End Arts is seeking artists and arts facilitators to present single-day, three-hour arts workshops in the summer of 2023 as part of the ArtMEETS program. Workshops will take place in-person at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 1-4pm on Saturday afternoons, with a small break positioned for the middle of the workshop. This call is open to all arts facilitators who are new, emerging, experienced, and anywhere in between. All creative disciplines and experience levels are welcome, however, preference will be given to proposals that:

  • Introduce participants to new and engaging art forms & experiences;
  • Involve a visual art form, including, but not limited to printmaking, painting, drawing, collage, textile arts including weaving, dyeing, etc.
  • Allow participants to take home completed artworks by the end of a 3-hour workshop;
  • Have a low barrier to participation.

Let your imaginations run wild, and propose a fun workshop that is both engaging and accessible for our community members!

A NOTE ON COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Please know that the safety of our participants and our facilitators is of utmost importance to us. All East End Arts staff and artists/facilitators are expected and required to continue to comply with applicable health and safety measures to reduce the hazard of COVID-19, including but not limited to, being fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine series, wearing a mask or face covering when necessary and required, maintaining appropriate physical distancing, and self-monitoring of potential COVID-19 symptoms when working in a space with others. All of our ArtMEETS 2023 workshops will take place in-person at our Clubhouse, however it is important that facilitators have the ability to pivot their workshops to online settings, if new regulations are presented or it becomes necessary for the health and safety of our communities.”

For more information, please visit: https://eastendarts.ca/call-for-artists-artmeets-2023/

-from East End Arts

SaskCulture Culture Days Hub Sponsorship (Saskatchewan)

“To help engage communities, SaskCulture is offering sponsorships for Culture Days Hubs around the province to support the continued success of Culture Days in Saskatchewan. Sponsorships of up to $5,000 will be determined by community size, the strength of community partnerships and the quality and extent of programs/activities offered. Culture Days Hubs are encouraged to bring together different community partners to host cultural activities and distribute funds accordingly.

Culture Days Hub Sponsorship applications with activities and programming that advance Truth and Reconciliation as part of September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, will be prioritized.

Applications will be evaluated for their ability to work with two or more community partners to offer cultural experiences. Applicants should adhere to public health measures in place at the time of the scheduled activities.

The sponsorship opportunity is now available! There is no deadline – applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the sponsorship budget is expended.

Cultural Hub activities should:

  • Offer an engaging – whether in-person or online – cultural experience for the public.
  • Take place anytime during the Culture Days (September 22 – October 15, 2023).
  • Be designed to build a lasting commitment to cultural engagement.
  • Be free of charge.
  • Include a promotional plan; and
  • Adhere to public health measures, should there be any.

Note: Due to the limited amount of funding, sponsorships may not cover all expected expenses.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.saskculture.ca/programs/saskculture-programs/culture-days

-from SaskCulture

Crip Fashion Utopia: Cripping Masculinity Fashion Show (Tangled Art + Disability, Toronto)

“April 29, 2023
6:00-8:00pm
Urban Space Gallery, 401 Richmond Street West.

Welcome to an immersive Crip Fashion Utopia. Here, we celebrate fashion that forms crip imaginations, connects communities and rebels against expectations. Join us as we walk, roll and dance down the runway in honour of bodies, our beauty, our imperfections and our crip fashion dreams.

As an extension of the exhibition Cripping Masculinities: Designing Crip Fashion Utopias at Tangled Art Gallery, this fashion show features participants from the Cripping Masculinities research project showcasing a selection of their everyday clothing and re-made garments that celebrate their crip masculine identities. We highlight the fashion imagination and wisdom that comes from the experiences of disabled masculinities, demonstrating new ways of belonging and desire for disability through fashion.

Urban Space Gallery is in a barrier-free location. ASL interpreters and care attendants will be provided. Service animals are welcome. We request that you help us make this a scent-free environment. The fashion show, exhibition, and related events are free to attend. Please note, this event will be recorded and photographed, please let staff know if you don’t want to be recorded or photographed.

The Cripping Masculinity project explores how Disabled, D/deaf and Mad-identified men and masculine people make and re-make worlds with clothing. It is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Toronto Metropolitan University, The University of Alberta, Parsons School of Design, Bodies in Translation: Activist Art, Technology and Access to Life at the University of Guelph, and Tangled Art + Disability.”

For more information, please visit: https://tangledarts.org/whats-on/cripping-masculinity-designing-fashion-utopias/ and https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cripping-masculinity-fashion-show-tickets-617253952187

-from Tangled Art + Disability