East End Arts 2019 Annual Report

East End Arts Annual Report

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A MESSAGE FROM EAST END ARTS

If we had to choose a word to summarize 2019 at East End Arts, it would be growth. At the start of last year we set off on a journey to try new things, grow our capacity, and reach new limits. By the end of 2019, thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication, we surpassed our goals and earned our stripes as a dedicated, inclusive, go-to arts organization in Toronto’s east end.

First, we grew our programs and worked to make our events bigger and better than before. We happily welcomed back programs like ArtMEETS, our popular art-making workshops for adults, and East York Days, our family-friendly outdoor concert series at East York Civic Centre. In addition to these fan favourites, we also introduced many new, exciting programs like The Crescent Town PhotoVoice Project, a digital photography program for youth living in the Crescent Town community; #EastEndLove, a community-led screen-printing program to combat hate; and Nuit Blanche East Danforth, the first contemporary art hub and all-night event of its kind in east Toronto. Most exciting is that through all our programs - old and new - we reached over 28,000 community members in east Toronto and across our city!

We continued our growth through the development of new, exciting partnerships. In 2019, we were thrilled to work with AGA Arts again to present weekly Life Drawing sessions at our Clubhouse; however, we were equally thrilled to develop new partnerships with artists and businesses in our east Toronto community including: artist collective ArtCave to present contemporary art programs for youth; watercolour artist Gabriele Craig to present watercolour classes for adults and seniors; The Danforth Mosaic BIA to present the first Nuit Blanche hub on Danforth Avenue; and The GreekTown BIA to present a series of holiday events on Danforth Avenue.

Specifically, our work with our local BIAs demonstrates that arts and culture is a driver in creating vibrant neighbourhoods and contributes to healthy main streets and local economies.

We also grew our strength and impact by supporting more local artists and arts organizations in our community. Last year we proudly worked with nearly 80 talented, local artists, and paid them a living wage, while we 3

offered another 137 artists mentorship and training workshops to help strengthen their arts practice. We firmly believe in supporting and empowering our arts community, and we understand the countless barriers that artists and arts organizations face. This is also why we’re proud to have provided nearly 600 hours of use at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse to artists and arts organizations at subsidized rates, or entirely free. Last year we welcomed contemporary music concerts, choir groups, photography workshops, artists-in-residence, theatre performances, youth programming, and so much more, filling our Clubhouse with #EastEndLove!

And so, as we celebrate all of our growth and we head into a new year (and a new decade), we know that so much has changed along the way; however, we also know that our focus and commitment to bridge community members and professional artists, and to enhance our communities through the arts has not. Thank you to our dedicated and hardworking staff, (including those who have left us with their legacies), board members, volunteers, community partners and participants. And thank you to everyone in east Toronto for believing in the magic and power of the arts in our community!

Please join us in celebrating our growth and success from 2019 in the pages to follow.

Sincerely,

Shana Hillman Executive Director, East End Arts

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Robin Sokoloski Board President, East End Arts

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MISSION East End Arts is committed to cultivating an arts community in the east end of Toronto that helps to increase arts engagement opportunities, and support local artists in our community.

VISION East End Arts’ vision is to unite, inspire and enhance the communities of east Toronto with the transformative power of the arts.

VALUES East End Arts values community arts that demonstrate: -

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Inclusion & Accessibility Creativity & Innovation Collaboration & Generosity Well-being & Understanding Sustainability & Responsibility

IMPACT 572 HOURS

Provided to artists & community members for free or subsidized at our Clubhouse.

1334 CHILDREN & YOUTH Engaged with our programs & events.

79 ARTISTS

62 PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Were employed & paid a living wage.

Were presented in 2019.

149 VOLUNTEERS Assisted at our programs & events.

28,311 PEOPLE

Accessed our programs & events.

59 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Collaborated with East End Arts.

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Winter Stations Citizenship Ceremony

March 23

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#EASTENDLOVE Workshops launch

Our collaborative screen-printing program with lead artist Lara Lucretia officially launches!

A free photography program for youth ages 15-19 in the Crescent Town community.

Poetry readings with Toronto’s new Poet Laureate & local poets.

S U M

Net(work): Dollars & Sense

Music Project Recitals

Artist talk and networking session for 70 diverse artists at Connections Gallery.

July 16

Arc Theatre creates and presents HUMAN ANIMALS at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, totaling 28 site-specific performances.

A workshop for kids to make their own Winter Station from recycled materials.

May 16

HUMAN ANIMALS

Winter Stations Pop-Up for Kids

Crescent Town Youth Arts Project

Readings at the Poet

S P R I N G March 24

W I N T E R

May 30 - July 4

The start of the Spring/Summer session for Life Drawing at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.

Collaborative Winter Stationsthemed Citizenship Ceremony for 27 new Canadians at Kew Beach.

Youth Council members visit In Print Studio to learn about screenprinting.

Feb 22 - Mar 16

Life Drawing

April 24

Youth Arts Council

March 6

Jan 17

April 7 - July 21

Looking back on 2019...

Kids in grades K-12 who accessed the Music Project, wrap up & perform at Greenwood Secondary School & Woodbine Baptist Church.

Partnership with Gabriele Craig to host watercolour classes at our Clubhouse.

Partnership with ArtCave officially launches, which includes new programs for youth, like Art PA Day Camps.

#East End Love Exhibition

The final culmination of our #East EndLove project, at Riverdale Hub.

W I N T E R

Nuit Blanche East Danforth

Inaugural Nuit Blanche hub with the Danforth Mosaic BIA.

CFC

A two-day, sold out facilitation camp for artists & arts workers at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.

November 3

The Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, visits to support #EastEndLove.

November 7

Welcome ArtCave

F A L L

#EastEndLove Special Visit

August 16

Watercolour Classes

October 26 & 27

Sold-out weekly art workshops at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.

October 5

ArtMEETS Workshops

A familyfriendly arts, music, food & culture festival on Danforth Ave.

December 14-31

Two familyfriendly outdoor concerts at East York Civic Centre.

October 11

September 7

East York Days Concerts

NookFEST

October 9 December 4

August 7 & 28

July 13

Youth from our Crescent Town Youth Project exhibited their photography.

M E R July 6 - August 24

Crescent Town Youth Exhibition

Winter in GreekTown Series of holiday events along Danforth Ave. with GreekTown BIA.

BYOBeads

Launch of our Indigenous Beading Circle at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.

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CRESCENT TOWN: PHOTOVOICE PROJECT The Crescent Town: PhotoVoice Project was a joint pilot initiative

by East End Arts and the Crescent Town Club, broadly titled the Crescent Town Youth Arts Project. The objective of this program was to engage youth as more than program participants, allowing them to review program proposals, provide feedback, and act as the final jury for the selection of an Artist/Facilitator.

After reviewing the proposals, the youth at The Crescent Town Club chose to spend the 2019 project working with photographer and educator Diana Nazareth to learn how to use professional camera equipment, and create an archive of their community from their point of view. The program wrapped up with a final community exhibition of their favourite photos.

Ultimately, PhotoVoice inspired a community of youth to create their own stories and find beauty in their own backyard.

2020 will see the continuation of this project.

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“

My favourite part of this program was getting hands-on experience with the cameras and being able to take nice pictures of my neighbourhood, - Program Participant

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ARTMEETS “

I enjoyed learning a new creative outlet technique and meeting new people. The environment created at East End Arts is so lovely and engaging! - Program Participant

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In 2019, East End Arts brought back ArtMEETS for its third year in a row! ArtMEETS workshops are weekly experiences held at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse in July & August, which invite adult community members to learn a new art skill, meet new people, and get creative! From textile workshops, to painting classes, to learning how to make photographic prints with plant juices, each ArtMEETS workshop in 2019 provided an opportunity to make, explore, experience, transform, and share under the guidance of talented, engaging, and supportive artist facilitators.

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#EASTENDLOVE

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“

The #EastEndLove workshops have produced not only an array of timely and relevant visual art, but also have helped to build connections between different parts of our community, and unravel the impacts of racist systems and incidents,

-Lara Lucretia, Lead Artist

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In 2019, we presented #EastEndLove, a community-engaged public art project that brought diverse community members together to collaboratively make unique, stencil-screen printed artworks that depict messages of acceptance, antidiscrimination, anti-racism, and love.

Presented by East End Arts, and artistically led by Lara Lucretia (Jakarundi Graphics), #EastEndLove was born as a response to the increase in discriminatory discourse and vandalism in the east Toronto community.

Through eight collaborative community workshops, wheatpasting in the community, and a final exhibition at Riverdale Hub in their Community Gallery, #EastEndLove united community members through art, while building stronger, more inclusive and responsive communities in east Toronto at large.

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Community Workshops

Collaborative Artworks

Workshop Participants

Community Partners

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EAST YORK DAYS Following up on the success of our 2018 pilot project, East York Days was the second incarnation of a series of free, accessible festival programming at the East York Civic Centre. On two gorgeous August nights, the square was filled with live music from local musicians, an artisan marketplace, and some of Toronto’s favourite food trucks. Hosted by CBC’s Errol Nazareth, and featuring opening performances by youth members of The Music Project, hundreds of people came on skateboards, strollers and with their four-legged friends to enjoy music right in the heart of East York.

This event was presented by East End Arts in collaboration with Councillor Paula Fletcher, (Ward 14), and the City of Toronto’s City Hall Live program.

East York Days will return again in 2020, with our host Errol Nazareth.

“

I loved the live music and the community feeling here. Socializing with friends and neighbours was a bonus too, - Festival Attendee

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CREATIVE FACILITATION CAMP In 2019, we continued our focus on professional development opportunities for artists by bringing back Creative Facilitation Camp (CFC) for the second year in a row! Presented by East End Arts, in collaboration with Scarborough Arts, CFC is a two-day professional development series to support artists, arts facilitators, educators, and arts &

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cultural workers to take their creative facilitation skills to the next level!

This year for CFC, a diverse group of artists, educators, and experienced facilitators gathered in our Clubhouse for two days, and left equipped with the skills to lead workshops, share their practice, and generate new revenue streams for themselves. CFC will return again in 2020.

[CFC] gave me the tools to create a safe environment for everyone, and to be playful and imaginative in my approach to participation. Engagement can be fun!

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- Program Participant

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NUIT BLANCHE EAST DANFORTH

In 2019, North America’s largest sunset to sunrise contemporary art event, Nuit Blanche, came to East Danforth for the first time! The inaugural Nuit Blanche East Danforth hub, created in partnership with the Danforth Mosaic BIA, took place along Danforth Avenue between Greenwood and Coxwell TTC Stations, bringing surprise and delight to the residents of and visitors to East Danforth.

Communities came together to exchange drawings in Naz Rahbar’s ‘Drawing Bar’, to play Kevin Winn’s interactive gameboard installation titled ‘Tile-Scape’, and to watch Meral Pasha’s animated video projection about colonialist resistance fighters and Bengal tigers. The evening was further enhanced by nine independent artists who brought storefront windows to life, creating fantastical displays for one night only!

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“

I loved having art at our doorsteps.

Very special to have in our neighbourhood, - Hub Visitor

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PARTNERED PROGRAMS 2019 was a year full of new and existing partnered programs. We were thrilled to welcome back AGA Arts again for weekly Life Drawing sessions at our Clubhouse, and new in 2019 was the addition of Life Painting sessions as well. We also welcomed back The Music Project, a non-profit music school that provides affordable music lessons for kids in grades K-12 in east Toronto.

2019 said hello to new, exciting partnerships too! ArtCave, an artist collective focussed on progressive arts education, joined us to present ‘Contemporary PA Day Art Camps’ for kids. We also welcomed artist Gabriele Craig who hosts weekly watercolour classes for adults and seniors at our Clubhouse. We look forward to the continuation of partnerships that allow us to serve more people in east Toronto into 2020 and beyond!

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We are so excited for this new partnership with East End Arts, and the development of our new art programs. ArtCave will now continue to offer innovative and progressive art programs in the east end,

- Naz Rahbar, ArtCave

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IN OUR COMMUNITY Our service area includes wards 14 and 19, which are loosely defined to the north by the Don Valley Parkway and Sunrise Avenue, as far south as Lake Ontario, as far west as Don Valley Parkway, and as far east as Victoria Park Avenue.

From neighbourhoods like Danforth Village, East Chinatown, Greektown, Pape Village, The Beaches, Crescent Town and more, we work hard to present arts programming throughout our catchment area, to ensure that we’re bringing arts and culture across east Toronto! We work out of St. Matthew’s Clubhouse on Broadview Ave.

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#EASTENDLOVE

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DONORS & SPONSORS for the 2019 fiscal year GOVERNMENT FUNDERS:

CORPORATE DONORS:

IN-KIND DONORS: AccessPoint on Danforth bare market Blo Blow Dry Bar Cobs Bread Common Good Brewery Crescent Town Club Crow’s Theatre

Cumin Kitchen DeSerres Loft Cycle Club Mezes Midoco Art & Office Supplies Pappas Grill Relish Bar & Grill

Steel & Oak Designs Ten Thousand Villages Tim Hortons The Palace Restaurant Treasure Island Toys 1961 Queen St. East 519 Danforth Ave.

Phyllis Gordon Bonnie Gray Hilary Gray Jennifer Green Jane Gutteridge Nadine Haddad Patty Hargreaves Katharine Harris Zahid Hasan Francis Hermanson Sarah Hillman Shana Hillman Karen Kaeja Mark Kretschmer Amy Lee Jeanna LeSage Conor Leekham Kyle Lock Brenda MacDougall Sophie Malek

Debi Mills Genia Melbourne Susana Molinolo Lucas Oikonen Michelle Parson Jaclyn Rodrigues Adam Smith Jennifer Stimac Kelsey Stojkovic Erin Stoyanoff Angela Szeto Glenn Teneycke Fran Turner Tanner Turuba Henry VanderSpek Peter Venetas Jordana Wright Michelle Yeung Anonymous Donor

INDIVIDUAL DONORS: Carissa Ainslie Wendy Anderson Shyla Jodi-Marie Bedborough Carolyn Booth Tayler Buchanan John Cameron Shirley Cameron Caroline Cameron-Fikis Chelsea Cameron-Fikis Sara Campbell Mates David Carey Samson Chai Chuck and Susan Chan Kate Cornell Reece A. Dyche Elizabeth Elliott Sylvia Fantin Monika Field Blair Francey TJ Gerow

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FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN for the 2019 fiscal year

Financial Statements are available upon request.

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EAST END ARTS Staff & Board of Directors EAST END ARTS STAFF

EAST END ARTS BOARD

Shana Hillman Executive Director

Robin Sokoloski, President Carissa Ainslie, Secretary Kasturi Ghoshal, Treasurer

Chelsea Cameron-Fikis Communications & Development Coordinator Adam Barrett Program Coordinator

David Carey Heather Kelly Saba Khan Melanie Fernandez Peter Venetas

With thanks to Adom Acheampong, Program Coordinator, Rabiya Mateen, Communications & Development Assistant, Aniqa Rahman, Programming Assistant, and Jennifer Miao, Bookkeeper for their contributions in 2019.

Also thank you to Project Work for their collaboration in helping us provide meaningful work to two individuals with intellectual disabilities, who helped us keep our Clubhouse clean and tidy.

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PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: #EastEndLove Exhibition. Photo by Aniqa Rahman.

Pg 2: PA Day Camp with ArtCave. Photo by Naz Rahbar.

Pg 5: Winter in GreekTown. Photo by Cassandra Rudolph.

Pg 6: Zeca Polina at East York Days. Photo by Aniqa Rahman.

Pg 10: Crescent Town PhotoVoice Project. Photo by Adom Acheampong.

Pg 11: ArtMEETS Workshops. Photos by Aniqa Rahman.

Pg 12: #EastEndLove Wheatpasting Mural. Photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis.

Pg 13: #EastEndLove Workshops. Top to bottom, photos by Adom Acheampong, Chelsea Cameron-Fikis, Adom Acheampong and Aniqa Rahman.

Pg 14: East York Days Performances. Photos by Aniqa Rahman.

Pg 15: Creative Facilitation Camp. Photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis.

Pg 16: Nuit Blanche, East Danforth - ‘It’s Winking at You’ by Sadia Fakih. Photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis.

Pg 17: Partnered Programs. Top to bottom, ArtCave PA Day Camp, photo by Naz Rahbar; Life Drawing, photo by Dmitry Bondarenko and Jessie Durham; and The Music Project, photo by and Miranda Snyder.

Pg 18-19: Top to bottom, left to right - Crescent Town PhotoVoice, photo by Adom Acheampong; Poetry Readings at the Poet, photo by Adom Acheampong; NookFest, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; Creative Facilitation Camp, photo by Chelsea CameronFikis; Winter in GreekTown, photo by Cassandra Rudolph; ArtMEETS Pour Painting, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; Minister of Canadian Heritage visit to East End Arts, photo by Aniqa Rahman; Nuit Blanche East Danforth - Drawing Bar by Naz Rahbar, photo

by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; Life Drawing, photo by Dmitry Bondarenko and Jessie Durham; Winter Stations Canadian Citizenship Ceremony, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; Donné Roberts at East York Days, photo by Aniqa Rahman; #EastEndLove workshop with TIBA, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis.

Pg 21: Youth Arts Council, photo by Adom Acheampong.

Pg 24-25: Top to bottom, left to right - Nuit Blanche East Danforth - TileScape by Kevin Winn, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; ArtMEETS Intergalactic Inks, photo by Aniqa Rahman; East York Days Volunteers, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; PA Day Camp with ArtCave, photo by Naz Rahbar; #EastEndLove poster in community, photo by Adom Acheampong; Net(work) Dollars & Sense, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; The Music Project, photo by Miranda Snyder; Winter in GreekTown parade, photo by Cassandra Rudolph; Winter Stations 2019, photo by Khristel Stecher; ArtMEETS Linocut Printmaking, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis; East York Days, photo by Aniqa Rahman; NookFest, photo by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis.

Pg 26: Left to right - #EastEndLove Exhibition, photo by Aniqa Rahman; Staff photo in east Toronto, photo by Chelsea CameronFikis.

Pg 27: Winter Stations 2019, photo by Khristel Stecher.

Annual Report design and creation by Chelsea Cameron-Fikis

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ST. MATTHEW’S CLUBHOUSE 450 BROADVIEW AVENUE TORONTO, ON M4K 2N1

@EastEndArtsTO

www.eastendarts.ca