East End Arts
2024 Annual Report
A MESSAGE FROM EAST END ARTS
2024 was a year that felt a bit like a mismatched mosaic: a year made up of many different, and sometimes disjointed, moments that together created a beautiful, final picture. It was a year of substantial change and transformation for our small community arts organization as we welcomed a new staff team, a cohort of new directors to our board, a new office (after two substantial floods), and a new programming focus for our organization! It’s not always easy starting from the ground up, but now with new leadership and a new foundation (literally - new floors in our Clubhouse office), we have started a new chapter.
Thematically, our programs throughout 2024 included a bit of everything: a little bit of the new, a little bit of the old, a variety of artistic disciplines, and a variety of age-specific activities. As a new team, we took the year to figure out what was still working from our past initiatives, while identifying what new ideas could be brought to the table. Some of our programming highlights included: copresenting our first ever East End Kids Pride series and parade, presenting a final season of our beloved ArtMEETS program for adults, engaging in a handful of exciting arts programs for seniors (including an actual Mosaic program with our friends at Mural Routes), and hosting new programs and events at our Clubhouse like our first ever Holiday Arts Market, our first ever Fabric Fundraiser, and many exciting new partnerships!
We have a lot to be proud of from this past year, like supporting over 175 local artists, providing over 165 arts workshops and events, and welcoming over 180 programs and events through the doors at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse. 2024 allowed our space to become a thriving community arts hub once again as we were able to welcome more activity through our doors last year than any previous year! We also know that affordable space continues to be one of the largest barriers that artists and arts organizations face, which is why we’re proud to have provided nearly 573 hours of use at our Clubhouse at reduced rates or entirely free. Musical residencies, creative writing workshops, dance rehearsals, fundraisers, book launches, and more, we have loved welcoming them all!
Looking ahead to the future, we feel nothing but excitement and hope. At the tail end of 2024, the City of Toronto announced a bold new vision for culture titled, “Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto (2025 – 2035)”. This plan prioritizes major new investments into the Local Arts Service Organizations as a means to ensure that every resident will have access to at least one free arts and cultural experience in their neighbourhood, each month. Delivering locally focused, responsive programming has always been in our wheelhouse; we know that community arts is a powerful tool to connect, empower, and inspire people from all walks of life. With this support we have exciting work ahead to expand our programs for people who belong to equity-seeking groups, and to grow our organization in ways that we’ve never seen before.
As we prepare to enter our twelfth year and begin the second decade of our community arts journey, we want to thank everyone who has played a part in our story. Whether you’ve been around since the beginning or you just learned about us this past year, community is really what makes our work magical and meaningful and we could not do it without your support. Here’s to a vibrant, inclusive, constantly growing and evolving, beautiful arts community in the east end of Toronto! #EastEndLove
With gratitude,
Eileen Arandiga and David Carey
Arandiga Executive Director, East End Arts
Carey Board President, East End Arts
Eileen
David
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.
SERVICE AREA
Our service area currently 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.
VALUES
East End Arts supports community arts that demonstrate our core values:
- Inclusion & Accessibility
- Creativity & Innovation
- Collaboration & Generosity
- Well-being & Understanding
- Sustainability & Responsibility
IMPACT
2825
CHILDREN & YOUTH
Engaged with our programs & events.
13,065 PEOPLE
Engaged with our programs & events.
573 HOURS
Provided to artists & community members for free or subsidized at our Clubhouse.
178 ARTISTS
Were supported through our programs.
165 PROGRAMS & EVENTS
We presented in the east end of Toronto.
65 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Collaborated with and supported us.
181
1614
SENIORS
Engaged with our programs & events.
ACTIVITIES
Took place at our home, St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.
LIGHT IT UP
Lantern Visual Art | Family Friendly | Celebration
Our Light It Up program came to life during the first long winter of COVID-19. At that time, we were looking for a creative and safe way for people to gather outside to offer a moment of connection and hope. The program concept was so well received that we have presented it every season since then!
Presented alongside our friends at Shadowland Theatre, Workman Arts, and Crescent Town Club, Light It Up is a family-friendly, cross-cultural celebration of the Spring Equinox. We celebrate by inviting families of all backgrounds and ages to create their own homemade paper lanterns at one of our free lanternmaking workshops, and share those lanterns in our Light It Up Parade through Dentonia Park! The parade takes place on the day of the equinox, and features live music, stilt walkers, hot chocolate, and a cozy community fire. 2024 saw the biggest edition of this program yet (welcoming nearly 300 people!), and we are looking forward to presenting it again in 2025.
- Program Participant “ ”
This was such a fun & easy thing to do with our family! It’s our third time attending and it’s a great way to get outside in the winter and spark a bit of joy,
7 Community Workshops
296 People Participated
120 Youth and Children
168 Handmade Lanterns
BYOBEADS
Beading | Indigenous Arts | Skill & Story Sharing
Beading Circles and online spaces like these are so valuable to the Indigenous community for keeping our traditions alive,
-Mel Bartel, Lead Artist & Facilitator
BYOBeads was an Indigenous-led Beading Circle hosted by East End Arts with support from Native Women in the Arts. It was a no-cost online space where creative people from across Turtle Island could come together to chat, laugh, and share their experiences while beading/ creating together. The 2024 season of BYOBeads was again led by Mel Bartel, a talented 2 Spirit Nishinaabe artist whose work lives at the intersection of colourful abstract art and traditional Anishinaabe beadwork. The season consisted of seven online sessions, and welcomed an exciting lineup of Indigenous Guest Artists to share their work, skills, and stories. These artists included Lizzy Hill from Bay Mills Indian Community, located in the upper peninsula of Michigan; Mickenzie Martin from the Mohawk Nation and bear clan from Six Nations of the Grand River; Cher Chapman from Fort William First Nation; Elyse Indaig from Tkaranto; and Krysta Furioso from Fort William First Nation. BYOBeads was a unique program of its kind, as it provided an important online community for many of our Indigenous creators. We are excited to offer a similar program in 2025 rebranded as The Beaded Path!
Seniors in the East
ArtMEETS:
Gelli Printing
ARTS FOR SENIORS
Visual Arts | Senior-Focused | Community Building
In 2024 we were proud to serve the largest number of senior residents in one year through arts programming, to date! We served 116 seniors through the following senior-specific programs: TAPESTRY: Stitched Stories (a hybrid textilebased 7-month art program); Seniors in the East: A Storybook Program (a hybrid paper-based 7-month art program); Piece by Piece Mosaics (an in-person mosaic mural-making program with Mural Routes); and Seniors Together (an in-person multidisciplinary program with East End Community Health Centre). Each of these programs focused on teaching new artistic skills, creating new communities, and tackling social isolation and loneliness. We recognize that senior community members are often the first ones to be overlooked, which is why we remain committed to providing programs that improve wellbeing, provide creative inspiration, and ultimately give folks a sense of purpose and community belonging.
30 Community Workshops
50
In-Person
Seniors Engaged
21
Digital Zoom Hours
Social Hours 116
Getting to know other women who have interests that are the same as or similar to mine has been an exciting experience. Having an organization like EEA so close is wonderful, I am just sorry it took me so long to discover you,
- Seniors in the East Participant
EAST END
Multidisciplinary Arts | Designed by Kids for Kids
In June 2023, an awesome seven-year-old kid asked her two east Toronto moms if she could organize a Pride Parade for her rainbow friends and their families. Six days later, over 200 people came out to celebrate the first East End Kids Pride in Toronto’s east end. Fast forward to one year later, and this grassroots community group that started it all reached out to East End Arts to be part of the second annual pride celebration, and we were honoured!
The East End Kids Pride program is an opportunity for folks to come together with rainbow families, friends, neighbours, and the east end queer community to celebrate #EastEndLove and queer joy! It is also a familyfriendly, alternative way to celebrate Pride month outside of going to the downtown Pride festivities. Our 2024 edition of this program featured three free arts workshops for kids and youth throughout the month of May. Then, on Saturday June 1st, 2024, we celebrated the kickoff of Pride Month with an incredible Community Celebration in Dentonia Park! Over 400 people joined for the celebration, which featured a magical parade led by Shadowland Theatre, a face-painting station, Kiki ballroom dancing, drag King storytime, performances from Rainbow Circus, music and dancing, kid-approved snacks, a community art project, a dress-up tent, bubbles, candy, flags, and so much more! Supported by Workman Arts & The Slaight Family Foundation, we can’t wait for the 2025 edition of this program!
KIDS PRIDE
272 Youth Participated
483 People Engaged Rainbow Family Friendly | Community Celebration
22 Artists Involved
60 Local Volunteers
1 Important Neighbourhood Improvement Area (Taylor Massey, 61)
Getting to participate in the East End Kids Pride program made [our family] feel good. It was nice to finally see an event in the neighbourhood where we feel like we belong! We have lived in the crescent town community for almost 9 years and have faced lots of homophobia and transphobia. Thank you for the opportunity to be celebrated!
- East End Kids Pride Family Participant ”
Standup Comedy | Adults | Mental Health Support
It was an amazing program that enabled public speaking, comedy, and a real chance to speak on topics that are usually emotionally charged, but in a fun and hilarious way. At first I was scared to perform, but with the help of the facilitators, the fun warmup exercises helped release all that tension,
”-Public Speaking Through Comedy Participant
As part of a four-year partnership with Workman Arts and the Slaight Family Foundation, we’ve been able to offer many unique programs to our community that address and help to curtail social isolation in individuals who struggle with mental health and wellness. The ultimate goal of these programs is to build social connection. The Public Speaking Through Comedy Program was an 8-session workshop series that engaged 12 participants on how to use humor in order to become persuasive speakers, improve stage presence, and develop selfconfidence! Presented in collaboration with Pepe and Felipe of MalPensando, a comedy school that helps people become funny, confident leaders, this program cultivated a space of joy, conversation, understanding, and courage. All of our budding comedians were able to build confidence and grow capacity, and by the end of it performed an entire comedy set in front of an intimate audience at our clubhouse (for family & friends), and on stage at the Rendezvous With Madness festival too! Although this partnership with Workman Arts is coming to a close, we are hopeful to foster similar partnerships in the future, which prioritize mental health supports through different and unexpected new art forms.
From Here to Wear
Girls & Enby Mural Camp
Thread that Tangles but Doesn’t Knot
OUR CLUBHOUSE, RE-ACTIVATED
Community Hub | Accessible Arts & Culture Space
In 2024 we focused on reviving our Clubhouse to become a thriving community hub in East Toronto once again, bustling with artistic activity and local events. It’s no surprise that the COVID-19 restrictions, changes in audience behaviour, and two catastrophic building floods all severely impacted our ability to welcome people through our doors. But, 2024 was finally the year where we saw a return to our pre-pandemic numbers - actually, we surpassed them!
In 2024 we supported more than 700 hours of activity at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse. These hours included new Clubhouse programs from EEA that utilized our space in different ways (Fabric Fundraiser, and Holiday Arts Market), but they also included a series of programs and events from east enders and community partners too. Private rentals included birthday parties, baby play dates, staff retreats, camping trips., while creative partnerships were plentiful, and included life drawing sessions, creative writing workshops, dance rehearsals, musical residencies, book launches, theatre performances, and so many more!
Year after year, we’ve continued to see arts organizations, collectives, and artists struggle to find low cost, accessible space, which is why we always prioritize the use of our space for free or at a heavily discounted rate for these groups. We look forward to all of the exciting ways our clubhouse will be activated in 2025, and hope to welcome YOU through our doors.
126 Arts-Related Rentals in 2024
573
Hours provided to artists & community groups for free or subsidized
770 Hours of Activity at our Clubhouse in 2024
FUNDERS & PARTNERS for the 2024 fiscal year
OUR FUNDERS:
OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
AGA Arts Toronto
Akin Studios
Anex Works
Applegrove Community
Complex
Arts Etobicoke
Artists Network
ArtMoves
Beach BIA
Brad Bradford (Councillor)
Broadview Danforth BIA
Carver Twins
Crescent Town Club
Danforth Mosaic BIA
Draft Reading Series
Dusk Dances
East End Acts Book Club
East End Community Health
Centre
East End Kids Pride
Community Group
EastMinster Regional Church
Eastview Neighbourhood
Community Centre
Fall for Dance North
Firefly Creative Writing
Foodshare Toronto
Fresh Paint Toronto
Gerrard Art Space
Good Grief Bereavement
Healing
Houses Opening Today
Toronto
JAYU Festival
Kiki Ballroom Alliance
Toronto
Lakeshore Arts
Labyrinth Ontario
Mabelle Arts
MalPensando
Mural Routes
Native Women in the Arts
Nellie’s Shelter
Neighbourhood Food Hub
North York Arts
Ontario Culture Days
Paula Fletcher (Councillor)
Pride Toronto
Queen Books
Rainbow Circus
RAW Design TO Regent Park Film Festival
Right to Learn Afghanistan
Riverdale Hub
Riverside BIA
Scarborough Arts
Scouts Toronto
Secret Planet Print Shop
Singalong Tim & Lori Nancy
Shadowland Theatre
Street Art Toronto
Story Planet
Storytelling Toronto
The Bentway
Toronto Community Housing
Toronto Environmental
Alliance
Toronto Fringe Festival
Toronto Foundation
Toronto Public Libraries
Urban Arts
Winter Stations
Workman Arts
FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN
for the 2024 fiscal year
Financial Statements are available upon request.
EAST END ARTS
Staff & Board of Directors
EAST END ARTS STAFF
Eileen Arandiga Executive Director
Chelsea Virginia Gerow Senior Communications Manager
Mahmoud Ismail Program Manager
Merryn Connelly-Miller Operations & Outreach Coordinator
EAST END ARTS BOARD
David Carey, President
Peter Venetas, Vice President
Jane Gutteride
Joyce Badley
Laura Grier
Noah Parker
Oliver Pitschner
Sapphira Charles
Tura Cousins Wilson
With thanks to Tyler Andrews (previous Office & Outreach Coordinator), Cynella Cyril (previous Program Manager), Susan Wright (previous Interim Director), Shana Hillman (previous Executive Director), Durga Rajah (previous Communications & Outreach Assistant), Richard Gonyea (previous Clubhouse Cleaner), Amerte Urgessa (current Clubhouse Cleaner), Jennifer Miao, (previous Bookkeeper), Sympl Solutions (current Bookkeeper), Heather Kelly (previous longstanding board member), Meeka (previous clubhouse pup), and Chorizo (current clubhouse pup) for their valuable contributions to our organization in 2024.
PHOTO CREDITS:
AllphotoslistedfromLefttoRight,and/orToptoBottom
Cover: Photo1,ArtMEETSTactileArt,byDurgaRajah;Photo2,WinterStations2024,byChelseaVir-ginia;Photo3,Threadthat TanglesbutDoesn’tKnot,byChelseaVirginia;Photo4,BeadworkbyMelBartel;Photo5,TAPESTRYExhibit,byChelseaVirginia, Photo6,EastEndKidsPrideBannerMaking,byChelseaVirginia;Photo7,GEMC2024,byDurgaRajah;Photo8,FromHereto Wear,byChelseaVirginia;Photo8,OutdoorLifeDrawingwithAGA,byChelseaVirginia;Photo9,LightItUpLanternWorkshop,by ChelseaVirginia;Photo10,PaintingFundamentalswithSaretta,byMerrynConnelly-Miller.
Pg 4: GEMC2024Participants.PhotobyDurgaRajah.
Pg6: LightItUpStiltWalkers.PhotobyChelseaVirginia.
Pg 7: LightItUpWorkshop&ParadePhotos.Photos1,2,&5byChelseaVirginia;Photos3&6byMafarRodríguez;Photo4by CynellaCyril.
Pg8-9: BYOBeadsWorkshop&ArtPhotos.Photo1,BeadworkbyCherChapman;Photo2,BeadworkbyKrystaFurioso;Photos3, 5&7,ZoomScreenshotsbyChelseaVirginia.Photo4,BeadworkbyElizabethHill;Photo6,BeadworkbyMickenzieMartin.
Pg10-11: AssortedProgramPhotos.Photo1,SeniorsintheEastwelcomeparty,byDurgaRajah;Photo2,OutdoorLifeDrawing withAGA,byChelseaVirginia;ArtMEETS:GelliPrinting,byDurgaRajah;BookLaunchClubhouseRental,byMerrynConnelly-Miller. Pg12-13: SeniorsArtsProgrammingPhotos.Photo1,SeniorsintheEastWelcomeParty,byDurgaRajah;Photo2,PastelArt CreationbyJanBelgrave;Photo3,SeniorsintheEastChristmasParty,byChelseaVirginia;Photo4,TAPESTRYExhibit,byChelsea Virginia;Photo5,ArtsworkshopatEastEndCommunityHealthCentre,byChelseaVirginia;Photo6,LinocutArtCreationby DebraBentzen;Photo6,SeniorMosaicProgramGroup,byChelseaVirginia;Photo7,SeniorsintheEastScreenshotbyMahmoud Ismail.
Pg 14-15: EastEndKidsPrideArtsWorkshops&ParadePhotos.Photo1,T-shirtScreen-printing,byCynellaCyril;Photo2,Flag Choreography,byChelseaVirginia;Photo3,BannerMaking,byChelseaVirginia;Photos4,5&6,ParadeDayPhotos,byCass Rudolph.
Pg16-17: WorkmanArtsComedyProgramPhotos.Photo1,RendezvousWithMadnessGroupshot,byWorkmanArts;Photos2,3, 4&5,workshopandperformancenightphotosbyChelseaVirginia.
Pg18-19: AssortedProgramPhotos.Photo1,FromHeretoWear,byChelseaVirginia;Photo2,Girls&EnbyMuralCampGroup Shot,byDurgaRajah;Photo3,ThreadthatTanglesbutDoesn’tKnotKiteDay,byClaudiaZilstra;Photo4,HolidayArtsMarket,by ChelseaVirginia.
Pg21: ClubhouseActivationPhotos.Photo1,PaintingFundamentalsWorkshopSerieswithSaretta,byMerrynConnelly-Miller; Photo2,40thBdayandFundraiserforFoodshare,byAndreaThompson;Photo3,EastEndQueerFamiliesParty,byMerryn Connelly-Miller;Photo4,PhotoshootattheClubhouse,byTylerSemrickPalmateer; Photo5,HolidayArtsMarket,byChelsea Virginia;Photo6,LifeDrawingwithAGAArts,byDmitryBondarenko.
Pg24-25: StaffPhotos1&2,byChelseaVirginia;Photo3,ClubhouseRentalPhoto,byMerrynConnelly-Miller.
Pg26-27: AssortedProgramPhotos.Photo1,LightItUpLanternWorkshop,byChelseaVirginia;Photo2,Anti-OBookclub,by ChelseaVirginia,Photo3,CellphonePhotographyParticipantPhoto;Photo4,SeniorsintheEastWelcomeParty,byDurgaRajah; Photo5,Girls&EnbyMuralCamp,byDurgaRajah;Photo6,ArtMovesTheatrePerformanceatClubhouse,byChelseaVirginia; Photo7,ArtMEETSWorkshop,byDurgaRajah;Photo8,EastEndKidsPrideParade,byCassRudolph,Photo9,ThreadthatTangles butDoesn’tKnotWorkshop,byMerrynConnelly-Miller;Photo10,LabyrinthResidencyinClubhouse,byLabyrinthOntario;Photo11, WinterStations2024,byChelseaVirginia;Photo12,MosaicforSeniorsUnveiling,byChelseaVirginia.
Pg28-29: AssortedProgramPhotos.Photo1,EastEndKidsPrideFlagWorkshop,byChelseaVirginia;Photo2,ArtMEETS:Collage, byChelseaVirginia;Photo3,PastelsArtworkbyTorySullivan;Photo4,FromHeretoWearWorkshop,byMerrynConnelly-Miller; Photo5,OutdoorLifeDrawingwithAGA,byChelseaVirginia;Photo6,BeadworkbyElizabethHill;Photo7,#EastEndLoveCake fromOpenHouse,byChelseaVirginia;Photo8,ArtMEETS:SpokenWord,byDurgaRajah;Photo9,LightItUpParade,byMafar Rodríguez;Photo10,EastEndCommunityHealthCentreworkshop,byChelseaVirginia;Photo11,FallFabricFundraiser,by MahmoudIsmail;Photo12,Girls&EnbyMuralCamp,byDurgaRajah.
Back Cover: Photo1,LabyrinthOntarioperformwithAGALifeDrawing,byLabyrinthOntario;Photo2,FallFabricFundraiser, byChelseaVirginia;Photo3,SummerOpenHouse,byChelseaVirginia;Photo4,HolidayArtsMarket,byChelseaVirginia;Photo 5,Anti-OBookClub,byChelseaVirginia;Photo6,LightItUpParade,byMafarRodriguez;Photo7,ArtMEETSGelliPrinting,by DurgaRajah;Photo8,ThreadthatTanglesbutDoesn’tKnot,byClaudiaZilstra;Photo9,ClubhouseRental,byCanadianWomenfor Afghanistan.
AnnualReportdesignandcreationbyChelseaVirginiaGerow.
