North York Arts and the Toronto Centre for the Arts have been working together for the last four years to bring art and community together in North York.

In 2015, Toronto’s City Council approved the consolidation of the governance and operations of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, and Toronto Centre for the Arts into one new organization under the direction of a City appointed board called Civic Theatres Toronto (CTT). CTT completed their amalgamation at the end of 2017.

2018 represents the launch year for the company including a new brand and a new program that covers all venues; North York Arts is looking forward to the changes this will bring for the North York community! That being said, I was excited to talk to Clyde Wagner, President/CEO of CTT.

Tell me a bit about yourself and your passion for Toronto’s arts and culture sector.

I have been fortunate to work internationally for many years but also to have the great joy of often returning home to Toronto. Having been the GM and Executive Producer for the Luminato Festival, I was able to partner with many arts institutions across the city and across all disciplines. This wide range of engagement reasserted my solid faith in the quality and vision of the artists of this city. As a cultural business leader it’s my role to not only support this sector locally but also to loudly promote Canadian and Toronto talent to the world.

What has been the most exciting part about the amalgamation of Toronto’s three civic theatres?

CTT can achieve much more as an amalgamated company through economies of scale including the opportunity to better leverage the talented staff that make up our team. By eliminating the inherent competition that existed between the buildings and activating a unified marketing, programming and operations strategy across all three venues and seven performance spaces, we are able to increase usage and revenue to balance the budget and engage the community in a more meaningful way. Together we can create two cultural hubs for the City of Toronto (Uptown and Downtown); both hold the potential to create a lasting positive impact on their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.

How do you envision CTT and NYA working together to support the local creative community?

The challenge to any company like CTT is how to both connect to a professional community of artists drawing audiences for world class talent but also to provide inspiration and opportunity for emerging artists. Having NYA as a partner to assist in making this connection is vital to our success. They are an essential part of the ecosystem as the catalyst for this dialogue and also as a check for CTT to make sure we always keep rooted in our local communities, not just for our audiences. It’s especially helpful that they have their offices in our building and we happen to be good friends and share the same beliefs!

What can North York expect from CTT in the next year?

The aim is to spotlight artistic activity from the north GTA, including areas such as Woodbridge, Brampton, Downsview, Jane and Finch, Willowdale, Thornhill, Agincourt, etc. to the TCA through continuing partnerships with arts groups. It’s wrong to assume that creativity only happens downtown. We know people are inspired by the communities in which they live, and we need to be a space for those forces and a promoter for that talent.

Last Month at North York Arts, we celebrated our first anniversary of becoming a charity. The year was significant to say the least; it was full of growth in our programs, partnerships, and within the organization. We’re proud and eager to share these milestones with the North York community!

In light of this anniversary and our first annual general meeting taking place this month, I sat down with our board Chair, Kristopher Dell. Kris talked about his career in the arts, his love for North York, and the exciting plans ahead for North York Arts.

Tell me a bit about yourself and what led you to a career in arts and culture.
I am presently the Director of Production for Civic Theatres Toronto in addition to my volunteer role as the chair of the board for North York Arts. I have been working professionally for 25 years and doing shows is literally all I’ve ever wanted to do.  I guess I got the bug while I was in high school; acting in the drama club and things like that. When I got to University (I went to York University for Theatre), they encouraged us to learn a little bit of everything. This meant that I got to do production, and I never looked back.  I studied set design, I studied lighting design, I studied sound design, and I was working before I even finished school.

What drew you to get involved with North York Arts?
I spent a lot of my career working with community groups and not-for-profit arts organizations. I grew to feel very strongly that it was important that people have access to professional arts services – which is exactly what North York Arts is.

What inspires you most about the North York arts and culture community?
It’s diversity; it’s almost infinitely diverse. That gets me really excited because it means that there’s so many possibilities and so many different kinds of shows. I personally like being exposed to new and different kinds of things, and I like the idea that those things could actually cross-pollinate. So, you might see someone singing in farsi, to a hip hop beat, while there is someone doing a painting on stage inspired by that. That’s fascinating for me.

What kind of growth do you see for North York Arts in the next year?
I think North York Arts has a real opportunity in the next year to expand its development programming which is really providing the mentorship and professional level services specifically to youth and also to newcomers. I think that’s really exciting. One of the ideas we’ve talked about is establishing a more permanent presence outside its home office. We want to establish satellite locations through building relationships with local libraries and things like that, and that is also really exciting.

Every year, North York Arts partners with emerging and established artists to put on art exhibitions for the North York community. The first exhibition of 2018 is titled “They are Around” by multidisciplinary artist, Azadeh Pirazimian.

Azadeh, who has a B.A. in Painting and an M.A. in Visual Communication, was born in Iran and has been in Canada for almost three years. Her collection “They are Around” explores how she began to develop her artistic voice in Canada. I had the chance to talk with Azadeh and learn a little more about her exhibition and her inspiring story.

Tell me a bit about yourself and where your love for art comes from.

I’m Azadeh Pirazimian and two and half years ago I immigrated to Canada. I remember that as a child I was really interested in art. It was mostly visual art – I was really interested in painting and my teachers were always interested in my artwork. When I finished high school, I went to university and I studied painting. Little by little, I got more interested in visual art. I also did drama; I was working as an actress in a theatre.  So I did both visual art and theatre at the same time. I don’t know where [my love for art] comes from. Maybe it comes from the nature of where I was living at the time; I’m from north of Iran so I was surrounded by beautiful nature. Maybe it comes from that, I don’t know.  All I know is that if I wasn’t an artist, I would be absolutely confused and I don’t know what I would do!

To date, what has your experience as in artist in Toronto been like?

I guess in Toronto I was “born again” as an artist. When I was in Iran, I was mostly teaching art and doing theatre on the side. I wasn’t very experienced in presenting my work. But when I came here, I could see that there was space for me to show my art, even in North York. I started my first workshops here in North York with newcomers. With places like North York Arts, Toronto Arts Foundation, and other organizations in Toronto, I found that I could present my work and even sell my work. Within two years, I sold several of my artworks. That wasn’t really something I could do in Iran. So here in Toronto, I have had new experiences that have really helped me establish myself as an artist and introduce myself as an artist. For me, that was amazing and I’m really happy.

Can you describe your upcoming exhibition and where you found inspiration?

As I said before, it’s only been a short time since I’ve been in Canada. When I arrived here, I was alone. I didn’t really have any friends or family so I was at home for a whole six months. I was confused. I couldn’t really speak English, just some daily phrases. At first, I was afraid to communicate because I didn’t know the culture.

One day, I was at home and I was looking outside the window during the summer and the nature was so beautiful; I remember the wind between the leaves. I was inside and I was feeling a little depressed because I am usually a sociable person and so I thought, “Ok – You can’t communicate with people but you have your art. You are an artist. You studied this…” I didn’t have many art supplies but I said, “I have my notebook, I have my pen, so just get out of here and even if you can’t communicate with people, you can communicate with nature.”

So I went outside to the nearest park from my building and I started to sketch and connect with the nature, trees, and animals all around me. And then the project just happened. Now I have a collection of black and white drawings that are all about my first days in Canada where I didn’t have people to communicate with, so nature helped me.

Then, people came and they talked. The first window helped me to open another window to talk to people – that was the motivation for this series of drawings that I did for over a year. It was healing for me at that time. It took shape and now it’s a collection that I can present.

What do you hope people take away from this exhibition?

I hope that people who are like me, even if they are not newcomers (I know that there are some people who have lived in this country for a long time but still feel alone), know that they can do the same. They don’t have to wait for something really big to happen. They can start with something small to get out of their loneliness. Even if it’s with a butterfly, or the leaves- if they just get out and communicate, they will see that big things will happen. I believe that big things always start from small steps. If they find inspiration inside, they should work on it and see that something really amazing can happen.

You can see Azadeh’s exhibition “They are Around” from March 15-23, 2018 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts (5040 Yonge St.) in the Lower Gallery. Opening Reception will be held on March 15 from 6-8 pm. For daily gallery hours, please visit www.northyorkarts.org. For more information on Azadeh and her work and career, visit http://www.azadehpirazimian.com.

North York Arts has been working with Ephraim’s Place, a community centre located at Jane and Sheppard, for the past three years to create and establish arts programming for the youth in the area. One program in particular that has seen much success is the dance program where professional dancers are hired to teach the participants. Since the start of the program, the youth involved have created a dance squad called “JNS Finest” and have competed twice at STOMP urban dance competition in Toronto.  

This year, Nina Blanc, who is a professional music and dance artist, is teaching JNS Finest. I had the chance to chat with Nina last month to learn a little bit more about her and her love for the arts.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your passion for music and dance.

My name is Nina and I was born in Nigeria and I came to Canada with my family when I was eight. Of course, I grew up with Nigerian culture – you know, the music, the food, the fashion – but I also experienced Canadian culture. It was a beautiful childhood having Canadian culture and West African culture blending.

Being born in a different place and growing up in Canada influences my art. I started dancing around high school (nothing formal) and then went to university. It was in university where, although we had limited resources, people who otherwise had nothing in common shared a passion for dance and came together. We were all so determined and motivated.

After university, I went to Calgary and that’s where I really fell in love with music. I played piano all my life but I never really considered myself a musician. I didn’t find as many dance opportunities in Calgary as I did in Toronto, and the isolation from my home and everyone I was used to being around pushed me to explore another outlet for my emotions and expression. So, I really think that going through these different phases in my life pushed me to art and music.

How would you describe the dance community in Toronto?

Funny enough people I meet nowadays assume I grew up in the studio training in formal styles like ballet, jazz, etc.  They don’t necessarily realize that Toronto is such a beautifully rich city for dance and, if you have the passion, you can come out with the same skills. The Toronto dance community is so diverse and has so much uniqueness. There are so many choreographers with their own styles – I stick to that and I appreciate that. There are also so many drop-in studios for adults where you can meet amazing people.

How do you think youth can benefit from dance and creative expression?

I think tremendously. It’s an outlet – especially for youth, which is such a vulnerable time. Dance and art can be something that keeps you grounded and motivated, or maybe it’s just a place to find connection. Life is so confusing and you have so much emotion, and when you are a part of something you can create a passion. I work as a registered nurse and now that I understand things better, I wish I was pushed to do more dance and music when I was a young.

What excites you the most about working with the JNS Finest?

It’s so funny – just hearing about the group I got so excited because I was told they are very spunky. You know, I can teach a bunch of steps but they have to bring that energy. I’m here to teach the skeleton, backbone, and structure, but I’m really excited for the attitude, the spunk, and the personality!

Nina has been working with JNS Finest since January and will continue until their STOMP performance in May. She is a dance and music artist specializing in Urban Alternative, AfroFunk, Soul, RnB, and Hip Hop. For more information on Nina and her work visit: www.ninablancmusic.com, @whoisninablanc, and soundcloud.com/whoisninablanc.

It goes without saying that North York has an amazing arts and culture scene. As the Development and Communications Coordinator at North York Arts, I am lucky to work with this creative community and, with the start of the new year, I am excited and curious about the possibility of growth in the sector.

With this in mind, I decided to sit down with my boss and Executive Director of North York Arts, Lila Karim, to understand her drive to progress the arts sector in North York, and to hear her personal and professional aspirations for the community in 2018.

Where does your passion for the arts come from?

It’s been inherent since childhood. Creativity has always been a part of my world in terms of studying photography in high school, being in drama groups, and getting involved with multidisciplinary arts programing. Over the years, I’ve built connections with the arts community, and I’ve realized that art is really about story telling. Whether it’s through dance, film, visual art, or any discipline, I’ve developed a passion for giving artists the platform to share their stories.

What is your connection to North York?

I grew up in Thornhill and I spent a lot of time in North York attending events at Mel Lastman Square and at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Now working in the region, I’ve developed a greater understanding of the vibrancy of the arts outside the downtown core.

How would you describe North York’s arts and culture landscape?

North York has an incredibly diverse arts and culture community. With close to 1 million residents, there are countless artists, arts groups, and initiatives produced by people of all different ages, cultural backgrounds and, life experiences (not to mention, the amazing artistic diversity in the region). I get excited about the possibility of showcasing these perspectives and art forms.

What are your aspirations for North York’s arts and culture sector in 2018?

Within the last six years, I have seen so much artistic growth in North York and I would like to see even greater engagement. This year at North York Arts, we want to ensure that we continue building artistic connections in every ward in the region, and that we are providing accessible and inclusive programing for the entire community to engage with and enjoy. I think it’s going to be a great year!

Lila is the founding Executive Director of North York Arts. She has over an 18-year career in the cultural sector and has worked for several non-profit arts organizations including the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, ReelWorld Film Festival and The Harold Greenberg Fund. 

In this time we now live, Sashoya Shoya Oya, is an artist who channels her voice through the medium of oral-storytelling within the realm of folklore traditions.

Growing up as a child in Dalvey, St. Thomas, Jamaica she was often surrounded by dances such as Quadrille, Maypole, Dinki Mini, the spiritual practice of Kumina, and many more alongside folk songs and the heart-filled anansi stories of Louise Bennett-Coverley. Looking back, she remembers the everyday stories and proverbs told to her by her grandmother, mother, aunts and people of her district. At the time, such things were common place, so the thought of story-telling being a major part of her future career was nonexistent.

Sashoya came to Canada in 2004, and in 2008, her last year of high school, she became a member of Nomanzland, a community theatre collective based in Jane and Finch. She was with Nomanzland for 6 years before she went to participate in the Artist Mentoring Youth Project (AMY) which then transitioned her to study theatre at York University.

While at York, her views of the theatre world expanded but she was still in search for the lense of learning where she could be all of who she is. In 2014, she came across an audition notice for The Watah Theatre, founded by d’bi young anitafrika and from then on she has been mentored under d’bi’s tutelage. She is currently the Associate Artistic Director of The Watah Theatre and her learning has been through the Anitafrika Method using the Sorplusi principles.

As she answered the questions each principle provided, she started uncovering her childhood memories and events which had been laying dormant inside of her. It was here that her love of oral-storytelling was revived. With it’s revival Sashoya looked around and realized that the folklore she grew up with was not as alive as it once was. When she thinks about Sankofa, she thinks about the youths of Caribbean descent here in Canada who do not have immediate access to such artistic and cultural history. This thought led her to create The Walking Griot, a storytelling guild with the goal of teaching and passing on this knowledge through workshops and programs using various artistic mediums.

In Spring 2017, the guild was launched with a 8-week Folklore Theatre Program funded by ArtReach & Toronto Arts Council and she’s currently developing a few other programs and workshops. Her plays and poetry have been published in Black Solo I & 2 and From The Root Zine. She was nominated as an Emerging Artist finalists for the 2017 Premier’s Excellence in the Arts Award and recently performed in Barbados at Carifesta XIII as a representative of the Canadian-Caribbean Contingent and appeared in the award-winning play LUKUMI by d’bi young anitafrika. She’ll be presenting a workshop of her play Black MOon in June 2018 and coming soon she’ll be launching 30 Days of Storytelling, a project by The Walking Griot which will feature 1-story a day for 30 straight days.

In November, Sashoya was one of six facilitators at Next Stages – a six-part theatre-focused ESL program for youth. This initiative was funded by Art Reach and TAC; presented in partnership with North York Arts; and supported by Cono Ser, Teach 2 Learn, and Casa Maiz.

Written by: Sashoya Shoya Oya

Social Media: @sashoyasimpson

Sharona Bookbinder, B.Sc., DTATI, MBA, OATR, RCAT, RP

Sharona is the founder and CEO of InnerArt Inc. Sharona practices as a Registered Psychotherapist & Registered Art Therapist and is recognized as a clinical art therapy supervisor. She is a presenter, author, educator, innovator and leader in healthcare and small business. Practicing for 24 years, she has specialized in geriatric, palliation, cancer care, stroke care, cognitively impaired (dementia and otherwise), developmental delays, and Autistic populations. Recognizing the need for a holistic mind-body approach in the healthcare sector, and having a finite amount of time, Sharona decided to promote Art Therapy through a company that provides the services of qualified & professionally insured art therapists. Public and private organizations continue to employ these professional services. Sharona is always seeking better ways to promote knowledge and education to inform all of the benefits of Art Therapy. With her recent completion of an MBA, Sharona will be focused on growing InnerArt Inc. in a sustainable manner with close attention to quality services. Sharona is the Treasurer of the Canadian Art Therapy Association and is working on her Doctorate of Art Therapy, with the goal of helping to improve client access to art therapy services.

Within the doctorate program, Sharona is able to explore her own creativity and pursue her love of art.  The program is designed to use art as research, so students engage in art-making to inform their theories, concepts and ideas.  Some of the art she made this summer is included.  They represent the incubation of fragile ideas that will come to fruition over time. Images of trees, nests and eggs are the symbols of knowledge, nurturing and fragility of new ideas. Sharona’s favourite art media are textiles, Gelly Roll pens on black card stock, felting and hand-built pottery. She enjoys using her hands to create new and enriching images and objects that express her thoughts and feelings.

Last month, Sharona was a facilitator at North York Arts’ four-part professional workshop series Beyond Access Beyond the Creative (Oct 20 – Nov 28). Titled “Arts & Wellness”,  Sharona and other facilitators led participants in the role and impact of the arts in healthcare. Arts & Wellness was presented in partnership with Sunnybrook Hospital Creative Arts Therapies program (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre).

I am an Artist of Purpose. I am an Artist Educator. I weave words, sounds, and movement through my body and consciousness to create new possibilities, to bring light to the world, and to be a living example of standing in truth. My True Inner Purpose is to serve humanity through the arts and education.

Authenticity is my foundation, my offering. It is what I seek to bring out in all those who I have the privilege of sharing time and space with, and through my work.

I create art through poetry, music, and dance. I use these artforms to teach and facilitate deep processes of self-actualization. I ask the students under my guidance to reveal themselves. I ask them to dig deep into their understanding of who they are, why they’re here, to explore their connection and contribution to the world, and to examine the current state of their well being.

In 2005, I embraced my career as a Professional Artist and Artist Educator. Since then I have had the pleasure of co-creating many inspiring and award-winning community arts organizations in Toronto. I have performed/taught on 5 continents, from main-stage audiences of thousands to intimate gatherings of just a few, from under-resourced community centres to prestigious universities and schools. I have sat on grant review committees, and provided keynote addresses at many conferences and events geared towards the arts, transformative education, and social justice.

No matter the setting or context, I have always offered my work as a means for raising consciousness and invoking the evolution of humanity towards positive change.

My latest project is no exception.

I have embarked on a mission to support Artists in serving humanity to their fullest potential and to the highest degree. I am meeting this purpose by offering two streams of Professional Development Training for Artists in the areas of:

Creative Entrepreneurship

Branding & Marketing in alignment with True Inner Purpose – a social justice based approach to business for artists.

Artist Educator Training

Skills in facilitation, curriculum design, lesson planning, grant writing, project management, and community/school/institutional partnership strategies for artist educators.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I am so pleased to offer Free and Open Access to my training programs in Creative Entrepreneurship this October, with No Cost of Enrollment for All Artists.

My work is about embodying your own authenticity. Stepping into the fullness of who you are, finding yourself, and owning your power. This work is not just my own, but in truth is created for all of us, to support us in our collective growth. I am open and ready to give and receive. I am here, I am here, I am here.

CONTACT:

Email: therealsun@trueinnerpurpose.com
Facebook: facebook.com/therealsun
Instagram: @suntherealsun

www.TrueInnerPurpose.com to register for the Free Training Online. Email for free access to in-person workshops.

Patrick Walters was born in 1993 at East York General hospital to Joanne and Lloyd Walters . Shortly after his second birthday, he and his family moved back to St. Kitts where his parents still live today. He came back to Toronto at 19 years old, having done a full schooling up to college in St. Kitts and attaining an Associate humanities degree. He started York University in 2012 and graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Psychology in Fall 2015. During that time, he also began his poetry and arts education career with his focus being on bringing light to social issues and mentoring youth in self expression and identity.

Through this, he has  had the opportunity to perform on many important stages and share his story to a larger audience. In 2015, he spoke to a university class in York about the importance of dreaming and following what is important to you. He also travelled to Montreal, Quebec in October 2015 to speak and perform at the International Association for Youth Mental Health Symposium (IAYMH). There, he was able to share his story and his experiences with mental health and psychology and the importance of self identity for young people living with mental health illnesses. In 2016, he performed at TEDxUTSC with his poetry collective “TheUncharted” with a series of poems that asked the audience to “Dare To Know” themselves better in their communities.

Much of his work as a spoken word artist is personal and looks deeply into his experiences growing up in the Caribbean and how being biracial has defined a large part of who he is as an individual. He speaks on societal issues and shares scenes from his childhood that give you a window to his soul. He explores the intersectionality between race and culture and shares the stories of his life that have come to define him. He uses poetry as an outlet of expression for his issues with society and with self. Through the honesty and vulnerability of poetry, he has been able to find himself and actively take charge in defining the person he is today.