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Nuit Blanche 2025

Nuit Blanche 2025

Nuit Blanche 2025

✨ Nuit Blanche is coming to North York! ✨

North York Arts at Nuit Blanche
North York Arts and TO Live are teaming up to present “Back to Back at the MAC” — a free, open mic and performance event happening during Nuit Blanche on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM at the Studio Theatre, Meridian Arts Centre.

🎤 Alongside six incredible featured artist performances, we’re opening the stage to YOU! Audience members are invited to sign up on the spot for 5–10 minute open mic slots and share their creativity in any artistic discipline.

✨ No advance sign-up required — just show up and shine!
(Please note: this is an unpaid opportunity.)

🌟 Featured Artist Lineup 🌟

  • Host: Patrick Walters

  • 7:15–7:30 PM – Spoken Word by Patrick de Belen

  • 8:00–8:30 PM – Live Portrait Drawing by Vicky Wang

  • 9:00–9:15 PM – Oral Storytelling by Veronica Antipolo

  • 10:00–10:20 PM – Dance Performance by Rashimi Mishra

  • 11:00–11:30 PM – Opera Performance by Afarin Mansouri

  • 12:00–12:20 AM – Dance Performance by Aisha Nicholson

🎶🎨✨ Step into the spotlight, experience incredible performances, and celebrate the vibrant arts community of North York. See you at the MAC!

Date: Saturday, October 4th

Time: 7:00 PM -1:00 AM (Open Mic will end at 1:00 AM)

Where: Studio Theatre – Meridian Arts Centre (5040 Yonge Street, M2N 6R8)

Price: Free

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Featured Artist Lineup

Patrick Walters

Open Mic Host

Meet Patrick

Patrick Walters is a poet and arts educator who has dedicated himself to storytelling and youth empowerment for the past 8 Years. With performances at TEDxUTSC, Nathan Phillips Square and Sony Centre for the Arts, Patrick has made a pathway for himself and other young artists to follow.
After his debut album in 2018 ” The Off$shore Account”, Patrick released his second studio album in 2022, entitled “Human Nature” .
He currently performs on stages across North America and the Caribbean where he is proudly from. Today, he is happy to be here with you!

Patrick de Belen

Spoken Word

Meet Patrick

Patrick de Belen is a storyteller who shapes silence into rhythm and truth into verse. A spoken word artist whose performances carry both tenderness and fire, he crafts stories that echo across stages and linger in hearts. His work bends language into bridges—between generations, across cultures, through grief and healing—reminding us that every voice holds power. Rooted in community, Patrick’s storytelling is both a call to remember and an invitation to imagine. Whether on stage, in classrooms, or in quiet circles, he brings words to life so others may find their own.

Vicky Wang

Portrait Drawing

Meet Vicky

Vicky Wang is a live portrait artist celebrated for her whimsical, continuous line drawings that capture the essence and joy of her subjects. Through her business, A Portrait by Vicky, she creates personalized artwork on the spot at events—from weddings and parties to corporate gatherings—offering guests a unique and memorable experience. Her signature style, defined by expressive, unbroken lines, reflects her love of human connection, spontaneity, and living in the moment. She is available for live events, murals, and commissions, and is thrilled to be here drawing today.

Veronica Antipolo

Oral Storytelling

Meet Veronica

Part existential crisis and part leap of faith, Veronica Antipolo started storytelling and stand-up comedy as hobbies that became such transformational experiences that she continued to share stories and help others find and share theirs. Veronica is a professional oral storyteller, coach, comedian, and writer who explores themes of self-identity, empowerment, diversity, equity, and inclusion to foster connections, build communities, and spark social change. Find out more at SassyLaV.com

Rashimi Mishra

Dance Performance

Meet Rashimi

Rashmi Mishra is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and storyteller specializing in Kathak and Indian folk dances. A disciple of Pandit Birju Maharaj Ji, she has performed at Nuit Blanche, Rhythms of Canada, Taj Mahotsav, Kala Ghoda Festival, and internationally in Denmark, Thailand, and Dubai. Recipient of awards including the Grow North Emerging Artist Award, Women’s Achievers Award, Brij Ratna Samman, and Best Kathak Dancer Award, Rashmi leads Rashmi Academy of Performing Arts (RaPa), where she trains and mentors students in classical and folk traditions. In 2023, she founded the North York Diwali Fest to further community engagement through the arts.

Afarin Mansouri

Opera Performance

Meet Afarin

Dr. Afarin Mansouri is an internationally acclaimed composer, opera artist, and Artistic Director of Cultureland Opera Collective. Renowned for blending Persian musical heritage with Western operatic forms, her works explore cultural identity, mysticism, and social justice. She has collaborated with major institutions including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Opera Company, Tapestry Opera, Seattle Opera, and National Ballet of Canada. Her operas—Zuleykha, The Refugees, Forbidden, and Little Heart—are praised for emotional depth and cultural resonance. A trailblazer in opera education, she lectures in Farsi and champions inclusivity. Her 2025 Cultureland production QUEST introduced seven new Middle Eastern-inspired operas to Canadian audiences.

Aisha Nicholson

Dance performance

Meet Aisha

Aisha Nicholson is an Artist, Emerging Choreographer and Reiki Practitioner that hails from Toronto; creator of the Movement CheckIn a program that brings artists together on Instagram live. She’s an independent artist and has worked with various choreographers and companies such as Ronald Taylor Dance, KasheDance and C.O.B.A (Collective of Black Artist) to name a few. She choreographed her first inaugural solo called Abandonment and is currently working on remounting this work. Her artistic practice is rooted in Caribbean, West African and Afro-contemporary dance styles and her exploration of movement is multilayered, polyrhythmic and rooted in the Black experience. @movementcheckin

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

647-477-6059

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

With Love, North York

With Love, North York

With Love, North York

Empty heading

Six Community Centres. Six Artists. Lots of Love.

 

With Love, North York is a community art project produced by North York Arts.

Throughout Winter 2022 and Spring 2023, six new visual arts pieces were created across six community centres in North York, by local North York-based artists.

Artists engaged with their respective community centres to create an artwork that channels the values, members, and essence of each community. This project was designed to acknowledge the land we are privileged to live, work, and create on, as well as to celebrate 100 years of the incorporation of the Township of North York. North York Arts is lucky to serve and honour this community through public art.

We acknowledge the millenia-long history of these lands, its peoples and its history. We are honoured to foster arts and culture on the traditional lands of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, Haudenosaunee, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River, or what is known today by many as North York.

Community Builders
Bryan Taguba
Acrylic Paint on Stretch Canvas

Roding Community Centre
600 Roding St – M3M 2A5
York Centre, Ward 6

About Community Builders

The piece aims to portray the interconnectedness of our cultures, our past, and our current realities through the usage of communication lines borrowed from the Woodland Style of Native Canadian Art. As part of a diverse and multicultural community largely being made up of working class families and people, we have a collective role in creating and sustaining a culture of care, inclusivity, decolonization and empowerment. ‘Community Builders’ is inspired by everyday working people who serve our communities, the promise of the future generation and the idea that together we can shape a future that is truly equitable and cognizant of our wants and needs.
– Bryan Taguba

Windows of Opportunity
Marg Cresswell – Murals by Marg
Acrylic Paint on Bending Plywood

North Toronto Memorial Community Centre
200 Eglinton Ave West – M4R 1A7
Eglinton Lawrence, Ward 8

About Windows of Opportunity

The illusion of trompe l’oeil offers the chance of discovery, to perceive all the details inside and escaping the illusion in my murals. I aim not to deceive, but to reveal the illusion. This meeting place, between the real thing and the painted thing, brings the viewer to the edge of illusionism, only to assert that the reality is the paint.

Although the deception may appear only momentarily, it is an instant of being deceived. And once the illusion has dissolved, what remains will be the painting all on its own and draw in the viewer to spend time exploring all the details and visual delights each mural has to offer.
– Marg Cresswell

Community Love
Yasaman Mehrsa
Digital Artwork printed on Vinyl Banner

Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre
48 Thorncliffe Park Drive – M4H1J7
Don Valley West, Ward 15

About Community Love

Inspired by the theme of community, this vibrant mural showcases love, support, and a sense of belonging between the community members, the neighbourhood, and the Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre. People of all gender, ages, and backgrounds come together, share their interests, and interact with others. This mural is a representation of the people of a community that live, work, study, play, and grow together.
-Yasaman Mehrsa

Dreamers
Melisa Sofi
Digital Artwork printed on Vinyl Banner

Dennis R Timbrell Resource and Community Centre
29 St Dennis Dr – M3C 3J3
Don Valley East, Ward 16

About Dreamers

This portraits series showcases a group of kids with diverse interests and styles.They all carry birds with them that can be interpreted as companions, symbolic of those who have found a home among the generosity of others.
– Melisa Sofi

Window into Oriole
Serene Chan – Serene Illustrations
Digital Artwork printed on Vinyl Banner

Oriole Community Centre
2975 Don Mills Road – M2J 3B7
Don Valley North, Ward 17

About Window into Oriole

This painting depicts a brick wall with 4 arches acting as windows looking into some of the community’s favorite activities. Each image showcases a different scenery that slightly reaches outside of the arch frame, portraying the activity almost coming to life. All four windows are connected with a white banner written with words that the community members used to describe the Oriole community centre: Diversity, Creativity, Teamwork, Community, Passion, and Family. This image ties together the heart of what Oriole represents: a community that prioritizes physical and creative activities in a family friendly environment.

– Serene Chan

Community Vibe
Laura Yang
Digital Artwork printed on Vinyl Banner

Edithvale Community Centre
131 Finch Ave W – M2N 2H8
Willowdale, Ward 18

About Community Vibe

This mural design is a colorful and lively representation of the diverse cultures and ages that make up our community. It celebrates the different ethnic groups and the wide range of activities that take place within the center, including pottery, music, basketball, snooker, etc. This design conveys the passion and vibrancy of the community, showcasing the many ways people come together to create a home for everyone. Overall, the mural will be a testament to the power of community and how it can help people flourish and thrive.
-Laura Yang

Meet the Artists

Bryan Taguba

York Centre - Roding Community Centre

Meet Bryan

Bryan Taguba is a painter, photographer, community organizer and activist with the Magkaisa Centre. He was born in the Philippines and came to Canada at age 9. His mother worked as a caregiver in Toronto. He works as an artist facilitator and teacher in various programs for “at-risk” youth in Toronto. He has worked on several city funded mural projects across Ontario and has led facilitation and advising for Magkaisa Centre’s “Maleta Stories” Arts and Culture Project, exhibited in 2010, 2012 and 2015. Inspired by the pedagogical framework outlined by Paolo Freire that centres the perspectives of everyday working people, Bryan strives to use the visual arts as a tool for consciousness building, community building, and social transformation.

Laura Yang

Willowdale - Edithvale Community Centre

Meet Laura

Laura is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator and designer who loves to use colorful aesthetics and compelling storytelling to convey messages and ideas. Her work explores human emotions, feminist values, and cultural diversity, with the hope of establishing personal connections with audiences and fostering community building. As a multidisciplinary artist, she is passionate about using dynamic figures and creative forms to cherish all the meaningful things and moments in her life.

Margaret Cresswell

Eglinton Lawrence - North Toronto Memorial Community Centre

Meet Margaret

Marg is an award-winning muralist who spent her final year of study in Florence, Italy and graduated from the Ontario College of Art, in 1994. Over 20 years ago she began working as a muralist and, after requests for commissions, she opened her own studio, Murals By Marg, in 2001. In 2007, Marg was invited to exhibit her large-scale paintings at the Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contempranea in Florence, Italy. Since 2015, she has painted over three dozen public art murals in the City of Toronto. In 2017, she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the House of Commons for her mural in Richmond Hill as part of Canada’s 150th Anniversary. Marg continues to exhibit her paintings and has works in private and public collections in Canada, the USA and France.

Melisa Sofi

Don Valley East - Dennis R Timbrell Resource and Community Centre

Meet Melisa

Melisa Sofi is an Albanian-Canadian cross disciplinary artist based in North York. She is a recent Illustration graduate from OCAD University. Inspired by themes of identity, interpersonal relationships and the creative process, her work often blurs the line between narrative and documentary.

Yasaman Mehrsa

Don Valley West - Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre

Meet Yasaman

Yasaman Mehrsa is a Toronto-based visual artist. Born and raised in Tehran/Iran, she got exposed to art from a young age. She completed her studies with a Bachelor of Visual Communication in Iran and later achieved Bachelor with honours in Visual Arts from Brock University in St. Catharines/Canada. Yasaman uses both digital and traditional mediums.

Yasaman’s work is often representative of awareness of the human-nature relationship. She believes that nature is both all around us and deep within us. Inspiring by nature, she creates storytelling arts and expresses different emotions in each of them to inspire her audiences to discover their imagination, feeling, and interaction with the natural environment.

Serene Chan

Don Valley North - Oriole Community Centre

Meet Serene

I am a Chinese-Canadian creative and an expert daydreamer, who utilizes my passion in storytelling to produce digital and traditional imagery that provokes child-like wonder and captures nostalgia. My work draws on my interest in mental health, East Asian history and mythology, and all things fantasy. I strive to create awareness in the beauty of Asian cultures and otherwise marginalized communities. Alongside my art, my versatile background includes my academic education in business and years of entrepreneurial experience exemplified in three of my start-up businesses. When I’m not painting, you can find me working with my hands- sewing, making resin crafts, and thrift flipping.

Proudly supported by:

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

647-477-6059

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

Around Art & Land

Around Art & Land

Around Art & Land

NYA is a proud partner of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art!

The year of Public Art has chosen the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action as the main theme for the next 10 years of art programs/exhibitions in the city. Western knowledge is based on an egocentric model while Indigenous peoples have the land as the epicentre of everything they do. After visiting Downsview Park and its hub, we realized that there are a lot of opportunities to connect to the land by curating a series of activations that will happen from April 2022 to October 2022.

We are delighted to present to you a series of intergenerational programs that respond to the needs of the Land to acknowledge it, celebrate it and also commit to it. We all as human beings play a role in the climate change crisis and as artists, we also need to be mindful of the waste we create while creating art.

North York Arts celebrates communities, artists inspire us and the land allows us to be able to share it with all! Every creation of the land is a piece of art itself, for that reason, we have called our core programs for ArtworxTO Around Art and Land.

image graphic for i-talks

We hope you can join us for any of the following programs:

   an icon of a spray can  We CAN do it

  an icon of a sketchbook   Around my Words

  an icon of two people dancing Let’s Dance!

  an icon of a branch with many leaves  What is Around is Alive

  an icon of a kite   Elevating my Dreams

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We CAN do it:

growing healthy relations with the land –

Community Interactive Art Installation

In this activation, participants will be invited to paint empty spray cans that will culminate in an exhibition taking place at the Downsview Hub.

In partnership with Juan Cajiao, participants will paint images on each spray can with the theme of environment in mind, and will consider ways to recycle and repurpose some of the daily objects around us that directly harm the environment. Each can will also have a message for Mother Earth and a personal commitment to the environment from each participant. 

Once all cans are painted and all messages are written, the empty spray cans will be exhibited in a tree formation at the Downsview Hub, where visitors will be encouraged to see the cans and to consider their own commitments and wishes for the environment. 

an icon of a spray can

Schedule

Painting Cans Activation
Saturday, July 9 from 10 am to 4 pm

Exhibition Launch
Thursday, August 11th from 5 pm to 6:30 pm

Exhibition Hours Thursday August 11th to Sunday October 2nd: 

Wednesday to Friday: 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12 pm to 5 pm

Location

Painting Cans: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave

Exhibition: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave

Meet your Artist:

Juan Cajiao

Born in Colombia, raised in the US and now living in Canada, Juan has been an artist from the day he was born. He grew up painting and drawing, took his passion to the next level by studying Industrial Design and Architecture, he then applied his creativity in the advertising world for many years, he then quit his corporate job to pursue his dream of being a stand up comedian.

Juan now has done over 500 shows in 12 countries and co-founded MalPensando, a bi-lingual comedy club and school that empowers people to become confident and funny speakers.

Parallel to his comedy business, Juan is also an artist who’s done commissioned work (paintings & drawings) that are currently exhibited in 5 countries. Juan also started a new art brand called @ArtedByJuan which aims to make any object (chairs, shows, jackets, teapots… anything) into a unique art piece.

Juan has a variety of workshops, from public speaking & comedy, to free-hand drawing & painting.

Juan will always combine art and comedy in everything he does.

Connect:

@juan_cajiao | @artedbyjuan | @malpensando

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Around my Words

During this activation, participants will have the opportunity to work in collaboration with spoken word poet Patrick Walters to create a series of poems around the theme of nature and their commitment to the land. Then they will collaborate with visual artist Paddy Leung to embed those poems into wooden crates. Participants will be provided with individual crates they can take home while collaborating on the creation of one of the installation components of the Community Interactive Art Exhibition, We CAN do it!

DATES

COHORT I

Spokenword Component led by Patrick Walters

● Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Tuesday, August 9, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Visual Component led by Paddy Leung
● Wednesday, August 17, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Wednesday, August 24, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

COHORT II
Spokenword Component led by Patrick Walters
● Thursday, August 4, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Thursday, August 11, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Visual Component led by Paddy Leung
● Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Thursday, August 25, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Deadline to apply: Sunday, July 31st, 2022
Spots Available: 24 (12 participants per cohort)
Venue: Downsview Park (70 Canuck Ave.)

NOTE:
Lunch, snacks, and light refreshments will be provided.
Community and volunteer hours are also available upon request.
TTC will be available for participants.
Certifications of participation will be also given to participants.

For any questions or if you need assistance to fill out this application please email Julián Carvajal, julian@northyorkarts.org 

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Let’s Dance!

Get ready to move your body! During this program, Mafa Dance Village (@mafadancevillage.ca) and Capoeira Bamba Toronto, (@bamabtoronto)  will teach participants the basic fundamentals of South African Beats and Capoeira! These sessions will be fun, interactive, and high-energy as you’ll learn some new moves, kicks, and escapes to music.

While these workshops are open to all, some movements in the Capoeira workshop may be challenging to those with limited mobility.  This program is for ALL ages. 

an icon of two people dancing

Schedule

Sundays, May 15 & 22

11:00 am to 12:00 pm | South-African Beats

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Capoeira Dance

Location

Downview Park Orchard Location HERE

Thank you for joining us!

Meet your Instructors:

Mafa Makhubalo

Movement poet trained in folk forms from the Regions of African tradition, African contemporary, and Western-Contemporary. Mafa Dance Village is influenced by an understanding of dance as an accumulation of memory and the history of my culture. Dance is an invisible evolution that becomes visible through movement, music, and singing.

Connect: To learn more about Mafa, visit mafadancevillage.ca

Capoeira Bamba

Capoeira Bamba is Toronto’s 7X award winning Capoeira School. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian Martial Art that incorporates Martial Arts, Acrobatics, Music, Dance and Culture all in one! From Kicks to Flips, this Martial Art has it all!
We take great pride in educating our community about the Afro-Brazilian culture and Martial Art. We are Toronto’s only full time Capoeira Academy hosting classes for Minis, Kids and Adults of all ages. We are also a performance team, performing Capoeira, and other Afro-Brazilian cultural dances for audiences and events of all sizes all over the GTA.

Connect: To learn more about Capoeira Bamba, visit bambatoronto.com

Capoeira Bamba - Mississauga

Join us on Sunday May 20th to dance with Mike Pulga of @bambamississauga!

Capoeira Bamba is Toronto’s 7X award winning Capoeira School. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian Martial Art that incorporates Martial Arts, Acrobatics, Music, Dance and Culture all in one! From Kicks to Flips, this Martial Art has it all!
We take great pride in educating our community about the Afro-Brazilian culture and Martial Art. We are Toronto’s only full time Capoeira Academy hosting classes for Minis, Kids and Adults of all ages. We are also a performance team, performing Capoeira, and other Afro-Brazilian cultural dances for audiences and events of all sizes all over the GTA.

Connect: To learn more about Capoeira Bamba, visit bambatoronto.com

 

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What is Around is Alive

In this two-part activation, participants will first be invited to tour Downsview Park by foot with Alan Colley of Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours, then will create inspired illustrations and photographs from the walk. Together with Alan Colley, participants will discover and observe the local flora and fauna, and leave with a newfound understanding for all that is alive around us. Art pieces created during the session will be displayed publicly in the Downsview Hub, unless participants would prefer to take them home to display there instead!

Schedule

Saturday, June 4 | 10 am to 1 pm

Saturday, June 18 | 10 am to 1 pm & 3 pm to 6 pm

Location

Walking Tour: Downsview Park – Meet at the Orchard Pavillion

Art Creation: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave

 

Meet your Instructor:

 

 

Alan Colley - Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours

Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours has been a passion and dream of mine for a long time.

I have designed a company which honors our traditional way of life – but also allows for mainstream concepts of tourism and experiential learning.

I believe we are at the point in history where we are able to teach and share with the next generations how to have a sustainable relationship with the environment. This is the focus of Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours.

My goal is to bring together our beautiful community in a way that allows elders, adults, youth and children to connect and make a difference with actions based on the ground principles of the 7 Grandfather Teachings, 13 Grandmother Moon Teachings and Medicine Wheel Teachings.

I am looking forward to sharing information regarding history, the plants, the animals, the fish and the insects so that we can start looking at a healthy future that we are planting seeds for in the present.

Every time a participant resonates with a teaching provided on our tours, the Indigenous knowledge of my ancestors and the ancestors of all Aboriginal peoples is honored because it has a chance to expand into future generations.

Those who had no idea of the sustainable lifestyles and understanding that the First Peoples of what is now Toronto had, can carry with them a new connection to the natural world they live in – even if it is surrounded by a concrete jungle.

I hope to meet and share cultural understandings and environmental respect while also learning something new from each and every participant of a Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tour!

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Elevating my Dreams

In this activation, participants will create kites with messages that they would like to share with all flying creatures. By incorporating different upcycled materials, and applying the R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) each participant will create an environmentally friendly artwork that can fly through the sky.  Participants will be encouraged to fly their kites at home after the activation and share photos and videos on social media!

Schedule

Saturdays, July 9, 16, 23 | 11 am to 12:30 pm

Location

Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave

Meet your Instructor:

Orfelina Millán

I am an environmental artist and creator/facilitator of an eco-friendly community art program for children, Orfe Eco Art Program. My passion for art, environmentalism, and community engagement, along with my arts education experience with the TCDSB and the TDSB, have strengthened my motivation to engage young people in protecting the earth through participatory community arts.

Orfe EcoArt Program is a social enterprise that aims to stimulate creativity and environmental responsibility in children and youth through its ecological art program, understanding that a creative mind and responsible attitude are key to becoming an active member of society and contributing to the health and safety of one’s community.

Connect:

Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Website

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

647-477-6059

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

Nuit North 2022

Nuit North 2022

Nuit North – Artist Residency

Join us in the development of a community-informed installation for the inaugural expansion of Nuit Blanche to North York! 

Local filmmakers Simeon Taole and Danielle Ungara, of CINEMATOSCAPE, are completing a Nuit North Residency with North York Arts. Hear about their project The Space Between and its current evolution Interspace for Nuit on October 1st, 2022!

If you are a North York resident, we want your perspective. If you have a story to share, we want to hear your voice. Join us to share your story on August 19 from 1-5pm.

Please note that spots are limited and will be offered to participants based on their applications by email after August 5, 2022.

Eligibility:

  • To participate you must be a current North York resident
  • 18 years or older
  • Available to meet in person on August 19th from 1-5pm
  • Comfortable with your voice being audio-recorded

We will be discussing the space between: 

How have you experienced space between yourself and others – whether emotional distance, cultural gap, geographical or physical space?

How have you found ways to bridge the space between?

Why join the community forum:

We invite you to join the community forum in August 19 and participate in discussions and audio recordings sharing your ideas with us and the community for the Nuit installation. This is a paid opportunity ($100) to network and build community as we welcome a diverse group of individuals to join the community forum. 

 

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

647-477-6059

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

Northbound Exhibition Program

Northbound Exhibition Program

Northbound 2019 Minhwa Canada | Photo by: Ricky Yu

NOTICE: All exhibitions have been postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. Please continue to check back for updates!

Northbound Exhibition Program is a free juried art program that was created in 2019 to support the professional development of emerging artists. The program prioritizes new-generation (18-29 years old) artists, newcomer artists, and artists with a connection to the North York community.

This year, Northbound will move from its old home at the Meridian Arts Centre to the bustling community hub of North York Centre. Northbound’s new location will foster new kinds of connections between artists and community members, and allow program participants to explore the impact and presentation of their work in a public space. 

 

Northbound 2020 Jury members:  

Adom Acheampong
Claudia Arana
Paola Gomez
Ely Lyonblum
Paola Poletto

 

Program Partners

Northbound Exhibition Program 2020 Lineup

Sahar Abdallah
Narrative lines
2021

Anahita Akhavan
Unsettled
2021

Aqsah Shah
Unraveling Dreamscapes
2021

Anna Kavehmehr
Lacrima: /ˈla.kri.ma/
2021

MERAKI Project
MERAKI Project
2021

Ashley Beerdat
A Series of Mythological Narratives
2021

Northbound Exhibition Program 2019

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

647-477-6059

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

NYA Colours

NYA Colours

NYA Colours

Six feet apart, but more together than ever!

North York got a pop of colour in August 2020 when local artist Jieun June Kim (@junekima.rt) transformed Mel Lastman Square’s amphitheatre with her vibrant artwork. Jieun used spray chalk with custom stencils to mark safe seating areas and bring beautiful rainbow colours to the square.

We hope you had a chance to see the #NYAColours  social distancing artwork.Check out this video for a fun behind-the-scenes glimpse of the project. ⁣

Thanks to our partners at Art of Festivals and Cinematoscape for helping to make this posssible!
⁣

NYA Colours Gallery

About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

Join Our Network

Toronto Mycelial Network

Toronto Mycelial Network

Toronto Mycelial Network

#InvisibleNetworkTO

An art project to participate in at home
Follow along here: @torontomycelialnetwork

The Toronto Mycelial Network is a city-wide art project to remind us that while we are physically distant – we remain connected as individuals, as communities, and as a city!

We invite all Torontonians to spend this time making any interpretation of a mushroom and post it on social media using the hashtag #InvisibleNetworkTO and tagging @torontomycelialnetwork.

Why a mushroom? Mushrooms can be a great distance apart but are connected to the same invisible network. So, like a mushroom, let’s connect while we remain physically apart!

See below for more information on the Mycelial Network and how to participate. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

 

  1. Make a mushroom of any size, shape, or dimension! If you want, document your process!
  2. Post on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with the hashtag #InvisibleNetworkTO and tag @torontomycelialnetwork
  3. Follow @torontomycelialnetwork to watch the invisible network grow!
  4. Sign up for our NYA Newsletter to be notified about more  Toronto Mycelial Network-related news.
What is a Mycelial Network?

“Underneath the soil a vast and interconnected network of life that links the trees and other plants through their root system. This network is made up of fungi (mushrooms) with massive and far-reaching threads called Mycelium” 

Want to learn more? Check out the 3 minute video:

How should I make my mushroom?

Mushrooms can be made from anything you’d like! It can be made from felt, papier-mache, origami or whatever art supplies (or non-art supplies!) you find in your cupboards. This is a chance to channel your creativity!

How do I share my mushroom?

Share your mushrooms on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #InvisibleNetworkTO
and tag @torontomycelialnetwork It’s that simple!

Don’t have social media? Send your mushroom by email to info@northyorkarts.org – please include your name.

Check out the NYA staff creations! 

The Toronto Mycelial Network was created and initiated by East End Arts, and has been supported by our family of LASOs to expand and grow the network to all corners of Toronto! Members from any community in the city of Toronto and beyond are invited to join all of us in making a mushroom at home, and being connected in times of social distancing. the other LASOs: North York Arts, Arts Etobicoke, Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts and Urban Arts.

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About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

Contact us 

North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

info@northyorkarts.org

Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm

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Northbound: Who is Lady York, Anyway?

Northbound: Who is Lady York, Anyway?

Who is Lady York, Anyway?

By: Alessandra Pozzuoli

Who is Lady York, Anyway? is a multi-media exhibition that uses Lady York Foods (an 60 year old Italian grocery store in North York) as a focal point to discuss larger daily rituals surrounding family, the individual, consumerism, food, and home in Italian culture. Alessandra uses the grocery store to analyze the long history of Italian immigration to Toronto, and namely, how different generations come to understand each other.

About the Artist

Alessandra Pozzuoli is an interdisciplinary artist. As a Canadian of Italian heritage, her work is influenced by notions of ethnic identity, gender, rituals stemming from popular religion, folk culture, and the importance of grandmothers. Through repetitious work using paint, stencils, fabric, and found materials, Pozzuoli creates patterned scenes and curated collections that disrupt perceptions of sacred and secular within the context of the (Italian Catholic) home.

Date: February 27 – April 14

ART ALLEY WILL BE CLOSED MARCH 8 AND 9

Time: Tuesday to Friday 1pm to 6pm

Place: Toronto Centre for the Arts, Art Alley

Address: 5040 Yonge St. North York, ON

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Email: info@northyorkarts.org

Website:

alessandrapozzuoli.weebly.com

Price: Free

 

Program Partners

Back to Programs

About Us

North York Arts (NYA)  collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities

 Contact us 

North York Arts
(Toronto Centre for the Arts)
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8

(416) 733-9388

info@northyorkarts.org
Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm