*Speaker Key: 
-Julian Carvajal/Host: JC
-Ely Lyonblum/Guest: EL
*Note: Interview has been divided into segments based on the questions asked with time stamps marking minutes and seconds. 


PODCAST BEGINS
* [00:00-00:08] Julian Carvajal/Host: Thank you so much, first of all, for accepting the invite to be part of, ah, this podcast, ah, which is a way to celebrate our tenth anniversary and of course, you were around for a couple of years, ah, with North York Arts. 


Ah, Ely, ah, Can you tell us who you are?


* [00:16-00:25] Ely Lyonblum/Guest: Ah, my name is Ely Lynblum. I am an artist, musician, filmmaker, and researcher, ahm, living in Tkaronto, Toronto. 


* [00:26-00:29] JC: Nice! Ah, what is your connection with North York Arts?


* [00:30-01:18] EL: I used to work for North York Arts! For two, and a half years.


I first met Lila Karim, ah, through an introduction through the Toronto Arts Foundation [Host agrees] through Jennifer Green.
 
She connected us because I had just returned to Toronto and I was really interested in getting involved, just getting really involved in the Toronto art scene. Having been gone for a few years and Lila and I immediately hit it off. 
Lila was so warm and open and generous, was just telling me about everything that’s going on in the city, all the fantastic community arts and visual arts and performing arts that were happening! 
And, it was such a great connection and I wound up working as a Production Coordinator and then later as the Development and Communications Manager for North York Arts as it went from part of the Toronto Arts Foundation to its own non-for-profit to its own charity. 


* [01:19-01:25] JC: Ah, Ely, ah, can you paint us a picture of what North York Arts was when you first started it?


* [11:27-01:59] EL: Well, we were a team of three and Lila and Melissa were so welcoming and showed me the ropes and connected me with all sorts of artists immediately so that I could get started working. 


It felt like we were a sort of small scrappy group that was part of something bigger and that was exemplified just by connecting with other arts organizations.


Ahm, getting a sense of what people wanted in terms of the kind of arts programming that was interesting to them; what the power of the arts is and was in Toronto. [Host chuckles] That's my picture.


* [02:01-02:20] JC: And I love that picture, ah, seems to be very colorful and of course with Lila at the time and Melissa, ah, it's always a great team to have fun with as well, and totally to laugh out loud at all times as well. 


Ahm, ah, Ely, ah, how was the growth of the organization during your time with North York Arts?


* [02:21-03:33] EL: During the time that I was at North York Arts, I saw such huge expansion in the kinds of programs that we did, the partnerships that we developed, the events that we put on, the productions that we were able to participate in and take the lead on from ‘Cultura’ and ‘Sunday Serenades’ to, ah, partnerships, not only across North York but across the city. 


It really felt, like I said, we were becoming part of something bigger. 


The transformation that we went through felt like we had this amazing ideas that we could finally put into action and because we were a small group and because even with a small group of us we had great ideas, we were able to put those plans into action really quickly and there is something really special about being that nimbled that you can just act on a great idea quickly so, that was really exciting to be a part of! 


And that has inspired me in the work that I do now both with the university and with other artists; to, ahm, continue to just bring that spirit of enthusiasm and excitement to all of the ideas that I hear and that I have so that, when someone comes up with something that’s really exciting, I jump on it and say, “Ok, let's do this now, let's think about what we have to do tomorrow so that we can make it happen next week, or next month, or even next year!”


* [03:34-03:38] JC: That's just great! Ah, what are you hoping to see in the art scene in the city?


* [03:39-04:03] EL: Great question! I don't know an artist that wants things to go back to the way that they were pre-pandemic. We want things to change because artists are great change makers. 


They are great entrepreneurs, they give us a vision into the future; they see into the future before anyone else does because artists are visionaries. 


I want to see artists’ ideas centered in the way that we build and rebuild this city. 


* [04:03-04:11] JC: That is phenomenal! I loved when you were saying that, “artists are visionaries” because that's totally true. 


What are your wishes for the next ten years of North York Arts? 


* [04:12-04:41] EL: Ahm, to keep in touch with everyone at North York Arts. With Melissa, with Rachel, with Cecilia, with you Julian, ahm, to bring in more amazing artists and artists’ facilitators. 


To see North York Arts grow to be the size of North York, ha!


Ahm, there's such an amazing collection of communities that are spread across such a large geographic area of the city of Toronto and I hope that there's an art activation on every block, ah, in North York. 


* [04:42-04:57] JC: Oh! You will see many activations happening, ah, next year during our ‘ArtWorksTO’ programming at the Downsview Hub. 


And, is there anything else that you would like to talk about, eh, North York Arts and what you think is so unique about the organization, or anything in particular that you would like to mention?


* [04:58-05:32] EL: I think what’s unique about the organization is the people, ah, that they bring such sincerity to the work that they do and when artists have ideas, when they come to North York Arts, they are truly heard in a way that you might not get everywhere!


It’s really something special about North York Arts and also special about the Local Arts Service Organization Program. 


I’m really grateful for the time that I had worked in there and now I get to be a patron of North York Arts and that's really exciting for me because I already get to watch them grow and now I get to contribute, so I'm happy to be along for the ride!


* [05:34-05:38] JC: Ely, thank you so much and thank you so much for joining us today. It has been a pleasure. 
PODCAST ENDS