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Be sure to check out today’s Artist Studio Visit with @ashleybeerdatart at 2:00 pm on Instagram Live! Ashley will be taking us through a tour of her home studio, answering your questions, and introducing our Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke initiative.

In order to get to know our community better, and develop programming that better reflects the communities we serve, we are inviting you to share with us images of objects that hold cultural significance to you. This could be a tool used to make art, a musical instrument, an article of clothing, or even your grandmother’s cooking! Let us know what is culturally important to you by posting your images with the hashtag #EtobicokeCreates and we will share them on our website. You can also email your images to ian@artsetobicoke.com or text them to (647) 913-8731.

For more information, visit our website and check out our Artist Studio Visits every Tuesday as artists share their cultural objects. Today Ashley will tell us about her beautiful Guyana Gold bangles called Bayras, which were passed down to her by her mother and are a symbol of union, love, and strength.

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Artist Studio Visits are back this week with a new studio tour with artist @ashleybeerdatart! This Tuesday, November 24 at 2:00 pm, Ashley will be taking us through a tour of her home studio and answering your questions on Instagram Live. Ashley is one of 4 selected community artists working on our Augmented Reality in the Village of Islington project. She also will be introducing an exciting new initiative exploring community arts and culture in Etobicoke. Don’t miss this one!

Ashley Beerdat is a visual artist and arts instructor who primarily works in oil painting using an impasto style to narrate fantastical stories based on references from pop culture, her childhood and imagination. In her practice, she explores themes of mythology, folklore and storytelling to try and make sense of the world around her. Storytelling is an important part of Ashley's practice and stems from her culture as a Guyanese-Canadian in which she grew up listening to stories from elders to share lessons and pass down knowledge. Through her work she explores these traditional folktales in a contemporary, whimsical and playful manner.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Simply find the Arts Etobicoke account (@artsetobicoke) and then click on the AE icon in the top left corner, it will have a purple/pink circle around it and the word “Live.” Enjoy!

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Today is #ThankfulThursday and we are so grateful for our dedicated and supportive Board of Directors. We asked our board members to answer a few questions about themselves so that our community could get to know them. Today we would like to introduce you to Assistant Treasurer Veronica Bila.

How long have you served on the board?
Over 10 years

What is the first arts experience that you remember?
Entering colouring contests as a kid at local area businesses.

Why do you believe community arts are important?
Community arts are important to provide an outlet to all people (no matter what age) to express how they are feeling and for that larger connection to the space and surroundings that they live and work in.

What is your most memorable arts experience?
Playing the cello at high-school commencements and watching my daughter’s drawing improve as she gets older and more confident.

What are three words that you think describe the impact of arts and culture?
Well-being, Community, Happiness

Get to know everyone on Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors on our website at www.artsetobicoke.com/board-of-directors

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Today is #ThankfulThursday and we are so grateful for our dedicated and supportive Board of Directors. We asked our board members to answer a few questions about themselves so that our community could get to know them. Today we would like to introduce you to Krista Parker.

How long have you served on the board?
1 year

What is the first arts experience that you remember?
For as long as I can remember the arts have been a part of my life. When I was 6 years old I can remember seeing the musical Annie. I learned every word to the cast recording and loved making my little sisters re-enact the show.

Why do you believe community arts are important?
Community arts help to break down walls and bring people together.

What is your most memorable arts experience?
Some of the most memorable experiences would include directing musicals and watching students grow and become passionate about the arts.

What are three words that you think describe the impact of arts and culture?
Awareness, Growth, Inspiration

Get to know everyone on Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors on our website at www.artsetobicoke.com/board-of-directors

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Don’t miss today’s Artist Studio Visit with @karunramani! This afternoon at 2:00 pm, Karun will be taking us through a tour of his home studio and answering your questions on Instagram Live.

Born and raised in India, Karun studied and worked as an animator on TV shows and movies before making the move to core visual art. Karun immigrated to Canada in 2015 to pursue his goals of becoming an independent author/illustrator of graphic novels for children and adults alike. His work focuses on the more pressing issues of post-modern sustainability, environmentalism, existentialism, and morality. Inspired by nature, technology, and art movements like Impressionism, Karun relies on multiple mediums to conjure his artwork. With a focus on bridging traditional and digital mediums, Karun uses both analog and digital materials to create.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. You will need an Instagram account to view the workshop, once you are logged in, find the Arts Etobicoke account (@artsetobicoke) and then click on the AE icon in the top left corner, it will have a purple/pink circle around it and the word “Live.” Enjoy!

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Arts Etobicoke is currently looking at several different ways that we can better serve and support the artists in our community. If you are an artist and you would like to share your thoughts and ideas with us, please visit the link in our bio to complete a short survey and help us gauge interest in some potential new programming. Please feel free to share this survey with other artists in your network and thank you for your feedback!

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We are so proud of the incredible new and adapted programs we have been offering since March 2020, including our Arts in Isolation series, The North Etobicoke Mural Project, Arts Package Delivery to neighbourhood families, Virtual and Augmented Reality Workshops, and six weeks of Arts in Wincott Park programming!

All of this programming is made possible thanks to the generous support of our amazing funders, donors, and sponsors. You can help Arts Etobicoke to continue to deliver engaging and impactful pandemic programming by making a donation today. Every donation has a direct impact and goes towards creating accessible arts-based learning opportunities and high-quality arts and cultural experiences during this time of uncertainty and isolation. See link in bio to donate today!

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Today is #ThankfulThursday and we are so grateful for our dedicated and supportive Board of Directors. We asked our board members to answer a few questions about themselves so that our community could get to know them. Today we would like to introduce you to Vice-Chair Michelle Gauci.
How long have you served on the board?
15 years

What is the first arts experience that you remember?
My first arts experience that I remember was during a trip to Paris and walking through the Louvre Museum – it was magical.

Why do you believe community arts are important?
Community arts are an opportunity for expression and shared cultural experiences within communities.

What is your most memorable arts experience?
More recently, one of my most memorable arts experiences was the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. The captivating line-up featured photographs from around the world revealing striking wildlife, breathtaking landscapes and the beauty of the world.

What are three words that you think describe the impact of arts and culture?
Community, Diversity, Talent

Get to know everyone on Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors on our website at www.artsetobicoke.com/board-of-directors

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Don’t miss today’s Artist Studio Visit with @philipcote1! This afternoon at 2:00 pm, Philip will be taking us through a tour of his home studio and answering your questions on Instagram Live.

Philip Cote, of Moose Deer Point First Nation is a Young Spiritual Elder, Indigenous Artist, Activist, Educator, Historian and Ancestral Knowledge Keeper. Philip is a graduate of OCAD University’s Interdisciplinary Art Media and Design Masters program.

He is engaged in creating opportunities for art-making and teaching methodologies through Indigenous symbolism, traditional ceremonies, history, oral stories, and land-based pedagogy. His art and teaching philosophy evolves from his practice of experiential learning and the transmission of Indigenous Knowledge.

Philip has shared his knowledge with numerous institutions from York University, the Art Gallery of Ontario, University of Toronto, OCAD University, Peel District School Board and the TDSB. Philip is also a tour guide with “First Story” since 2005, providing an Indigenous history of Toronto covering the last 13,500 years and as far back as 130,000 years. Philip has won numerous TABIA awards for his public street art murals across the City of Toronto.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Simply find the Arts Etobicoke account (@artsetobicoke) and then click on the AE icon in the top left corner, it will have a purple/pink circle around it and the word “Live.” Enjoy!

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Today is #ThankfulThursday and we are so grateful for our dedicated and supportive Board of Directors. We asked our board members to answer a few questions about themselves so that our community could get to know them. Today we would like to introduce you to Nancy Newton.
How long have you served on the board?
17 years

What is the first arts experience that you remember?
Sitting on the bench under a large window with my Grade 2 class and art teacher Miss Appel at Islington Public School discussing what we were going to paint.

Why do you believe community arts are important?
Community arts can build bridges by bringing diverse groups of people together with the focus on creative activities related to music, visual arts or drama. Representatives of different cultures, ages and outlooks can cross pollinate to broaden horizons for everyone involved. Community arts can also supplement creative activities for school age children and awaken interests they can pursue beyond the class to balance screen time.

What is your most memorable arts experience?
Attending my first workshop at Emma Lake in Saskatchewan. It was a new experience working in the midst of professional artists, isolated in a boreal forest for two weeks……..very scary but a life changer.

What are three words that you think describe the impact of arts and culture?
Confidence, Empowerment, Hope

Get to know everyone on Arts Etobicoke’s Board of Directors on our website at www.artsetobicoke.com/board-of-directors

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Don’t miss today’s Artist Studio Visit with @imdodds (that’s me!) This afternoon at 2:00 pm, Ian will be taking us through a tour of his home studio and answering your questions on Instagram Live.

Ian Mitchell Dodds is an emerging Toronto-based painter and printmaker. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art from the University of Guelph and has a Postgraduate Certificate in Arts Administration from Humber College. Ian’s practice is influenced by comic books and street art and employs the narrative logic of the comic strip to frame the negotiation between order and chaos. Through the organization of explosive gestures into concordant networks, Ian’s work grapples with disrupted binaries and the nature of duality. Ian works in communications and development at Arts Etobicoke.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Simply find the Arts Etobicoke account (@artsetobicoke) and then click on the AE icon in the top left corner, it will have a purple/pink circle around it and the word “Live.” Enjoy!

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Crafting in Quarantine with Marjan Verstappen

Aug

2020

As part of our Arts In Isolation initiative, Arts Etobicoke will be offering a weekly online craft activity with the talented Marjan Verstappen. In this video series, Marjan will lead you through a fun and easy craft activity using cheap everyday items that you can find in your own home. Each week you will create a different art project, learn new skills, and explore various crafting techniques that you can do from home. Check back here every Thursday for a new activity. This series is an adaptation of our weekly seniors’ art classes at Cloverdale Mall and allows our seniors to still explore their creativity and create from the safety of their own homes.

Crafting in Quarantine is supported by The Telus Friendly Future Foundation.

Crafting in Quarantine Week 1: Decorating Jars with Nail Polish