Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke

Happy Friday! It’s time for another KVW Photo Mosaic prompt. You can now respond to any of our prompts so far with a photo, drawing, or with a short 6-word story. Share your images and 6-word stories with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards.

This week’s prompt is: Share a photo of anything that provides a feeling of sadness and share a story to accompany the photo you’ve captured.

“Oh how I miss the warm weather! This photo makes me sad because of how much I miss the warmth, the long sunny days, as well as the early stages of our lockdown. I remember cases being 500 a day in Ontario and I thought it couldn’t get any worse than that. This photo was taken in August when we were still able to hang out in small social groups, and those 5 geese remind me of my friends and I.” - Idil Djafer

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Today we are excited to announce a new way for you to get involved with the KVW Photo Mosaic. You can now respond to any of our prompts so far with a photo or with a short 6-word story like this one. Share your photos and 6-word stories with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards. This week’s prompt is: Share an activity or hobby that you’ve picked up during the pandemic.

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

Khadija Aziz (she/her) is a textile artist and educator investigating textile materiality in the digital sphere using a flatbed scanner, cloth, and thread. She is currently pursuing an MFA at Concordia University’s Fibre & Material Practices program. Khadija received the 2019 Award of Excellence in Community Arts Engagement from the Ontario Museum Association for her work at the Textile Museum of Canada. In recognition of her creative practice, Khadija has most recently received the Shanks Memorial Award in Textiles from Craft Ontario and the Creative Promise Award from Surface Design Association in 2020.

Khadija Aziz, “Where the Cyborgs Live (portrait)” 2020, animation

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Be sure to check out tomorrow’s Artist Studio Visit with @_khadija_a_ on Instagram Live. Tomorrow at 2:00 pm, Khadija will be taking us through a tour of her home studio, answering your questions, and telling us about this beautiful kurti given to her by her mother. You can let us know what objects hold cultural significance for you by posting with the hashtag #EtobicokeCreates to be included as part of our Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke initiative. See link in bio for more information.

“My object of cultural significance is this hand-embroidered kurti (tunic) with lots of mirrors. My mom got this piece commissioned for me from women in a city in Pakistan, and I love it because the women’s handwork is so obvious. There’s even a large rectangle drawn with a blue ball-point pen instead of a washable fabric marker which must have been a mistake, but it reminds me that someone in Pakistan specifically drew that shape so she could hand-embroider dozens of mirrors in this garment just for me. This tunic also reminds me of envelope-style mirrored purses that I had when I was growing up in Pakistan. Last Fall, I started teaching myself and others how to do mirror embroidery and other South Asian embroidery techniques. Learning about cloth and textile techniques help us understand so much about ourselves, our cultures, and the world around us.” - Khadija Aziz

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Happy Friday! It’s time for another KVW Photo Mosaic prompt. You can take part in this collaborative photography project by posting your photos with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards.

This week’s prompt is: Share a photo of an activity or hobby that you’ve picked up during the pandemic. This can include physical activities, activities for your mental health (just relaxing and watching your favourite shows/movies), etc.

“This is a photo of ‘One Piece’ playing on my TV while I’m cuddled up in bed. I had decided to binge-watch all 950-ish episodes since August. I was also able to read the manga and catch up to Chapter 1000 when it was released. This has been one of my favourite activities throughout this lockdown. And although it’s great just sitting in bed and watching shows throughout my lunch break and after work, it’s been equally important that I incorporate some sort of physical activity into my daily routine. I enjoyed doing 2 Chloe Ting Challenges throughout the summer and fall, and now I’m exploring more fitness youtubers for the weeks to come.” - Idil Djafer @yung.iddy

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Today is your last chance to enter your photos for the KVW Photo Mosaic before next week’s prompt! You can take part in this collaborative photography project by sharing your photos with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards. This week’s prompt is: Share a photo of your favourite restaurant or home cooked meals during this pandemic.

Last week my household celebrated Lunar New Year and we ordered this delicious spread with Peking duck, sweet and sour fish, and Shanghai noodles. The duck was amazing but we all ate way too much.

Gong Hei Fat Choy!

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

“My name is Rafia Shafiq; a craft artist based in Oakville. I graduated from BNU, Lahore Pakistan in 2015 with a Bachelors in Textile & Fibre Arts. My work revolves around reviving Phulkari - a traditional embroidery technique of Pakistan & India. I learned Phulkari embroidery by the talented artisans in Haripur Hazara (North Pakistan). After moving to Canada, I launched my own small venture by the name Dhaga Art in 2017. The word ‘Dhaga’ means thread and I create thread artwork. I have taught Phulkari embroidery across GTA including art galleries, museums including AGM, PAMA, Textile Museum of Canada, Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op and Sheridan College. Due to Covid-19, I teach the craft virtually on zoom and take custom orders through my Instagram page. I’m fond of cultures and heritage and each craft is a language which I believe should be passed onto the next generation.”

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Be sure to check out tomorrow’s Artist Studio Visit with Rafia Shafiq @dhaga.art on Instagram Live. Tomorrow at 2:00 pm, Rafia will be taking us through a tour of her home studio, answering your questions, and telling us about this beautiful Phulkari shawl that belonged to her grandmother.

You can let us know what objects hold cultural significance for you by posting with the hashtag #EtobicokeCreates to be included as part of our Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke initiative. See link in bio for more information.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Happy Friday! It’s time for another KVW Photo Mosaic prompt. You can take part in this collaborative photography project by posting your photos with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards.

This week’s prompt is: Share a photo of your favourite restaurant or home cooked meals during this pandemic. This can also include photos of drinks, snacks, etc. Feel free to also share a short story with your photos!

“This is a photo of my plated salmon risotto. As the youngest child, I am not a cook whatsoever. But, being at home all the time has encouraged me to explore the kitchen a lot more than I used to. I try to cook or bake something new at least once a month. Other than the amazing lattes I make with my Nespresso, this dish would be one of my favourites.” - Idil Djafer

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Today is your last chance to enter your photos for the KVW Mosaic before next week’s prompt! You can take part in this collaborative photography project by sharing your photos with the hashtag #KVWsnapshots or visit the link in bio for more information and more ways to submit. Enter for a chance to win one of our weekly $20 grocery gift cards. This week’s prompt is: Share a photo of someone that has been there for you during this pandemic.

For me, that someone has been my cat @baby_kafka. Whenever I’m feeling stressed I can just scratch under her chin and she cheers me right up. She also likes to sit next to me when I’m on Zoom calls so that she can stay updated on all the projects that Arts Etobicoke is working on.

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

“My name is Yusra Mukhtar; I am a Toronto based Pakistani artist. I graduated from OCAD University in 2019 with a BFA in Material Arts and Design. My work involves a lot of watercolour, pen and ink and mixed media. I love to explore stories of cultural identity, how it feels to grow up/live in between two cultures and how we preserve and evolve culture, with an emphasis on Pakistani culture. I take a lot of inspiration from daily everyday life as well. I believe that if we truly know how to look, we can find beauty in everything. I’m also very passionate about teaching art, I think arts education is very important for a healthy and happy community. Which is why teaching art to kids is one of my favorite hobbies.”

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Be sure to check out tomorrow’s Artist Studio Visit with Yusra Muhktar @midnightmadnesss on Instagram Live. Tomorrow at 2:00 pm, Yusra will be taking us through a tour of her home studio, answering your questions, and telling us about this beautiful body art known as Mehndi. You can let us know what objects hold cultural significance for you by posting with the hashtag #EtobicokeCreates to be included as part of our Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke initiative. See link in bio for more information.

To view the studio tour, follow @artsetobicoke on Instagram and tune in today at 2:00 pm. Just 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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Visualizing Deep Data

In July 2019, Arts Etobicoke started our 5-year story gathering and artist-led data collection project, through a grant awarded to Arts Etobicoke by the Canada Council of the Arts, as part of their Digital Strategies Fund. The project, entitled Visualizing Deep Data through its five phases, focuses on artist-led data collection and interpretation to better map and evaluate arts needs and delivery in Etobicoke.

We have partially completed the 1st phase of the project which was centred around developing and prototyping surveys, consultations, and initial workshops. We will be using all the information collected to help us discover methods to better understand the community, develop stronger more inclusive programming, visualize our findings, and share our information with the community at large.

Read below to find out more about our amazing team, projects to date, and how you can get involved.

How to Get Involved
Arts Etobicoke wants to hear from you! This whole project… More
Meet the Team
Arts Etobicoke is thrilled to be working with an incredible… More
Button Collection
Throughout the summer and fall of 2019, Arts Etobicoke attended… More
Gallery Questions
Building on the success of our postal code beads and… More
Beads at the Holiday Market
We were looking for a way to ask questions of… More
Feast of Ideas
As part of our Digital Strategies project, Arts Etobicoke designed… More
Free Cider
In winter 2019, Arts Etobicoke created customized hot beverage cups… More

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Exploring Community Arts and Culture in Etobicoke

Visualizing Deep Data