Tag: urbanarts

UrbanArts news

Today is the last day to visit Weston Road Flows, the art and audio installation at UrbanArts’ 5 Bartonville location.

Juvon Taylor

In other news, UrbanArts will soon be reopening in Weston; they picked up the keys this week to their Weston Common Cultural Hub location.

 

 

UrbanArts wins $10,000!

UrbanArts won a $10,000 grant from the TD Community Arts Award program

The price “celebrates an arts organization that has made a significant contribution in Toronto by working with, in and for communities, while creating access and inclusion to arts and culture.”

UrbanArts is one of York South–Weston’s gems. They provide year-round arts programming and summer camps for young people in the neighbourhood.

Marlene McKintosh, executive director.

The other finalists were Art Starts and Jumblies Theatre.

You’ve got kids: we’ve got solutions

If, like me, you forgot that your kids have the summer off, it’s not too late to keep them busy with something other than nightcrawler harvesting and Amazon warehousing.

The city has a few spots available in CR Marchant’s day camps. Grab them while you can!

UrbanArts also has limited spots in their summer arts camp.

If, on the other hand, your kids are more into STEM, Frontlines has that, and several other other camps, available this summer.

 

The Weston Library has a lot of programming this summer, including game programming, bike maintenance, environmental science, movies, and magic.

 

Two more murals about to be painted

Artist Jason Baerg. Source: jasonbaerg.com

Urban Arts will be completing two new local murals this month. One will be under the Lawrence Avenue bridge and the other under the Scarlett Road bridge. These will be viewable by pedestrians and cyclists and will have an indigenous people theme. Cree Métis artist Jason Baerg, and his team of mural painters presented ideas for comments last night at the Weston Library. Both murals will be painted on long and narrow bridge abutments that run under the respective roads with a stylized thunderbird theme for the Lawrence bridge and a sweetgrass theme for the Scarlett location.

The indigenous people theme is particularly appropriate since the Carrying Place Trail ran alongside the Humber for thousands of years before European settlement of the Weston area.

The Carrying Place Trail Plaque at Little Avenue and Weston Road at its unveiling in 2013.

Progress reports will be forthcoming.

Inspiring story of UrbanArts teacher

Patrick Brown Jr is legally blind, the result of childhood hydrocephalus. That hasn’t slowed him a whit.

Despite it all, Brown remains positive and loves to share his passion for music. Certified to teach beginners piano, he’s already had a few students, has helped teach at music camps and currently volunteers at UrbanArts — an arts-based program for youth in Toronto’s Weston/Mount Dennis community.

InsideToronto has an inspiring piece on this great young man.

UrbanArts gets a huge grant

UrbanArts, a local community arts group, received nearly $750,000 from the provincial Trillium Foundation last week. They’ll use the money to expand their arts programming over three years into five more neighbourhoods.

Laura Albanese announced the funding at UrbanArts’ AGM on May 4. The grant will allow UrbanArts to grow into each of the Neighbourhood Improvement areas in the riding.

Map of the new areas
From UA

The Ontario Trillium Foundation gives grants to community groups across the province with money raised from lotteries.