Arts Etobicoke was founded in 1973 in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada (formerly in the city of

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

). They are an incorporated

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

arts council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

governed by a volunteer Board of Directors from business, the arts and the community. They serve thousands of students in their arts education programs, a membership of 50 arts organizations, 200 individual members, 60 individual artists and clients in an Art Rental program, hundreds of artists through their arts programming and exhibitions, 22 scholarship recipients, the general public and numerous project partners.

About

Arts Etobicoke endeavors to engage the people of

with the arts and artists in their own community. They provide programs and services to increase accessibility of the arts, involve diverse audiences, create broad awareness of artists through advocacy and develop partnerships to sustain local arts activities. To achieve this goal, they provide programs and services designed to increase the accessibility of the arts for residents of Etobicoke, reach and involve special and diverse audiences, create broad community awareness of local arts organizations and artists and develop partnerships and networks to foster and sustain local arts activities. Operating funding for Arts Etobicoke comes from the

City of Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and the Ontario Arts Council. This funding accounts for approximately 25% of their total income. The balance is raised through program revenues, memberships, foundations, corporate sponsorships, donations and fundraising events. Arts Etobicoke relies on a team of dedicated volunteers to promote events, help with fundraising, and assist with programs. Their current executive director is Menon Dwarka.

Programs

Smart StART Student Art Show

The "Smart Start Student Art Show" at

Sherway Gardens Sherway Gardens is a shopping mall in the Etobicoke district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, near the interchange of Ontario Highway 427, Highway 427 with Queen Elizabeth Way and the Gardiner Expressway. The mall spans of selling space and 215 stor ...

is a non-juried art show displaying works of students from Grades 9 to 12 from the Toronto District School Board and Toronto District Catholic School Board. The Smart Start Student Art Show gives them an opportunity to present their artwork in a public forum, particularly in a high-traffic venue such as Sherway Gardens, where thousands of people can view their works. The program was established in 1996.

Urban Noise

A joint venture with Expect Theatre creates a platform for children/youth to speak out against violence in their communities. Established in 2006, the project includes a free Youth Training Program and Festival that promotes leadership, unity and social change in the culturally diverse communities of Rexdale/Jamestown, located in North Etobicoke. The workshops include DJing, break dancing, singing and song writing, etc. These workshops encourage youth to identify and examine the issues that directly affect them in a supportive environment through various artistic mediums. It also solicits the attention of the general public to take notice of the neighbourhoods that are suffering from racial tension, poverty, gender inequality and lack of resources - all of which can become a potential source for violence.

Art Alley

Art Alley is a project that was designed to bring poetry to Islington Village. A specially commissioned poem by

Dionne Brand Dionne Brand (born 7 January 1953) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from September 2009 to November 2012 and first Black Poet Laureate. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in ...

(City of Toronto's Poet Laureate) has been painted on the 1000-square-foot wall in the alley immediately east of their storefront office.

Art on The Move

is a three-year mobile community arts initiative in partnership with Lakeshore Arts. The project will transform 13 vehicles into moving canvasses of art.

Scholarships

The Presidents' Legacy Scholarship Fund, launched in 1999, was established as an endowment fund with the Ontario Arts Foundation to provide financial assistance to young people from West Toronto wishing to pursue their education in the arts. Scholarships are awarded to students attending designated arts education institutions. As of 2011, approximately 75 young people received scholarships and awards from the program to such institutions as; OCAD; Royal Conservatory of Music; Kingsway Conservatory of Music; Humber College; Etobicoke School of the Arts; North Albion C.I.; Sean Boutillier Academy of Dance; and Richview C.I.

References

External links

{{Archival records, title=Arts Etobicoke fonds, location=, inventory_number=Fonds 272, description_URL=http://gencat.eloquent-systems.com/torontodetail.html?key=249236, dates=, access_conditions=
Arts Etobicoke official website
Art museums and galleries in Ontario Culture of Toronto Non-profit organizations based in Toronto Etobicoke Arts organizations established in 1973