Hospital Installations, “Hang Art, Lift Hearts” Program

BIJF Multi-Arts Program Exhibitions Funded by OTF 2014 – 2016
In 2014, I utilized community networks established through prior arts programming to identify community needs, and found a funding opportunity to develop timely and relevant community-based arts programs. I developed a grant program that was approved by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to expand arts initiatives at the Beaches International Jazz Festival (BIJF). I wrote, researched, and developed strategies for program development, audience development, and built an overall community arts outreach strategy. The OTF awarded the Festival with a two-year, $96,400 grant that allowed me to expand my role as a project administrator and to create year-round accessible programming that enabled children, teens and adults to participate in creating art that would be displayed in their local communities. I managed the OTF program budget from 2014 – 2016, creating 7 accessible community-based arts programs that addressed youth and diversity issues in underserved communities forming part of East York and Scarborough; developed and implemented customized curriculums for workshops for program instructors, volunteers, teachers, students and audience members to create community murals; and monitored and evaluated the impact of these program development plans.

The Youth Mural Initiative
Throughout the 2014 – 2015 school year students from 13 east-end public schools worked under the guidance of Toronto artist Nicole DiNardo and I to create large-scale murals on school walls. Students also created masonite panel murals to be permanently installed on school walls or at the Scarborough General Hospital and Scarborough Birchmount Hospital. Artwork created in the 2015 – 2016 school year reflected the festival’s themes of diversity, community and music.

Throughout the 2015 – 2016 school year students from 16 east-end public schools worked under the guidance of Toronto artist Nicole D’Amario and I on large-scale murals on school walls. Students also created masonite panel murals and smaller pieces on canvas that were permanently installed on school walls or at the Scarborough General Hospital and Scarborough Birchmount Hospital. Students also had the opportunity to create painted ceiling tiles under my guidance that were permanently installed in Michael Garron Hospital Emergency ward. Artwork created in the 2015 – 2016 school year reflected the festival’s themes of diversity, community and music.

Exhibition of Artwork in the Beach Village
Prior to being installed in schools and hospitals the panel murals and canvas artworks were exhibited in the Beach community from in July – mid August 2015 and 2016 during the Beaches Jazz Festival. There were also exhibitions of artwork in the Beaches Library Branch that ran separately from July – November of 2015 and 2016 of before being donated to Michael Garron Hospital, Scarborough General Hospital and Scarborough Birchmount Hospital.

The Community Mural Workshop Program
The Community Workshop Program at the BIJF was an on-site painting in the park workshop was set up at the BIJF by the Woodbine Park Main Stage in both 2015 and 2016. Audiences of the BIJF had the opportunity to stop in at their leisure and work with workshop instructor Nicole D’Amario and I – encouraged to paint live to the music and sounds of the Festival! Participation was free for all festival attendees and artwork was donated to Michael Garron Hospital, Scarborough General Hospital and Scarborough Birchmount Hospital.

Exhibitions in the Hospitals
Scarborough General Hospital and Scarborough Birchmount Hospital
In 2015 and 2016 there were exhibitions held in the the Scarborough General Hospitals Artist Walkway Gallery from mid August – October prior to the donations from program beginning to be hung in the hospital sites.

Michael Garron Hospital
There was an internal gallery event hosted on Monday, September 19th 2016 to showcase and introduce Artwork donated to the Michael Garron Hospital (Artwork from the Community Mural Workshop and the Ceiling tiles that were created by students for installation in the MGH).