Past Program

Weekend of Words is a free, three-day celebration of language and literary arts in east Toronto from September 14-16 at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, featuring literary performances, workshops, and more.

Join us as we gather to honour the stories and voices of East Toronto and celebrate the winning writers of the What’s Your Story, East Toronto?

Writers! Put down your pens and join East End Arts at our Writers’ Mix & Mingle on Saturday, September 15 from 7-9pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse for an evening of performance, food, and conversation. Featuring a reading by Sofia Mostaghimi, Managing Fiction Editor at Broken Pencil Magazine. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Writing Our Stories is a free zine-making workshop presented by East End Arts and facilitated by Trinidadian-Canadian writer, playwright, filmmaker, and community-engaged artist Fiona Raye Clarke. Make individual zines through a process of timed writing exercises, sharing, positive feedback, and art-making.

IndigenousNOW is an evening of storytelling and performance, featuring the work of talented, emerging Indigenous writers. Hosted by drum talk poet rapologist Mahlikah Awe:ri Enml'ga't Saqama'sgw (The Woman Who Walks In The Light), IndigenousNOW celebrates and showcases the heart, words, and voices of emerging Indigenous writers.

Toronto's arts community comes together for #DanforthStrong as North York Arts gifts their Toronto Love Project to the Danforth community. Visit the East End Arts tent at Dusk Dances in Withrow Park to fill out a heart with messages for the community. These hearts will be added to the final installation and displayed throughout the Fall.

Interested in visual art and murals? Are you looking for opportunities to learn more about outdoor mural-making this summer? Join East End Arts and muralists Monica Wickeler and Bareket Kezwer for Girls Mural Camp, a three-week summer program for youth between the ages of 14-19 who self-identify as young women. Apply by August 9!

DANCEFORTH is a free dance & street party on Saturday, July 7th from 10am to 10pm on the Danforth with live music, a sidewalk sale, kids' activities, a beer garden, and more. Danforth Avenue will be closed from West Lynn Avenue to Woodbine Avenue for DANCEFORTH. Come dance on the Danforth! 

East York Days is a FREE outdoor concert series at East York Civic Centre on June 20 & July 18 from 6-9pm. Featuring live music performances by Julian Taylor, GRACE, Donné Roberts, and Black Suit Devil, an artisan marketplace curated by The Nooks, and a variety of Toronto's favourite food trucks.

You’ve written something, and now you’re looking to perform! Be Brave On Stage is a free workshop designed to address the needs of writers working across all genres. Join slam coach and theatre director Charlie Petch on Monday, July 16 from 6-8:30pm at Crow's Theatre and develop your public reading and performance skills, and feel brave and confident sharing your work in front of an audience.

Visual arts and short fiction collide at Art MEETS: Postcard Flash Fiction on Saturday, August 25 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Create your own piece of artful flash fiction using engaging writing prompts and vintage postcards.

Explore encaustics at Art MEETS: Encaustic Photo Transfer on Saturday, August 18 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Using molten wax as an adhesive, participants will create beautiful pieces of personalized artwork, and be introduced to this accessible medium of art making.

Create a beautiful screen-printed tapestry at Art MEETS: Fabric Screen-Printing on Saturday, August 11 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Learn the basics of screen-printing and create a custom piece of functional artwork.

Create, produce, and curate a pop-up show at Art MEETS: Pop-Up Photo Exhibit on Saturday, August 4 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Learn about basic digital camera skills and creative photography techniques while producing a series of photographs exploring a collective theme.

Create an opulent piece of artwork at Art MEETS: Sparkle & Shine Acrylics on Saturday, July 28 from 1-4pm. Using specialty acrylic paints, unique materials, and glazing techniques, learn how mixed media and texture can help create glowing 3D illusions that make your paintings sparkle and shine!

Let go of judgement and critical thinking with art at Art MEETS: Expressing Emotions in Paint on Saturday, July 21 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Experiment with expressionist painting using your emotions and mindfulness as your guide, and produce a piece of artwork that expresses unique parts of yourself in an encouraging environment.

Experiment, explore, and focus on process over product at Art MEETS: Exploring Collage on Saturday, July 14, from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Pull images and text from a collection of magazines, maps, books, and other materials provided, then deconstruct them into fragments and reassemble them into new artistic works!

Create unique and stunning effects using watercolour at Art MEETS: Watercolour Painting Hacks on Saturday, July 7 from 1-4pm at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Using everyday household items, produce a series of miniature watercolour paintings. Explore a wide variety of watercolour techniques to create different effects, including wax resist, splatter, blotting, and stencils.

Join East End Arts for the Opening Reception of SELF Youth Visual Arts, a group exhibition featuring the work of eight talented youth artists on June 23 from 12-3pm at AccessPoint on Danforth. Meet the artists, learn more about their incredible work, and celebrate with a light lunch and refreshments!

Creative Facilitation Camp supports artists, arts facilitators, and arts & culture workers in their creative facilitation skills. Register to attend this two-day professional development series on May 26 & 27 at St. Matthew's Clubhouse. Co-presented by East End Arts and Scarborough Arts in association with PYE Global.

SELF Youth Visual Arts Workshops offers youth in Grade 9-12 a safe and creative environment to explore visual art and mental health. SELF is a series of 6 free weekly workshops and group exhibition + discussion at Access Point on Danforth. Please register by April 13. 

Net(work) is a free hybrid professional development and networking event designed for artists, creative space owners, and arts professionals. Learn about and practice the art of networking with host and facilitator Jason Maghanoy on March 22, 6-8:30pm at Riverdale Hub.

Weekend of Words is a free, three-day celebration of language and literary arts in east Toronto from September 15-17 at the East York Civic Centre. Explore an exhibition, enjoy readings and a panel discussion, participate in workshops, and more!

The My City My Six Exhibition transforms the East York Civic Centre into a unique, public gallery space featuring over 200 six-word stories submitted by east Toronto residents, showcasing the diverse stories of east Toronto, six words at a time. The exhibition will be on display until September 30. My City My Six is a Cultural Hotspot project, in celebration of Canada 150, in partnership with the City of Toronto.

Balancing Words and Movement is a free workshop led by charles c. smith on September 16, 12-2pm at the East York Civic Centre. The workshop will engage participants and focus on creative writing and movement, allowing participants to create their own written and performance-based works. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Getting Your Ideas Into Print with Tatum Dooley is a free interactive workshop for writers on September 16, 12-2pm that will explore how to brainstorm ideas, pitch editors, and prepare for publication. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Join Toronto's Poet Laureate Anne Michaels for an intimate afternoon of stories, songs, and poetry recalling Canada's rich literary legacy from East Toronto and beyond on Saturday, September 16 from 2-4pm at East York Civic Centre. Part of the Weekend of Words.

The D.I.Y. Self-Publishing Panel Discussion on Saturday, September 16 from 4-5:30pm at the East York Civic Centre presents local authors who will share and discuss their self-publishing experiences. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Join East End Arts and Firefly Creative Writing at Writers’ Mix & Mingle for an evening of performance, food, and conversation. Meet other east end writers at one of the east end's newest writing studio spaces on Saturday, September 16 from 7-9pm at 1898 Danforth Avenue. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Meet the dynamic father-son duo behind #JacksLibraryTour! After having visited all 100 of the Toronto Public Library branches, six-year old Jackson Bennett and his father Lanrick Bennett Jr. will be discussing the importance of Toronto Public Libraries, and their evolution into community and cultural institutions. Audience members will also have the opportunity to ask Jackson and Lanrick questions following the talk. Part of the Weekend of Words.

Join east Toronto playwrights Briana Brown and Emil Sher for an afternoon of fun and engaging readings, followed by a brief Q & A period. Part of the Weekend of Words.

What's Your Story, East Toronto? features readings, performance, workshops, and an Open Mic session on September 17, 12-5pm at the East York Civic Centre. Part of the Weekend of Words.

ArtCave presents Animating Danforth East - a series of free animation workshops for kids, youth, and adults, held by emerging and established local artists and animators from May-September & an exhibition and animation festival from September 16-23.

Everyone is welcome at Danforth Village Fair on June 10 from 12-6pm at Main Square (Main and Danforth). Take part in a day of community fun with a free program of music, children’s activities, bike repair, workshops, a paint-in, and more! A Cultural Hotspot SPARK Project.

From May through October 2017, the Cultural Hotspot program will shine a spotlight on arts, culture, and community in East York and the East end, inspiring new ideas about where culture thrives in Toronto. Explore a list of Cultural Hotspot SPARK and Signature community events!

Attend a free information session on May 31, 6-8pm at Ralph Thornton Community Centre to learn about funding opportunities through the Toronto Arts Council. Whether you are a seasoned grant writer or are exploring funding opportunities for the first time, this session will introduce you to the Toronto Arts Council's diverse funding streams and help prepare you for your next grant submission.