East End Arts invites creative senior participants to join us for Seniors in the East: Storybook Program Chapter Two! We are looking for 40 seniors throughout east Toronto and beyond to join us in this unique, 8-month art program.
Seniors in the East: A Storybook Program Chapter Two
August 2025 – March 2026
Taking Place Online through Zoom, and In-Person at our Clubhouse!
FREE to Participate | APPLY HERE
Are you a local senior with a passion for the arts, and a story to share? East End Arts is looking for a group of creative seniors to create a set of Storybooks, each filled with different art work and stories from the elders of East Toronto! Seniors in the East: Storybook Program Chapter Two is a paper-based art program that will invite senior creatives to learn different art skills each month, connect and meet up with a community of other creatives, and tell their unique stories through art! Seniors in the East Chapter Two is entirely FREE To join, and is based on our first season of Seniors in the East: A Storybook Program. Join us in this exciting opportunity to learn new art skills and tell your stories in a community together!
ABOUT SENIORS IN THE EAST – A STORYBOOK PROGRAM
Seniors in the East: A Storybook Program is a paper-based art program that will allow up to 40 seniors in the east end of Toronto to try new paper-based art skills, learn basic digital literacy skills, and connect and get creative with other seniors online and in-person at our Clubhouse!
Seniors in the East will take place over eight months – August 2025 to March 2026 – and will feature monthly art workshops (on Zoom, and in-person), all led by different artist facilitators who teach a new paper-based art skill. The goal of these workshops is to teach new art skills that can be executed on mixed-use paper to help fill the pages of a large 9″x12″ sized storybook!
Throughout the season participating seniors will also receive a combination of creative prompts through a shared Facebook group to help keep inspiration and creativity high, plus the opportunity to enjoy monthly in-person tea & networking sessions at our Clubhouse for those who are interested and able. This program will culminate with an in-person exhibition at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse where all of the storybooks from all of our senior participants will come together, and their artwork and stories will be shared with the community.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Participating Seniors in this program will receive:
- A large 9×12″ storybook full with mixed media paper;
- All the art materials required to engage in each of the monthly arts workshops;
- Monthly arts workshops (Online using Zoom, or in-person at our Clubhouse) with our talented artist facilitators to learn new creative techniques to apply to their storybooks;
- Bi-weekly art prompts sent to our Facebook Group to spark your creativity and give you inspiration;
- Monthly tea afternoon sessions at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse to make and network with the other seniors;
- Support on using online technology like Zoom and social media platforms, as well as one on one tech support throughout the course of the program;
- A special in-person exhibition to show off the final storybooks at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse;
- And a unique opportunity to be a part of a vibrant community of creative elders!
PROGRAM JURY & SELECTION PROCESS
Seniors in the East: Storybook Program Chapter Two will engage our senior participants as program designers as well, allowing them to guide the vision of this program. Interested participants of this program will be invited to join East End Arts staff in a Program Jury to review and choose the workshops artists from our Call for Artists to take part in this program! The Jury will take place in late June, 2025 and will help to shape the workshops and the art that YOU want to learn about.
IMPORTANT DATES
- June 6, 2025 – Deadline for this Call for Participants.
- June 13, 2025 – Latest date that participants will receive confirmation of their entry into the program.
- June 16, 2025 – July 4, 2025 – Interested participants will engage in a Program Jury to select the final artists for this program.
- August, 2025– First Hello Party at our Clubhouse, welcoming all our participants & artists to the program.
- September, 2025 – February, 2026 – Monthly arts workshops and tea & craft get-togethers will take place on Zoom, as well as in-person at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.
- March 18, 2026 (opening night) – March 21, 2026 – Final Seniors in the East Exhibition at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse.
ACCESSIBILITY
Many, if not all arts workshops for Seniors in the East: Storybook Program Chapter Two will take place online. Participation requires access to the internet, an email address (preferable one with Gmail), and a free account with Zoom. If you have specific accessibility requirements, we encourage you to reach out to our Program Manager, Mahmoud at mahmoud@eastendarts.ca. In-person networking and tea sessions with take place at St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, but are entirely optional and not mandatory to attend.
APPLY TO PARTICIPATE BELOW!
Thank you for your interest in Seniors in the East: Chapter Two! To potentially join us as a participant, please fill out the form by clicking the button below. Priority will be given to applications from seniors who are local east Toronto residents, members of our priority groups, and individuals who can commit to participating in the entire project. We look forward to reviewing your applications :).
FUNDER OF SENIORS IN THE EAST: A STORYBOOK PROGRAM CHAPTER TWO
Thank you to the New Horizons for Seniors Grant program for funding a second season of Seniors in the East!
