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Workman Arts Satellite East
A unique ongoing partnership in support of mental health
Various Locations, Ongoing
FREE

Thanks to a $1 million investment over four years from the Slaight Family Foundation, Workman Arts is expanding its art training programs throughout the GTA by partnering with East End Arts, and the city’s other LASOs.

Over the coming years, we will be able to offer a great range of exciting new programming through this incredible partnership that tackles the prevalence of social isolation in individuals with mental health issues and the lack of opportunities to build lasting social connections through meaningful engagement outside of the mainstream mental health system. Workman Arts’ art training programs are unique in the mental health sector because they do not treat the art class as secondary to the mental health benefits. High-quality art classes across all disciplines are facilitated by instructors with lived experience of mental health and/or addiction issues.

Here at East End Arts we are firm believers in the power of the arts to heal. Early in 2021 we had the opportunity to learn about how the science behind that idea works (hint: it’s real science and it really works), and we are thrilled to be able to work with the experts at Workman Arts to bring incredible opportunities to support the mental health of the communities we serve.

Keep your eye on our social channels and this page to learn about upcoming opportunities and programs with Workman Arts!

Current Workman Arts Satellite East Programs & Opportunities:

  1. DRAWING & MIXED MEDIA/INTUITIVE ART
    IN-PERSON
    7:00-8:00PM
    Wednesdays October 18th to December 13th, 2023
    450 Broadview Ave., St. Matthew’s Clubhouse

    This course series will give participants the opportunity to learn to “let go” of perfectionism when creating art. By utilizing the subconscious and experimentation of the medium, we will create original works of art that focus on process rather than product. This course will run for 9 weeks, but it wouldn’t matter if a participant missed a session, as each class is uniquely it’s own. We will be learning about neurographic line drawings, utilizing repetition and pattern, cutting up and recreating drawings, finding inspiration from shapes to create original characters, and so much more. The goal is to get inspired by the medium, our lines, and each other to create not only immersive art, but cultivate a supportive art community.

    The course is called “My safe place”. I am planning to instruct the participants to simply draw a dreamy and imaginary house of their choice on a wooden panel, like a small canvas size. This house is the representation of their mind and soul. The house is their safe place for their thoughts and feelings. I will have some house sketches if the participants choose to follow my lead to sketch. They are going to colour the house with acrylic paint. And later they can add some patterns on the house with the use of markers. I encourage the participants to use vibrant and positive colours to help them create some happy artwork that they can use as a reminder to stay positive.

  2. WRITING WILD WORKSHOP
    ONLINE
    6:00-7:30PM
    Thursdays October 19th to December 7th, 2023
    Online through Zoom
    This workshop is designed for people (youth and adults) who are curious, passionate, or excited about animals and want to discover how to write about them in authentic and powerful ways.

    “Let my words be bright with animals,” says poet and storyteller Joseph Bruchac. Yes, let out words be bright with animals, with their radiant scales and iridescent feathers, their glittering eyes shining in the darkness, their cleverness and consciousness. To capture other species and our encounters with them in our writing requires authenticity. Often our knowledge about an animal species comes from story, not direct experience. Can we dive deeper into what the lives of animals are really like? Can we put aside the assumptions, myths and misconceptions about animals and write about them with faithfulness to their true nature?

    In this workshop, writer and veterinarian Nadja Lubiw-Hazard will lead a group of writers in exploring how writers have portrayed animals in poetry, fiction, and essays, and learn how we can do the same. We’ll bring the details of animals to the page, drawing inspiration from their bodies and their behaviours, using fiction and field guides to feed our imagination and prompt our group writing.

Past Workman Arts Satellite East Programs:

  1. CAMERAS AND CREATIVITY
    IN PERSON
    10-11:30AM
    Fridays, September 16, 23, 30 & October 7, 14, 2022
    East End Community Health Centre, 1619 Queen St E
    For Members of East End Community Health Centre, East End residents. All indigenous people from Turtle Island welcome.
    This 5-session photography program will engage with 10 participants on photo walks designed to explore a particular theme and to provide participants with hours of social interaction, discussion, creativity and self-expression. Participants will brainstorm on a theme they wish to represent with photographs and words. The program will be facilitated by photography educator Diana Nazareth but content will be decided by the participants at the onset of the program. Participants will be led in mindful photography techniques and exercises designed to foster discussion, collaboration, and individual viewpoints. The program will culminate in a virtual exhibit showcasing the participants photographs, contributions, and involvement.Materials will be provided at the first class. Cameras are available if needed.

    About the Instructor
    Diana Nazareth is a Toronto-based photographer, educator, and founder of Project Kids & Cameras. Her photography programs for people of all ages are informed by an extensive study of key progressive methods such a Literacy Through Photography, PhotoVoice and Visual Thinking Strategies and she has facilitated participatory and project-based photography workshops to over a thousand participants in schools, community art centres, libraries and via community-engagement initiatives throughout the Greater Toronto Area. She received her B.A. in Communications/Photojournalism from Temple University, and her Teaching Artist Certification from The University of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
  2. INDIGENEITY CREATIVITY
    ONLINE ZOOM
    6-8 PM
    Wednesdays September 14, 21, 28 & October 5, 12, 19, 2022
    For East End residents; All adults are welcome and especially those that love nature and / or want to experience an Indigenous approach to nature and to creating and LGBTQ2S+ and the Global Majority (aka BIPOC) folx. All indigenous people from Turtle Island welcome.

    Heather will provide us with an Indigenous approach to creating.

    This is an organic unfolding we’ll share together with mindfulness, experiencing and appreciating nature as a part of the creation process that can help to inform/inspire our creations versus the western model that’s focused on producing an end-product. You’ll experience a guided nature meditation where Heather will share Indigenous teachings based on her amazing experiences with nature and the elements raising awareness to the beautiful connections we all have to them, and what a great support and foundation this can be for our self-care and artistic practice.

    Be inspired by connecting with other creatives in community sharing your creations and experiences with nature. This approach can help with feeling more connected, a sense of community, a greater understanding of how supported we are every day, and to an overall sense of well-being. Heather provides classes off-webcam for safety as she doesn’t share her identity online (due to her childhood abuse past) but you’re welcome to be on/off camera as preferred.

    Materials Required: Device with internet access, and you’re welcome to bring whatever materials you want to bring to class to create in whatever medium you want to. (please contact Jules if you need materials)

    Prompts will be provided for participants that want/need them, otherwise you can create what you feel moved to create as everything is optional.

    About the Instructor

    Heather Clear Wind is a Two Spirit, Nehiyaw Cree, Métis, Celtic, Published Poet, Writer, Transdisciplinary Artist, Musician and more. She is an intergenerational Indian Residential School survivor who is gender fluid, amazingly-abled and neurodiverse. Her soul purpose on the planet is helping people considering seven generations forward. Her self-expression in art, poetry, music, sound and ceremony seeks to reconnect people to nature and the elements and to what an amazing support they are. They are her wahkohtowin ᐊᐧᐦᑯᐦᑐᐃᐧᐣ (community) and are what helped her survive through the negative impacts of colonization, when humans failed her. In some of her creations she strives to raise awareness about Indigenous issues and the true history of Canada, as she feels we can’t heal from what we don’t know.

    She feels an urgency to move her visual art to digital to capture the essence of nature and the elements, before it’s too late. She wants to indigenize digital and in so doing, positively influence AI (microcosm – macrocosm) so it evolves safe-guarding life and the planet vs. the current capitalistic based AI that’s destroying the planet. She chooses to host gatherings online with the camera off for safety reasons, as an act of decolonization, and as it helps reduce our carbon footprint.

  3. BEAUTIFUL, REALISTIC CREPE PAPER FLOWERS
    IN-PERSON
    1-4 PM
    Sundays, September 11, 18, 25 & October 2, 9, 2022
    St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Ave.
    For all East End residents 16+; all indigenous people from Turtle Island welcome.
    Come join Nancy Lalicon for 5 sessions to create Beautiful Realistic Crepe Paper Flowers. Together participants will learn the art of creating realistic paper flowers using the sculptural qualities of Italian Crepe Paper. We start with an introduction to the basics by making simple flowers and leaves then build on the foundation from there. We will also learn to apply alcohol inks, dry pastels and other colour mediums to enhance the flowers for more realistic effects. By the end of the course participants will make flowers and foliage to form a beautiful bouquet to take home. During the course we will learn techniques to create stamens and buds, how to stretch and shape crepe paper for the petals and leaves and how to make branches. We will look at resources from web searches and botanical books to see how each flower is made. Participants are encouraged to photograph or sketch the flowers in their neighborhoods and bring them into the class to share with others. After the first session the group will be encouraged to decide which flowers to make. I will also provide resources for materials, paper flower making books and online tutorials. Participants are asked to bring their own sharp scissors. All materials and additional tools will be provided. No experience necessary and all skill levels are welcome!
    About the Instructor

    Just before the global COVID pandemic Nancy Lalicon began making paper flowers for an International Women’s Day event and since then has continued to self-teach and enjoy the challenge of replicating real flowers. She has an infectious enthusiasm for this paper craft and has shared it through workshops with students at Riverdale Collegiate, seniors at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, and children at the Imagine In The Park Festival in Hamilton. Nancy Lalicon is a first generation Filipino-Canadian Visual Artist who received her MFA from Concordia University, and studied at Emily Carr College of Art and University of Victoria. She also studied Predictive Data Analytics at the Toronto Metropolitan University. She has exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver, most recently in Oakville at the Queen Elizabeth Community and Culture Center. She splits her time between working as a data analyst, continuing her art practice and living in East York with her family. You can view her work on Instagram @nancy_lalicon_artist

  4. ZINES FOR CHEAP: ART YOU CAN HOLD
    ONLINE ZOOM
    6-8 PM
    Fridays September, 16, 23, 30, & October 7, 14, 21, 2022
    For all East End residents 16+; all indigenous people from Turtle Island welcome.

    For this course, we will cover five different ways of creating zines, a form of Do-It-Yourself at-home publishing. We will look at different ways of creating art that is both meaningful and accessible to people in terms of money, time and effort. We will look at making zines with what we have lying around, what materials can be easily sourced from the dollar store or other available retailers, and work through different tips and tricks to bypass the early disappointments of starting with art without a lot of previous experience. We will draw, doodle, scribble, collage, use stickers and stencils, and plenty of other easily available materials to level the skill barrier to beginning to create art for one’s self and art to share ideas.

    *Materials will be provided

    About the Instructor

    Iz Leitch (he/they) is a Queer, Trans, Disabled, South East Asian and White East Ender. Iz was a Peer Educator for the Asian Community Aids Service, where they facilitated several workshops, as well as educating people about Aids and other services in the city of Toronto. Iz loves creating art that speaks to their experiences, including zines such as “I Can’t Love You Anymore”, “The Absolute Destruction of Self” and “Rad Shoe Collection”. He believes every experience, big and small, can be made into art.

    @izdoeszines on instagram

  5. CALL FOR ARTISTS FOR WORKMAN ARTS SATELLITE PROGRAMS
    Deadline to Apply: June 23, 2022
    Artists, do you have a fun, unique idea for an online or in-person community art class? Do you live in one of the 6 LASO neighbourhoods? (South Etobicoke, North/Central Etobicoke, York/Weston, East Toronto, North York and Scarborough ). Apply with your class ideas by June 23, 2022! Priority is given to applications that are culturally specific, present unique/uncommon art forms, and are classes that can be taught in languages other than English!  
  6. CALL FOR PEER SUPPORTS & ACTIVE LISTENERS FOR WORKMAN ARTS SATELLITE PROGRAMS
    Deadline to Apply: June 24, 2022
    Community members: Are you interested in assisting with our Satellite arts workshops through a unique, peer support or active listening role? Do you live in one of the 6 LASO neighbourhoods? (South Etobicoke, North/Central Etobicoke, York/Weston, East Toronto, North York and Scarborough). Apply to be a Workman Arts Satellite Peer Support by June 24, 2022! No experience is necessary, and training is provided!  
  7. GROW THE LIGHT – LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOPS
    IN-PERSON at the Crescent Town Club
    Workshops: Thursday March 17th, or Saturday March 19th (registration required)
    Parade: Sunday March 20th, 2022

    For community members in East Toronto, with preference given to members of the Crescent Town Community
    As we reach the Spring Equinox light and dark are equal, and it’s a time to celebrate! Join Shadowland Theatre and East End Arts for a free lantern-making workshop. Create a beautiful glowing lantern to welcome the lengthening days, bring light, and hope out of the dark of winter. Workshops will include all materials and instructions to make your own lanterns. Lanterns can illuminate a room, hang from a balcony, or be shared and carried in the east end Light It Up Lantern Parade! For those who participate in a Grow The Light Lantern Making Workshop, on Sunday March 20th at 7:15PM, you are invited to join us for a lantern parade from Dentonia Park into the Crescent Town community to celebrate the Spring Equinox! With music, glowing lanterns, and the light of community spirit, we will welcome the longer days and bring hope into our hearts. Information about Light it Up Parade here! *Please only register for one workshop date. 
  8. CHARACTER DESIGN
    ONLINE
    12-1:30PM
    Fridays March 18th – April 15th
    For local seniors
    Learn how to draw and design characters, as well as write a background for that character! From colours, shapes, faces to much more! Learn to personify your feelings and fears into characters as well. Who can register? Seniors living in East Toronto; Priority is given to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) or LGBT Folks.

    About the Instructor:
    Sam / Sameena / dairysam is a disabled, queer and brown artist who makes art of all kinds! Illustration, poetry, print, ceramic, sculpture, fabric arts, and much more! They love playing with colours, characters and stories. You can find Sam on Instagram at @Dairy.Sam
  9. CUT, PASTE, & CREATE: A MIXED-MEDIA COLLAGE WORKSHOP SERIES
    ONLINE
    2-4PM
    Sundays February 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2022
    For local seniors
    Join multidisciplinary artist and writer Hanan Hazime for Cut, Paste, & Create: A Mixed-Media Collage workshop series. Discover how to use found and repurposed materials to create various forms of collage. Participants will be guided through collage making techniques and creative prompts that will centre on joy, hope, and community connection. Each visual arts collage will also be accompanied by an optional creative writing prompt. Creating art together online will allow us to connect our hearts, minds, and spirits in a time when we can’t be together in person. This workshop series is open to all local seniors. No collage-making experience is required! All skill levels are welcome.

    About the Instructor:

    Hanan Hazime is a multidisciplinary artist, creative writer, community arts educator, and writing instructor living in Tkaranto/Toronto. She also identifies as a Neurodivergent Lebanese-Canadian Shi’a Muslimah Feminist and Mad Pride Activist. Hanan has Master of Arts degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Windsor. Through her intersectional and interdisciplinary artwork, Hanan aims to push boundaries, question arbitrary binaries, challenge the status quo, and shatter stereotypes. Her primary mission as an arts educator is to provide accessible arts education to marginalized communities with a special focus on crafting safe, empowered spaces for Muslims, individuals with mental health challenges, folks with disabilities, and BIPOC youth to discover and enhance their writing and art skills.cWhen not writing or creating art, Hanan enjoys reading fantasy and science fiction novels, overanalyzing things, photo-blogging, dancing with faeries in the woods, and drinking copious amounts of tea.
  10. CAMERAS AND CREATIVITY: A PARTICIPATORY PHOTO WALK PROGRAM
    In-person
    10am-12:30pm
    Fridays Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 12, Nov. 20, Nov. 26, 2021
    Community Partner: East End Community Health Centre
    This 5-session photography program will engage with 10 participants on photo walks designed to explore a particular theme and to provide participants with hours of social interaction, discussion, creativity and self-expression. Participants will brainstorm on a theme they wish to represent with photographs and words. The program will be facilitated by photography educator Diana Nazareth but content will be decided by the participants at the onset of the program. Participants will be led in inspiring photo-dialogue exercises designed to bring about discussion, collaboration, and individual viewpoints culminating in a virtual exhibit showcasing the participants photographs, contributions, and involvement.

    About the Instructor
    Diana Nazareth is a Toronto-based photographer, educator, and founder of Project Kids & Cameras. Her photography programs for people of all ages are informed by an extensive study of key progressive methods such a Literacy Through Photography, PhotoVoice and Visual Thinking Strategies and she has facilitated participatory and project-based photography workshops to over a thousand participants in schools, community art centres, libraries and via community-engagement initiatives throughout the Greater Toronto Area. She received her B.A. in Communications/Photojournalism from Temple University, and her Teaching Artist Certification from The University of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA.
  11. GEN Z-INES
    Online

    Saturdays Nov 6, 13, 20, 27, December 4th, 2021
    BIPOC and LGBTQ Youth 13+Participants will be provided with a “Zine Making Kit” that will include all the materials they need in order to create zines. Our first weekend will start with an unboxing session to explore your new materials, and meet your fellow “Zinesters”. We will have special guest with some great zine-making tips to share. Our last session is a cut and fold party, a celebration to put our final zines together after print and learn some more techniques. Finally zines will be distributed at comics shops, book stores, and through East End Arts – that’s right your zine will be published and shared with the world! All sessions will be conducted online to maintain the safety of participants, artists and staff. We hope to conduct a final session in person with health and safety guidelines.

    About the Instructor
    Naz Rahbar is a Toronto based multidisciplinary artist with drawing at the core of her practice; they work in print, artist books, performance, animation, and installation. Her work often explores the figure; considering bodily identity as primarily relational through various concepts, such as body knowledge, body and land, bodies and borders and bodies as borders. Naz graduated with a BFA from OCAD University in 2009. They have been active in arts education, and community arts in Toronto (www.art-cave.ca), and across the GTA. They completed a bachelor of Education with a Fine Arts focus in 2012, and an MFA at York University in 2019. Naz currently teaches in Art Fundamentals and Illustration at Seneca College, and in the department of Visual Studies Art and Art History joint program at University of Toronto and Sheridan College.

Funders

Thank you to Workman Arts and the Slaight Family Foundation for their support of these Satellite programs.

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