toronto arts coalition

This is the Toronto Arts Coalition Newsletter – a newsletter for those who care about the health of the arts in Toronto.

edition 19

February 2007

The New Year Issue: Highlights from 2006

An introduction by Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director

While a new year presents an abundance of possibilities, it also offers a time of reflection—a time to look back at the year past. This month’s newsletter will offer an insider’s look at some of the work of the TAC in 2006. From interviews with a TAC music committee member and a TAC grants recipient, to a profile on a TAC-funded, arts organization, this month’s newsletter hopes to inform and inspire.

In 2006 the TAC was able to invest over 9.2 million dollars into the arts community. A complete list of all grant recipients will be posted on our web-site by the end of February, 2007.

This month’s newsletter will also afford a look at some of the work of Toronto Arts Council Foundation. Founded as a sister organization to the TAC, the TACF’s mandate is to promote and raise awareness of Toronto Arts. The Coalition is one such project. A complete list of our programs can be found on our web-site. Two new TACF projects, introduced this past year, include: the First Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch and The Creative City: Block by Block Symposium. Information on both can be found below.

Finally, A New Year’s newsletter wouldn’t be complete without talking about resolutions. While it might be February, it’s still not too late to steer the path ahead. I pose 2 challenges to all coalition members. One can be found in the article entitled: “An Art-filled New Year’s Resolution” below. The other is very simple: encourage a friend, co-worker, or family member to join the Toronto Arts Coalition - it's free! At present the coalition has over 6400 members. We have strength in numbers and we want to substantially increase this.

Happy New Year!

Claire Hopkinson
Executive Director
Toronto Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council Foundation

An Art-filled New Year’s Resolution: 50 for 50

From theatre and concerts to galleries and poetry readings, a year of celebrating Toronto Arts awaits. More

“I joined the committee because I wanted to keep Toronto a musically interesting place,”

says TAC music committee member, Brian Current. One of North America's leading young composers, Brian Current’s music, lauded and performed internationally as well as broadcast in over 35 countries, has also earned him the honours of a Guggenheim Fellow and Barlow Prize. From December 2003 to December 2006 he served on the TAC’s grant adjudicating Music Committee. We recently asked him about this experience. More

“It is not enough to be a great artist or even a great artist and a great teacher,”

says Sara Sniderhan, a pioneer in community arts. Mentored by Ruth Howard, artistic director of Jumblies Theatre, and shaped by her experiences as an artist working with the Arts For All program at Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre, Sniderhan went on to found and lead an innovative arts program at Parkdale Community Health Centre. She is currently Toronto's first "creative arts coordinator" based in a community health centre. She is also a visual artist. Dan Yashinsky, the Community Arts grants officer at Toronto Arts Council, recently had the opportunity to speak with her. More

From major events like Nuit Blanche, to festivals such as the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, to the diversity of galleries at 401 Richmond, Toronto is home to an incredibly vibrant visual arts scene.

William Huffman, TAC/F Associate Director, gives us a closer look at a local artist-run centre, Trinity Square Video, just one of many sources available to artists to showcase their work. More

"Toronto's artists are at the heart of what makes our city great. Their talent, drive and inspiration have revitalized our streets, provoked our imaginations, and broadened our perspectives,"

says David Miller at the 1st Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards Lunch, October 5, 2006. More

At the heart of any community arts project "is a faith in the power of creativity and the role of artists in building, shaping and changing communities,”

says Margo Charlton, Theatre Grants Officer at Toronto Arts Council. On October 17th the Toronto Arts Council Foundation hosted The Creative City: Block by Block–Creators & Communities, an artist-led symposium for imagining neighbourhood change. Close to 200 community arts practitioners, community agencies, funders, academics and researchers gathered at Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre. More

Opportunities and Awards:

are regularly posted on our Coalition web-site’s main page. Here are a few highlights

To join Toronto Arts Coalition as a Corporate or Organizational Member click here

PLEASE FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR FRIENDS

Our collective voice and efforts can raise awareness of the importance of our artists to our society and ensure they have the tools they need to do their best work.