My involvement with NYA started last Spring 2022 when I was finishing my post-graduate certificate in Arts Management and searching for an arts organization to work with as an intern. Going through NYA’s Impact and Annual Reports page, it didn’t take long for me to put NYA at the top of my list. Working to address the needs of not only artists and arts organizations, but the community as a whole through different types of art is a remarkable endeavor that I wanted to be a part of.
I am currently with NYA doing administrative support and I take pride knowing that the seemingly minute details of my work in the organization ripple through the bigger successes that happen in our community programs.
Prior to joining NYA, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for more than 10 years. I believe that the arts is a powerful tool in shaping the future. My background in psychology and my passion for the arts are woven into my pedagogical approach as I find creative ways to engage my students in art-playing and art-making. Promoting the arts at school is imperative as a means for students’ self-expression and understanding identity. The arts bring an array of benefits to children’s growth and development including increased self-confidence, enhanced communication skills, and improved cognition.
In 2020, I’ve completed a research that centered around visual expressive arts and student anxiety for my MA in Educational Studies (Special Education) program. My study has investigated and provided information on student anxiety present in schools, the causes, different types, signs and symptoms, and their externalizing behaviors observed in students in the classroom. I also gathered a resource on visual expressive arts (drawing, painting, sculpting, collage making, and mosaic art) used for its therapeutic function, its types, application techniques, and the possible benefits thereof to students with externalizing anxiety behaviors. Finally, a set of recommendations that can help educators integrate visual expressive arts activities into their regular classroom routines were given.
Why is this information important to share in the arts community? As student anxiety becomes an increasing concern in the classroom especially that the recent pandemic exacerbated it, teachers who form the frontline in supporting these students need all the necessary resources that could enable them to support students, (without waiting for the school’s mental health services that are often inaccessible to many students). As mentioned earlier, the arts have a powerful contribution in the development of our youth towards success. When funding and budget cuts threaten arts education and programming in schools, opportunities are taken away from students, and to many, it can hurt academically and psychologically.
As community members, artists, and the workforce behind arts organizations, we are part of the village that collectively raises and supports our youth and sets them up for success. We have to stand guard, be more proactive, and continue to be creative and resourceful in saving the arts for our youth. After all, art saves!
I’ve been with NYA since 2014 and this year I took on a new position as Director of Development (previously I was the Director of Programming and Outreach). Why the switch? Well, to be honest, it’s exactly the same reason as why I wanted to do programming in the first place – because art matters.
My arts background is primarily in Theatre. As I was nearing the end of my degree in Theatre I started to become interested in the emerging world of community arts. Community arts seemed to be a way to work in the arts that made sense to me. Fast forward a few years and I find myself working as a front-line worker in the social service sector, specifically in shelters and in supportive housing. I ended up working in this sector for close to a decade, while maintaining my own artistic practice. In social services the impact of the work is very tangible. Simply put – access to adequate housing is a human right. It is one of our basic needs. It’s hard to argue with the immediate importance of the work. I certainly would not argue against the importance of the work but for me… it was missing something.
When given the opportunity, I began facilitating programs and bringing in other artists. One project in particular had a significant influence on me. It was a theatre project that brought together youth from the shelter, staff and professional artists. Youth chose their role either writing or acting in these 10-minute plays. Staff or outside artists directed or acted. I’ll be honest I didn’t really know what I was doing and I made 1000 mistakes overseeing this project, but in the end all the little mistakes didn’t seem to matter all that much. Everyone had fun and the experience clearly had an impact on all those involved. The project built bridges between staff and residents and a wider creative community. The youth were proud of what they had done. I’ll never forget when one youth who chose to write a short story said to me “No one has ever asked me to tell my story before this”. It wasn’t even so much what he said but how he said it that will stay with me. He had a look on his face that I had never seen before. There seemed to be a shift in the way he saw himself. I witnessed the effect that participation in the arts can have on an individual. I had the privilege to be part of that and the lessons I learned continue to influence every aspect of my work. Art can be a creative platform to share one’s story and has the ability to impact our sense of self and community.
On the one hand as housing workers we were primarily focused on housing and barriers to housing which is absolutely vital but I realised that there was maybe something else I could do to address a different need; one that helps build the individual, the self, and creates a sense of belonging. All I had to do was provide the opportunity; to make some space for people to participate. The process of art-making did all the work. It’s internal work. You can’t really check a box at the end and say, yep done, good job. It’s work that lasts a lifetime and no one really knows the exact impact because it may not be relevant until years later. I loved that I could use whatever resources and tools I had to make that space available. So I made the switch into arts management, and got lucky enough to start working with NYA.
These experiences made me appreciate the value of art in the socio-economic and cultural ecosystem. We tend to think of the importance of things in a linear or hierarchical way. For example, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.This is a dated reference I know but it is my opinion that it still holds true when it comes to how many people view the importance of charitable work.
Self-actualization (desire to be the most that one can be)
But what if we challenged ourselves to see it more like an ecosystem? Where each need has a domino effect on the other. Where they are constantly in a relationship with one another and support one another.
(Let me be clear. If someone is dehydrated I’m not saying we should give them a paintbrush. Give them water. Certains needs, need specific things to satisfy those needs. If your need is water, that need is imminent. But what I’d like to encourage is a more holistic view that can see and appreciate the value of the relationship that exists between things like self actualization and our physiological needs).
Many communities and worldviews reflect this way of looking at things but in this society a linear or hierarchical way of thinking is still dominant.
That’s what was missing for me all those years ago. A focus on nurturing our humanity/soul/creativity/_______ (please insert whatever word makes sense to you). If we saw these needs as part of an ecosystem and not separate from one another how might that affect our work in the charitable sector and how we support the charitable sector? I’m still working on answering these questions.
Art is and always has been an expression of our humanity. It is something we can’t lose and we all have a right to. That is what drove me to start working in arts programming and what drives me in this new role. Creating space so that the art can do the work. It is also why I believe giving to the arts is important and why it is a priority for me. Simply put- art matters.
The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
One of the most beautiful things I have experienced since the start of the protests in Iran, is the solidarity my non-Iranian friends have shown from the beginning of the woman, life, freedom movement. It is absolutely wonderful to witness so many people supporting, empathizing and genuinely wanting to help Iranian protesters in their fight for freedom.
I have been asked multiple times and have seen countless comments all over social media of non-Iranians asking: “How can we help?”, and so I wanted to share some of the ways that you can help below:
Stay engaged and share the news about Iran
Write to your representatives and ask them to support Iranian protesters
Sign petitions in support of the Iranian protesters
Attend protests in your area
Help Iranians overcoming internet blackouts and filtering
At this link, you will find a comprehensive list of resources and action items, such as how to help protesters with the internet blackouts and filtering, that is updated on a regular basis.
If you would like to stay up-to-date on the Iran news, information and real-time developments, here are some accounts you can follow on Instagram:
The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
Since the beginning of the protests in Iran in September 2022, more than 500 protesters have been killed and more than 10,000 protesters have been arrested. Yet the protesters are still fighting for freedom, whether on the streets all over Iran or by various acts of civil disobedience.
In an attempt to get the protests under control and inspire fear, the Islamic Republic has charged many innocent protesters with “Moharebeh” which translates to “Waging war against God”. A crime that is punishable by death in Iran.
At least 4 protesters (Mohesen Shekari (23), Majidreza Rahnavard (23), Mohammad Mehdi Karami (22) and Mohammad Hosseini (39)) have been executed after giving false confessions under extreme physical and psychological pressure. At least another 41 protesters have received death sentences and are at risk of execution.
False confessions in Iran are a widely reported phenomenon, especially amongst the political prisoners. These confessions are often used as evidence in sham trials, resulting in expedited convictions.
Physical and psychological torture, as well as threats against the prisoner and their family or loved ones are among the methods wherein these false confessions are extracted. It’s also important to note that Iran’s legal system lacks many of the protections and due process that are guaranteed in democratic countries.
Due to the limitations on the Internet in Iran and lack of freedom of speech, Iranians in diaspora have started an online campaign to raise awareness on the executions in Iran, and get the support of the international community in hopes of getting the death sentences overturned.
If you would like to join the campaign:
Grab a pen and paper and write #StopExecutionsinIran
Take a photo of or with the sign
Post it. Hashtag it!
Or simply share a post or protest art and use the hashtag #StopExecutionsinIran
You might think posting on social media and hashtags don’t help in any way. For better or worse, we live in an extremely online world where trending hashtags and social media campaigns have an incredible effect in raising awareness on a topic and in turn will have news media reporting more on the said topic.
This is how Iranians in Iran and all over the world brought attention to the death of #MahsaAmini and the #WomanLifeFreedom movement, by using the hashtags to educate, shed a light on what was happening in real-time and demand attention from the international community.
By getting the hashtags trending, we got the attention of the news media, brands, politicians, celebrities and people around the world which started a larger conversation regarding policies against the Islamic Republic and limiting their power to suppress their own people.
This is what we are hoping to achieve with the #StopExecutionsinIran and we hope that you will join us in raising your voice and supporting the people who are so bravely fighting for freedom.
The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
If you are on social media or have attended protests in person, you might have seen the amount of art that is being produced in support of the protests in Iran. You might be wondering why creating art is so significant in the fight for a free Iran.
For context, It is important to know that Iran has a rich history of art, poetry and music that dates back thousands of years. For the past 43 years, all forms of art have been policed, censored, repressed or blocked by the Islamic Republic government. Artists living in Iran cannot freely express themselves through art or any other means. You will find a lot of symbolism, metaphors, or other clever tools artists utilize to express what is forbidden under the Islamic Republic rules and regulations. Iranian artists living outside of Iran who create political art or feely criticize the regime, risk going to prison or worse if they ever decide to go back to Iran.
In a society where freedom of choice and freedom of expression is against the rules, to freely create art and speak your mind becomes a form of protest. This is why protest art has become so important for Iranians.
Now what is protest art? Protest art or Activist art is the creative works produced by artists and activists that reflect social movements or bring awareness to a political issue. It is a traditional means of communication for citizens, as well as protesting totalitarian regimes where freedom of expression can be seen as a form of civil disobedience. Protest art comes in many forms and mediums such as: illustration, animation, video art, music, anthems, poems, performance art, installation and more.
Many Iranian artists, myself included, feel that it is our responsibility to use our voice, platform and skills to show solidarity with the protesters, help amplify their voices through art and hopefully bring positive change to the movement.
Over the past 3 months, a large number of non-Iranian artists and musicians have also joined in on creating protest art in support of the protesters which has brought worldwide attention to the protests.
If you are an artist who is inspired by the Iranians’ fight for freedom, please use your voice and skills to amplify the Iranian voices. Create portraits, videos, posters, music or any other way that feels authentic to you, to raise your voice in support of the protesters in Iran.
The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
I am very grateful to North York Arts for giving me this opportunity to bring awareness to what is happening in Iran and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
By now you have probably heard the name, Mahsa (Jina) Amini, how she became a symbol of a freedom movement in Iran, and the protests that have been ongoing since her brutal death 3 days after being in custody of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s “morality police”. You might have also heard the various chants from videos on social media or from the protests in your city.
Iranians in diaspora have made it their mission to amplify the voices of the protesters in Iran on as many platforms as we can. Since the start of the protests, the government has limited access to the internet to avoid videos or news of the protests coming out. Despite the government’s efforts, Iranians have found different ways to connect to the internet and have risked their lives to get information, photos, and videos out and get the world’s attention. Most Iranians in diaspora are getting messages from their friends and family members which is a simple ask and it is: “Don’t forget about us.” “Please continue to let the world know what is happening in Iran” Or in short: “BE OUR VOICE”.
If you have an Iranian friend or colleague, you probably are seeing them posting news and information about Iran, attend rallies, sign petitions, and ask non-Iranians to stand in solidarity with the protesters in their fight for freedom. It is because of how loud Iranians have been on social media, that we started getting media attention from major news outlets, artists, musicians, celebrities, brands, politicians, human rights organizations, and activists all over the world.
One of the most popular slogans you might have heard everyone repeating to show their support is “Woman, Life, Freedom” which has now become the battle cry of the whole movement. It is very important to highlight the history behind the slogan, its Kurdish origins, and how it mirrors protesters demands for freedom.
For context, it is important to note that Mahsa (Jina) Amini was a Kurdish Iranian woman. Kurdish people in Iran are an oppressed minority. The Kurdish slogan, Jin Jîyan Azadî (ژن، ژیان، ئازادی) was first chanted at Mahsa (Jina) Amini’s funeral in Kurdistan. The videos of her funeral went viral, and the slogan quickly became popular in both Kurdish and the Farsi translation Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (زن، زندگی. آزادی) all over Iran. The slogan encompasses everything the protesters want in 3 simple words.
Jin, Zan or Woman:
The protest was started by young Iranian women. Women in Iran have had their rights taken away and every aspect of their lives controlled by the government for the past 43 years. By starting the slogan with “Woman”, Iranians are demanding equal rights for women.
Jîyan, Zendegi or Life:
Protesters are demanding a normal life. To live life as authentically as possible in a society that offers safety and stability to its citizens.
Azadî, Azadi or Freedom:
Protesters are demanding freedom of choice in how they dress, the freedom to consume the art and media they choose, freedom to live their lives or practice the religion of their choice, freedom of expression, and in short to live as freely as possible in a society under democratic law.
Kurdish Origin of the Slogan:
Jin, Jîyan, Azadî (ژن، ژیان، ئازادی) is a popular political Kurdish slogan, which originated in Kurdish resistance movement, specifically with the Kurdish women’s movement within it. The Kurdish resistance movement was founded in response to the oppression and persecution of Kurds across the divided land of Kurdistan; in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. The slogan was popularized further and by the Kurdish leader, Abdullah Öcalan in his anti-capitalist and anti-patriarchal writings and ideologies.
The slogan marked the political activities of Kurdish women in the 2000 and was considered attractive because of its spelling, rhythm and connotational significance. It was also used among Kurdish men and women in their war against ISIS.
Woman, Life, Freedom movement is now known around the world as the first female-led revolution in the world that has demonstrated the bravery of the youth of Iran, especially the young Iranian women, fighting for their basic human rights.
Here’s some simple ways that you can show your support to the people of Iran:
Amplify Iranian voices by sharing the news about Iran on your social media platforms
Use our hashtags on your social posts: #MahsaAmini #OpIran #FreeIran #WomanLifeFreedom #مهسا_امینی #ژن_ژیان_ئازادی #زن_زندگی_آزادی
Write to your representatives and demand they take meaningful action to support protesters in Iran.
Attend a protest near you
Art is a great tool to raise awareness. If you are an artist or are simply inspired by the movement, create art, design posters, write poems, create videos and animations, or simply use your voice to create positive change.
On Sunday May 15th and 22nd, we kicked off our series of Around Art and Land activations with Let’s Dance.
It was such a thrill to see and dance with all of our participants in four dance workshops at the Orchard Pavillion of Downsview Park. Our morning workshops were led by Mafa Makhubalo of Mafa Dance Village, and our afternoon sessions were led by Capoeira Bamba and Bamba Mississauga.
There was so much joy and excitement from participants of all ages, abilities and skill levels as we danced, moved, stretched, and laughed by the blooming apple trees of Downsview Park.
Mafa Dance Village led participants through a warm-up, introduced us to the basics of South African dance, then led us through a story creation through movement using the steps and choreography we learned in the first part of the workshop.
Photo by Celeste Cole
The workshop was concluded and celebrated with a freestyle dance circle, and every participant had their chance to shine.
Photo by Celeste Cole
Capoeira Bamba and Capoeira Mississauga taught participants the fundamentals of Capoeira, and explained the history of the Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts and dance. We learned the basics of Capoeira like the Ginga (pronounced jeen-gah) and practiced kicks, and double kicks, and cartwheels with two hands, one hand, and no hands!
Photo by Celeste Cole
We were lucky to be joined by a few seasoned Capoeira students, and the workshops were concluded with impressive solos loaded with kicks, spins, and cartwheels.
Photo by Celeste Cole
Of course our participants also had the chance to practice with the pros and we crowned two winners for enthusiasm and excitement.
Photo by Celeste Cole
Thank you to everyone who joined us for these workshops, even in the cold and rain on the second Sunday! A huge thank you as well to all of our incredible instructors who brought us together in dance, movement, and excitement. View all the wonderful pictures by Celeste Cole and Radha Radcha in our Facebook Album.
Our next activation for Around Art and Land is happening on June 4th and 18th, What is Around is Alive invites participants on a walking tour of Downsview Park with Alan Colley. We hope to see you there!
The Grow North Creative Residency is an initiative by North York Arts to “pass the mic” to artists in our community. Local artists living in North York are given the opportunity to share information, teachings, and their artistic practice with our audience, and engage with the North York Arts community in meaningful ways.
There is no singular “Correct” way to create great art or be a professional artist. Regardless of your artistic discipline, what works for one artist, may not necessarily work for the other and therefore the ideas and “advice” that I will be sharing in this column, will be subjective, based on my (6+ years of ) professional experience and prefaced with many “I” statements. HAVING SAID THAT, “I” do believe that these ideas and practices can be applied and moulded to many artistic disciplines in ways that will achieve results and success. So let’s get into it!
Habitual Creative Time vs Genuine Inspiration
I think as we begin this conversation, it is important to note that the very nature of being a “Professional” artist is somewhat antithetical to the idea of creating amazing art. How can you continuously create the best art of your life with a deadline and a budget and oftentimes confounding stipulations put on you by someone who may not necessarily understand your artwork or artistic practice? For me, this is a question I often ask myself. The conclusion I’ve come to is this; Find the balance between creating structured time in your day for intentional and consistent creative time while also nurturing and then capitalising on moments of genuine inspiration. The reality of the situation I find myself in, is that if I just sit around and do nothing until I feel a moment of genuine inspiration, I may create beautiful and masterful art over time, but I will never be able to earn a living, let alone achieve financial and career success for myself. While I often find myself raging against this harsh reality, I have also been fortunate enough to see the benefits of having structured work and creative time in my career. In addition to that, I also truly believe that my best work comes from moments of pure inspiration where I am able to set everything else aside, and become completely enveloped in the process of doing what I was put on this earth to do; my art. I would never want to lose that. So the full picture for me is to schedule enough time in my day to complete the “must-do” art (Social media engagements, Grant proposals, emails, workshops, speaking or writing engagements, commissions etc) , while still providing room for my mind to wonder and stumble into moments of genuine inspiration and creativity (creating new poetry and music).
But, how?
Is It the Habit of Creation or Creating Good Habits?
There was never a specific point in time where I thought to myself, “Boom! Now I got it all figured out”. In fact I think many professional artists will tell you that there is NEVER a point where you have it all figured out because the balance of what is required from you is always changing from month to month and year to year. Some weeks I have all the work in the world lined up and I have to set aside much more structured time for myself because “Money affi mek!” In those moments I will naturally be more focused on worldly ideas of money, deadlines and networks and be less open to a moment where the universe will speak to you in such a way that you experience a brilliant idea for an artwork or have the strong desire to create something. Trust me, that is okay! I create a schedule for all my “Must dos” and capitalise on that because I am trying to understand that I am earning money and resources, in order to have more time and money to finance my truly artistic endeavours. Some other weeks, I may find myself with more time and space to create and it is equally important to seize those moments to the fullest because I understand that these moments are fleeting and I was the 1-in-7,000,000,000 that the Universe chose to put that artwork out to the world. In these times, I will naturally find it more difficult to cross off the “must dos” and they may oftentimes feel like even more of a chore than they already can sometimes feel like for me. Trust me, that is okay!
Ideally, in my week, I will be able to balance between the two ideas and that is actually quite a large metric by which I define “Success” for myself as a professional artist. My modus operandi is this: I want to be in the habit of being able to seamlessly switch between completing my “must do” tasks and seizing on random moments of inspiration in my day to day. If I have a good idea or a beautiful line pops into my head, I WRITE IT DOWN. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have gone back into my Google doc of ideas and found UNCUT DIAMONDS in the form of an idea that I can turn into a bar, a turn of phrase, a whole poem or even an entire project. None of those would have been available if I didn’t write it down at the time, knowing that I would return to it after my “must dos” were completed. You don’t get to decide when a moment of inspiration or creation will hit you, but you can do everything in your power to take full advantage when it does and also cultivate healthy conditions for it to occur.
IN THE END
In the end, experience and discipline will be your best teachers. You cannot create great art or be a professional artist without getting into the habit of being comfortable working on deadlines, within budgets and inside stipulations of your contracted employer. However, this does not mean that you forgo moments of genuine inspiration because you need that to feel complete and to create truly stunning pieces of art. Balancing both is the ever changing mission, and it is my privilege and my responsibility to execute that mission, to the best of my ability, on a day to day basis. This column has only scratched the surface of the iceberg in terms of this topic but I would be happy to go even more in depth on examples and personal anecdotes to give more context in the future. Thank you for reading and all the best in your mission.
On Sunday April 24th, North York Arts was thrilled to be joined by Orfelina of @orfeecoart for our first in-person event since the start of the pandemic. In collaboration with our friends at Downsview Park, we engaged with many families who came to participate and enjoy the festivities for Earth Day at Downsview Park.
Our lead artist Orfelina created a guitar using upcycled cardboard including shipping boxes, cereal packages, milk cartons, and paper towel rolls. These materials were decorated by our many participants of all ages, and each addition to the guitar held a message for the planet. Throughout the event, participants learned about the importance of taking care of the planet, and brainstormed ways that they can help and make an impact.
The goal of this activation was to create a piece of art with as little waste as possible. Often the creation of art can have a negative impact on the environment, and we were very happy to use upcycled materials and create a final product that applied all three “R’s” (reduce, reuse, recycle).
Orfelina is an environmental artist and creator/facilitator of an eco-friendly community art program for children. Her passion for art, environmentalism, and community engagement, along with her art education experience with the TCDSB and the TDSB, have strengthened her motivation to engage young people in protecting the earth through participatory community arts.
Our next event with Orfelina and @orfeecoart will be during Doors Open Toronto at the Meridian Arts Centre. We will be creating kites once again using upcycled materials and containing messages for the planet and all flying creatures. Join us for “Elevating My Dreams” on May 28th and May 29th. We hope to see you there!
