Around Art & Land
NYA is a proud partner of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art!
The year of Public Art has chosen the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action as the main theme for the next 10 years of art programs/exhibitions in the city. Western knowledge is based on an egocentric model while Indigenous peoples have the land as the epicentre of everything they do. After visiting Downsview Park and its hub, we realized that there are a lot of opportunities to connect to the land by curating a series of activations that will happen from April 2022 to October 2022.
We are delighted to present to you a series of intergenerational programs that respond to the needs of the Land to acknowledge it, celebrate it and also commit to it. We all as human beings play a role in the climate change crisis and as artists, we also need to be mindful of the waste we create while creating art.
North York Arts celebrates communities, artists inspire us and the land allows us to be able to share it with all! Every creation of the land is a piece of art itself, for that reason, we have called our core programs for ArtworxTO Around Art and Land.
We hope you can join us for any of the following programs:
We CAN do it
Around my Words
Let’s Dance!
What is Around is Alive
Elevating my Dreams
We CAN do it:
growing healthy relations with the land –
Community Interactive Art Installation
In this activation, participants will be invited to paint empty spray cans that will culminate in an exhibition taking place at the Downsview Hub.
In partnership with Juan Cajiao, participants will paint images on each spray can with the theme of environment in mind, and will consider ways to recycle and repurpose some of the daily objects around us that directly harm the environment. Each can will also have a message for Mother Earth and a personal commitment to the environment from each participant.
Once all cans are painted and all messages are written, the empty spray cans will be exhibited in a tree formation at the Downsview Hub, where visitors will be encouraged to see the cans and to consider their own commitments and wishes for the environment.
Schedule
Painting Cans Activation
Saturday, July 9 from 10 am to 4 pm
Exhibition Launch
Thursday, August 11th from 5 pm to 6:30 pm
Exhibition Hours Thursday August 11th to Sunday October 2nd:
Wednesday to Friday: 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 12 pm to 5 pm
Location
Painting Cans: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave
Exhibition: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave
Meet your Artist:
Juan Cajiao
Born in Colombia, raised in the US and now living in Canada, Juan has been an artist from the day he was born. He grew up painting and drawing, took his passion to the next level by studying Industrial Design and Architecture, he then applied his creativity in the advertising world for many years, he then quit his corporate job to pursue his dream of being a stand up comedian.
Juan now has done over 500 shows in 12 countries and co-founded MalPensando, a bi-lingual comedy club and school that empowers people to become confident and funny speakers.
Parallel to his comedy business, Juan is also an artist who’s done commissioned work (paintings & drawings) that are currently exhibited in 5 countries. Juan also started a new art brand called @ArtedByJuan which aims to make any object (chairs, shows, jackets, teapots… anything) into a unique art piece.
Juan has a variety of workshops, from public speaking & comedy, to free-hand drawing & painting.
Juan will always combine art and comedy in everything he does.
Connect:
@juan_cajiao | @artedbyjuan | @malpensando
Around my Words
During this activation, participants will have the opportunity to work in collaboration with spoken word poet Patrick Walters to create a series of poems around the theme of nature and their commitment to the land. Then they will collaborate with visual artist Paddy Leung to embed those poems into wooden crates. Participants will be provided with individual crates they can take home while collaborating on the creation of one of the installation components of the Community Interactive Art Exhibition, We CAN do it!
DATES
COHORT I
Spokenword Component led by Patrick Walters
● Tuesday, August 2, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Tuesday, August 9, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Visual Component led by Paddy Leung
● Wednesday, August 17, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Wednesday, August 24, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
COHORT II
Spokenword Component led by Patrick Walters
● Thursday, August 4, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Thursday, August 11, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Visual Component led by Paddy Leung
● Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
● Thursday, August 25, 2022 | 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Deadline to apply: Sunday, July 31st, 2022
Spots Available: 24 (12 participants per cohort)
Venue: Downsview Park (70 Canuck Ave.)
NOTE:
Lunch, snacks, and light refreshments will be provided.
Community and volunteer hours are also available upon request.
TTC will be available for participants.
Certifications of participation will be also given to participants.
For any questions or if you need assistance to fill out this application please email Julián Carvajal, julian@northyorkarts.org
Let’s Dance!
Get ready to move your body! During this program, Mafa Dance Village (@mafadancevillage.ca) and Capoeira Bamba Toronto, (@bamabtoronto) will teach participants the basic fundamentals of South African Beats and Capoeira! These sessions will be fun, interactive, and high-energy as you’ll learn some new moves, kicks, and escapes to music.
While these workshops are open to all, some movements in the Capoeira workshop may be challenging to those with limited mobility. This program is for ALL ages.
Schedule
Sundays, May 15 & 22
11:00 am to 12:00 pm | South-African Beats
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Capoeira Dance
Location
Downview Park Orchard Location HERE
Meet your Instructors:
Mafa Makhubalo
Movement poet trained in folk forms from the Regions of African tradition, African contemporary, and Western-Contemporary. Mafa Dance Village is influenced by an understanding of dance as an accumulation of memory and the history of my culture. Dance is an invisible evolution that becomes visible through movement, music, and singing.
Connect: To learn more about Mafa, visit mafadancevillage.ca
Capoeira Bamba
Capoeira Bamba is Toronto’s 7X award winning Capoeira School. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian Martial Art that incorporates Martial Arts, Acrobatics, Music, Dance and Culture all in one! From Kicks to Flips, this Martial Art has it all!
We take great pride in educating our community about the Afro-Brazilian culture and Martial Art. We are Toronto’s only full time Capoeira Academy hosting classes for Minis, Kids and Adults of all ages. We are also a performance team, performing Capoeira, and other Afro-Brazilian cultural dances for audiences and events of all sizes all over the GTA.
Connect: To learn more about Capoeira Bamba, visit bambatoronto.com
Capoeira Bamba - Mississauga
Join us on Sunday May 20th to dance with Mike Pulga of @bambamississauga!
Capoeira Bamba is Toronto’s 7X award winning Capoeira School. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian Martial Art that incorporates Martial Arts, Acrobatics, Music, Dance and Culture all in one! From Kicks to Flips, this Martial Art has it all!
We take great pride in educating our community about the Afro-Brazilian culture and Martial Art. We are Toronto’s only full time Capoeira Academy hosting classes for Minis, Kids and Adults of all ages. We are also a performance team, performing Capoeira, and other Afro-Brazilian cultural dances for audiences and events of all sizes all over the GTA.
Connect: To learn more about Capoeira Bamba, visit bambatoronto.com
What is Around is Alive
In this two-part activation, participants will first be invited to tour Downsview Park by foot with Alan Colley of Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours, then will create inspired illustrations and photographs from the walk. Together with Alan Colley, participants will discover and observe the local flora and fauna, and leave with a newfound understanding for all that is alive around us. Art pieces created during the session will be displayed publicly in the Downsview Hub, unless participants would prefer to take them home to display there instead!
Schedule
Saturday, June 4 | 10 am to 1 pm
Saturday, June 18 | 10 am to 1 pm & 3 pm to 6 pm
Location
Walking Tour: Downsview Park – Meet at the Orchard Pavillion
Art Creation: Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave
Meet your Instructor:
Alan Colley - Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours
Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours has been a passion and dream of mine for a long time.
I have designed a company which honors our traditional way of life – but also allows for mainstream concepts of tourism and experiential learning.
I believe we are at the point in history where we are able to teach and share with the next generations how to have a sustainable relationship with the environment. This is the focus of Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tours.
My goal is to bring together our beautiful community in a way that allows elders, adults, youth and children to connect and make a difference with actions based on the ground principles of the 7 Grandfather Teachings, 13 Grandmother Moon Teachings and Medicine Wheel Teachings.
I am looking forward to sharing information regarding history, the plants, the animals, the fish and the insects so that we can start looking at a healthy future that we are planting seeds for in the present.
Every time a participant resonates with a teaching provided on our tours, the Indigenous knowledge of my ancestors and the ancestors of all Aboriginal peoples is honored because it has a chance to expand into future generations.
Those who had no idea of the sustainable lifestyles and understanding that the First Peoples of what is now Toronto had, can carry with them a new connection to the natural world they live in – even if it is surrounded by a concrete jungle.
I hope to meet and share cultural understandings and environmental respect while also learning something new from each and every participant of a Toronto Aboriginal Eco Tour!
Elevating my Dreams
In this activation, participants will create kites with messages that they would like to share with all flying creatures. By incorporating different upcycled materials, and applying the R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) each participant will create an environmentally friendly artwork that can fly through the sky. Participants will be encouraged to fly their kites at home after the activation and share photos and videos on social media!
Schedule
Saturdays, July 9, 16, 23 | 11 am to 12:30 pm
Location
Downsview Hub – 70 Canuck Ave
Meet your Instructor:
Orfelina Millán
I am an environmental artist and creator/facilitator of an eco-friendly community art program for children, Orfe Eco Art Program. My passion for art, environmentalism, and community engagement, along with my arts education experience with the TCDSB and the TDSB, have strengthened my motivation to engage young people in protecting the earth through participatory community arts.
Orfe EcoArt Program is a social enterprise that aims to stimulate creativity and environmental responsibility in children and youth through its ecological art program, understanding that a creative mind and responsible attitude are key to becoming an active member of society and contributing to the health and safety of one’s community.
Connect:
About Us
North York Arts (NYA) collaborates with artists, arts organizations, and partners to develop, strengthen, and promote cultural programming and initiatives for North York communities
Contact us
North York Arts
5040 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON, M2N 6R8
Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
