Neighbourhood Arts Network

The Neighbourhood Arts Network is an organization which actively works to enhance quality of life through the arts at the neighbourhood level by supporting groups and individuals which provide community-engaged arts programming. The Neighbourhood Arts Network invites artists, arts organizations and community agencies involved in community-engaged art to become members. The website is an important resource for the general public to find out more about community-engaged art-making in Toronto, across the country and internationally.

Join today! Membership is free in 2010 for all organizations and artists who engaged communities through the arts. To become a member of the Neighbourhood Arts Network visit the website at www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org.

Quick Links

Click on the following for more information:

Neighbourhood Arts Network Bulletins

Discussions from the Consultation Meetings

Vision and Mandate of the Neighbourhood Arts Network

Neighbourhood Arts Network 2010 Summer Activity Guide

Reports and Executive Summaries

Introducing the new NAN coordinator - Skye Louis

Skye comes to NAN with tons of enthusiasm for community art-making and a background in arts administration. She has worked on a variety of youth projects for Scarborough Arts Council and was the director of Community Arts Connect Project, an online resource serving community artists in Halifax. She recently completed a Masters in Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University and is a firm believer in making public spaces accessible. "I am thrilled to be joining the Network and supporting the variety and depth of community-engaged arts practice in our city!" Welcome, Skye!

You can reach Skye at skye@torontoarts.org or 416-392-6802 ext. 212.

The Neighbourhood Arts Network is launched on January 27, 2010.

On January 27th the Toronto Arts Foundation, in partnership with Art Starts, launched the Neighbourhood Arts Network, Toronto’s first network dedicated to supporting art-making in neighbourhoods throughout the city.

Over 180 people from the arts, social and health services, community centres, funding agencies and more attended the Launch at Harbourfront Centre, hosted by Dan-e-o and Lisa Marie Dilberto. The Launch, made possible by support from The Dalton Company, Harbourfront Centre, and the Friends of the Foundation, included speeches from Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of the Toronto Arts Foundation, Nalini Stewart, Board Member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and the new Minister of Tourism and Culture for Ontario, Michael Chan. Excerpts from the Network's 'Best Buzz' videos were featured and the crowd was entertained by Drum Artz Samba Squad and Clay and Paper Theatre's Cyclops.

“From street safety to reclaiming parks for community use to engaging disaffected teens, artists bring fresh, creative energy into Toronto’s neighbourhoods. We are working to help Toronto become a more creative and more liveable city and we believe community-engaged arts programs will play a major role in neighbourhood transformation city-wide,” stated Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Foundation.

“Community-based arts help invigorate and animate the city,” said The Honourable Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture. “The Neighbourhood Arts Network represents a way to capitalize on the potential of the local arts scene to build more vibrant, liveable communities – communities where people want to live and work and businesses want to invest.”

Link to coverage of the Neighbourhood Arts Network Launch by Zoom Media: http://www.youtube.com/profile?v=ck6wDRM2o3k&user=Zoomermedia#p/u/0/HUQvQX938MU

During the past few months, with assistance from the Government of Ontario, the city of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and the many Friends of the Foundation, the Toronto Arts Foundation conducted 25 in-depth interviews and met with over 120 individuals through 6 design meetings. These meetings, along with information gathered from past consultations, reports and symposiums, helped to determine how the proposed Neighbourhood Arts Network could best serve artists, arts organizations and other community stakeholders while acting as a catalyst in neighbourhood revitalization.

Creative initiatives are taking place all over Toronto…in parks, apartment buildings, public spaces, libraries, theatres, storefronts and street locations. These locally-rooted projects and programs involve residents and artists while enlivening and animating communities. The outcomes vary in style and presentation –mosaics, murals, theatre productions, dance shows, media arts, music recording, storytelling, poetry, painting, and photography. Participants come from all walks of life, ages and backgrounds. The results astound the on-looker while bolstering confidence and skills in the participants.

The Neighbourhood Arts Network will raise the profile of under the radar art and become the place to go for information about community-engaged art-making. Through our website Network members will be able to connect with others who share their interests, post their own profiles, access a wealth of information about the field, and share information about events and other opportunities. The website (www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org) will gather a wealth of information about current practices and practical tools to help strengthen the work.

In addition, the Neighbourhood Arts Network will sponsor in-person training sessions, neighbourhood meet-ups and symposiums. The group will be an important voice and advocate for community arts and link local work with similar-minded work being conducted in communities around the world.

By creating services and support for community-engaged artists, the Network will make it easier to connect individuals, libraries, community and health centres, business improvement associations and many others with the transformative power of art.

The Neighbourhood Arts Network has been made possible by support from the Government of Ontario, Ontario Trillium Foundation, City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and by the many Friends of the Foundation.