Category: News

Posted on

Laurie-Shawn named Cultural Champion for City of Toronto

 Celebrating Cultural Champions

Laurie-Shawn is one of twelve local cultural champions honoured at the launch of the Celebrate 27 Arts Fest on March 31, 2011 at Brookfield Place, Toronto.

laurie-shawn_borzovoy  The Celebrate 27 Arts Festival launched on Thursday, March 31st, 2011

 

 

 

 

The Celebrate 27 Arts Fest Community Cultural Champions project recognizes the significant contribution that cultural champions make in our communities. There are many people in Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods and in the community arts sector who have given of themselves to enrich their communities through the arts. Twelve local cultural champions were honoured at the launch of the Celebrate 27 Arts Fest on March 31 at Brookfield Place. Through our partnership with the Toronto-based company Joy Apparel, the images of the community cultural champions were artistically rendered on t-shirts and scarves, in recognition of their efforts. A run of these limited edition t-shirts/scarves will be available by donation in April. Revenue from these donations will go back to the organization that selected the local champion to be used for community arts programming.

2011: Celebrate 27 Arts Fest

C27poster

Posted on

Youth Micro Loan grads to pitch business ideas at Toronto City Hall

The Youth Micro Loan Pilot Project is designed to help youth living in the underserved neighbourhoods of Toronto’s west end become their own boss. Participants receive life skills coaching, business development training, one-on-one business mentoring and have access to apply for a business loan of up to $5,000 when they submit their finalized business plans.

Youth Micro Loan grads to pitch business ideas at Toronto City Hall.

Posted on

Michael Jackson and his fans

Notes given to his fans in November.


From:Michael Joseph Gross

“The girls would huddle outside the hotel gate that was closest to Jackson’s bungalow, sitting very quietly so that security would not find them. And sometimes Michael would come out and say hello. One time he handed out five handwritten letters that said things like ‘I can feel your energy through the walls. You inspire me so much. I love you all. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for loving me. With all the love in my heart, Michael Jackson.’ I was always impressed by that, how deeply he seemed to care for these girls. When he hugged one of them, he would put one hand on her neck, behind her head, that extra-comforting move like you would do to a person you know. The writing in those letters had a style that was personal, deep, flowery, ornate. It was not ‘Thanks guys. Have a good night. I hope you like the music.’”

This, too, may sound like a sentimental exaggeration, but it is not. I spent a week with the women that Weiss and Evenstad are talking about, while researching Starstruck, a book I wrote about relationships between celebrities and fans. No star was more generous to fans (every member of the core group of Jackson fans that I met had, at some point, been invited into his house to have dinner or to watch movies and hang out), and no group of fans treated one another with more generosity than these women.

“To figure out who would get the letters that Michael wrote to the group,” Weiss says, “the girls would draw straws. They would write their names on pieces of paper and throw them in my camera bag, and I would reach in and draw names. The girl who got the letter would take it and make photocopies and give them to all of the others.”

Posted on

From the Chair of UrbanArts Community Arts Council

UrbanArts continues to provide opportunities for youth in our Toronto communities to grow and contribute together; fueled by the energy and passion they bring to the arts.  Over the past few years we have been honoured to witness the extraordinary growth of many young people in our programs and the pride they share in performances, recordings, exhibitions and activities within their communities. Their energy is contagious, while reaching ever-higher levels.  Yet this is still just the beginning of what is possible.

This past year saw considerable change and continued growth for UrbanArts as we welcomed our new Executive Director Marlene McKintosh.  Her passionate commitment to the organization, and the outstanding contributions of our talented and fully dedicated staff, has been critical to our ongoing success.   UrbanArts continues to receive increased sustainable support from different areas, as a sense of place for our organization and our youth is becoming more and more evident.  Our networks shared with community partners, artists, government and donors are strengthening and diversifying as we respond to the needs of our neighbourhoods during these turbulent times.

We cannot thank those who have contributed and supported UrbanArts enough. From our diligent board members, to our remarkable staff and volunteers, and on to the families within the community; every effort large and small is appreciated.   All of our partnerships including the TCHC, For Youth Initiative (FYI), Frontlines Youth Centre and North York Community House’s Community on the Move; and our funders such as the City of Toronto, the Youth Challenge Fund, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation are essential contributors to our continued service in our communities.

And most importantly, to the youth of our communities we say a most heartfelt thank you!  For you are the very lifeblood of UrbanArts.  Your presence, energy, determination and partnership are our collective future.  Ultimately, you are UrbanArts.

Thank you all.  Please stay with us as we continue to build a fresh sense of ‘new possibility’ through the engagement of our youth in the arts right here where we all live.  Right here at UrbanArts.  Here, in our communities.

Proudly powered by WordPress