Current Vision

Art Starts pioneered community arts practices in Ontario and continues to provide leadership in neighbourhood-building arts projects in the City of Toronto. Our work challenges the relationship between art, its production and the community at large. Our model redefines the role of community members, transforming them from passive consumers of art to active creators and interpreters of their own art and culture. We are unique in that over the years we have created a successful community arts model geared towards artistic, social and cultural development. We combine the best practices of hands-on community consultation with a collaborative art-making approach and sound organizational and administrative support.

We make art in a community context; we see ourselves as a vital part of a larger whole. We do not operate in a vacuum. We endeavor to make the arts a natural part of people’s lives, infusing some measure of creativity into each day.

Art Starts uses a flexible, inclusive and accommodating model. Operating thus, we conceptualize, develop and facilitate high quality, meaningful artistic opportunities for and with communities across the G.T.A. We ask. We listen. And then we design programs—based on the needs, interests, orientation, resources (or lack thereof), and make-up of the communities and artists with whom we work. We draw from all artistic disciplines, program in myriad spaces and places, partner with groups, troupes, agencies, libraries, businesses, police and others too numerous to list, provide translation, and deliver programs that are as varied structurally and artistically as the diversity inherent in the communities they serve.

At Art Starts art making always takes place within a grassroots, community context and with a clear and unwavering commitment to: Producing art that is of high quality and integrity Bringing together local residents with high caliber, professional artists Identifying and nurturing artistic talent Facilitating community building initiatives that serve to celebrate and positively define identity, facilitating integration and social inclusion in a multicultural context Making or exhibiting art that speaks to and/or represents the community Building capacity, knowledge and understanding Engaging and bringing together community members Exposing local residents, for whom the arts are often inaccessible, to the arts Teaching/mentoring and passing on the Art Starts philosophies of community art Providing a supportive environment for building skills and self-esteem, contributing to emotional and social well-being