Investing on a Budget: Free online workshop! Jan 24, 5-6pm

For the last of our 3-part series on Financial Literacy and Learning, Akin invites artists and the public to join us for Investing On A Budget, hosted in collaboration with facilitators from our partners at Wealthsimple. This month's session will be focussing on Investing: What is involved and how can it work for you? 

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE.

Artists may be seen as free-lance or independent workers, perhaps coming to the “business” of art without a great deal of financial literacy. As such, information and resources around investing, saving money and planning for retirement may be something many folks in our community are lacking.  

We're inviting artists to submit their questions and queries to erin@akincollective.com. Your questions will support the presentation and may be used during the Q&A period following. 

Thanks to our community facilitators Wealthsimple!  “Personal finance is the art of managing your money. How much to save, where to invest and how to budget. None of us are born knowing how to put together a smart, simple financial plan.”  Please feel free to check out their website at wealthsimple.com for more information on learning and resources towards greater financial literacy.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Over 70 artists featured at Akin winter art event!

Written by Charlotte Van Ryn

Image above: A view of the Clark Centre from the outside. The night sky is dark blue and black, and the Clark Centre is brightly lit inside. A person on the street walks towards the building.

This December, Akin is host to a Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre in Scarborough, nestled in the beautiful, historic Guildwood Park. It’s the perfect place to pick up one-of-a-kind gifts for your loved ones this holiday season, and view three floors of artwork on display by participating artists!

The event is highlighting Akin artists among artists from Scarborough and the surrounding area. Theresa Hopkins’ self reflective, whimsical portrait and Wandy Cheng’s floral, playful paintings were selected as featured Scarborough Artists. 

Image description: Jennie Town sits at her booth at the Winter and Arts Market. Her hair is in braids and she’s wearing a black hat and glasses. Jennie is sewing into a piece of birch bark. On her table is a large display of jewelry, dreamcatchers and handmade crafts. 

The event kicked off last weekend; upstairs, the market was in full swing. Prints, ceramics, even holiday decorations were on full display. Jennie Town, pictured above, had a beautiful selection of birch bark earrings, dream catchers, handmade deer hide drums and willowwork.  A multidisciplinary indigenous artist, and a Scarboroughlocal, Jennie is passionate about Guildwood park and the Clarke Centre, for which she attended the local planning meetings before it was built. 

Image Description: A long white wall inside the Clark Centre displays a series of hanged paintings. Two people stand in front of a large painting at the end of the hal

Paintings and sculpture cover the walls on all three floors of the Clark Centre. Notably, the exhibition Through A Hundred Windows features work from artists who were given the same base material, a wooden “window”,  but styled their own way.  Hung side by side, they create a unified, yet singularly unique look. Through a Hundred Windows will be up all month - all works are for sale directly through the artist and 100% of the proceeds from every sale go direct to the artist. Interested in purchasing work from the exhibition? Click here to see a list of participating artists. 

If you missed last weekend’s market, fear not! There’s another weekend market coming up, December 10 and 11 from 11-6 to pick up holiday gifts for friends and family. The exhibition will be up until December 18th, and can be visited any day of the week. Click here to find out more about the event and the participating artists. 

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition - Opening Reception on Saturday December 3!

Image above: a slideshow of images showing work by participants of the Akin Winter Arts Market

Akin invites you to join us on Saturday December 3 from 1-3pm for the opening reception of the Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough.  

Drop in for live music and shop for a variety of beautiful gifts at the Arts Market for our opening day! You can also enjoy browsing the exhibition ‘Through 100 Windows’ featuring members of Akin’s studios as well as local creatives from Scarborough and surrounding neighborhoods.

In conjunction with this event, a selection of art work by studio members belonging to the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG will be featured on the 3rd floor of the Clark galleries, as well as work by Special Highlights Scarborough artists Wandy Cheng and Theresa Hopkins.

From paintings and prints, to ceramics and textiles, we hope to present a gorgeous and colorfully integrated expression of artistic talent to warm hearts as we head into the winter months.

The Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition is happening from December 3-18. Click here for full details including a list of partcipating artists.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

The Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre For the Arts! December 3-18

Akin is very pleased to invite art-lovers, artists, and the public at large to an exciting new initiative and collaboration with the Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough!

• When; December 3-18, 2022

• Opening Reception: December 3, 2022 from 1-3pm

• Where: Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough

• What: Arts Market (December 3, 4, 10 and 11) and Group Exhibition (December 3-18)

• Hours, Exhibition: ‘Through 100 Windows’ December 3-18th from 9am-4pm

• Hours, Market Days: December 3 and 4 & 10 and 11 from 11am-6pm

• Admission: FREE!

Akin will be hosting a public arts event at the Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough, featuring art by local artists around the GTA. Artists of all levels of experience and expression will be exhibiting and selling work through the Winter Arts Market and Group Exhibition. We hope that you will join us in celebrating their achievement!

Featuring members of Akin’s studios as well as local creatives from Scarborough and surrounding neighborhoods, artists and creatives of all mediums will be participating in an interdisciplinary wall installation of art panel hangings on the walls of a professional gallery, and at the market offering handmade crafts, art and objects to the public over 2 weekends. From paintings and prints, to ceramics and textiles, we hope to present a gorgeous and colorfully integrated expression of artistic talent to warm hearts as we head into the winter months.

‘Through 100 Windows’ is a collaborative art project, aimed to highlight the harmony, beauty and hope of a community of artists who continue to share and exchange their ideas; collectively resilient and active. Taken on their own, each work is a window into an individual experience. Seen together, we are a vision of combined colour, strength and power. 

In conjunction with this event, a selection of art work by  studio members belonging to the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG will be featured on the 3rd floor of the Clark galleries, as well as work by Special Highlights Scarborough artists Wandy Cheng and Theresa Hopkins  

Join us for the opening reception on December 3rd 2022 1-3pm, and drop in for live music and a variety of beautiful gifts at the Arts Market on the weekends of December 3/4th and 10/11th, from 11-6pm! The exhibition will be open during regular Clark Centre hours (9am-4pm) during the week as well as weekends (11am-6pm).

Accessibility & Site Address: 
The Clarke Centre has elevators to all three floors, barrier free washrooms on each floor and automatic doors on the bathrooms and the front entrance. Located at 191 Guildwood Pkwy, The Clark Centre for the arts has free but limited parking. By TTC: from Kennedy Station, take the 116 bus to Guildwood Pkwy at the Guild Inn stop.

Thank You:
Thank you to all of our community partners and the many artists and supporters who’ve come together to share this beautiful event, including local musicians Rudy Ray’s Duo and Aaron Ridge, and participating vendors.  Particularly, we are grateful to the talented and friendly staff at the Clark Centre for the Arts, who have contributed a great deal and offer a wealth of experience and grace.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. @CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Akin Open Studio Day!

In conjunction with the many arts and culture festivals that are hosted every fall (from the @queenwestartcrawll to @nuitblancheto and @culturedays to name a few), Akin would like to invite the public and its community to visit the place where art and culture is made - the studios! 

This October we'll be opening the doors of two west-end locations: Akin Stockyards (at 2231 St.Clair West) and the Akin Studio Program at the AUTO BLG (158 Sterling Rd. 4th floor). For those of you who are not artists yourself, or for a creative individual who is thinking about getting a studio of their own, this is an excellent opportunity to see what a collective art space looks like, as well as to browse the many artistic creations and meet the artists who make them in person. 

So pop the date in your Calendar and come say hello. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Let's Have a Summer Party!

🎉LET'S HAVE A SUMMER PARTY 🎉

Summer is here in all of its glory and we want to celebrate the opening of Akin Stockyards with you in this FREE community and family event! Come meet the Akin members in an open studio along with food, live music from Astrosurf, and a community paint wall for you to participate in.

We will also be having a special visit from Councillor Frances Nunziata, and will be hearing from them, our event sponsors from Marlin Spring and some familiar Akin faces.

When: Wednesday July 13th 2022

Time: 4:00PM - 7:00PM

Address: 2231 St. Clair Ave West

We're so excited to celebrate with you 🥳🎊🎈

Invite your friends on social media through our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter posts!

AACT & Asian Heritage Month!

We’re so excited to be in partnership with AACT and their month long programming to celebrate Asian Heritage Month!

To celebrate the 20th Asian Heritage Month in Canada, in May 2022, AACT has an exciting lineup of upcoming exhibitions, workshops, and events. Mark your calendars for a month of free public programming this May for the following dates:

• May 7: Community Care Art Workshop at Tam Cafe

• May 7-30: Gentle Care Exhibition at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

• May 13-22 Travelling Through: Conversation with Elders Exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox

• May 14 as Community Mosaic Art Workshop

• May 27-29 as Nostalgia: In Search of Familiarity at Akin Remote Gallery

Stay tuned for the more details on our social media or learn more at their website link.

Love Letter to your Art Practice

Do you hold love for your art practice? How do you recognize it? How do you show it? A Love Letter to your Practice facilitated by Yasmeen Nematt Alla, invites artists, makers, and creatives to join us for a writing and meditation workshop to celebrate the love we hold for our art practices. For most of us, our practices have supported our passions, our livelihoods, and our mental health. We hope to spend time together gathering as we discuss ways to show care to the very things that push us forward.

This event will take place online on March 9th at 6PM to 7:30PM.

Please join the event with a writing or drawing utensil and some paper.

You can sign up in our link: http://ow.ly/eERM50I3TwH

Yasmeen Nematt Alla(she/her) is an Egyptian immigrant and settler living in Tkaronto, Turtle Island (colonially known as Toronto, Ontario). Her practice centres alienated collectivist narratives from an immigrant’s and an interpreter’s perspective. As someone who lives between cultures, she deciphers language barriers attached to togetherness through textiles, performance, and reactive sculptures that are often situated in social practice. She wonders how translation, experiences, and visuals intertwine with care, grief, and community building.

Akin Taxes for Artists Workshop

Tax season can be a particularly stressful and confusing time for artists, performers and other creatives. This workshop will help you get prepared! With decades of experience in accounting and taxation, Kelly Ross will spend an hour discussing some of the most important tax topics for artists including: tax preparation, deductions, tax deadlines, HST, how to handle grants, T4s and more. The session is suitable for artists who are new to filing taxes or those who are looking for a refresher. Please come prepared with your questions, or email them in advance to erin@akincollective.com . This session will be recorded, and Closed Captions available. An ASL Interpreter will be in attendance.

Date: January 25th

Time: 6PM-8PM

Place: Online

Accessibility: This session will be recorded, and Closed Captions available. An ASL Interpreter will be in attendance.

Facilitator: Kelly Ross is the Managing Director and CEO of Ross Professional Corporation. She is a member of CPA Canada leading with strength, knowledge and passion, having over 20 years of experience in accounting and taxation. Through her career she worked in a multi-national CPA firm, then moved on to be a subject matter expert for development of an accounting program at a college. Kelly’s interest and passion for accounting came from her mother whose career was in the accounting realm. Kelly has a love for the arts and entertainment industry, which stemmed from having a father who had talent and love for music. Kelly herself played the piano, trumpet and was a dancer through her early years. Now in her downtime, Kelly can be found around the hockey rinks supporting her daughter’s hockey team and following her nephews in their live band performances. She is truly a people person and has a special skill making everyone she meets feel special.

🪁Banafsheh Erfanian, Fly Your Burning Kite🪁

🪁Banafsheh Erfanian, Fly Your Burning Kite🪁

We're so excited to present Banafsheh Erfanian from our RBC Space Recipients Exhibitions! The RBC Space Award is a partnership between Neighbourhood Arts Network and Akin. This award provides access to space for professional artists to grow their practice.

A little bit about the show from the artist:

‘Fly Your Burning Kite’ is my visual interpretation of the post-1979 revolution era in Iran. This solo painting exhibit is a contribution to the suffering my people are going through. It addresses the ongoing cultural issues Iran has been dealing with since the revolution. Iran has been experiencing crucial cultural and political changes. The use of symbolism and surrealism has been a strong tool for me to portrait this bizarre chain of events taking place in my country of origin and the destruction that has been left behind from the revolution and war. Rigidity crawled into our daily routines when we were sleeping and we became believers in ghosts more than ever. In the Middle of the East, we are chained. In the middle of the perpetual night, we are burning. Nevertheless, are we collecting ashes from which we will be reborn. Our children will fly their burning kites of dream. From the fire, clouds will be created.

The clouds will cry so loud for the ones who do not have a voice. Then the clouds will burst into tears and wipe out all this darkness. We will see once again the time when dogs were not slaughtered and crows did not migrate. It was when the wind blew into girls' hair."

We're excited to invite you to attend Fly Your Burning Kite from October 23rd to the 30th!

TOAF - Toronto Outdoor Art Fair - begins this weekend! (July 2-11)

Akin is thrilled to see so many current and alumni Akin Members participating in the 2021 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. This year, the fair will have a digital component as well as a small showcase of artworks in person at stackt market.

List of current & alumni Akin Members participating:

Carrie Chisholm 
Corynn Kokolakis 
David Chinyama 
Dorota Dziong 
Jamileh Salek 
Joanna Strong 
Lindsay Chambers 
Loren Kaplan 
Melika Saeeda 
Miles Ingrassia 
Nicole Crozier 
Soroush Dabiri 
Zach Atticus 
Zoey Zoric 

For a full list of participating artists, please click here.
To learn more about stackt market please click here.

Upcoming Events & New Initiatives

Here are some great opportunities for artists & community members this spring :)

Learn the basics of applying for an Ontario Arts Council Grant: Applying for a grant can be confusing and overwhelming. This spring, the Ontario Arts Council is offering a series of webinars for Ontario-based artists and arts groups to learn the basics of applying for OAC funding. Click here for more details.


Rhythm and Movement Dance Program (FREE): May 10th - 14th & May 24-28th / Rhythm and Movement Dance Program is a creative, innovative and hands on program for Black youth that will provide a safe space for young people to voice their concerns, share their opinions, acquire knowledge about healthy living through rhythm and movements. Black students ages 14-18 will gain physical education, social skill development and they will learn about the different forms of creating rhythms and movement. This program is a series of 4 sessions via zoom. Click here to register.


Ismailova Theatre of Dance is holding auditions for Contemporary dancers: Auditions for a physical theatre production in Toronto. Seeking female and male dancers for its new site-specific dance/physical theatre production to be presented over the weekends and some weeknights in July outdoors in Toronto. Auditions are May 1st 2021 9am-2pm. Auditions will be via Zoom. Herearsals and shows will be outdoors near Dufferin and Steeles with strict social distancing in place. More details here.


St. Joseph Hospital is looking for artwork: Throughout the pandemic, St. Joseph's Health Centre has received messages of support, hope, and gratitude from our community which have done wonders to lift the spirits of the staff, physicians, and learners who have been coming to work each day to support the west-end community. We would like to continue to offer images and words of encouragement to those making the important step in the fight against this terrible disease. We invite our schools across the west-end to get involved! Simply scan or photograph your artwork and inspirational messages, and send them to gillian.brunning@unityhealth.to to be proudly displayed in St. Joe’s vaccination clinic for all to see as they line up to receive their doses!

BBPA’s Community Space Financial Literacy Program: Saturdays at 10am. The ultimate financial literacy program for Black youth. This is an online and in class financial literacy / personal development program integrated into the SAY IT LOUD initiative, a national campaign for Black youth aged 14-29 that promotes Black prode and positive cultural identity. Click here to learn more and register.


Building a Black Archive Call-Out for Emerging Black Writers: A communitu initiative dedicated to unearthing of lost and forgotten Black Histories in Canada with a focus in Ontario. Click here to learn more and sign up.


Laidlaw Foundation’s Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund: Applications due by May 20th, receive funding for an Indigenous Youth lead project. Click here to learn more.


Labour Arts Catalyst: The Labour Arts Catalyst is a new initiative that pairs four artists from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to work with four local labour organizations in a collaborative art-making process that is in line with Mayworks’ vision to incite the creation and production of art that engages diverse artists adn workers in the advancement of cultural, exonomic and social justica. Click here for more details.


Girls with Grit Scholarship 2021: Girls with Grit has partnered with Armstrong Acting Studios to offer the Girls with Grit Scholarship. This opportunity will allow emerging female artists to have access to training and an introduction to Toronto’s TV and film industry. This scholarship is for anyone who has faced barriers entering into this industry, particularily those disproportionately impacted by systemic discrimination. Find out more here.


STEPS has launched their CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency: A national program designed in consultation with advisors from coast to coast, to provide Black, Indigenous and Racialized artists with the skills, relationships and practical experience needed to take their public art practice to the next level.

Meet the 2021 CreateSpace artists-in-residence:
Yasmeen Nematt Alla
Bruno Canadien
Laara Cerman
Shelby Gagnon
Jieun June Kim
Arjun Lal
Amanda Lederle
Charmaine Lurch
Anna Jane McIntyre
Nuff
For residency updates and programming events for the public, follow @STEPSpublicart and #CreateSpaceResidency on Instagram and Facebook or visit publicartresidency.ca.


Selling your work online an Artist Project workshop: Artist Project is pleased to present a workshop series focused on skill-building for artists and the art-curious. Wednesday April 28, 5:30-7PM (ET) Click Here to Register
Fee: $20


Creating Opportunities Beyond the Gallery (International Exhibitions, Commissions, Artist Residencies and more): Join artists Kal Mansur and Nathan Eugene Carson on Zoom for a workshop focused on creating career opportunities as an independent artist. Kal and Nathan will share their unique perspectives and paths to success, from soliciting art commissions, navigating exhibition opportunities, living/working internationally and more. The session will be interactive, and will include time for questions. Wednesday May 12, 5:30-7PM (ET) Click Here to Register
Fee: $20


The 2021 Emerging Digital Artists Award (EDAA) has a Call for Applications: Applications are now open for the Emerging Digital Artists Award. Five artists will be awarded a $5000 prize and their award winning works will be featured in a group exhibition at Trinity Square Video as well as online September 10 - October 2 2021. To learn more and to apply click here.

Welcome Tannis Nielsen, Indigenous Studio Space Advisor at Akin!

Akin is thrilled to welcome artist and community leader Tannis Nielsen as Indigenous Studio Space Advisor- leading Akin through a collaborative consultation practice in the planning and development of Indigenous community services, spaces and supports throughout our studios, programs and more. Alongside Indigenous Elder Artist in Residence Catherine Tammaro (Taǫmęˀšreˀ), Anti-oppressive Practice Consultant, Equity & Social Justice Educator Rania El Mugammar and Akin’s team, Tannis will advise on meaningful, actionable engagement with the Indigenous community while assessing needs and opportunities for the next phase of our work.

We want to hear from YOU!

As part of their role, Tannis is leading two upcoming virtual public community meetings to discuss Akin’s efforts in supporting Indigenous artists & creatives on February 13 (1-3pm) and February 16 (7-9pm). All are welcome to attend and we would love for your feedback and input. Please note that these sessions will be recorded for internal use as part of our research but not shared publicly and no content will be specifically attributed to individuals.

Image description: Tannie Nielsen standing on a ladder while working on a large-scale elaborate artwork, smiling at the camera

About Tannis:
Tannis Nielsen is a Métis Woman (of Sohto/Anishnawbe and Danish descent) with twenty years of professional experience in the arts, cultural and community sectors, and 12  years teaching practice at the post-secondary level. Tannis holds a Masters in Visual Studies Degree (M.V.S.) from the University of Toronto, an Art and Art History-Specialist Degree from U of T, as well as a Diploma in Art and Art History from Sheridan College, in Oakville, Ontario.

Tannis has served on the Aboriginal Engagement Committee at UBC-O, as a member of the Equity and Diversity Committee at OCAD-U, the Toronto District School Board, and is the past President of The Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts (A.N.D.P.V.A.), a national Native arts organization in service since 1972. She was also a member of the Toronto Native Community History Project and has assisted in organizing the last three annual “Indigenous Sovereignty Week” events in the city of Toronto. In 2012, Tannis became active on the Idle No More-Toronto organizing committee and continues to contribute towards this vital international Indigenous grassroots movement from her current location in Toronto, Ontario where she currently teaches at OCAD-U. 

Accessibility:
Have a computer or mobile device? Then you're good to go! Should you have any additional accessibility accommodations, requests or ideas, please email laura@akincollective.com to discuss.Captions available on-screen. Mobile phones may require a downloadable app from Google Hangouts.

Collision Virtual Group Exhibition - On View Now!

With the goal of reconnecting communities and highlighting the voices of the artists working in the Collision Gallery space, this virtual group exhibition shares recent work from the artists working in our shared artist studios at 18 Wellington Street West.

The work presented here reflects a small selection of works, old and new, by artists at Akin’s Collision Gallery location.

Exhibiting Artists:
Maren Boedeker, Lindsay Chambers, Kai Hart, Antonio Pendones, Janne Reuss, Joanna Strong

Akin Vitrine St. Clair + Elsie Nisonen

We are delighted to introduce our current Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin River artist Elsie Nisonen. Elsie's work will be on exhibit in our galleries beginning at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West for the month of June and then 1485 Dupont for the month of July.

Consumption is a series of images that explore the idea of Gender, Consumption, Collecting and is also about positive and negative space. By combining the digital aesthetic with handcrafted details, I blur the lines between the digital world and the human hand, gendered stereotypes, the truth vs. folktale. I have photographed old paper dolls that were mouse-eaten as a metaphor for gender confines, consumption and collection. The use of botanicals references work done by women illustrators and photographers during the Victorian era. The curiosity of the Victorians along with their sickening approach to collections, i.e. killing the thing you are studying, invokes the idea of capture, consumption, decay, and death. 

By playing and using old tropes, I have created new visuals to push against patriarchal hegemony. I have used older/fixed icons such as a dress as a frame to re/view the world. 

Elsie Nisonen is a lens-based artist in Toronto. Her works explores light, materiality, humanity, layering, and storytelling. It resides between memory and truth, the liminal spaces where reality and fantasy are intertwined.

Consumption
Mixed media
Dimensions Variable
2020

To contact the artist:
Instagram: @elsienisonen

#Akinvitrine

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2020 programming in two Vitrine Galleries located at Akin St. Clair and Akin Dupont. These miniature galleries feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at St. Clair and second month at Dupont. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

Elsie’s work will be on view for the month of June in our St. Clair Avenue West Akin Vitrine Gallery, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin Dupont Vitrine Gallery where it will be on view for the month of July. Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

Free Community Wellness Session with Shadi Mogadime

Date: Monday, June 1st 2020
Time: 6:30-8:30pm

How to Join this Zoom Meeting:
Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
https://zoom.us/j/95180398464?pwd=UEczRlY4akRmZTUzYVN4Zm9Ta3JBZz09
Meeting ID: 951 8039 8464
Password: 356639

This is a FREE virtual event.

Join us on June 1st at 6:30pm for an online community wellness session with a focus on moving from anxiety to resilience and creating a sense of well-being during this current period of isolation. Facilitator Shadi Mogadime will introduce attendees to various concepts and practices that can help you identify and manage daily stressors and anxiety triggers. Feel free to participate and share your experience or simply log on and listen with your fellow Akin community members and other artists.

Due to the 2hr time limitation for this event, we may not be able to accommodate everyone's questions and comments. If you don’t get the chance to speak but want to continue the conversation please email Akin at janet@akincollective.com or Shadi at shadimogadime@hotmail.com.

Accessibility:
Have a computer or mobile device? Then you're good to go as soon as you have signed up for a free Zoom account. Sign up here: https://zoom.us/

Please contact us regarding any accommodation requests or concerns, and we will do our best to support.

How to Join this Zoom Meeting:
Copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://zoom.us/j/95180398464?pwd=UEczRlY4akRmZTUzYVN4Zm9Ta3JBZz09
Meeting ID: 951 8039 8464
Password: 356639

Can’t attend this event but interested in future events on health and wellness? Let us know by emailing us at janet@akincollective.com.

About the facilitator:
Shadi (pronounced so it rhymes with buddy) has been a student of many modalities in 30+ years of spiritual and personal growth exploration. Her deepest dive has been into practices of mediation, yoga and qigong as well as other wellness technologies. She has used these experiences and the knowledge she developed to mentor clients from around the world for the last 5 years. She feels privileged to have spent her 25-year professional career in the charitable sector fundraising and marketing for the missions of crucial causes and arts & culture organizations. Her current focus is creating a platform to support women in the caring professions with wellness resources, practices and indulgences.

Enjoy Your Favourite Spring Festival at Home

Today we have rounded up a shortlist of Canadian festivals who have made the tough but exciting decision to share some of their programming online so you can continue to enjoy fresh content at home. Many of these festivals kick off tonight so tune in this evening for some new documentaries, art films and more!

Image source: CBC

Hot Docs at Home on CBC

When: Thursday nights starting on April 16th 2020.

Watch Hot Docs at Home on CBC, a multiplatform festival-at-home experience providing Canadians with front-row access to select titles from the 2020 Hot Docs Festival premiering Thursday nights starting April 16.

Following the postponement of the 2020 Hot Docs Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a small selection of exclusive first-run feature documentaries that would have debuted at the Festival will now premiere on CBC, the free CBC Gem streaming service and documentary Channel. CBC will also partner with Hot Docs to expand the at-home audience experience with interactive, livestreamed Q&As with filmmakers and other original digital content at CBC Docs.

Image source: Images Festival. Sky Hopinka, maɬni — towards the ocean, towards the shore, 2020

Images Festival

Images Festival invites audiences to experience new and independent voices from Canada and across the globe at its 33rd edition, taking place online.

When: April 16-22, 2020

As one of the most enduring and respected platforms in the world for the exhibition and discourse of independent film and media art, Images continues to explore how moving image works are created, exhibited, and received in the current socio-political moment. Responding to the Covid-19 crisis, Images’ ON SCREEN program will be presented via live-stream at imagesfestival.com. Over 75 extraordinary works from some of the world’s most innovative and daring filmmakers and video artists will be available to stream, starting April 16th.

Silvia Kolbowski, That Monster: An Allegory, B+W film projection, 18 minutes (9 mins with sound, 9 mins silent), 2018.

Gallery 44 & Images Festival Present Silvia Kolbowski Digital Screening and Artist Talk

When: Saturday, April 18 at 12:00PM

Join Gallery 44 for an online screening of Silvia Kolbowski’s 2018 video That Monster: An Allegory, followed by a conversation between Kolbowski and co-curator Jared Quinton. That Monster is part of the artist’s solo exhibition A Few Howls Again, currently set to open in Gallery 44’s main space and vitrines, later this year.

“That Monster: An Allegory addresses the projections and identifications at play in today’s mass politics. The film was developed out of a desire to elucidate the riddle of mass enthrallment to demagogic power that does not serve its interests. That Monster features remixed images and sequences from the classic horror film The Bride of Frankenstein, (1935; James Whale). The film plays once with sound and once in silence.”
—Silvia Kolbowski

Please email heather@gallery44.org if you would like to attend. Registered attendees will receive a link to join the event.

Remote Control: an AGYU Live Instagram Performance Series

When: Tuesdays beginning on April 14th, 2020. 7-8PM.

Starting Tuesday April 14, at 7 pm, join the AGYU live on Instagram @a_g_y_u for Remote Control—a spoken word, dance, and music performance series curated by Randell Adjei and Nathan Baya. The series continues each Tuesday evening for the next four weeks.

AGYU is excited to launch a new Instagram takeover, featuring two influential performance scenes of spoken word poets, singers, rappers, and dancers. Working in partnership with cultural visionaries—Scarborough-based R.I.S.E. Edutainment Director, Randell Adjei and Jane Street Speaks Founder, Nathan Baya—AGYU presents Remote Control, an online social media forum for performance that builds virtual communities and creative solidarity in a difficult and unprecedented period of social distancing and cultural isolation.