“Platform A partner organizations AFCY, Art Starts, Jumblies Theatre and SKETCH/CUE are pleased to announce the recipients of 33 new micro-grants made possible through City Council’s increase in investment to the Toronto Arts Council. This initiative puts micro-grants of $1,000 directly into the hands of emerging and newcomer artists and collectives who would benefit from seed funding to get projects started, to practice skills and to experiment with creative ideas that later become more fulsome projects.

The Platform A partner organizations received more than 85 submissions from across the city proposing a range of inspired, community-engaged arts projects. The applicants had never before received funding from arts council bodies. The successful micro-grantees are engaging in a range of arts initiatives from a visual arts project creating images of home with immigrant/refugee youth (both new & of origin), to a literary magazine featuring writing and artwork from young women of colour to a series of skills-sharing workshops for emerging filmmakers from priority neighbourhoods culminating in the creation and showcase of a short film.

One of the successful micro-grants recipients is a youth-led writing collective called the Toronto Wordsmiths. Working out of the Parkdale Library, they will facilitate creative writing and literary workshops resulting in the production of a zine and an event. “We hope to have people come together to share their own experiences through writing,” says collective member Jess Goldman. ”We want to create a space that feels safe but also that encourages young people to come together in positive ways. This grant will help us offer more creative opportunities for writing, performance and art making.”

The 33 funded projects will engage residents across the city of Toronto in a diversity of art forms at a neighbourhood level.

The following recipients were awarded micro-grants from the Platform A partners:

AFCY
Ascend Arts Collective; Basement Apt. Films; Community Action Committee; Camelle Davidson; Leila Dey; Fitzroy Facey; Junior Lavagesse; Casandra London

Art Starts
Ohemaa Boateng; Afi Browne; Khydup Gyatso; Lindy Kinoshameg; Nicole Little; Car Martin; Genito Muchochoma; Ananna Rafi; Toronto Wordsmiths

Jumblies Theatre
Alvis Choi; Ben Lee; Lorenzo Pagnotta; Pam Snell; Tamar Swartz; Faten Toubasi; Jun Yee Wang; Josephine Yudera; De Ridder Linarez

SKETCH/CUE
Salomeh Ahmadi; Lola Bunz; Jesi the Elder; Whitney French; Heather Fulton; Richael Laking; Steve Mantyka; Dynesti Williams

Platform A is a collaboration between four of Toronto’s leading organizations in community-engaged arts: Arts for Children and Youth, Art Starts, Jumblies Theatre and SKETCH/CUE. These organizations have all emerged from grassroots initiatives and have grown to become key community builders in Toronto’s arts sector, engaging thousands of children, young people and adults annually through their diverse, innovative and accessible programming.

About Partner Organizations:

Arts for Children and Youth (AFCY)
AFCY is an award-winning organization whose mandate is to engage young people living in priority neighbourhoods in high-quality, accessible arts educational programs that are meaningful, relevant and collaboratively developed with community and education partners. AFCY positions arts programs in schools and neighbourhood venues as a means of building community, and empowering marginalized children and youth to reach their full potential as artists and social contributors.
www.afcy.ca

Art Starts
Art Starts is an award-winning charitable, not-for-profit organization that uses the arts as a vehicle to encourage social change in Torontoʼs underserved neighbourhoods. Bringing professional artists and communities together to work across all artistic disciplines, Art Starts combines the best practices of hands-on community consultation with a collaborative art-making approach and sound organizational and administrative support.
www.artstarts.net

Jumblies Theatre
In operation for over ten years, Jumblies is an inclusive and community-focused theatre company offering multi-year residencies, studio training, mentorships, and innovative collaborative projects. Jumblies is an award-winning organization increasingly cited as a pioneering and inspirational example of art that embraces and intertwines aesthetics with social engagement.
www.jumbliestheatre.org

SKETCH/CUE
SKETCH is a nationally recognized, award-winning community arts development initiative based in Toronto engaging young people living homeless and on the margins, ages 15-29, from across Canada. SKETCH creates equitable opportunities for diverse young people to experience the transformative power of the arts. A project of SKETCH, CUE is a radical, youth-led, high-access arts support initiative enabling young marginalized artists to develop arts project proposals, produce, and exhibit their visions, within an intimate and supportive community framework.
www.sketch.ca
www.cueartprojects.ca

TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL
Toronto Arts Council, an arm’s length body of the City of Toronto, funds artists and arts organizations across the city through its grants programs. In 2012, approximately $10.3 million was disbursed to 419 arts organizations and 272 individual artists following assessment of 1562 applications. Toronto Arts Council’s grant budget increased to $14.3 million in 2013.
Platform A is a key initiative that was developed in line with TAC’s strategic priorities to enhance support for Community Connections in local and youth-based arts delivery, and foster increased Innovation and Partnerships that will incubate new ideas and opportunities across all disciplines.”

-submitted by Mario Murray, Marketing and Events Coordinator. Art Starts

ArtBridges/ToileDesArts Sponsor