Akin Vitrine Gallery + Ghazaleh Avarzamani

Akin Projects is pleased to present our June/July Vitrine Gallery artist, Akin MOCA member, Ghazaleh Avarzamani. Through the notion of nature as a medium, her piece The Exfoliation, will explore both the geopolitical and intimate connotations of home — from exile, displacement, and refugeeism on a global scale, to the everyday and extraordinary realms of domestic life and hospitality.

Humans classify natural species by place; i.e., those that belong and those that do not belong to a certain location. Some plants or animals, which are “non-native” to a specific location and rapidly spread, are believed to cause severe damage to the local environment, economy or human health. These are often described as “aliens,” “invaders,” or “pests.” Increasingly, since the 1950s, both human and non-human migration discourses have used the figure of the “non-native” or the “alien” as a negative input for “native” contexts. The Exfoliation re-thinks the “alien” as an entity that actually constructs a new reality and brings valuable cultural hybridization. As a result, the idea of the pristine landscape and who defines it is questioned, as perceptions of “native,” “alien,” and “invasive” species profoundly change over time.

Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s selected exhibitions include Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium museum in Norway; Bocconi Gallery in Italy; Ab/Anbar Gallery in Iran; Asia House in the UK; Etemad Gallery in UAE; and Artmark gallery in Austria. She has been the recipient of Toronto Art Council in 2018, Ontario Art Council award in 2017 and the Red Mansion Art Prize in 2013. In 2016, She curated Jabberwocky, a group exhibition at Ab/Anbar Gallery in Tehran.

The Exfoliation
mixed media
2018

To contact the artist:
www.ghazalehavarzamani.com
Instagram: @ghazalehavarzamani

The Exfoliation will be on view for the month of June in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). 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.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of July at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

You can catch the exhibition on the Akin Summer Gallery Crawl on June 23. Click here for more information. 

For more information about Ghazaleh and her work, follow our Instagram account @akinvitrine.
 

Akin Summer Gallery Crawl on Saturday!

Akin Projects invites you to join us for special tours of the current exhibitions at some of Toronto's best and brightest galleries in the West End, followed by a free reception at Akin Collective Dupont Studios with Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series.

Come along as gallery directors and staff provide special walkthroughs and tours of their current shows, and answer your questions!

1. Meet at Mercer Union at 1pm
2. Visit Division Gallery
3. Visit Angell Gallery
4. Visit Akin Collective Dupont Studios Akin Vitrine Gallery, followed by a free reception.

Free to attend. All are welcome, open to the public. The more the merrier! Here is a link to the route we will be following: https://tinyurl.com/ycohb469

Click here to view accessibility information and RSVP.

Eternal Garden: An exhibition of work by Akin King artist Jen Pilles

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”  - Alan Watts

Eternal Garden is an exhibition of works on paper and wood that celebrate the natural world and its power. 

Eternal Garden
June 1 - 30, 2018
Volta Espresso (866 Bathurst St, Toronto)
Open 7am - 5pm every day

There will be a small reception for the exhibition on Saturday June 23 from 10am-12pm at Volta Espresso. Everyone is welcome! 

About the artist: 
Jen Pilles has been an Akin artist since 2013 and currently works out of Akin King. She is a freelance illustrator, comic artist and self publisher. Her drawings and colourful illustrations are created using a combination of mediums including ink, gouache, watercolour and coloured pencil. Jen’s work is heavily inspired by nature, and influenced by her love of science, myth,and the human condition. She loves storytelling and creates comics and visual narratives that are suitable for both adults and children. 

Jen creates artwork for a variety of clients including publishers, public institutions, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, and private clients. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts with Honours in Illustration from Sheridan College. 

www.jenpilles.com

New Works by Akin Member, Kyle Yip, at NUIT ROSE Festival →

NUIT ROSE is back for its fifth annual festival of queer art and performance this week. Taking the theme Unbound, this year’s festival features art that crosses borders, both real and imagined. The 2018 festival takes place over five nights in June, with programming across Toronto neighbourhoods, including West Queen West, University & College, and the Church-Wellesley Village.

This year's festival features the work of Akin Ossington member, Kyle Yip, among many other creatives. Kyle Yip also known as Discrete, is a Toronto based multimedia artist, DJ, producer and label owner of Savvy Records. He is known not only for his Juno Award Nominated full-length album, but also his remixes for international artists such as Brabe, Society of Silence and many more.

Find his work this week at the following NUIT ROSE events:

NUIT ROSE - Opening Night & Group Exhibition

Wednesday, June 13th, 7:00 – 10:00 pm

NUIT ROSE x Tapette Pop-up Art Party

Thursday, June 14th, 10:00 pm - 2:00 am

Super Wonder Gallery

Friday, June 15th, 1:00 pm - 2:00 am

Volunteer at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair →

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) is Canada's largest, longest running juried contemporary outdoor art fair. Founded in 1961, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair exists to nurture artistic excellence and artists’ entrepreneurial spirit, and to showcase contemporary art to the general public. This free event showcases work by over 320 contemporary visual artists and makers, ranging from painting, photography, and mixed media to jewellery and ceramics, attracting over 100,000 visitors each year to Nathan Phillips Square.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is only made possible by the amazing volunteers. Each year over 150 volunteers lend their hands, time and expertise to make this event happen. If you are passionate about art or volunteering please join volunteer this July. Types of roles:

• Fair Volunteer Be the face of the festival, includes providing information to audiences, fundraising, tour leading
• Logistics Help out in production, mark up the square, be in the dolly crew helping artists set up, keep everything running smoothly!
• Artist Liaison Connect with our artists, help register them and assist with their needs throughout the day!
• Office assistance Pre-fair assistance preparing items for the fair, plus postering and postcard distribution.

By volunteering for the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, you will not only be supporting the arts, and meeting amazing people but you will also be creating access and helping shape the Toronto arts community. You will be provided with comprehensive training, a TOAF t-shirt and volunteer appreciation events. Without you this event would not be possible. We hope you’ll also have fun and gain some amazing experience!

Any questions don’t hesitate to contact Rosanna at volunteer@torontooutdoor.art

Sign Up For Free Art Talks! →

The 57th edition of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is almost upon us and this year's fair has an great programming line up, including the following free talks. Sign up for free in advance.

Building the Creative City

July 6th from 1:00-1:45PM

With Anahita Azrahimi (Executive & Creative Director, TOAF), Tammy Yiu (Creative + Community, Partial), and Lauren Pirie (Artist and Muralist).

Art Before Dishes With Tiffany Pratt

July 7th from 3:00-4:00PM

Warp, Weft and Resin

July 7th from 5:00-6:00PM

With Robert K. E. Mitchell (MDes. Assistant Professor, Material Design, OCAD University) and TOAF artists: Dan Driscoll, Tania Love, and Alicia Niles.

The Collector's Panel

July 8th from 3:00-4:00PM

With Alex McLeod (Visual Artist), Justin Broadbent (Director and Artist), Regina Sheung (Owner, Labour of Love). Moderated by Tammy Yiu (Creative + Community, Partial).

Akin Show and Tell on June 26 at Akin St Clair

Every month Akin hosts a relaxed and fun ‘Show and Tell for Artists’ at one of the Akin Collective studios or at one of our partner organizations' locations. This is a time for Akin members and other Toronto artists to show completed works or works in progress and get friendly feedback and answers from their peers in a casual studio setting.

Feel free to bring art to share, bring a friend or two, bring snacks or drinks or just bring yourself! Come for the conversation or just to meet other artists and makers. This is FREE public event - everyone is welcome!

The June edition of the Show and Tell is happening at Akin St Clair at 1747 St Clair Ave West. 
 

Accessibility:
This building is all on one floor. Akin St. Clair Studios regrets any barrier to access. If you require more information or are concerned about accessibility barriers please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Akin St. Clair Entrance: The side door has no steps to enter. It is 46 inches wide. The front door is 35 inches wide and has one step.

Inside: When entering from the side door one enters into a hall. Most areas are flat inside. There is a step to get from the back hall to the kitchen. It is still possible to get to the kitchen without using the step by going around to the other entrance to the kitchen.

There is one all genders bathroom. There is one step to get to the bathroom. There is no alternative bathroom or alternative route to the bathroom. The bathroom door is 30 inches wide. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilets are not raised.

Getting here by TTC:
Akin St Clair Studios is accessible on the 512 St. Clair Streetcar Line and by bus, take either Bus 168 from Dundas West Station, or Bus 127 Spadina Station to Keele and St. Clair.

Parking:
There is a private parking lot to the west of the building. It is likely that one will find a parking spot there. If not there is residential parking on Houndslowt Heath Road and other residential streets in the area.

Akin Members at Field Trip Music and Arts Fesitval →

Field Trip brings some of the world’s best music right to the heart of Toronto, but the festival is also about much more than that. Food, art, comedy, family, fashion and a spirit of discovery count among the many inspirations, and each year’s Field Trip is dedicated to collaborative explorations of those themes. At this year's festival you can find Akin Ossington members Leora Israel's and Jenn Kitagawa's work is on display in the Field Trip Marketplace and in one of the Art and Design areas.

Leora Israel is a Toronto potter with a focus on functional wares with a modern twist. You can shop her line of beautiful ceramics, The Otter Potter, in the Field Trip Marketplace this weekend. The Field Trip Marketplace is an annual hub where fans can browse unique wares from some of Toronto’s most talented crafters and designers.

Jenn Kitagawa is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Toronto, Canada. Her vision is to experiment with different mediums, techniques and materials to create a diverse body of work generating excitement in the viewer. You can find her gigantic bean bag installation just south of the Fort York stage.

Akin Dupont artist Mark Buck presents 'MARKBUCK.ART PREMIERE ART EXHIBITION 1987- 2017' at Artscape Youngplace

Akin Dupont Artist Mark Buck presents 'MARKBUCK.ART PREMIERE ART EXHIBITION 1987- 2017' from June 5 - 16 in studio 107 at Artscape Youngplace.

This solo show will be exhibiting over 25 of Mark’s art: from acrylic on canvas and paper, mixed media, silkscreen mono prints and some sculptures. All the artwork is available for purchase.

Mark will be discussing his artwork and techniques on Saturday, June 9 2018 at 12:30 PM and again at 3:00 PM. Please RSVP which time slot you will be attending with your number of guests to me@markbuck.art.

Mark Buck was born in Toronto in 1953. Art has always been part of Mark’s life. Mark’s multi-faceted talents are reflected in his own artwork which he creates. His silkscreen mono prints, acrylic paintings on canvas or paper, mixed media creations often have a “Jackson Pollock” effect which represents the metamorphosis of form, texture, shape or colour. Mark remarks: “The struggle of each colour, form, texture and shape, like man against the elements and nature, are in a never-ending struggle for their freedom and identity.” Mark’s artistic style is very influenced by the Bauhaus Shape Principles. For more information visit www.markbuck.art

EXHIBITION HOURS:
MON:   12:00 PM-5:00 PM
TUE:    1:00  PM - 7:00  PM
WED:  12:00 PM - 5:00  PM
THU:   1:00 PM  - 7:00  PM
FRI:    12:00 PM - 5:00  PM
SAT:   12:00 PM - 5:00  PM
SUN:    12:00 PM - 5:00  PM

Summer Art Shows Featuring Andrea Bailey →

Andrea Bailey of Akin Lansdowne uses colour to suggest mood, time, light and place.  Most of her paintings are acrylic on paper.  Recently, she has been working with oil paints on canvas using a palette knife.

Andrea Bailey will be at the Riverdale Art Walk on June 2nd and 3rd in booth 136 and the Rosedale Art Fair on June 9th and 10th. 

The Riverdale Art Walk is a two‐day, public fine art exhibition showcasing over 170 established and emerging artists in Jimmie Simpson Park in Toronto’s flourishing Queen East arts district.

The Rosedale Art Fair is two-day event that showcases the notable work of over 50 emerging to established artists from across the GTA, at participating Rosedale stores and restaurants.

Painters Make Better Lovers Group Show →

Painters Make Better Lovers is a group painting show inspired by American painter Molly Zuckerman-Hartung’s 95 Theses on Painting. Using her manifesto as a jumping off point, the group proposes works that examine and reflect their own personal, political, and theoretical motivations as painters. As emerging artists, they seek a greater understanding of how elements including: aesthetics, the history of painting, and gender inform the underlying ethos of their work. Like Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, the artists work intuitively and celebrate painting as an ongoing conversation with oneself, other artists, and the environments they inhabit.

Painters Make Better Lovers

Location: Northern Contemporary

Dates: May 31st - June 5th, 2018.

Opening Reception: May 31st, 2018 at 6:30PM

Painters Make Better Lovers features the work of Rebekah Andrade of Akin King, Cristine Yunyk, Adelaide Thorhallsdottir, Inga Gircyte, and Kristin Morthens.

Through languages of painting and sculpture, Rebekah Andrade’s work explores definitions of the ideal form in its many expressions of architecture, geometry, space, and colour. Within these elements, she is interested in our desire to perfect characteristics and draws inspiration from challenging personal instincts to control and manipulate her inhabited spaces. Using this as a jumping off point the methods and boundaries of subject and medium are negotiated, intuitively evolving her geometric combinations, application of paint, and construction of forms. With a minimalistic approach of transitioning overlapping layers of ambiguous lines, texture, faded curves, and contrasting colours, we become emotionally receptive to the spaces within her paintings.  Rebekah holds a BFA in Visual Arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and is currently completing a Graphic Design certificate through Parsons School of Design in New York City. Her work has shown in Chile, Vancouver, and Toronto.

Community Arts Space Open Studio: Treaty Talk with Akin King artist Louis Esmé this Saturday at the Gardiner Museum

Sat May 26, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen's Park, Toronto
Registration required. 

Part of the Community Arts Space: Recent Histories at the Gardiner Museum, Treaty Talk is Co-presented with Akin King artist Louis Esmé and Titiesg Wîcinímintôwak Bluejays Dancing Together Collective. 

Join knowledgeable community members Jodi Lynn Maracle (Kanien’kehá:ka) and Shane H. Camastro (anishinaabe) in this short, interactive workshop on Treaty relationships and responsibilities in Dish with One Spoon Territory. As practicing artists and educators from this place, they will facilitate activities and discussions to root community arts and museum practices in these original agreements.

About the Community Arts Space: Recent Histories:
Inspired by the transformative aspects of ceramics, both real and metaphorical, the Community Arts Space is the Gardiner’s incubator for arts-based community projects. In collaboration with local artists, designers, and collectives, the Museum will mount five public projects that examine how cultural knowledge is passed on or performed, and the role of the museum in cultivating the so-called lived and living memory.

About Louis Esmé:
Louis Esmé (Mi’kmaq-Acadian, Irish) is an artist, writer, and illustrator whose social art practice spans over 20 years working within grassroots, artist-run, and academic spaces. A co-founder of Titiesg Wîcinímintôwak // Bluejays Dancing Together Collective, which has gathered knowledge, stories, and desires for re-urbanized Two-Spirit people and their relations since 2012, Esmé’s work is granny craft/old media with social commentary akin to Statler & Waldorf from Sesame Street. For the Gardiner’s Intervention Project, which will evoke participation and educational potential within the expanded field of ceram­ics, Esmé will make seven clay districts representing the Mi’kmaq Seven Directions in the Gardiner’s Exhibition Hall, lobby, and permanent collection galleries. Vessels referencing Woodland pottery forms will reckon with ongoing colonialisms, while offering witness to Indigenous survivance on the Dish with One Spoon Territory.

Community Arts Space Open Studio Schedule: 

1 – 5 pm | Micro Comedies, Macro Tragedies
2 – 4 pm | Treaty Talk
2 – 5 pm | ‘Take a Future, Leave a Future’ All-Ages Game
3 – 4 pm | Invisible Footprints Panel
4 – 5 pm | Panic in the Labyrinth Open Mic

The Community Arts Space is the Gardiner Museum’s annual summer incubator program for arts-based community projects conceived by up-and-coming local creatives. Since 2015, we’ve partner with artists, curators, and cultural innovators to present free, accessible programming—from live musical performances and film screenings, to collaborative art workshops—all inspired by the transformative aspects of clay.

This year’s theme, Recent Histories, is inspired the Gardiner’s mission to be an active force in the community, and to truly reflect the histories, lived experiences, and traditions of its publics. Through five different project streams, our partners will transform the Museum according to this theme, activating our 307-square-metre third-floor Exhibition Hall as well as our Outdoor Plaza.

Sneak Peek of the Akin Studio Program at MOCA this weekend!

One weekend every year, Doors Open Toronto provides an opportunity to explore some of the most architecturally, historically, culturally and socially significant buildings across the city – many of which are not usually open to the public.

Akin would like to invite you to join us this weekend at 158 Sterling Road as the doors open to a sneak preview of the new home of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA). Featuring all five floors of the museum. MOCA will be open 12pm-5pm Saturday and Sunday for Doors Open Toronto. Last entry will be at 4:30pm.

This preview of the building will highlight the architecture of the exhibition and programming spaces. Take the opportunity to join MOCA as a member and learn about upcoming exhibitions. An Akin staff member will be on site on Floor 4 to answers questions about Akin. 

Akin will facilitate the rental of artist studios on Floor 4 of the museum through the Akin Studio Program. Selected artists will be moving their studio into the museum for a term of one year and will share their practices with the museum’s visitors through programs such as open studio events.

Floor 4 of MOCA will integrate these studios, with residencies and a workshop space for educational programs. The studios will vary in size from approximately 50 to 250 square feet and will be designed by Akin to create a light and welcoming environment for artists to develop their work. Similar to Akin’s other seven locations, the space will foster a community atmosphere and the exchange of ideas.

For more information about the Akin Studio Program please visit akin.art/moca

Akin Vitrine Gallery + Kate Drwecka →

We are very excited to present new work by Akin St. Clair member, Kate Drwecka in our Vitrine Galleries for the months of May and June! 

Her installation is based on her most recent project, Becoming: a 31 page printed horror comic, the first in a series of mini comics exploring horror’s ability to process real trauma through representation. The original pages measure roughly 16.75" x 21.25", and the final product is a mini-comic that is 5.5" x 8.5". This installation features some of the original pages, and a recreation of the iconic mirror and monster from the comic. 

Becoming is a story of repression, denial of self, and how that presents itself in our lives. Laila is a woman who lives alone with her past, haunted by a ghastly figure living in her mirror. The reflection calls to Laila's unacknowledged history, begging her to confront her denied history. As Laila continues to refuse her past, the figure in the mirror grows stronger, to eventually manifest outside the mirror. 

Kate Drwecka is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator working and living in Toronto. She grew up in the cold climates of Canada, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in NY. As a small child, Kate wanted to grow up and become Freddie Mercury. She still does.

Currently Kate is working on a series about an all-girl supernatural detective agency, and a series of horror comics. Kate is an original member of the Akin Comic Club and has recently helped organize the Akin Comic Day event. A one-day celebration of comic books, comic making and comic artists! 

Becoming will be on view for the month of May in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). 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.

The exhibition will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of June at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

Support Our Friends at Walnut Studios →

In the early morning of May 19, 2018, Walnut studios, nestled between Niagara street and Walnut Ave in Toronto experienced a devastating fire. The devastating fire in the north end of the studio, affected 22 artists who lost not only their artwork but also all of their art supplies. 

Founded in 2008, Walnut Studios is a community of 45 artists in a large warehouse studio in Toronto's King West Village. It is home to Painters, Sculptors, Fashion Designers, Jewellery Makers, Photographers, and Installation Artists.

As the friends, family and community of those artists affected by the Walnut studio fire, let's give back to our creative community during their time of great loss. All funds raised through the GoFundMe campaign will be distributed so that the artists can purchase new equipment and art supplies to get making again. This money will also go towards helping these artists relocate temporarily while the major repairs are being completed on their Walnut studio spaces.

ALL CAPS: Art Show Featuring Luvsumone and Berma →

ALL CAPS is an interdisciplinary show featuring the art of Moises Frank aka Luvsumone (currently practicing out of Akin's St. Clair studios) and Berma aka Berma! Connecting through their love of all things art, jokes and shawarma, ALL CAPS is a show that brings together the creativity of two of Toronto’s hardest working artists.

ALL CAPS will feature works for sale from Luvsumone and Berma’s first ever collection of poetry for sale! Be prepared for some surprises as well! 

When: Friday, May 18th 2018

Time: 7:00 to 11:00PM

Cover: $5 per person

*BYOB

DIY Skateboard Workshop with Greenwood Studio →

SPRING CUSTOM
SKATEBOARD WORKSHOP

(AGES 9 +)

Imagine pulling an Ollie or a power slide on your very own custom designed deck! Using Canadian Maple veneers and a vacuum bag system, you will press your own unique pintail, old school, street deck, or penny board. Brand it with your own personal logo and graphics. Be ready to skate your own deck this summer!

Dates: 5 Tuesdays - May 22, 29, June 5, 12, 26, 2018
Time: 4 pm to 6 pm
Location: 915 Dupont Street, Toronto, M6H 1Z1
Cost: $280 + HST

No experience necessary. This program is capped at a maximum of 8 participants.
Note: Cost includes all materials to complete a skateboard deck. Trucks and wheels are not included.

Greenwood Studio is dedicated to facilitating exploration and creation in a fun and supportive environment. Their collaborative learning environment promotes playful, self-directed learning, entrepreneurial abilities, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. 

TCAF Panel: Building a Comics Community Feat. Althea Balmes →

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) kicks off this weekend with a stellar line up of artists, writers, panels, workshops, kids programming and more. One event of note is the Building a Comics Community panel featuring Akin King member, Althea Balmes.

What: Building a Comics Community Panel

Where: Marriott Hotel (Summerhill Ballroom)

When: May 13th 2018 at 2:45PM

Althea Balmes is a multidisciplinary visual storyteller and artist educator who is interested in collaborative creative expressions to tell stories and make art. Her work has been shown at Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, Kaohsiung International Film Festival, Scarborough Arts Bridging Festival as well as Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, A-Space Gallery, Blackwood Gallery, Mayworks Festival among others. Her illustrations and comics has also been published by Briarpatch Magazine, Rice Paper Magazine, The Peak Magazine, Our Times Magazine, and Looseleaf Magazine.

TCAF exists to promote the breadth and diversity of comics, and what is considered comics, as legitimate medium of literary and artistic worth. The festival seeks to promote the creators of these works in their broad and diverse voices, for the betterment of the medium of comics and to reach as wide an audience as possible for them.

Financial Planning For Artists - June 6th 2018

An artist’s step-by-step, beginner’s guide to financial planning. 

Wednesday June 6 / Council Chambers at Toronto City Hall - 100 Queen St West / 6:30-8:30pm / PWYC (Suggested Donation $10) / Please register to attend at www.universe.com/artfinance2018


Many artists wonder if they can afford to do what they love. You can with a plan! Join us for an evening full of financial strategies that will help you make the most of your money, so you can make the most of your practice. 

This session includes free worksheets and take home resources to guide you through each step of your financial planning process.

This workshop will cover 8 Steps to a Financial Plan:

Create Goals
Know Where You Stand
Find Income
Save
Track
Make a Budget
Reduce Debt
Make the Plan

The workshop includes:

Presentation on financial planning
Short break
Q&A period at the end
Printed copy of the presentation and FAQs
Free worksheets and resources to take away and guide you through each step of your own financial planning process

Participants should bring:

Pen/pencil/device for note-taking if they wish
Their creativity and questions!

About the presenter:

Diana Bahr is an OCAD U graduate in Drawing & Painting (2016), and former OCAD U staff from the Financial Aid department where she provided financial literacy and professional practice workshops to student artists and designers for five years. She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto and works as an Educational Counsellor for a women’s employment agency. She is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist and has exhibited her work at various locations including a traveling show in New York, the Ontario Science Centre, the Brain Project in Toronto, and Mercedes Benz in Mississauga. She is currently co-organizing and participating in a year-long artist residency program in the east end of Toronto.

The event venue is fully wheelchair accessible and please let us know of any other accessibility needs, including ASL interpretation, so that we can assist you. Please email michael@akincollective.com at least one week before the event and we will do our best to accommodate you. Thank you.

Acts of Kindness Crochet Workshop at TSA →

“When we facilitate workshops, I always say crochet is a great way to lose yourself; to think about everything that’s going on, or to think about nothing at all and just focus on the craft.”

— Chason Yeboah via She Does The City

Join Chason Yeboah and Tumaini Lyaruu next Thursday, May 3rd 2018 from 6-9PM for a workshop that intertwines crochet foundations and mindfulness strategies.

In this workshop, participants will learn to crochet art pieces that externalize the expansiveness of the creative mind by going through the rhythmic and repetitive motions of crochet, recognizing patterns, and learning new stitches of the art form.

Thursday, May 3rd 2018.

6:00-9:00PM

Toronto School of Art - 999 Dufferin Street, 2nd Floor

Registration fee: $45 per person.

Price includes all materials. Participants will get to bring home a crochet hook and skein of yarn.

AOK (Acts of Kindness) is a collective created by Chason Yeboah and Tumaini Lyaruu in an effort to spread love around the city of Toronto through the art of crochet. What started as a love initiative evolved into a practice of community building and skill sharing.

Chason Yeboah is a Toronto based artist who crochets anatomically correct, nude figures that are representative of various bodily forms and skin tones.

Tumaini Lyaruu is a Toronto based HIV/sexual health educator and craftivist. Tumainis’ preferred gender pronoun is ‘T’ and is known for the crocheted vulvas that T creates. T uses the power of crafting, compassion and our truths to foster meaningful growth across communities.