Cultural Hotspot Projects showcase local artists and organizations that celebrate creativity, culture and community. These projects are free and provide opportunities for the public to participate in arts activities and events. Browse upcoming Cultural Hotspot events.
A community beautification project that builds upon a three-year program in the Danzig community. Lead artist Amir Akbari works with the Scarborough Creative & Arts Talent Hub to co-design artwork for five concrete benches, with community engagement sessions held to inform final artwork designs.
Funding Recipient: Behind the Line
Local youth from the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood write and illustrate original picture books that contribute towards a final community picture book anthology. The project culminates in a community showcase.
Funding Recipient: Story Planet
A hands-on 10-week seniors’ mosaic-making workshop series held in two cohorts at East Scarborough Storefront and Cedar Ridge Creative Centre. Workshops include an art history component that focuses on mosaic traditions.
Funding Recipient: Mural Routes
A one-day graffiti and mural festival featuring local artists from KGO and Scarborough, at a local Toronto Community Housing building. Six professional graffiti artists are paired with youth mentees for live painting sessions held throughout the day.
Funding Recipient: Visual Landmarks
An intergenerational participatory poetry initiative held in accessible green spaces in KGO, led by poet, cultural curator and facilitator Farhia Tato.
Funding Recipient: Scarborough Arts
Offering free, return shuttle service with interactive performances between key transit hubs and Guild Park and Gardens, Theatre in Transit transforms transportation into a creative experience.
Funding Recipient: Guild Festival Theatre
A community-engaged public art project for youth from KGO that culminates in the creation of an indoor mural. Participants learn concept and design development and hands-on mural production skills.
Funding Recipient: Next Generation Arts
A youth mentorship program that engages participating KGO youth in co-creation and facilitation of art and theatre workshops for community members. The project culminates in a community showcase.
Funding Recipient: The East Scarborough Storefront
An intergenerational storytelling mentorship program for youth to collaborate with elders to collect and shape neighourhood “lore.” The project culminates in a series of visual storytelling displays in storefront windows of local businesses in KGO.
Funding Recipient: Kimberly Lopez of the Ginhawa Collective
A visual arts project that empowers neurodivergent youth through creativity and self-expression workshops. Youth ages 13 to 25 take part in a series of free weekly painting sessions, with participants taking part in an exhibition showcasing their work.
Funding Recipient: Art It Forward
A hands-on carnival arts program for participants ages six to 18 years, with creative workshops that build artistic skills and cultural knowledge. Participants design and create their own costumes to be showcased as part of the Scarborough Junior Carnival Parade.
Funding Recipient: IMPACT 'n Communities
The fifth annual one-day Hip Hop festival with DJ turntable demonstrations, interactive workshops, giveaways and interactive performances.
Funding Recipient: HHF Community Services Inc.
A three-month youth-led photography program engaging four local youth in exploring placemaking and photography techniques. Participants produce and exhibit their photos in an outdoor public space.
Funding Recipient: itsneerby
The Spice Master Bootcamp is a community-engaged program for KGO youth. Interactive weekly workshops focus on spice and food history and facilitated creative storytelling sessions. Project culminates in a public showcase.
Funding Recipient: Spice Master Bootcamp
A photography and storytelling project for KGO residents. It includes guided photo walks and portrait sessions that explore creative expression and perspective. The project culminates in a public photo installation.
Funding Recipient: Lens on the Ends
An art creation and short documentary film project that engages three IBPOC youth creatives from the KGO area. Artists produce original artworks in response to the question: What makes your neighbourhood unique? A narrative documentary captures each artist’s creative journey and culminates in a public screening.
Funding Recipients: Millicent and Deshawn
Through contemporary painting workshops, caregivers and parents of neurodivergent youth in Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) come together to reflect and share experiences. Participant feedback will help identify community needs and shape future programs, resources and opportunities for caregiver support.
Funding Recipient: Art It Forward
Fashion, creativity and self-expression come together in a series of informal workshops where participants customize thrifted garments using accessible techniques such as hand-painting, bleach art, airbrushing and mixed media. Insights gained through participant feedback and artistic exploration will support the development of future workshops.
Funding Recipient: Smita Mahmud
Emerging filmmakers connect with media industry mentors through a capacity-building initiative to strengthen their creative practice, better understand production roles and expand their professional network.
Funding Recipient: Toronto's Heroes
Blending graphic design, photography, experimental mixed media and illustration techniques, artist Danielle Clark explores the connections between people, shared spaces and collective experiences and how they shape identity, belonging and connection. Artwork and visuals will be compiled into the first edition of Cityzen.
Funding Recipient: Danielle Clark
Through documentary photography, storytelling and other visual mediums, this project documents and maps arts, culture and community stories of change in KGO.
Funding Recipient: Sid Naidu
Founding artists from Lens on the Ends will learn about accessibility practices, build capacity in accessible photography and videography programming techniques to support participation for people with disabilities. Learnings will be tested in a pilot workshop for KGO residents.
Funding Recipient: Lens on the Ends
Staff from R.I.S.E. will receive one-on-one mentorship in project management and event production, to support a community engagement and consultation process that will result in a toolkit. The toolkit will support KGO residents in delivering their own arts and culture programming.
Funding Recipient: R.I.S.E. Arts and Community Services
Through art-making workshops held in KGO, participants will collaborate to reimagine and co-design material kits that support accessible at-home creative art practices.
Funding Recipient: Unboxing Accessibility