Promise in the Park: The Winchester Park Public Art Project

We're proud to announce Promise in the Park Project: The Winchester Park Public Art Project. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. At this time we'd like to recognize our community partners, and particularly Diane Frankling Co-operative Homes, the Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council, and Jumblies Theatre's Artistic Director Ruth Howard and Managing Director Keith McNair for mentorship. 

http://grant.otf.ca/grantlistings.aspx?year=2013&catchment=Toronto

Promise in the Park is a multidisciplinary project that will cultivate community engagement in arts in Toronto’s Winchester Park neighbourhood while creating public art that is based upon the local stories and traditions of the people living there. Through a 4-year artistic process, we will showcase, cross pollinate, and grow the unknown or unacknowledged cultural riches that are present in the area, catalyze new social connections, and increase neighbourhood safety by revitalizing its public spaces.

Promise in the Park builds upon Red Dress Productions’ artistic residency with Diane Frankling Co-operative Homes (formerly Bleecker Street-Co-operative @85 Bleecker St.) between 2006 and 2012 that engaged 400+ volunteer project contributors and culminated in three large-scale mosaic public artworks. Motivated to extend the legacy of social inclusion beyond its membership and into the wider Winchester Park neighbourhod, Red Dress Productions has been called upon upon by Diane Frankling Housing Co-op’s membership to develop the framework for and lead Promise in the Park.

The artistic processes, production, and public presentation inherently cultivate a context for inclusive and co-creative social and civic engagement across difference in the Winchester Park neighbourhood. Promise in the Park will be realized through community and park transformation and will work to better welcome, reflect, and include the diversity of people who live in the area. 

Public artworks, conceptualized and produced through collaborative artistic practices, will remain in a string of Winchester area parks. These artworks will physically and visually connect the neighbourhood, and will also serve as the a site for a large-scale Community Play.

Red Dress Productions will begin working with communities in the Winchester Park area on Promise in the Park in January 2014. 

'Ella,' Church Street Murals Project

Installation Team: Katie Yealland (Installation Director), Hunter Marino,
Doug Reid,  Tristan R. Whiston, Anna Camilleri

Building "Ella" Church Street Murals Project 

Welcome to Ms Finnikin!

We're pleased to welcome Andrenne Finnikin to join our team as community arts (youth) apprentice on the Everyone. Everywhere. mural project! 

Andrenne Finnikin also known as Dreena is an up and coming Toronto based artist. Through the years she has explored numerous medias such drawing, painting, African drumming, photography, dance and drama. Working as an arts educator for Arts for Children and Youth has given her the opportunity to work with a diverse group of artists across Toronto. She has devoted over 5 years in the community arts field and continues to grow as an artist. Andrenne has showcased her work in City Hall, Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, AWOL Gallery, Papermill Gallery and The Harbourfront Centre to name a few. This Fall/2013 Andrenne will be hosting her first independent art exhibit.

Youth Apprentice Employment Opportunity

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY for Youth

Community Art Apprentice Position

Project runs: mostly in September and October 2013 with a few hours in August

Flexible/variable hours: afternoons, evenings, weekends

Remuneration: $15/hour for a total of 50 hours over the course of the project.

Red Dress Productions is proud to steward the creation of “Everyone. Everywhere.” A Mural Recognizing Personhood Before the Law.

Everyone. Everywhere. is an Arts Etobicoke community engaged mural initiative in partnership with Amnesty International’s Project: Urban Canvas, Creative Village Studio, and with the generous support of the City of Toronto’s StreetART program.

One equity-seeking youth will be hired as Community Art Apprentice to work directly with the lead artists to create a safe and welcoming project environment, help maintain the studio and mural site, and contribute to technical elements of mural production.

Applicants don’t need any prior experience, training, or education in community art or visual arts, but must be interested in community art, be a reliable team member, and be prepared to learn and accept direction in an applied learning environment. Additionally, applicants must:

·      Be under 25 years of age;

·      Have an ability to work with a diversity of community members;

·      Be interested in learning about community engaged art, and particularly paint and mosaic mural;

·      Be comfortable working as part of a team;

·      Have good work habits: punctual, reliable, and conscientious;

TO APPLY:

Please submit an email application to <reddressproductions@gmail.com> with the following attachments:

1) A brief letter of interest telling us why you’d like to work on this project and what you hope to learn

2) Your resume, including the name and phone number of two character or employment references

The subject line in your email should be titled “Hiring Committee – Community Art Apprentice”. Emails with a different subject line may be deleted accidentally without being considered.

NO EMAIL OR TELEPHONE INQUIRIES PLEASE.

The application deadline is Monday, August 19 at 4 p.m.

Late applications will not be considered.

Red Dress Productions encourages applications from members of all equity seeking groups. Short listed applicants will be invited to an interview on Wednesday August 21, at 1pm.  Unfortunately, we’re unable to offer alternate interview dates; candidates must be available on August 21 from 1p.m. to 3p.m.  in order to be considered for the position.