Toronto: The Cultural Hotspot is an annual arts and culture program that celebrates Toronto’s outside-the-core communities. Delivered in collaboration with local arts and community organizations, the program provides valuable opportunities for youth employment and mentorship through workshops, exhibits, events and more.
Little Jamaica and Golden Mile are the two neighbourhoods that will be animated for this year’s Cultural Hotspot. For Little Jamaica, this includes communities as far west as Eglinton-West, Fairbank to the north, Oakwood-Vaughan to the south and Cedarvale to the east. Surrounding Golden Mile, the neighbourhoods of Bermondsey, Parma Court, Victoria Village, Wexford, Ionview, Clairlea and Clairlea-Birchmount are also included.
The program highlights the cultural significance of each community while celebrating their continued contributions to the cultural fabric of modern-day Tkaronto.
Cultural Hotspot Signature and SPARK Projects highlight local artists and community organizations that celebrate art, culture and community. These projects are free and provide new opportunities for the public to participate in community arts activities, workshops and events.
This year’s Cultural Hotspot program spotlights the Golden Mile and Little Jamaica neighbourhoods, with public art and community projects running from June to October.
All that is Golden
An initiative that brings exhibitions to local storefronts and largescale billboard displays to the Golden Mile area. Artists born, raised or working in Scarborough are selected through a call-for-proposals to create works that focus on the hidden or unapparent histories of the Golden Mile neighbourhood.
Project lead: Scarborough Arts Block by Block Walks: Golden Mile: This project fosters community dialogue about the history and future of the Golden Mile area through interactive walking tours and an exhibition of digital monuments. Curated by local youth and presented in partnership with local businesses, these free interactive walking tours showcase storytellers, performances, art activities and food.
Project lead: Toronto Ward Museum -Design to Production: A mural training and youth mentorship project that provides arts-based skill development opportunities to youth from the Golden Mile area. Participants are provided with the tools to learn fundamental design and painting skills through workshops led by Toronto mural artists, Amir Akbari and Leyland Adams.
Project lead: Boys & Girls Club of East Scarborough Film, Arts, Music & Entertainment (F.A.M.E.): This summer training and empowerment program helps youth from the Golden Mile community to develop technical, soft and life skills through film, music and arts. Participants develop a short film or music video about issues impacting their community. The culminating F.A.M.E. family event showcases the final works through a public screening where attendees can reflect on their community.
Project lead: Helping Neighbourhoods Implement Change Golden Mile Food Equity Community Project: \ Mural Routes and Feed Scarborough present four workshops where participants learn, create, eat and grow together. These workshops combine sustainable food practices and art-making to harvest a strong sense of community and belonging, where participants collaborate with professional artists and local facilitators to paint and decorate picnic benches at select Feed Scarborough locations.
Project leads: Mural Routes and Feed Scarborough :Scarborough Made: City of Industry: Through cinematography and photography, this documentary storytelling project showcases the entrepreneurial spirit of Golden Mile business people while providing young artists with employment opportunities in the creative industries.
Project lead: Scarborough Made Summer Arts Break at the Square: Prologue Performing Arts presents a series of family-friendly performances at Eglinton Square Shopping Centre that celebrate different cultures in the community through interactive storytelling, dance and music.
For details: visit Toronto.ca