The South Asian art program to provide workshops to schools across Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto and Oakville
Mississauga, ON: The #MonsterArts for Youth program is created by MonstrARTity, a not-for-profit arts organization in Mississauga which provides South Asian art workshops to schools across Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Oakville and Markham. The focus of the MAY program is to build an all-inclusive environment for students from different backgrounds and transcend cultures by using the creativity of various South Asian workshops in film, music, visual art and design, and historical toys and games. Other than these, their new offerings include Indian tribal art, Indian classical vocal music theory and techniques and theatre workshops too.
The MAY program now strives to promote mental health by building an inclusive artistic environment leading to self-discovery for the youth and also get the kids excited about the arts and learn about their own culture and the cultures of their classmates in a fun, entertaining environment.
Here’s what our professional artists have to say about arts and mental health:
“Art is a powerful tool. It has the power to create us and define us. All of us look for different things from art, from our passion. For some, it is a way to express themselves; for some, it is a stress-buster; while for others, it might be a way to escape from reality. For me, it has always meant just one thing: Happiness.”
– Yashwanth Koppala, Dancer
“As a visual artist my focus is on the process and not the final product, art is not about becoming a great artist but about finding meaning and connection in your life. All you need for it is a willingness to experiment & express.”
– Raheel Patel, Visual artist
“The MAY program ties into how art can be used to support dialogues around mental health, builds an all-inclusive environment for students from different backgrounds that transcend cultures. It highlights the creativity in multiple South Asian art forms. MAY workshops bring the youth together and would be an excellent gift from the schools to their students this new year,” says Executive Director of MonstrARTity, Vikas Kohli. “Peel region is a mosaic of cultures and we are so proud to bring this cosmopolitan community together and break boundaries with the MAY program.”
With the MAY program, schools across Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto, Caledon, Oakville and Markham are able to bring professional, world-class artists into the classroom to engage students with South Asian dancing, singing, music, film, poetry, and visual arts for a subsidized cost of $300, and $75 for any additional workshops that occur on the same day. This special offer is applicable to all bookings done before 31st January 2020. For more information about the MAY program, or for teachers looking to book a workshop with any of our world-class artists, please visit https://www.monstrartity.com/
Check out the promo and some pictures below to see what the #MonsterArts for Youth is all about!
Morning Star Middle School students get crafty
Dancer and instructor, Alan Faigal with students at a MAY workshop
Multi-dimensional artist, Ed Hanley teaching tabla to students at a MAY workshop
Dancer and instructor, Alan Faigal with Morton Way students at a MAY workshop
About MonstrARTity
#MonsterArts for Youth is produced by MonstrARTity, an incorporated not-for-profit arts
About Vikas Kohli
Film composer and music producer, Vikas Kohli, is the Executive Director of MonstrARTity and is known for fusing together genres as varied as punk, classical, and Bollywood. Kohli is the Treasurer and Secretary on the Board of Directors for Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (OCAF). He’s received the Trailblazer Award (ReelWorld Film Festival), Voice Achievers Award (The Voice Communications Group), MARTY Award (Mississauga Arts Council) and Cultural Heritage Award (Heritage Mississauga). He’s a founding Citizen member of the Mayor’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and has been profiled on ET Canada, CBC The National, The Globe & Mail, The Hindustan Times and Zee News. Born in Ottawa, Kohli attended fine arts school, received an Honours Degree in Mathematics & Philosophy from the University of Toronto, his MBA from the Schulich School of Business and his CFA.