June 2022 Newsletter

Want to be the first to receive monthly STEPS updates?

News

Happy Pride from STEPS!

Join STEPS this month and all year-round in celebrating and empowering the works and achievements of LGBTQQIP2SAA+ artists and community members. Check out free events happening in your city through Pride at Work’s ProPride 2022: Resurgence, explore public art projects such as the Celebrating Queer Black Lives Mural, last summer’s Queer Gardens, and the 2018 Equilibrium Mural, and dive into learning resources (including podcasts, articles, and toolkits).

STEPS Blog: Indigenous Placemaking in Public Libraries

An Image of Education is the New Buffalo Sculpture installed at the Calgary Public Library

In recognizing and celebrating the contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples this past National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, 2022, the latest STEPS Thought Leadership Blog covers emerging public art projects that address Truth and Reconciliation specific to libraries, archives, and cultural memory institutions. Read the full article to learn about Indigenous-led placemaking, group art activities, and advisory committees taking place in public libraries across Turtle Island.

I HeART Main Street Enters Third Summer!

Since the start of the pandemic, I HeART Main Street presented in partnership with RBC continues to support Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) and artists in bringing public art to main streets to boost economic recovery and community engagement. This program is accepting applications to bring creative summer placemaking ideas to life! Rewatch the information session, hear from artists about the impact of public art, and apply by June 28, 2022.

Call for STEPS Board Members

With an ambitious growth plan for the next five years, STEPS is expanding our Board of Directors comprised of deeply passionate and hardworking individuals who provide strategic foresight and expertise to the organization. If you are passionate about the arts and meet the qualifications, consider applying by August 8, 2022!

Events/Opportunities

An action shot shows participants painting at From Weeds We Grow events

Multiple Dates (July-Sept)
From Weeds We Grow at Panorama Park

Take part in free visual arts and creative writing workshops, storytelling, Indigenous teachings, and park walks! This program is an interdisciplinary public art project connecting communities to the arts, each other, and public spaces.

Multiple Dates (July-August)
The Mane Event

Join STEPS and local entrepreneur D’Andra Montaque for a series of free community hair and art workshops in Toronto’s Little Jamaica! This community arts series speaks to the importance of hair in Black culture, recognizing hair as art and an expression of identity.

Photograph of a construction hoarding that has a mural printed on it. The artwork features imagery of scenes from a park like green parks, animals, cars and people exercising and walking their dogs. It has a lot of bright colours with the city skyline in the background.

Free Accessibility in Public Art Videos

Missed the last accessibility panel discussion? View the collection of past virtual talks with artists and cultural workers as offered through CreateSpace and supported by the Bulmash-Siegel Foundation.

Public Art Near You!

Interconnection Audio Stories
(Toronto, Ontario)

Visit the Interconnection Mural at Paul Martel Park in the Bloor Annex and use the STEPS app to hear more about the legends and knowledge of Indigenous worldview, culture, and ancient stories!

Moving Forward Mural
(Mississauga, Ontario)

Artist Matthew Salisbury animates the city’s diversity, architecture and community energy in this interior mural at the Erin Mills BMO Branch as part of the BMO National Mural Series.

Resources For You

Supporting artists and arts workers, especially those who face barriers in accessing public art opportunities, is at the core of STEPS’ mandate. Below are resources and current opportunities on our radar. You can also visit Community Resources for additional learning opportunities.

Artmaking Drop-ins with Kseniya Tsoy, VIBE Arts (Multiple Dates)
Summer Art Series, Augusta Studio 219 (Multiple Dates)
Various Project Grants, Toronto Arts Council (Multiple Deadlines)
Arts in the Parks Summer Programming (Multiple Dates)
Toronto ProPride: Religious & 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion at Work (Jun 23, 2022)
Call for Art Course Proposals, Workman Arts (Deadline: Jun 23, 2022)
Peer Support/Active Listeners, Workman Arts Satellite (Deadline: Jun 24, 2022)
Indigenous Artist Call, OCADU and LinkedIn (Deadline: Jun 24, 2022)
Artist Call, Colours of South Asia, Visual Arts of South Asia (Deadline: Jun 24, 2022)
Artist Call, Caravan of Talents (Deadline: Jun 26, 2022)
Painting Workshop, Meegan Lim and ACCIDA (Jun 25, 2022)

More Public Art Opportunities

Building Community During COVID

Thanks to contributions from community members like you, STEPS has supported over 150 public art initiatives and made over $650,000 in direct payments to Canadian artists and designers since the start of the pandemic, including over $450,000 in 2021 alone.

Consider making a donation to support this important work!

Donate Today

Featured artists and photographers in this month’s issue:

Okuda San Miguel, Adrian Hayles, Kayla Buium, Stephanie Bellefleur, Sharon Mendonca, Curtia Wright, Arjun Lal, Chris Perez, Sue Todd, Ailsa Craigen, Aidan Kenny, Anushay Sheikh, Joseph Sagaj, Jacque Lavallee, Saroja Ponnambalam, May Shi, Matt Salisbury, Mila Bright, Fatspatrol, Kyle Jarencio, Queen Kukoyi, Zara Rahman, Selina McCallum, Sean Martindale, Diego Rojas