MABELLEarts
Chair, MABELLEarts Board of Directors
Dear Friends and Co-conspirators,
On the other side of a pandemic that was a portal, our little band of artists, pirates and change-makers is setting sail for transformative impact on Mabelle Avenue, while keeping our eyes trained on the horizon of a big city and world. This year, together with thousands of residents, partners, architects and artists we broke ground on a new vision for MABELLEpark - the creative heart of our neighbourhood. It is our most substantive project to date, and I couldn’t be prouder.
The new MABELLEpark is an active and communal reimagining of what parks can do and be. It will be among the first parks in Canada designed to respond to the unique needs and desires of residents living together in a high-density, low-income tower community. It's been developed with our COVID experience in mind, allowing our Park to serve many purposes as community needs evolve and change. Subtle interventions contribute to community climate readiness, positioning us well for an uncertain future.
MABELLEpark has always been the place where our community meets. Where we sink our hands into the earth, plant seeds and imagine something new. MABELLEpark is a place where we can ask big questions: who are we and who can we be? What kind of world do we want to live in? What are we uniquely positioned to do and how will we do it?
We are so grateful to you, our funders and partners. Many of you have believed in the vision of MABELLEpark from the very beginning. You’ve been with us every step of the way. We’re so proud to share this year’s Impact Report with you - a snapshot of the year that was, by the numbers. At MABELLEarts, we believe that numbers matter. Numbers help us determine if we’re making the impacts we know we’re capable of. But sometimes, an impact is so big, that one is enough - is beautiful and worth pausing and reflecting on. Thanks for taking the time to reflect with us on the many and the one of MABELLEarts and thank you for being one of the many who help make MABELLE beautiful.
Big Love,
Leah Houston
Executive Director, MABELLEarts
We know that new, wicked problems will come. When they do, MABELLEpark will serve as a place to respond as well as a place to build the relationships that make responding possible. Our unique governance model offers over-stretched municipalities a road map to sharing the load of the critical animation, maintenance and care that amplifies the value of these spaces.
As Canada responds to a generation-defining housing crisis, investing in social infrastructure is more important than ever. How will we live together in denser, urban places? How do we build new relationships with our neighbours - the relationships we’ll need to respond to future challenges? COVID taught us that communities need strong connections and shared places to respond when times get tough.
one-of-a-kind & once-in-a-lifetime beautifully designed and community-powered park and clubhouse.
When Luminato invited us to host this big little girl on Mabelle Avenue, we were overjoyed. Little Amal has come to represent the struggle of displaced children and their families fleeing war, violence and economic dislocation across the world. Walk With Amal on Mabelle Avenue reminded us of the power art has to tell difficult stories and transform pain into a shared vision for a better world. It also reminded us that Mabelle Avenue is an ideal stage for world-class, community-engaged performance.
giant little girl brought her powerful story to Mabelle Avenue.
12 partners.
32 artists.
700+ neighbours from Mabelle Avenue and beyond took part.
It's early days, but check out The Patch - our incubator for all our microbusiness explorations and site for future newcomer artist residencies. This initiative is fueled by 1 critical partnership with North America’s second-largest housing provider - Toronto Community Housing Corporation - who continues to believe in the art that builds community. Keep your eyes out for new updates on The Patch as a new cycle of community-based social infrastructure development takes root on Mabelle Avenue.
new town square in the heart of Mabelle Avenue.
This year, thanks to the power and commitment of our neighbours, we began to transform our COVID food bank into a deeply affordable produce market and community product incubator. The MABELLEmarket is ninety percent community-run and provides employment opportunities and training to local residents. Together, we are affirming our commitment to mutual aid, by co-creating a food security response that centres community control and economic opportunity.
80%
13
MABELLEmarket cost recovery thanks to our community opening their wallets.
residents take part in low-barrier employment opportunities.
servings of local produce in the hands of individuals and families thanks to buying power made possible by our friends at FoodShare.
10,740
pounds of fresh produce sold at a subsidized price at the MABELLEmarket.
2648
Welcome to the Neighbourhood continued to transform the settlement sector, bringing together newcomer artists, community arts organizations and settlement agencies across the GTA. We launched Welcome to the Neighbourhood during the pandemic, pivoting our programs to take place online; 2023 marked the first full year of entirely in-person programming, and the impact it has had on newcomers and racialized artists has been profound.
$209,495 supported…
newcomers find connection through community arts-engaged practices and programs.
440
newcomer artists to receive experiential employment training to accelerate their careers in the community arts sector.
38
artists, including 21 newcomer artists, providing employment opportunities during a time of unprecedented upheaval in the arts sector.
10
invested into programming and operational capacity.
$1,223,418
raised towards the transformation of MABELLEpark.
$2,925,766
ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022
Balsam Foundation
Canada Community Revitalization Fund
Canada Council for the Arts
Canadian Heritage
Canadian Red Cross
Catherine Donnelly Foundation
City of Toronto
Cultural Human Resources Council
Daily Bread Food Bank
Ecclesiastical Insurance
Economic Social Development Canada
Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada
John & Pat McCutcheon Foundation
Metcalf Foundation
Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility
Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport
Minto Communities Management Inc.
Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Trillium Foundation
Otto & Marie Pick Foundation
Peter Gilgan Foundation
Rotary Etobicoke
TD Bank Group
The Co-operators
The McLean Foundation
The United Way Greater Toronto
Toronto Arts Council
Toronto Arts Foundation
Toronto Pearson Airport
Work In Culture
Arab Community Centre of Toronto
Art Ignite
Arts4All
Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture
COBS Bread
Community Arts Guild
COSTI
CultureLink
Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre
Desar Construction Studio
Evergreen
FoodShare
Global Medic
Haven on the Queensway
Humber Valley United Church
Islington United Church
Jumblies
Kiwanis Club of Kingsway Humber
LAMP Community Health Centre
Levitt Goodman Architects
Luminato
Montgomery’s Inn
Monumental
Muse Arts
Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto
OddSide Arts
Park People
Rexdale Community Centre Support Services
School Grown Farms: Burnamthorpe CI
Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services
Shadowland Theatre
SHIFT Landscape
SUR Gallery
Tangled Arts
Teknion
Toronto Community Benefits Network
Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Toronto District School Board
University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine Community-Based Service-Learning Program
Working for Change
Village of Islington BIA
