Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - After the cancellation of Toronto’s annual Newcomer Day celebration, which celebrates newcomers’ contributions to the city and introduces them different city-wide services, the Toronto Arts Foundation and the Neighbourhood Arts Network decided to put together this incredible, virtual week-long celebration of art around the city. You get everything from visual art to music to discussions about creativity and culture, and it looks AMAZING. Everyday from May 18-22, you can experience a different event over Zoom!

From the submission:

As Newcomer Day festivities in Nathan Phillips Square have been cancelled due to COVID-19, Neighbourhood Arts Network is pleased to spotlight newcomer artists online from May 18-22. A week full of online activations showcasing films, music, and discussions by newcomer artists, Newcomer Week: Virtual Edition will showcase and honour the vibrancy that newcomer artists bring to Toronto’s cultural landscape. As the potential of art and immigration are both heightened by bringing people together, Newcomer Week: Virtual Edition will pay homage to this truth by convening organizations including Ontario Arts Council, JAYU, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Small World Music, and past recipients of Neighbourhood Arts Network’s RBC Newcomer Artist Award to present virtual activations through dynamic digital partnerships.

Below you will see multiple offerings from Newcomer Week, along with direct links to register/attend the events on Zoom! Please support this beautiful initiative and experience the wide range of art being offered throughout the week!

For more information about the Neighbourhood Arts Network, visit their official website!

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NEWCOMER WEEK: VIRTUAL EDITION SCHEDULE

Monday May 18 - 8pm EDT: Join Neighbourhood Arts Network for "Ó:ia Enióhrhen’ne" on Monday, May 18th at 8pm EST for an Instagram Live Talk with Canadian Poet Of Honour Mahlikah Awe:ri and Musical Artist Saye Skye. This is the first in a series of LIVE events scheduled this week, which will be celebrating and acknowledging the contributions of Newcomers to Tkarón:to in the spirit of the Annual Newcomer Day. 

For more information, visit the Facebook event page HERE!

Tuesday May 19 - 6-7:30pm EDT: Join Neighbourhood Arts Network on Tuesday, May 19 from 6-7:30 PM for an Online Exhibition Tour with Independent Curator and Gallery Administrator, Claudia Arana. She will share her perspective on 'Extracolonial: Reflections for Action', Sur Gallery's current online exhibition, and how she has adapted her skills and expertise due to COVID-19.

Sign up for the online exhibition tour HERE!

Wednesday May 20 1-2:30pm EDT: Presented in partnership with Ontario Arts Council, ‘Establishing an Arts Practice in Canada’ is a moderated discussion between award recipients from Toronto Arts Foundation, Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council. Hear from Syrian musicians and founders of Diar and Music From Hope, Nour Kaadan and Tarek Ghriri, and Ali Saeedi, a Deaf artist from Iran, as they discuss how they’ve developed their art practice, challenges, opportunities, developing networks/audiences, etc. and how they are faring under the current circumstances.

Sign up for the online discussion HERE!

Thursday May 21 - 6pm EDT: Presented in partnership with New York Foundation for the Arts, join Iraqi- Canadian performance artist Ahmed Moneka and a newcomer artist based in New York as they discuss their mentorship opportunities with mentor veteran William Huffman of Dorset Fine Arts. This digital dialogue between two newcomer visual artists - one based in New York and in Toronto - as they discuss their experiences as international artists, their creative practices, and their mentorship experiences. This talk celebrates the values immigrant artists bring to the arts and culture sectors in Canada and USA by broadening our dialogue and celebrations to include not just Toronto-based artists but artists across North America.

Sign up for the online discussion HERE!

Friday May 22: Soothe yourself with sweet tunes co-curated by and including some of Small World Music’s eMERGEnce Cohort with this relaxed listening session. 

Tune into this online listening session HERE!