Call to Action: Meaningful & Accessible Art Program at Risk of Being Closed! (by Sarah Hedges)

PSST!!! Have you ever heard of the Central Tech Adult Art Program?
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No right? Why? Well, we've been hogging it all these years but now Toronto's Best Kept Secret is actually in danger of becoming extinct and those of us in the know would do anything to keep it going, even the sharing of it's existence.

This is serious guys! S.O.S.....SAVE OUR SCHOOL!

Before I get into the dramatic details of the situation, I want to share briefly with you my personal experience and what is has meant to me.
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As I began my move away from my life in Expressive Arts Therapy, I wanted the opportunity to learn some new skills to veer my professional career into brand new territory, using the arts but without the therapy, and to do this I needed to broaden my artistic abilities.

Attending the Adult Art program at Central Tech has created so many new pathways. Between networking, deeply exploring many new mediums, and opening up my creativity and willingness to try other mediums not even offered in the program, like jewelry making, there has been so much healthy exploration. I have opened myself right up to such new learning and have both struggled and found solace.

In my youth, I always skulked around the arts, like a lovesick introvert, too hung up to walk away, too shy to jump in. I started out with photography in high school and university because it seemed easier to fake my inability to draw and my lack of a steady hand. In my 30s, I found my feet when I began to paint in my first year of expressive arts therapy school.

I'm totally self taught, and I wanted to honour myself enough to learn some skills, so I could write my story better, be understood more deeply, get more satisfaction from the vision of my attempts.

The program is not a minor undertaking, and the expectation is that you take your work and time there seriously, but with the amazing support and facilities, as long as you are interested, it's easy to get lost in the work and produce some incredibly well made pieces.

Like I said earlier, it's not for everyone the most convenient for everyone but, put it this way, our long term substitute teacher this year was 2017 Kingston Prize winner Christienne Cuevas.

So how can I help, you ask yourself?
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By applying, attending and getting creative! Win, win, win!!

The Facts:
Classes run from Monday to Friday, 9am – 12pm, September to June and tuition is about 1/5 of a year at OCAD!
Adults are taught in classes separate from the younger students, in a shared building. TDSB trained professional artists run the classes.

LINK TO ADMISSION PAGE.

You can take:

• Ceramics
• Drawing
• Painting
• Printmaking
• Multimedia
• Drawing and painting
  
• Photography (including darkroom)
  
• Sculpture (including onsite bronze casting)
  

The Art Centre, as it is called, is being drastically underused, even among the registered high school students. There is no concern of the school closing as is evident from the brand new state of the art athletic field, so the small student body including the adults who use the art building is puzzling.

As a former Expressive Arts Therapist, I find it a shame that the many new immigrant students that call Central Tech their first Canadian school are not immediately brought here by the guidance department. There are many studies which clearly show the incredible benefits of having non verbal expression to cope with the many complications of being a new immigrant or refugee. Art is such an accessible voice for those who are learning a new language and a new life. With the right support, a welcoming program could be created for landed students.

YEAR END ART SHOW!!!
Come this Tuesday June 12 at 6:30pm to 8:30pm to visit the building, meet the staff and students, both adults and high school, and see this years student work. We are very proud of our achievements and I think, if you like an adventure, you might find yourself back again in the class room.

Call to Action

How can you save the program? By applying! Come meet Your Creative Self!

Contact Trish Boon to learn more about how you can change lives and
​influence decision makers to keep this program alive!

Let's Connect

About Sarah

I have been helping people find their path in a number of different arenas over the last decade. Through my years in the music and film industry, I have developed Keen organizational and management expertise. Through my work with at risk youth, I have become a strong ally in supporting personal dreams and helped aspiring artists to learn valuable networking and advocacy skills.

My passion is helping to create a movement, launch ideas and ideals. I enjoy finding platforms for creative culture to be seen and heard, helping people to cultivate their creative talents and careers. As a therapist myself, I recognize the need to bring these elements into the foray of wellness culture. By expanding networks and sharing our strengths, we can support practitioners and broaden meaningful services to clients looking for a wholistic path on their journey of self care.