North York Arts Online Launched

TORONTO - April 12, 2012. Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF) is pleased to announce the launch of North York Arts Online (www.northyorkarts.org), the premiere website celebrating North York’s vibrant cultural scene.

Featuring programming information, a comprehensive calendar of arts events, as well as information on exciting new arts and culture initiatives, North York Arts Online will be the go-to platform capturing the growing arts scene in North York.The website is the first public iteration of North York Arts (NYA), a new arts organization initiated to serve the North York area in response to the release of a study of the region’s arts community conducted by TAF in May 2011. The creation of the hub was catalyzed by a generous initial financial gift from Minto Group Inc. and work began in earnest in August 2011 with the appointment of Lila Karim as Managing Director of the organization.

“We are excited to launch the first phase of North York Arts Online to the Toronto arts community” said Ms. Karim. “North York Arts Online will evolve into a one-stop arts and culture information portal to support North York artists, arts groups and promote the vibrant arts activity within the region.”

"We are delighted to have this major opportunity to design and incubate a new arts organization and arts hub" said Claire Hopkinson. We sincerely thank Councillor John Filion for all his help to date, as well our founding project sponsor, Minto Group Inc. Bringing more opportunity for artistic expression and participation throughout the entire city of Toronto is a key goal of Toronto Arts Foundation. A project such as North York Arts is an integral component of Creative City: Block by Block, our vision for transforming how the arts are accessed and enjoyed in Toronto."

North York Arts presents an exciting opportunity for artists and arts organizations to build meaningful and lasting partnerships with their local community. It will play a vital role in Toronto’s arts ecology, helping to connect the large population of North York to the artistic activity all around them, as well as to the arts activity found throughout the rest of the city.

The creation of North York Arts is a testament to strong political leadership, as well as a commitment to expanding and strengthening the cultural landscape of Toronto. North York Arts celebrates a new model of organizational sustainability, with strong ties to its community and the private sector for its support.

Toronto Arts Foundation works to make a real and lasting impact, looking to build a more creative city, one block at a time.

For more information please contact Dewi Minden, Manager, Special Projects, Toronto Arts Foundation at dewi@torontoartscouncil.org or Lila Karim, Managing Director, North York Arts at lila@northyorkarts.org