Walls for All Pt 3: Community Gathering

WALLS FOR ALL PART 3: COMMUNITY GATHERING & SHARING

A Networking Jam for Women & Gender Diverse Street Artists

Wednesday June 14th, 2023

IN PERSON, 6PM-9PM

210 King St. East, 5th Floor, Toronto ON (Adaptavist Canada Building)

FREE

Although more women and gender diverse muralists have become established and well-known artists over the years, mural art has traditionally been -and continues to be- a (mostly white) male dominated field full of barriers and challenges for gender diverse artists. How can we create more space for women and gender diverse creators to participate in street art culture? How can we help these artists tackle many of the barriers they face?

Building on the success of Bombing Misogyny from 2021, Mural Routes and East End Arts have been proud to present a program that challenges the status quo in the street art world called Walls For All. Previously we hosted Walls for All Pt 1 and Walls for All Pt 2 sessions online, and now we present Walls for All Pt 3, an in-person evening opportunity to hear from our lead artists, contribute to our Action Plan, and network and brainstorm with other folks in the street art world! We’re also excited to announce that Part 3 will be supported and presented by Luminato Toronto Festival as part of their Illuminating Ideas Series! Together, we can have big conversations and make our Walls for All!

About Walls For All

Organizations like Mural Routes and East End Arts have had countless conversations with women and gender diverse street artists over the years who have shared concerns about the barriers they face: they are offered smaller and/or less visible walls or projects; there is a lack of opportunities to connect and learn from other women/gender diverse folks who have developed a successful career; they continue to assist male lead artists but lack opportunities to lead the projects themselves; and they have to individually advocate for themselves (including in terms of equal payment), perpetuating the stereotype that women are difficult to work with.

Working in public space is also a challenge for women and gender diverse artists: available data suggests that the vast majority of these artists have experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention or sexual harassment in public spaces. And finally, mural artists who identify as women of colour, Indigenous, disabled, and/or queer face additional barriers to not only advance but to enter the field, and so many decide not to pursue mural art as a viable professional career at all.

Walls for All aims to build a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive street art sector for all gender marginalized artists, while also helping to build a network and/or support group or muralists who share similar experiences and struggles. Our goal by the end of this series is to create a shareable and useful Action Plan that can be used in the Toronto street art world, and in municipalities across the country!

Who is this session for?

• Artists and creatives of all disciplines, creative space-makers, producers, arts workers and/or arts administrators who: Love working in the world of street art, mural making, or public art and want to help make it a more equitable and safe world for everyone!

• Big Dreamers who want to connect with others who love bringing beauty to the public sphere and have ideas to share!

• Folks who are looking for an opportunity to meet like-minded creatives from east Toronto and all across Canada!

What Can I Expect?

This is our first in-person/hybrid event as part of Walls for All, and we’re so excited to see you! Following a brief presentation from our Walls for All lead Artists, there will be an opportunity to contribute your own ideas and vision to our Draft Action Plan, network and brainstorm with other Street Artists and Arts Workers, enjoy some refreshments, and more!

General Breakdown of the evening:

• 6:00-7:00PM – Say Hello, Enjoy Refreshments, Familiarize with & Review Action Plan

• 7:00-7:15PM – Gather Attendees for Panel Presentation

• 7:15-7:45PM – Panel Presentation from our Walls for All Artists (an Overview of Everything that has happened in Sessions 1 and 2)

• 7:45-8:45PM – Review and Contribute to Action Plan; Network with Other Guests; Enjoy Refreshments

• 9:00PM – Wrap-up & Goodbye

Funders

Walls for All has been generously funded and supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, while Walls for All Pt. 3 has been also funded and supported by Luminato Festival Toronto, as part of their Illuminating Ideas Series!

To learn more about the Walls for All lead artists, visit: www.eastendarts.ca/walls-for-all-pt-3-community-gathering/

Accessibility

If you require ASL interpretation or other accommodations for a disability, please contact Cynella on the East End Arts team by June 7th at [email protected]

Host or Publisher East End Arts