PLAT
FORM A
Platform Ais a collaborative learning network of arts organizations and initiatives working in the community to share tools, Anti-Oppression practices and resources in mentorship for an interconnected, equitable, and diverse arts sector. Platform A is engined by the creativity and leadership of community-engaged arts organizations:Art Starts, ArtReach, Children’s Peace Theatre, CUE, Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture, Jumblies Theatre, SKETCH, and VIBE Arts.
We began
in 2013 as a special three-year initiative supported by the Toronto Arts Council collaborating with Art Starts, CUE, Jumblies, SKETCH, and VIBE Arts as part of 2013 TAC strategic priorities to enhance support and mentorship and partnerships for artists and practices in community and youth-based arts in Toronto. Key components of the initiative included accessible grants, mentoring, and partnerships/bridging. The initiative was renewed in 2016/17 for a fourth and final year primarily to support accessible grants. In the same year, Platform A partners applied for and received a 3-year OTF Grow Grant to continue, deepen and expand Platform A’s activities and collaborations, including the gradual expansion of organizations included in Platform A.
Value in
the Margins
We are intentional about who we work with
We work with artists and communities who face systemic barriers because we are either from, or find value and meaning in the lived-experiences, stories, and artistic expressions of these communities. While each organization engages with the margins differently, we each prioritize working with new-generation artists, artists from underserved neighborhoods, newcomers and refugees, BIPOC artists, and artists experiencing homelessness or navigating poverty.
Artists are
social
Innovators
We work together to strengthen each other
Providing mentorship in the arts and community-engaged artistic practices is at the core of everything we do. We aim to leverage the strengths of each organization’s mentorship practices to provide sustained, connected, and learning pathways for artists on the margins and community artists across the sector.
OUr learnings
During our seven-year partnership we gained abundant insights about the landscape of mentorship in the community-arts sector, within and beyond our Platform A. Some of our learnings can be accessed through these resources:
what's going on
Check out the Platform A Community Calendar of workshops, talks, activities and other events happening all over the city with and curated by our partners Art Starts, ArtReach, Cue Projects, Children's Peace Theatre, Jumblies Theatre, Kapisanan, SKETCH, and VIBE Arts. Click on the title of the event to open and collapse information. Scroll up and down on the page as well as on the calendar. This calendar is updated on the fly, so keep checking in for updates!
PLAT
FORM A
Platform A was made possible by the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (2017 - 2019).
Collaborative Partners
