asleep in toronto and a day in the life
are being exhibited in the Community Room at
the Leaside Public Library for
the month of January, 2009
the Leaside Public Library for
the month of January, 2009
On January 22, from 6:30-8:00 pm
we would like to invite you
to a conversation with
Ronzig, Jim Meeks, Helen Posno, Fred Yurichuk, and Nancy Halifax
Please arrive at 6:30 pm for tea and coffee and cookies.
The conversation will commence at 7:00 pm
to a conversation with
Ronzig, Jim Meeks, Helen Posno, Fred Yurichuk, and Nancy Halifax
Please arrive at 6:30 pm for tea and coffee and cookies.
The conversation will commence at 7:00 pm
The location is:
165 McRae Dr.
Toronto, ON, M4G 1S8
Toronto, ON, M4G 1S8
a day in the life and asleep in Toronto are arts-informed, community-based participatory research projects. Using a photographic documentary approach, we examined the social determinants of health and social justice as they relate to poverty, homelessness, structural inequalities, food and housing insecurity. These projects demonstrated that personal, structural and social inequalities were felt deeply from within.
Both projects were produced in collaboration with groups of men and women with past or current experiences of homelessness. The groups were provided with cameras in order to take photographs, which tell stories about their daily life stories and about what is important to them. They generated comprehensive depictions of the homelessness experience and its effects on health and wellbeing. Group members also gained a sense of pride and ownership in their art through their success in reaching and impacting the community.
Our projects were innovative in their use of the arts; not only as a means for improving personal health but also as an important means for sustaining and creating conversations around social change, self-determination, social auto/biographies, and for engaging communities in social development. The elimination of many arts activities for homeless adults in the community (due to funding cuts) led to a gap, which was addressed by these projects: providing opportunities to participate regularly in arts and cultural activities including photography, creative writing and story-telling.
The artists in these projects included: (in random order) Jim Meeks, Helen Posno, Frank, Ray, Marcia, France, Sharole, Devon, James, Jeremy, Don, Joao, Kevin, Jean Guy, Bruce, Nancy Halifax & Fred Yurichuk.
Partners included: Street Health, the Centre for Arts-informed Research at the University of Toronto, the Wellesley Institute, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Graduate Program in Critical Disability Studies, York University.
