When we think of artistic hotspots worldwide, there is a tendency to shift our imagination towards the city centres of major metropolitans, whether it is New York (NYC), Paris, or even Los Angeles. However, spaces of artistic richness aren’t limited to downtown cores or the most affluent areas. Outside of these city centres, racialised, working-class communities have-and continue to- produce exceptional art. One of the more famous examples is Harlem, NYC, which is well known for its artistic renaissance in the 1920s and continues to be a place of artistic excellence. This should be to no one’s surprise; art—great art—can exist anywhere and be produced by virtually anyone.
Though art sprouts everywhere, the treatment, reception, and support given to artists and to places differs, and is often a function of their perceived alignment (or misalignment) with dominating classes (racial, gendered, or economic, for example). It is because of this that certain places and certain artistic scenes are not appreciated in the way that they should be. It is this very contention that brings us to where we’re writing from: Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
Scarborough is a district located on the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River, in what is commonly known as Toronto, Canada. It has a population of 631,884, a majority of which are immigrants or descendants of those who arrived within the last four decades. Around 60-70% of the population are categorized as visible minorities and many residents are a part of the working-class.
To those who grew up here and to those travelling from far away, Scarborough is frequently regarded as the “ghetto” of Toronto. Despite statistics showing that crime rates are in the lower to mid end of the spectrum, the communities of the east end are still seen as some of the more dangerous parts of the city. This is not to negate the socio-economic challenges among the neighbourhoods, but rather to say that the popular characterization of Scarborough can be one-dimensional and misleading.
This diminutive narrative surrounding Scarborough (often rooted in classism, xenophobia, and racism) can sometimes obscure the rich artistic scene that exists in the district. We begin to reject this characterization when we take a moment to actually look into what Scarborough has to offer. 2018, as it turns out, is a fantastic year to do so. Take for example, the addition of Nuit Blanche Scarborough to the Nuit Blanche Toronto programming—a widely popular annual night-long arts festival. Through a project entitled STYLL, educator, curator, and arts manager, Alyssa Fearon illuminates “the artistic production that has always existed, and continues to thrive, in Scarborough”.
This same purpose is shared by initiatives like the Cultural Hotspot. Each year it shines a spotlight on arts and culture in a different area of Toronto to inspire new ideas about where culture thrives in the city. This year, that spotlight is on central/north Scarborough, which will enable the local community and visitors to discover what this area has to offer in terms of arts, culture, food, heritage and parkland. One of these offerings is Youth Grow and Engage Network (YouthGEN), ARTSIDEOUT festival’s SPARK partnership event with Cultural Hotspot and the City of Toronto. This provides an opportunity for Scarborough youth to develop cross-disciplinary skills in the arts, helping to bolster the next generation of artists in Scarborough.
Festivals like ARTSIDEOUT (ASO) not only work to empower young artists through community initiatives, but also provide a window into the work of artists in this district and surrounding areas. ASO is the largest annual multidisciplinary arts festival at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UofT Scarborough) and is the result of a wide-ranging collaboration between student organizers, community organizations, and passionate artists. Every year, ASO transforms the campus with site-specific installations, exhibitions, performances, and film screenings. Because our curatorial practice is centred on site-specific work, it encourages artists-from long-time Scarborough residents to newcomers who now call this place their home-to reflect on their relationships to this space.
This idea is emphasized best by our 2018 theme of “Rebirth”, which explores the journey towards healing and growth out of lived experiences in Scarborough. It provides a platform to express the resiliency of culture and diversity that continue to thrive in communities. Through the creation of interdisciplinary arts, we invite people from different walks of life to celebrate the next chapter of our stories. More than anything, we as a festival assert that the Scarborough campus and, by extension, the city of Scarborough, is a place full of life, hope, and beauty.
This assertion is made obvious when we look further into Scarborough’s artistic scene. As an urban outer-borough, Scarborough is also host to a multitude of street art, including our famous “East-Side Mural” originally designed by the 1980’s local graffiti collective the “Graffiti Knights”. Organizations like Native Child and Family Services Toronto and Scarborough Arts provide arts programming centered on their namesakes. Community groups like Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere (RISE) provide space for self-expression through performance art. And arts festivals such as the 7th Annual Scarborough Afro Carrib Fest, highlight the rich and abundant Caribbean, and African-Canadian community that presides in the city.
Scarborough is arguably the most ethnically diverse borough of the Greater Toronto Area, but “it goes beyond [superficial] cultural differences” says ASO General Manager Mauriene Tolentino. For her, Scarborough’s uniqueness lies in “how we look out for each other, and trust each other. Typically, the stereotypical “Canadian” diversity is one where people are detached from one another. There’s not much collective responsibility for each other.” In contrast, Scarborough’s celebration of diversity is through not only embracing each other’s roots, but acknowledging shared needs, and building community with one another.
It is this sense of solidarity and community that is exemplified through Scarborough’s artistic scene— as we’ve seen with each one of the festivals, groups, and organizations highlighted above. By showcasing work from within Scarborough and proudly celebrating its peoples and their cultures, these artistic endeavours bring to light the vibrancy of life in this district. And in doing so, they make clear that Scarborough is a cultural and artistic force to be reckoned with.
ARTSIDEOUT 2018: Rebirth takes place at the U of T Scarborough on October 4th, 2018. For more information, visit their website at artsideout.ca or email them at hello@artsideout.ca.