Art Starts

ART STARTS began as a storefront community art centre.

 

The organization was co-founded by Robin Pacific with Elizabeth Cinello in 1992. Pacific served for six years on the Management Team, and then as Chair of the Board.

 

For the last twenty-five plus years, Art Starts has created dozens of community art projects, employed hundreds of artists and involved the participation of thousands of community residents. Its mandate is “using the arts to build healthy communities”, and its commitment to ethnic diversity, as well as to people of all ages, from pre-school children to seniors, has won awards and made it a model for similar endeavours throughout the city and province. A pioneer in the field of community art, Art Starts began as a storefront on Eglinton Avenue West. It now runs innovative programs in five high risk neighbourhoods in Toronto and has a large space and offices in the Yorkdale Mall.