FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, ON (Apr. 6, 2020) – Lakeshore Arts is committed to staying connected to the community during this time of crisis. Prior to March Break, we announced our decision to close our facilities and suspend all programming activity until April 5, 2020. We have been monitoring the situation closely for the past two weeks and receiving frequent updates from the City of Toronto, and we have made an informed decision to prolong our closure until further notice.
“As the global COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly transformed how we can engage with our community, LSA is adapting its programming to reflect the challenges of our unprecedented reality. We are fortunate to have an innovative and creative team who are working collaboratively with artists and other arts organizations to find new ways to provide access to art and bring it into your homes,” says Executive Director Susan Nagy. “On behalf of the staff and Board, I wanted to share updates of what is cancelled, postponed and shifting on-line. We are exploring new ways to utilize the technologies available to us; be patient as we push boundaries, address glitches and work towards connecting communities through arts, online.”
“We know this is a difficult time, we want to help you find hope and beauty and ways to stay connected. A sincere thank you to a community that has supported us for over 26 years, we are fortunate and will continue to find ways to engage.”
The LSA staff have been working and meeting remotely to continue to serve the community. Artist facilitators are collaborating with the creative team to explore alternative methods of engagement for the following programs: Mimico Children’s Choir, Local Vocals, Youth Climate Collective, Porch View Dances, QSummit.
The following programs have been postponed until further notice: Lakeshore Legacy: a program engaging seniors at Lakeshore Lodge; Elements of Theatre: partnership with Community Living Toronto; the Eighth Street Mural Project; and Lakeshorts International Short Film Festival – tentatively scheduled for September 24 & 25, 2020.
Our final PA Day Camp for the year (scheduled for June 5, 2020) has been cancelled and plans for the following programs are on hold: Bell Box Murals, 2020 Summer Theatre Camp, and RexFest Youth Spoken Word Festival.
We wish to thank all the community members who continue to support us, the donors and sponsors who continue to invest in the arts, our artists for being open to exploring options, and our funders who have been communicative and accommodating during this ever-changing situation.
About Lakeshore Arts
Lakeshore Arts, an award-winning community arts organization that focuses on creating innovative community arts programming that engages, educates, inspires and entertains, and is delivered by professional staff, artist facilitators and educators. Lakeshore Arts’ storefront space serves as a community hub to experiment, grow and evolve new programming ideas in response to evolving community needs.
