JANE STREET SPEAKS
The Journey of Aspire to Inspire
Aspire to Inspire was a campaign designed to provide artists and community leaders with recognition for their hard work, talent and invaluable contributions to the neighbourhoods they were raised in.
Starting in 2020, the exponential growth of Aspire to Inspire created a newfound vibe for the West-end of Toronto and gave artists a unique platform. See the journey below:
JaneStreetSpeaks and Jane Finch Mall
JaneStreetSpeaks began it's first installation of Aspire to Inspire in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. During Black History Month, there were a number of quotes from famous individuals across the Jane Finch Mall such as Martin Luther King, Ghandi and Albert Einstein as a way to promote positivity. While it was great to see these words of wisdom, JaneStreetSpeaks knew that there were residents in the community who were walking in the legacies of those icons today.
With the support of mall management, JaneStreetSpeaks replaced these quotes with ones from artists and community leaders instead, giving young and elder people the flowers they deserved for the work they had done in the neighbourhood. We were also able to fly 8 banner flags in the malls parking lot of these same artists and leaders.
The feedback was immediate and overwhelmingly positive.
Community residents told us they felt seen, inspired and extremely proud.
It gave people hope in a time when things were looking bleak across the world.
Aspire To Inspire: Virtual Showcases
With the pandemic continuing into 2021, life as we knew it had been completely altered by the health crisis. With persistent lock-downs and limited in person interaction, JaneStreetSpeaks knew we needed to get innovative with our mission to support artists and emerging talents in the city. Sponsored by the Art Gallery of York University and the York University Faculty Association, Aspire to Inspire became a virtual showcase.
Over the rest of the year, JaneStreetSpeaks provided artists from across the city and in different mediums with a paid opportunity to share their art with our audiences on Instagram. With each virtual session, JaneStreetSpeaks incorporated a mental health speaker to give tips on how to maintain your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
The Aspire to Inspire Exhibition
With the success of Aspire to Inspire both in the Jane Finch Mall and online, JaneStreetSpeaks was approached by the City of Toronto's ArtworxTO to curate an art exhibition for the 2021-2022 Year of Public Art. For the first time, ArtworxTO had expanded in the city's West-End, holding an arts space at Downsview Park.
This was also the first time an organization was able to a host an art exhibit about Jane and Finch. With the kick-off starting in September 2021, JaneStreetSpeaks curated an arts exhibition that incorporated the banners from the malls parking lot, a wall of quotes and a video slideshow of words from Jane and Finch residents for 4 months. This generated mainstream attention, with the Aspire to Inspire Exhibit appearing on The Brandon Gonez Show, CBC, and ICI Radio Canada.
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Aspire to Inspire: Open Mics
At the beginning of 2022, JaneStreetSpeaks was approached again by the City of Toronto, this time through the Community Crisis Response Program for Ward 7. Aspire to Inspire had reached their desk through the positive impact it had on community residents and they wanted to fund an in-person program with the theme of promoting unity and using artistic expression as a solution to community violence. Starting off as a 6-month program, the Aspire to Inspire Open Mics were so successful, the partnership was funded until the end of 2022 and will continue for the entire year of 2023.
COMING SOON...
Follow us on social media to keep up with our Aspire to Inspire programming!
Our open mics will be taking on a new form in 2023 and we're excited for you to be apart of it