TORONTO, December 6, 2013 ̶ On the evening of Thursday, November 28th, the Artscape Foundation together with Presenting Sponsor The Daniels Corporation hosted Under One Roof: The Journey, an event to raise funds for Daniels Spectrum. $425,000 was raised for programming needs, capital improvements and operations at the one-year-old cultural hub in Regent Park.
Over 300 people gathered at the event for the premiere of the musical production The Journey – A Living History of the Regent Park Revitalization featuring award-winning Regent Park spoken word artists Trevlyn Kay and Britta B. (2013 Toronto International Poetry Slam Champion); Regent Park R&B singer-songwriter Steve Harmony; Regent Park School of Music graduate Charlotte Siegel and Dixon Hall alumnus and pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo. These local talents were backed by two world-class performers – award-winning jazz and blues vocalist Jackie Richardson (Big Mama, the Willie Mae Thornton Story); and Dora award-winning singer/actor Sterling Jarvis (The Lion King; We Will Rock You).
Written by Mitchell Cohen, President of The Daniels Corporation in collaboration with members of the Regent Park community, and brought to life through the creative direction of Anne-Marie Woods and musical direction of Henry Heillig, The Journey was an 80-minute musical that used a powerful combination of spoken word narrative, song, film, still images and dance to document Regent Park’s nearly 70-year history and it’s amazing revitalization. The Daniels Corporation has donated the show’s original soundtrack to the Artscape Foundation, which will use it to raise funds for the ARTSPARK program at Daniels Spectrum. Through the ARTSPARK program, Regent Park and area youth conceive and produce cultural events, exhibitions and projects with guidance from industry mentors. These hands-on educational initiatives provide valuable life lessons in teamwork, and expose young people to career paths in the arts. The complete soundtrack can be downloaded at www.giveagiftgetasong.com, for a recommended minimum donation of $15.
The Daniels Corporation took a leadership role in reaching out to city builders to lend their support for Daniels Spectrum at Under One Roof. The event was made possible by the tremendous support of the following sponsors: Presenting Sponsor: The Daniels Corporation; Learning Sponsor: Innocon; Community Sponsor: RBC Royal Bank; Innovation Sponsors: University Plumbing & Heating Inc., Toro Aluminium, WJ Properties, and Context Development. A free performance of The Journey was hosted on Friday, November 29 for 300 Regent Park community members.
Recently named BizBash Magazine’s Best New Venue for Meetings and Events in Canada, Daniels Spectrum opened its doors in September 2012 after more than six years of collaboration between Artscape, Toronto Community Housing, The Daniels Corporation and the Regent Park community. Managed by Artscape, this 60,000 sq.ft. facility hosts a range of culturally diverse programming and is home to seven innovative non-profit organizations: ArtHeart Community Art Centre, Centre for Social Innovation, COBA Collective Of Black Artists, Native Earth Performing Arts, Pathways to Education, Regent Park Film Festival and Regent Park School of Music. Since opening it has hosted over 200 events and welcomed nearly 40,000 guests through its doors. www.regentparkarts.ca
Media Contacts:
Liz Kohn, Director of Communications, Artscape
T: 416-392-1038 x25 E: liz@torontoartscape.on.ca
Claire Pfeiffer, Communications Manager, Artscape
T: 416-392-1038 x45 E: claire@torontoartscape.on.ca
David Eisenstadt/Rachel Yager
TCGPR
T: 416-696-9900 x36/0 E: deisenstadt@tcgpr.com; ryager@tcgpr.com
BACKGROUND
ABOUT DANIELS SPECTRUM
The vision for Daniels Spectrum was developed from the ground up, through a process of community consultation, and is the result of six years of collaboration with project partners Artscape, Toronto Community Housing, The Daniels Corporation and members of the Regent Park community. The development of a new cultural hub was a key element in the social and community development goals of the Regent Park revitalization. With more than 10 programmable spaces, Daniels Spectrum, a 60,000 square foot community cultural hub, plays host to, among others, the Regent Park School of Music, Native Earth Performing Arts, COBA Collective of Black Artists, Pathways to Education, the Regent Park Film Festival, ArtHeart Community Art Centre and the Centre for Social Innovation. Local residents and members of the wider community are flocking to art and dance classes, music lessons, theatre collaborations and performances, after school tutoring, new media skills training and mentorship programming — all under the managerial auspices of Artscape.
ABOUT THE REGENT PARK REVITALIZATION
A public-private partnership between Toronto Community Housing and The Daniels Corporation, the Regent Park Revitalization is a five-phase project that is transforming the long-neglected, 69-acre social housing development. Over 15 years, 7,500 units will be built (for-sale-condominiums and townhomes plus rent-geared-to-income apartments and new affordable rental units) for 17,000 residents from diverse income levels. A new six-acre park is under construction. Playgrounds, cafes, retail stores, an aquatic centre, community centre and the Regent Park Athletic Grounds are all a part of the community with Daniels Spectrum as the cultural heart. New tree-lined streets – like Cole St. and Regent Park Boulevard – will organically reconnect Regent Park, which has been cut off for 50 years to the city of Toronto. As a result of the revitalization, over 600 jobs have already been created for local residents, many of whom are working in Regent Park at new retailers such as Tim Hortons, FreshCo by Sobeys, RBC and Paintbox Bistro.
ABOUT ARTSCAPE
Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities. Canada’s leading practitioner in multi-tenant space development for the creative and cultural sector, Artscape develops and manages unique facilities that deliver sustainable and below-market production, rehearsal, exhibition and living space for creative practitioners, entrepreneurs and cultural organizations. Since, 1986 it has helped to stimulate some of the city’s most creative and vibrant neighbourhoods with dynamic community assets and cultural hubs such as Daniels Spectrum, Artscape Wychwood Barns, Artscape Distillery Studios, Artscape Gibraltar Point and multiple projects in the thriving artistic communities of West Queen West and Parkdale, including the recently opened Artscape Youngplace. The Artscape Foundation, a registered charity, is responsible for fundraising initiatives at Artscape. www.torontoartscape.org
ABOUT THE DANIELS CORPORATION
The Daniels Corporation is one of Canada’s preeminent builder/developers with a reputation for quality and integrity in all forms of residential construction. Named the Tarion Warranty Corporation’s 2012 Ontario High Rise Builder of the Year and the recipient of the 2012 Toronto Arts and Business Award presented by the Toronto Arts Foundation, Daniels has built more than 24,000 homes throughout the GTA. Daniels was chosen to partner with Toronto Community Housing to revitalize Regent Park—69 acres in Toronto’s Downtown East. Committed to community, Daniels champions neighbourhood initiatives that enhance residents’ quality of life and supports numerous charities and non-profit organizations. www.danielshomes.ca