Toronto’s new Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough officially opens on April 20

TORONTO, April 5, 2022 – The City of Toronto announced today that the new Clark Centre for the Arts will officially open to the public on Wednesday, April 20 with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and free open house, from 2 to 6 p.m. Residents are invited to be part of this special moment, as local artists and community members mark the official opening of the Clark Centre for the Arts at 191 Guildwood Pkwy., in Guild Park and Gardens.

“The City of Toronto is proud to support this new arts destination which will act as a hub for creativity, cultural engagement and community-building into the future. I encourage everyone to come out and experience the Clark Centre for the Arts,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony – 2 to 3 p.m.

The ceremony will include a blessing by Ojibwe Anishinaabe Elder Shelley Charles; a spoken word performance by Randell Adjei, named Ontario’s first Poet Laureate in April 2021; a musical performance by Maya G; and an Indigenous drumming performance by the Medicine Sisters.

Open house – 3 to 6 p.m.

The public will have an opportunity to see the Clark Centre for the Arts come to life with live music, artist demonstrations, a new art installation by Charmaine Lurch and talks by artist Dorsey James and the building’s architect, Charles Hazell. Art exhibits will be presented by Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute students, the Toronto District School Board, Scarborough Arts and Native Child and Family Services, featuring works by youth, BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ artists. The Sculptor’s Cabin in Guild Park will reopen with community programming presented by the Guild Park Stakeholders Group. The public will also be able to meet the Centre’s first artists-in-residence.

Located inside Guild Park and Gardens, the Clark Centre for the Arts is a stunning new cultural facility that houses specialized art studios and gallery spaces, which Toronto residents and visitors can enjoy year-round. The Centre, at full capacity, will deliver up to 90 arts programs annually, including art courses, workshops and camps, while also providing excellent facility rental options to the community.

Building features

The Clark Centre for the Arts is a three-storey building that features:

• A total area of 967 square metres (10,400 square feet) with 550 square metres (6,000 square feet) of programmable space
• A 140-square-metre (1,500-square-foot) green roof, visible from the third floor
• Five large studio spaces that include printmaking, fibre arts, drawing and painting, digital arts and multi-purpose studios
• Two artists-in-residence studios
• A  corridor-style gallery on each floor

“The Clark Centre for the Arts was created to reach out to, and engage people from diverse backgrounds. The Centre connects the Scarborough community and beyond with art, culture and vision through exhibitions, workshops and public events,” said Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee.

Construction of the Clark Centre for the Arts began in the spring of 2019 and was completed in late spring 2021.

The City is grateful to the many committed community members who provided feedback through City-led consultations from December 2015 to October 2016, to inform and guide the planning for the Clark Centre for the Arts.

SOURCE City of Toronto

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