Kingston, ON – In May 2022, H’art Centre received a $22,200 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) Resilient Communities Fund. This 9-month grant will support H’art Centre’s recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 by supporting the organization’s art workshop efforts in its new space, THE MIX.
“Many people with disabilities were left without supports for long periods during the pandemic. I am pleased that the Ontario Trillium Foundation is helping H’art Centre’s rebound from the pandemic shutdown” explains Ted Hsu, Member of Provincial Parliament for Kingston and the Islands.
“H’art has chosen to respond to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic with a commitment to growth and transformation,” said Katherine Porter, Executive Director at H’art Centre. “We recently expanded to include The Mix. Now, thanks to this support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Resilient Communities Fund and other supporters, we can fill that space with a season of art workshops for the community.”
The Mix is a new 4,000 square-foot space at H’art Centre where inclusive arts groups come together with the D/deaf and disability community to share ideas, explore, create and present new groundbreaking works. In its first year, The Mix has invited three inclusive arts groups to be resident companies: PeerLess Productions, Deaf Spirit Theatre, and Adapt N’ Dance.
This grant will enable the organization to hire staff to manage The Mix and work with artists-in-residence groups to create a pilot year of programming in the new outreach space.
H’art Centre is an award-winning registered not-for-profit, charitable community arts hub that provides artists with disabilities and those facing barriers with opportunities to create, study and produce works in the arts and collaborate with qualified, trained community artists. Learn more at www.hartcentre.ca
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Since 2020, OTF has supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
