Group of Seven founder’s Thornhill home hosts arts festival for Culture Days
I.AM Community Arts Festival features more than 20 artists

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 27, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Group of Seven founder J.E.H. MacDonald’s former Thornhill home plays host to a community arts festival this weekend.

The I.AM (Intergenerational Arts Movement) Community Arts Festival running Friday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at J.E.H. MacDonald House, 121 Centre St.

The event, one of hundreds taking place nationwide for Culture Days, features an open mic night with spoken word artists, a participatory African dance performance and a parade from William Armstrong House to MacDonald House that wraps up with participants playing an interactive musical bike dubbed the Zoosemobile.

More than 20 artists will be showcasing work created during I.AM’s free workshops.

“There’s a lot happening,” I.AM founder Veronica Abrenica, 26, said.  “We’re going to have a lot of spontaneous happenings, too.”

An OCAD University graduate, Abrenica launched I.AM two years ago to give local artists opportunities to expand their creative talents and exhibit their work.

This year, I.AM landed a grant to bolster the festival through a new initiative called the Youth Ambassadors Program (YAAP), which commissions five youth artists to create a community arts project to debut during Culture Days.