Dear friends, It's hard to believe that it's been 25 years already! As many of you know, H'art opened, with the help of countless community supporters, in a small visual arts studio on Montreal Street in downtown Kingston. Buoyed by the success of that visual arts...
Celebrate Freshwater is the new greeting card series featuring work by H'art Studio artists. Artists created delightful freshwater line-drawn fish enhanced with watercolours while learning more about the Great Lakes ecosystem. Proceeds support future inclusive arts...
This month, H'art Centre unveiled the first community workshops ever to be offered in its new outreach space, THE MIX. The much-anticipated fall workshops feature a line-up of four different mediums, all led by trained professional artists who combine inclusive...
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...
Call for Submissions Connecting Canadians: Freshwater National Exhibit The Mix Gallery at H'art Centre This year, H’art Centre has partnered with the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality...
On April 15, H'art Centre and the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston announced a new partnership to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (15 April 1972) between Canada and the US. This partnership is an opportunity for...
H’art Centre has announced the successful completion of its Mix It Up campaign. The group set a modest goal to raise $30,000 toward an expansion into a new space and outreach workshops. By the end, the Mix It Up! campaign raised more than $61,785, making it the most...
H'art Centre announced that a unique mix of artistic, educational, and environmental workshops, a partnership, exhibitions, and exhibits will be held under the umbrella of its 2022 Season. This year’s edition includes a set of creative initiatives and events that will...
H'art's MixAbilities Inclusive Arts Training Program is evolving again! The six-module program, designed to enhance access to the arts by ensuring artists and educators are trained to effectively and empathetically support artist-participants who are Deaf and those...
Kingston, ON - In 2021, H’art Centre received a $42,300 grant from the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund - Operating stream. This grant, delivered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, will allow H’art Centre to hire staff, continue operating its facility,...
H'art Centre's Executive Director Katherine Porter was awarded the Arts Champion Award at a Mayor’s Arts Award ceremony in December. The Mayor's Arts Awards is an annual recognition program that celebrates high artistic achievement and recognizes extraordinary...
For the first time, two Doseger Awards were presented at the Brook Catherine Doseger Endowment Fund Award ceremony in December. Victor Orozco received the initial award, which honours the important role that post-secondary students play in the success of H’art....
The public phase of a $30,000 campaign to expand already benefiting from community support Yesterday, H’art Centre and some early supporters launched the public phase of a fundraising campaign that will see the organization expand into a neighbouring space. The Mix...
H’art Centre is pleased to announce Karen Dolan, its MixAbilities Inclusive Arts Training Program Facilitator, received a 2021 Community Art Educator of the Year from the Ontario Arts Education Association at a virtual ceremony held last night. The Community Art...
The COVID-19 pandemic has created long periods of isolation and disconnection. So, this Fall season, H'art Studio artists will reflect on the experience and concentrate on creative ways to reconnect and bring joy back into our lives and to others in our community....
It is always a pleasure to get feedback from people who benefit from our programs. Sarah Howard is a community artist, musician, and songwriter who participated in a full-day MixAbilities Inclusive Arts Training inaugural event in June. It inspired her to post her...
Recently, I listened to the 10/3 podcast, “How COVID-19 dropped the curtain on Canada’s arts sector”. Calgary Herald arts reporter Eric Volmers spoke with clarity about the value of the arts sector in Canada and how it has taken a beating during the pandemic. Many of...
Seniors at Fairmount Home were already preparing to use technology to stay engaged and active before the pandemic hit thanks to a pilot project launched by H’art Centre’s outreach program in December 2018 and implemented in 2019. “Little did we know that our Go...
Our sincere condolences go to the family and friends of Shirley Ballantyne. We know there are many. Shirley was a true community champion. She was a volunteer and then a member of H’art’s board of directors for three years. Even after she finished her term on the...
The first in a series of Finding Good art sales is here –– and available to you online! This collection features 14 painted wood sculptures. The sculptures depict the helpers in our community. Look for a celebration of doctors, teachers, nurses, zoo keepers, 911...
Special Olympics Ontario invited Executive Director Katherine Porter and MixAbilities Facilitator Karen Dolan, along with 40+ art educators, instructors, and other education and learning admin staff, to be part of a three-hour panel designed to support the Art Gallery...
From January to March, the "Artist Connect" project brought artists from across Canada together to talk about making art in the digital world. Artist Connect was presented by Ottawa’s BEING Studio, in partnership with H'art Centre (Kingston), The Space (Ottawa),...
H’art Participants, Families, Caregivers, and Staff: This is a quick note to keep you informed about the province’s immunization rollout. Based on information from the KFL&A Public Health website, the KFL&A region is currently vaccinating: Staff and essential...
Update to Participants, Families, and Staff of H’art Centre: Ontario has announced its updated vaccination plan which details the specific people who are eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccines. Phase 2 lists people with intellectual or developmental disabilities...
H'art Centre is launching a new season and plans for monthly art projects under the slogan, “Finding Good”. “People have been isolated, missing friends and loved ones, feeling bored, tired, stuck, and out of shape,” said Katherine Porter, Executive Director of H’art...
This week at a virtual ceremony, Urooj Salar, a Bachelor of Health Sciences Queen's University student, received the 2020 Brook Catherine Doseger Endowment Fund Award. Urooj, who was the unanimous winner of this year’s award, hopes to pursue a career in health, as she...
We decided to create a new way for H'art collectors to interact with the work on sale. The long-awaited Small Things art sale is here –– and available to you online! We postponed the sale in the spring but didn't forget the work that went into this collection. To...
Our shiny new site is live! ✨ With this launch, the last piece of our refreshed brand identity falls into place. We think it captures the energy and enthusiasm of our organization. Check out the new features: A NEW featured...
H'art launched a new tool last week. The Inclusivity Guide is a one-stop resource for community arts leaders and event organizers. It will help them consider the accessibility of their next art event and encourage the inclusion of individuals with disabilities. This...
The City of Kingston informed us we will receive the Celebrating Accessibility Award at a virtual ceremony this year. We will receive the award for developing virtual inclusive arts programming best practices in response to the pandemic. Our main goal was to maintain...
H'art Centre will issue a call to community artists in January. The call will invite them to apply for the next round of our MixAbilities Inclusive Arts Training Program. MixAbilities helps community artists and educators effectively and empathetically support...
Small Things was two weeks from its opening. H'artists were preparing to take the Isabel Bader Human Rights Arts Festival stage. Then, Ontario shut down public performances due to the COVID-19 crisis. Right now, H'art is exploring ways to reinvent and remount our...
This week, H'art Centre received a boost. The Community Foundation for Kingston and Area announced they will provide a one-time $15,000 operational grant. The funds will support our H'art Studio program in 2021. "We look forward to the possibility of moving back to a...
What's next for "Virtual H'art Studio"? In 2021, H'art will enrich its content and expand its reach. We will look at what made the 2020 Zoom workshops successful. The team will dig into feedback from participants, staff, and consultants. From there, the administration...
The fall is flying by and we can’t believe that we near the halfway point of November. Both onsite and online H’artists have completed their exploration of local artists' inspirations and are in the creation phase of "Season of Solos". Local artists use personal...
Today, we are pleased to announce the details of our Fall 2020 H'art Studio programming. The Fall session, which we are calling Season of Solos, will include visual arts, music, and dance workshops on the theme of "inspiration". The new session begins on September 8th...
This has been a challenging time and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on all of us. As most of Ontario is now entering Stage 3 of the Framework for Reopening Our Province, we wanted to thank you for supporting H’art Centre during this time of...
Since March, while we pioneered virtual programming, H'art Centre focused on getting ready for our eventual return to on-site programming. In consultation with Kingston's Public Health inspectors and nurses, we prepared the Centre with enhanced protocols, processes,...
It has been said that there is an opportunity in every crisis. When H'art Centre shut down to on-site programming due to the pandemic, we had no idea what opportunity would arise. Without missing a beat, our instructors and administrators worked hard to deliver...
To help raise awareness about the value of the arts to people with disabilities or barriers to participation in the arts, we routinely invites post-secondary students to complete their field placement requirements at H'art Centre. This year, "routine" has had nothing...
Although the doors may have been closed, the work did not stop. We want to thank The Conservatory, a BOX Resident, for donating renovations in order to maintain a safe and accessible dance studio for all abilities. THE BOX has new flooring, a fresh new coat of paint,...
Thanks to the Canada Summer Jobs program, funded by the Government of Canada, H'art Centre is adding additional summer students to our administrative and creative staff. Four summer students will contribute to our team efforts during the reopening phase as we deliver...
The overall theme of the Fall Season is "Season of Solos". H'art artists will demonstrate the "personal interest and inspiring force behind each creation" in many artistic disciplines. We are pleased to announce Daniel Chalmers, a local professional...
The Kingston Arts Council and the City of Kingston announced the recipients of the 2020 City of Kingston Arts Fund grants recently. H'art Centre was among only 11 local arts organizations that received an operating grant. Take a moment to read an article in the...
It was recently announced, H'art Centre will receive funding through the Emergency Community Support Fund to continue to deliver online programming to H’art Studio participants who are not yet able to return to the Centre through March 2021. This support will go far...
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, H'art artists were dealing with the disappointment of the postponed performance of Small Things and the uncomfortable experience of being isolated at home away from their regular routine and friends. We reached out to the...
Everyone will face uncertain times. It is during these moments that friends and family step forward to lend a hand, often without being asked. We want to thank the H'art family members who stepped forward when we needed it the most and generously donated and supported...
When musician David Archibald wanted to make a short video to illustrate the popular "Five-Lined Skink" song that he wrote for Bon Echo Provincial Park, he turned to the artists in the H'art Studio program and asked if they would be interested in making some art for...
Thanks to two Occupational Therapy students from Queen's University, our MixAbilities Inclusive Arts Training program will soon include a guide to help make Kingston's "accessibility information more accessible". The guide will help community arts leaders determine...
We are happy to announce the addition of a second Zoom workshop to our weekly schedule. Some of Kingston's most amazing community artists are now leading our H'art Studio artists in different mediums. Here are a few: Tuesday, May 5: Percussion with Daniel Chalmers...