The Al Green Gallery is committed to support the arts above and beyond its mandate. With a primary focus on youth, the gallery sponsors a wide range of programs that are inclusive of artistic and demographic diversities.
OCAD University-Aboriginal BFA Program
The Al Green Gallery has established a scholarship fund for students in the Aboriginal Visual Cultural Program (AVCP), specifically targeted for students in the special Augmented First Year Program. This unprecedented program is geared to assist aboriginal students from central and northern Ontario by allowing them to complete their first year at Laurentian University in Sudbury and help with their transition to the Toronto Campus.
The Al Green Gallery has once again been granted the opportunity to sponsor the community booth at this major annual city event. This booth is given without charge to a nominated recipient without charge and is provided with a wonderful opportunity for media coverage and public exposure. This year, The Al Green Gallery's nomination is "Youth In Time" , an arts based support program, administered by Gilda's Club of Greater Toronto for youth dealing with cancer.
The Al Green Gallery will once again be lead sponsor for Art Gems 13, an art auction fundraising event in support of Creative Works Studio, an arts based occupational therapy studio program in the community, offering healing and recovery for people living with severe and persistent mental illness. The art auction will take place on April 23, 2013 at The Berkeley Church, 315 Queen Street East at 5:30 PM. This event would not be possible without the generous support of many of Toronto’s leading art galleries and independent artists.
The Al Green Gallery will return as the Visual Arts Sponsor for Youth Day, a free annual non-profit celebration at Yonge-Dundas Square that attracts over 20,000 visitors. The family event features over 10 hours of dance and music performances on two outdoor stages and hosts a large visual arts tent in the square. Deemed the “largest festival of its kind,” it features over 100 performances involving over 300 participants.
The Al Green Gallery recently established The Al Green Gallery Student Bursary fund. The bursaries awarded by the school are available to second and third year students in the professional Training Program. The criteria are based on artistic achievement, commitment to dance and financial need. The school is passionately committed to training and education in the art of contemporary dance.
The Al Green Gallery is a long time supporter of Art City in St. James Town, a not-for-profit organization that provides free accessible after school art programs for elementary school age children living in St. James Town. Through their free art programs, Art City’s curriculum is intended to foster creative thinking ,nurture self-esteem and personal accomplishment.
The Al Green Gallery is a supporter of The AMY Project, a performing arts program that helps build the leadership, confidence, and unique voices of young women in Toronto by providing them with performance training, connections to artistic mentors, experience working in a professional theatre, and support towards the early growth of their careers. All of AMY’s programs operate within an anti-oppression framework and work to eliminate boundaries to participation.
In 2011, The Al Green Gallery made the inaugural donation and pledged five years of support for the Stephen Lewis Foundation Arts Fund. This funds shines a celebratory spotlight on the visionary and innovative use of the arts by African grassroots organizations that bring healing and hope to communities on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic. Whether it's theatre, gumboot dancing, memory books, storytelling or puppetry, the arts are a powerful catalyst for healing transformations and action.
