About Arts Collective

col·lec·tive (noun)
Of, relating to, characteristic of, or made by
a number of people acting as a group:
a collective decision.

Our purpose: To produce performing arts festivals for the purposes of educating and advancing the public's understanding and appreciation of performing arts and to educate artists through participation in such festivals and related workshops.

(Our) Code of Conduct (pdf format)
(Our) Privacy Policy (Opens in new window)

GAY WEST COMMUNITY NETWORK is a not-for-profit organization. The organization is run by The QUEER WEST ARTS COLLECTIVE.

We are inspired by QueerWest.org ideals of openness, innovation and participation. We welcome new ideas and new faces. We all like think outside our own individual boxes and work on things or branch out in ways that we might not otherwise possible as individuals. The major benefits of working collectively are for inspiration, exposure, experimentation, and support.

QUEER WEST ARTS COLLECTIVE - Seeks to be a vital cultural resource for West Toronto queer artists and to serve constituencies internationally with its programming. Overall, QUEER WEST ARTS COLLECTIVE aims to provide an engaging environment for artists; to inform, inspire, and challenge its audiences; to actively attract new audiences; and to be an accessible resource that elevates the role of art of all forms in contemporary culture.

Our volunteers pool their resources to promote each other's work and help to develop each other's special talents. We all have variety interests and we form a number of creative partnerships, within the group whether it be work on an arts youth forum or spoken word event, the annual Queer West Festival or our annual film festival. We all help with fund raising.

Every member of the art collective may have to compromise in some way and there some internal politics to deal with once in awhile. We all try to work towards a happy medium between benefits and drawbacks. It's important to note that not all of our members participate in every single project. People choose to opt out of projects for a variety of reasons. Our Bent Events

For example the new ShOUT queer youth and young adult program has started a new Beehive Collective Jaclyn Isen qwshout@gmail.com

If interest in joining the Collective. Email info@queerwest.org |416-879-7954

Different Programs we've hosted, managed and ran between 2001-2009

Temenos West, Java Knights Public Forum, Neighbournet, ShOUT Young Adult Forum Gay Men's Bowling Club, Queer Peers, Gay West Bicycle Club, Queer Duck, Queer West Fest, Queer West Film Festival, Wild Chats, Dinner Club, Kaffee Club, Women's Potluck, Le Groupe Ouest and The Men's Club

Slide Show of our Public Forums

We produce shOUT! (formerly Java Knights) New and improved. An interactive educational public forum for Youth and Young Queer Adults, their friends and allies in Toronto Ontario, with a focus on Parkdale neighbourhood. Feb 24, 2010.