Wychwoodbarnscommunity

WBCA Mission and Mandate

WBCA Board Members

History

Barns

Membership

WBCA Sponsors

Contact

The Wychwood Barns Community Association is the independant, not-for-profit community organisation formed in 2008 to manage the Community Gallery and community use of the Covered Street Barn in the Artscape Wychwood Barns complex. Activities of the association include facilitating community use of the complex, programming community events, and managing the Community Gallery.

The vision of the Wychood Barns Community Association is to make the Artscape Wychwood Barns a year-round hub of activity that engages the many communities who are committed to our shared values and priorities.

The mission of the WBCA is:

- To manage the Community Gallery
- To engage the community in activities and events in the Barns
- To enhance the wider community's participation in and knowledge of the arts, culture, the environment, and the history of the St. Clair area
- To provide and mobilise resources and people through partnerships, and by utilising volunteers to create opportunities for special events
- To support a vibrant arts community that includes the tenants at the Barns and community artists
- To help bring a diverse range of residents, tourists, and others to the Artscape Wychwood Barns as a public gathering place

The Wychwood Barns Community Association has a volunteer board of directors dedicated to serving the needs and interests of the surrounding community and connecting the community with the live/work as well as organisational tenants of the Barns complex. The board of 11 members includes artists, local community activists and leaders, environmentalists, lawyers, and architect and an educator. The President of the Wychwood Barrns Community Association is Ruth Baumann, a long-time resident of the neighbourhood, who is an educator and a painter; the Secretary is Louise Moody, the Executive Director of Humewood House; and the treasurer is John Smith, the president of the Hillcrest Ratepayers Association.

In its first 18 months, the WBCA has:

- Hosted a major fundraiser on November 15, 2008 to launch the organisation
- Provided access for community users to the Community Gallery and the Covered Street (events have included art, quilting and yoga classes, community meetings for various local organisations, and a number of art exhibitions)
- Sponsored two Stone Soup community suppers, with more than 350 people attending each event
- Helped organise the Community Environment Day in May 2009
- Launched the WBCA web site www.wychwoodbarnscommunity.ca
- Acted as the coordinating organisation for the Artscape Wychwood Barns for Doors Open Toronto 2009
- Provided space in the Barns complex for the St. Clair Artwalk in September 2009
- Provided a regular community presence at the Green Barns Farmer's Market, with information about activities in the BArns and heritage photographs of the community, the Barns, and Toronto streetcars
- Applied to the Trillium Foundation for project funding for a community consultation process

The WBCA has developed a community membership category and will hold its first community membership meeting in March 2010. This meeting will elect representatives to the nominating committee for the Association, which will recommend new Board appointments.

The Wychwood Barns Community Association is governed by a Board of Directors. Five directors are from the surrounding community, two are appointed by Toronto Artscape and Artscape Not-for Profit Homes, and four appointed from among the individual and organizational tenants of the Artscape Wychwood Barns:

RUTH BAUMANN | President
Ruth Baumann and her family are long-time residents of the Wychwood neighbourhood. Ruth is a proven manager and strategic planner, with excellent facilitation, communication and interpersonal skills. Ms. Baumann retired from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation in the spring of 2007, but remains engaged in educational research and consulting on a part-time basis. She currently sits as a volunteer member of the Curriculum Council of the Minister of Education. Ruth has a particular interest in the relationship between publicly funded schools and their communities. In addition to her career as a professional educator, Ruth pursues her own personal interest in painting.

JOHN SMITH | Treasurer
Since moving to the Wychwood community in 2003, John has been a very active resident; a self-described “rink rat” at the Artscape Wychwood Barns natural ice surface, a member of Green Neighbours 21 and President of the Hillcrest Residence Association, John is now thrilled to add member of the Wychwood Barns Community Association to his roster of local activities. John has an active interest in the geography and history of Toronto, and of the St. Clair West neighbourhoods.

LOUISE MOODY | Secretary
A dynamic leader and innovator, Louise has recently moved into the Wychwood community, bringing with her 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector. Louise has been involved with a number of community-based programs and projects across the province, and she’s looking forward to drawing on this foundation of ideas, inspiration and experience to inform the Board’s work connecting the Artscape Wychwood Barns to the neighbourhood. Louise is currently the Executive Director of Humewood House, a local residence for pregnant teens and young mothers, a graduate of York University and mother to three grown sons. She is excited by the opportunity to contribute to a vibrant arts community in her community.

PHILLIP H CARTER
Phillip H. Carter is the principal at Phillip H. Carter Architect, where he has completed a wide-range of projects, including, the Lillian Smith Library, Beaches Library, the Barbara Frum Library and the Wychwood Library. He has also won the Governor General’s Medal for his work. Phillip is a member of the Ontario Association of Architects, the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals and is also a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute. He is a board member of the Artscape Non-Profit Homes Inc. and is looking forward to contributing the combination of his long-standing interest in the restoration and reuse of older industrial structures and his experience as a Heritage Consultant for conservation districts to the work to the Association’s work at the Barns.

JOHN DEVENISH
A concerned and active member of the community, John has a div arts background enhanced by several experiences in the municipal public services, including serving as a member of Councillor Joe Mihevc’s constituency team in the first administration of the amalgamated City of Toronto. During this time, John became increasingly involved with local artistic and community organizations and boards. An actor, musician, writer, broadcaster and professional advocate, he readily accepts the challenges of his urban surroundings and supports the idea that a neighbourhood is for everyone and one and all should have a choice in how it develops.

MICHAEL KAINER
Michael has been a practicing lawyer for 30 year, most of that as a partner in the Toronto law firm of Sack Goldblatt Mitchell. His practice varied over the years and has included employee benefits and pensions, and working with non-profit and co-operative organizations, especially in the field of housing. His practice has also included representing writers and performers and he has incorporated, assisted in obtaining charitable status for and acting as counsel to numerous non-profit arts organizations. Michael’s relationship with Artscape goes back to 2001 when he became a Member of the Board of Directors. He helped establish the Artscape Foundation and assisted in obtaining its charitable status. He is also on the Board of the Foundation and is its Secretary.

ROBIN SUTHERLAND
Robin has an Honours BA in Arts Management & Theatre from the University of Toronto. She has several years experience in marketing and communications, grant writing, web site management, special event management, program evaluation and reporting. She is presently the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), which is an organizational tenant of the Artscape Wychwood Barns.

RUTH TAIT
Ruth Tait trained in Fine Art at St. Martin’s and Camberwell School of Art in London, England. After returning to Canada to live, she entered Ontario College of Art & Design at advanced standing to train as an illustrator. She then went on to do Classical Animation at Sheridan and after a short period of employment as storyboard artist for Nelvana, has developed a business as a freelance illustrator/designer. In addition, she is active as a fine art painter who has been in several shows in Toronto, a scene painter for community and professional theatre, and an entrepreneur in the world of self-published comic books.

MORAG WEBSTER
An early interest in drawing evolved into a quest for expression in a variety of media including painting in oil, watercolours and pastel, as well as forays into the production of sculpture using various materials. Morag has had formal training at Hereford College of Art, Ontario College of Art, Sault College, as well as part time studies at the University of Western Ontario. Involvement in community affairs has always been important to Morag: she is a past board member of the FCG and TAP (London). She was a founding member of the Elliot Lake Arts Council, is past-president of the Burlington Fine Arts Guild, and has been involved with Fringe Nord, SCARF and the International Children’s Festival in Sudbury. In addition to her work with the WBCA, she is presently a member of The Street Painting Society, Canadian Portrait Artist Society and IATSE.

SHELLEY WINE (on leave)
A graduate lawyer and former social worker in the area of women’s prison reform, Shelley Wine's interest in issues of freedom versus civic responsibility simultaneously inspired her arrest for civil disobedience to protect Canada’ ancient forest heritage, and kick started an award wining documentary filmmaking career, with her films being widely distributed to educational and general audiences in domestic and international film and television markets alike. A researcher, writer and project consultant, and director of her own media company TellTale Productions, Shelley applies video and web based platform tools to promotional, educational and community building projects and campaigns that advance the interests of varied arts, cultural and social justice projects and organizations. Shelley is a PhD Candidate in Communication & Culture and Environmental Studies, and teaches communication studies and environmental ethics at the university level.

An excellent example of early 20th century industrial architecture, the Wychwood TTC streetcar repair barns are located on a 4.3-acre site between Wychwood Avenue and Christie Street, south of St. Clair Avenue West along Benson Avenue. The original facility consisted of five attached brick buildings ranging from 198 to 326 feet long and 38 to 44 feet wide. Built between 1913 and 1921, the barns were the hub of the Toronto Civic Railway. From 1921 to 1978 it was one of seven streetcar houses operated by the TTC.

At their peak, the barns serviced ten routes and 167 streetcars. During the 1980s, the Wychwood TTC streetcar repair barns served as a testing and development facility for new streetcars and for the retrofitted Scarborough rapid transit trains. Upon completion of the retrofit in the mid-1980s, the barns were left vacant.

In January 2004, Artscape was selected by the City of Toronto to redevelop the site. Artscape’s vision for the reuse of the barns was developed through an extensive process of community consultations and a feasibility study published in May of 2002. The project began as a collaboration between Artscape and The Stop Community Food Centre supported by a lead donation from the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation. Since then, the partnership has continued to grow with the help of the community and the unwavering support and determination of local champion and City Councillor Joe Mihevc.

Artscape has transformed the historic Wychwood TTC streetcar repair barns located in Toronto’s St. Clair and Christie neighbourhood into the Artscape Wychwood Barns – a 60,000 sq. ft. multifaceted community centre where arts and culture, environmental leadership, heritage preservation, urban agriculture and affordable housing are brought together to foster a strong sense of community. A 127,000 sq. ft. new City park surrounds the Artscape Wychwood Barns. Construction began in March 2007 and the Official Public Opening was held on November 20, 2008.


	Barn 1 – Studio Barn

	The Wychwood Barns Community Association manages the Community Gallery at the east end of Barn 1. The Gallery can be rented for art shows, recitals, classes and meetings. The Studio Barn provides 26 live/work studios and 15 work-only studios to professional artists as well as hosts a Community Gallery. The Studio Barn provides an alternative to traditional housing and creates a sense of community where artists can live, work, and interconnect with their neighbourhood. The Community Gallery component features the work of artists living and working in the Barns, in addition to local and international artsits. To inquire about our rates and policies, please e-mail: bookings@wychwoodbarnscommunity.ca


	Barn 2 – Covered Street

	The Covered Street Barn provides affordable community use space, including year-round access for community events. The Covered Street Barn provides an area for vendors to create a hub of economic activity in the neighbourhood while the artist studios and community groups in the adjacent barns have their entrances open onto the space. The Wychwood Barns Community Association also manages community-related use of the Covered Street (Barn 2). To enquire about using the Covered Street for a community event, please e-mail: bookings@wychwoodbarnscommunity.ca Toronto Artscape’s event management services handle bookings of the Covered Street for conferences, corporate and private events. You can find out more about booking the Covered Street for an event of this type by clicking here. From November to May every year, The Stop's Green Barn Market is inside on Saturday mornings from 8am until noon. The rest of the year, the market is outdoors on the Christie St. side of the buildings.


	Barn 3 - Community Barn

	The Community Barn provides affordable programming, rehearsal, office and meeting space to not-for-profit community arts and environmental organizations in a gallery setting. Theatre Direct has the 100-seat Wychwood Theatre in Barn 3, with its entrance from the Covered Street (Barn 2). It also has the Christie Studio, a meeting room and rehearsal space. Both of these are available to rent by contacting Theatre Direct. Other organisations with offices in the Community Barn (Barn 3) include: Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts (ANDPVA) (www.andpva.com) b current (www.bcurrent.ca) Helene Comay Nursery School (www.hcns.ca) Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (www.leaftoronto.org) Latin American-Canadian Art Projects (www.lacap.ca) Latino-Canadian Cultural Association (www.myspace.com/lcca_toronto) New Adventures in Sound Art (www.naisa.ca) Storytelling Toronto (www.storytellingtoronto.org) Theatre Direct (www.theatredirect.on.ca)


	Barn 4 - Green Barn

	The Green Barn is operated by The Stop Community Food Centre (www.thestop.org) and houses a year-round temperate greenhouse, sustainable food education centre, sheltered garden, outdoor bake oven and compost demonstration site. Children and community members of all ages will learn about ecological growing practices and healthy eating through classroom visits, workshops, community kitchens and volunteering in the year round temperate greenhouse and sheltered gardens.


	Barn 5 - Ghost Barn

	Some people call Barn 5 the Ghost Barn, because there is hardly any building left. It is also thought of as a porch on the park, a way through the site and, an entrance into the buildings.