On Saturday July 12th, local MPP Billy Denault met with the team at Ottawa Valley Community Arts to celebrate a $63,500 Resilient Communities Fund grant that helped make their Art Helps – Creating with Natural Materials workshop series possible.
“Investing in community arts means investing in people—our well-being, our connection to each other, and to the land we call home,” said MPP Denault. “Through the Art Helps series, Ottawa Valley Community Arts has created opportunities for residents to gather, create, and heal together. I’m grateful the Ontario Trillium Foundation has supported this meaningful initiative, which brings art, nature, and community spirit to life across the Ottawa Valley.”
MPP Billy Denault, Renfrew–Nipissing–PembrokeThe Art Helps workshop series featured 14 workshops in different communities around the Ottawa Valley. Each workshop focused on a different material and was hosted by a specialized artist facilitator. Materials included, wood, glass, water, plants, stone, clay, animal fibre, sweetgrass, and sound. Additionally, Art Helps included the Dark Times choir which ran from November 2024 to February 2025, and brought people together weekly to sing through the darkest time of the year
Art Helps is based around the goal of improving mental health, reducing loneliness and connecting with nature and is a response to the elevated need for community art programming, offering programs that create a connection between people and the natural world.
This project also made space for OV-CAOS staff and artist facilitators to gather and be creatively independently of their creative working time. Encouraging creative play and reducing burnout.
“I learned how much fun and interesting it is to work with glass and how much more I feel connected to nature,” said a participant of the Art Helps program.
“It has been a pleasure to work with community partners, artists and caterers to design this very well received series of events in which we enjoyed the shared experience of spending time in nature, making art, socialising and eating delicious snacks!” added Anya Gansterer, Artistic Director for Ottawa Valley Community Arts.
Ottawa Valley Community Arts was created in 2011 with a mandate to promote the integration of visual arts, music, drama, and other creative arts into the lives of individuals, families, and communities in the Ottawa Valley. You can learn more at ottawavalleycommunityarts.ca
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested nearly $105M into 732 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
(Richard Evans)