18 Years Later: A New Chapter Begins

I moved into the Wychwood Barns 18 years ago, full of excitement and possibility. It was described as a vibrant and beautiful arts hub, home to residential live-work units and small commercial art studios in Barn 2. The site itself is a renovated TTC streetcar storage and repair barn, full of character and history, officially opening in October 2008.

In addition to the art studios, there would be a theatre, a large greenhouse, and an expansive community garden where we could grow our own food. There were also many interesting small non-profits committed to the well-being of the community.

At the time, my practice focused on sculpture, jewellery making, and restoring vintage stained glass windows for extra income. I remember asking just one question during my interview with management: would there be ventilation? The answer was an enthusiastic yes. Wrong. I found out after I had settled in that there was no ventilation, and the work I had built my career around had to change quickly.

Lucky for me I’m good with change. A choppy childhood will teach you that. I pivoted toward teaching full-time. I had already been working with the TDSB and leading workshops for years, but never as my main focus. At the Barns, that practice grew into something much bigger than I ever expected. What began as a small offering became a vibrant little school, with families returning year after year. I built a small team, and we expanded into schools and community programs, collaborating with incredible organizations like SickKids Hospital and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra etc. We also partnered with a television production company on an episode of This Is Isaiah, which aired on Treehouse and CBC and has continued to reach a global audience on YouTube since 2013.

It’s been a journey of hard work, constant change, and ongoing building challenges, all while building a deep sense of belonging within the Wychwood community, whose support meant everything—especially through the pandemic, the hardest phase of my career. I love it here, I love my studio, and I’m deeply grateful. I couldn’t have done it without a lot of support from my ex, Gerry, who skillfully lead the marketing and early web site.

Interestingly, I first heard about the Wychwood Barns project back in 2007, submitting my application just five minutes before the deadline. Before that, I had been on the waitlist for a space at the West Queen West Arts building since 1998. Now, after all these years, a space has finally opened, and I’m so excited to share that I’ll be opening a small sister school there at the end of the month. It will also be a place for art shows, creative pop-ups, poetry readings, and intimate theatre workshops.

The studio is at Crawford and Queen next to Trinity Bellwoods Park. We are not new to the neighbourhood. We helped open the Youngplace location on its opening night by offering a family art-making event, and then went on to run art camps there every July for the next five years. We are really looking forward to reconnecting with the community, hopefully seeing some former students and meeting many new ones.

We are launching with a new program: a 2.5-hour open-ended art class that includes pottery, painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media. The longer format allows kids to work on two projects while also giving parents a meaningful window of time for themselves, whether that is taking a yoga class, running errands, or simply enjoying a bit of quiet.

It feels really good to be returning to a community that has been part of our story for so long. I am excited, the team is excited, and we cannot wait to begin this next chapter. We are excited, we are ready, and we cannot wait to open. I’ll post updates and pics of the new space soon. Thanks for reading xox (pic taken in unit 161 in spring 2009)