Design Hope Toronto 2011

Design Hope Toronto 2011 will be held on Friday, April 8, 2011. We are again holding our art auction/raffle at St. John's Parish Hall in Parkdale.

Friday, April 8, 2011
7:00 – 10:00 pm
St. John’s Parish Hall
186 Cowan Avenue, Toronto

(google map)

Design Hope 2011 Artist's Drop Off

February 25, 2011 - This year's artists drop-off reception at 35 Camden Street was another success. Over 20 artists, most of whom we had never met, came with their donations of artwork. Along with most of the Design Hope Toronto committee, artists were able to meet several representatives from PARC, and enjoy some good food and drink.

Design Hope Toronto Continues
Upward Trend

Design Hope Toronto had its most successful event yet by raising over $18,000 for the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC). PARC is currently developing Edmond Place, a reconstruction of 194 Dowling Avenue. Edmond Place will be a 29-unit affordable housing complex providing much-needed homes for people with mental disabilities.

CBC Radio One’s Peter Armstrong graciously accepted our call for hosting while Waddington’s Bill Kime reprised his role as the night’s auctioneer, again finding the right balance of fun and seriousness to incite the already generous crowd to give even more. The copious amounts of great food and drink were donated by Buddha Dog and Mill St. Brewery, respectively.

Prior to the evening’s main events, perennial DHT donating artist and supporter Brian Deignan said a few moving and relevant words about the precarious nature of making a living as an artist, adding further profundity to the evening.

The PARC band provided the evening’s entertainment with an eclectic and inspired set of classic rock songs. The band exemplifies the mix of recreational and skill-based activities that stresses PARC’s goal to not just give people a temporary respite from living on the street, but to help them develop the self-esteem and abilities necessary to thrive in the community.

The auction started with a bang with a piece by Mary D'Cruz, a grade 12 student at Parkdale Collegiate Institute. Far from just a sentimental favourite, it ended up fetching one of the highest bids of the evening, proof that the future of the arts in Toronto is bright indeed.

Mary Cutchee's ink-on-cardboard piece raised the most money with a winning bid of $1,200, all the more significant given that hers is the first piece to have been submitted from overseas. Based in the UK with Canadian citizenship, Cutchee shows that people’s connection to Toronto is deep and lasting, and knows no boundaries.

This year we got a big lift in the tally from our raffle makeover, for which we asked past contributors to donate pieces and began selling tickets well in advance of the event. The response was phenomenal as tickets and donations poured in before and during the evening.

We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all of the artists, volunteers, bidders, donors and sponsors who make Design Hope Toronto possible.

Please check the website throughout the year for more Design Hope Toronto information as we prepare for 2011.

View photos of the event (PDF) »