Leveraging community-arts for immigrant integration: Blog 2

By: Dorian Davidson and Asra Khan

March 11, 2025

The following blog post is written in a two-part series of experiences encompassing themes of identity through creative expression and connection for newcomers. Part 2 is available here.

What does it mean to speak without words? Especially in a city as diverse as Toronto, where the melange of different cultures and identities makes for what many call a truly interwoven community. Yet this same diversity presents its own challenges for newcomer immigrants trying to navigate spaces without the comfort of their first language. Attempting to relate and share culturally specific experiences, and in a `foreign’ language, is far from easy. In fact, ask anyone struggling with a limited vocabulary and a lack of fluency,  and they will tell you how deeply frustrating the experience is. In these moments of disconnect, we observed newcomers reaching for something more profound than words. A shared human language that needed no translation. 

On February 11th, the “Welcome to the Neighbourhood” program created a space where art could be the common ground for newcomers. This workshop was the last one among a series of six, conducted at the Belle, on 38 Mabelle Avenue in Etobicoke. This series of workshops was conducted by Mabelle Arts in partnership with an immigrant-serving agency, Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services, and the Canadian Opera Company. When we got there, we saw long tables set up with art supplies sprawled neatly from end to end, in their main art- and activity space, a big room overlooking Mabelle Park- filled with natural light streaming through large windows. Among the many markers, construction papers, and coffee cups, were newcomers who had been provided materials to create their self-portraits, a task they were completing during this final workshop session in this series.

During these six workshops, in response to specific prompts related to home and everyday tasks, places, and events from their past, memories were re-kindled for every participant, and each had created an art piece that represented themselves and the country or geographical region they came from, as they best envisioned this task. 

We (Asra and Dorian) observed the “Welcome to the Neighbourhood” workshop with our project lead Alka Kumar. We arrived as researchers but left feeling like friends with the participants. Though strangers at first, as we spent time learning about each personal story and how their art piece connected to their vision of themselves, it made us reflect on our own connections to our identities and personal histories. 

One of the first people to present was a woman who worked on a portrait with textures and colors that represented her Ukrainian culture. She created the figure of a woman who wore a traditional dress with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wanted to create the traditional markers of a beautiful woman.

In responding to this task of creating a self-portrait, another young woman was reminded of her wedding ceremony, with herself as an Indian bride dressed in gorgeous finery for her special day (she had a photo of this on her cellphone that inspired her to create her artefact). This opportunity also helped her connect the dots between her past, her culture, and her heritage with the reality of her present as she is now constructing her new life in Canada, living in the Mabelle Park neighborhood with her husband.

At another table, an Iranian man constructed a 3D building. He merged cardboard, pipe cleaners, and construction paper, to tell a story of his Iranian roots. Before retiring and moving to Canada, he worked as a civil engineer in Iran where he built many hundreds of buildings similar to the one he now produced on his canvas. The building he constructed became a gateway to his memories, so vividly bringing to life his past without uttering a single worded description. He described each region of Iran proudly, prompting a telling of unique stories about the different cultures, customs, and cuisines unique to each area of the country. All of these came together to paint the unique vision of not only the man's life experiences but the many blends of culture Iran has.

One participant fondly recalled his love for soccer and sports, while also displaying how he missed his family and the life he once had back in Türkiye. He expressed his connection to his country through a red-striped-yellow soccer jersey displaying his favourite team back home. The image struck a stark connection to his identity, his hobbies, and his nationality.

Another workshop participant who grabbed our attention explored through her art the experience of feeling torn and living between two worlds- her self-portrait represented a heart that was divided between Iran and Canada. The artist worked with felt materials to symbolically represent her choice to come to Canada to be with her children, while another piece of her heart longed for her family and life back home. She spoke of the burden of coming to a new country and the pull of wanting to reconnect with the life she once had, a life that is strongly tied to who she still is, and will always be. The art piece touched and resonated with many in the room as it was not only her unique story but had elements of shared experiences and emotions many newcomers carry within themselves.

As the event progressed, the collaborative space was filled with light laughter, many compliments, and roaring applause. People found ways to connect through shared experiences, even ones they couldn't find the words to express. Through creativity, it became natural and easy to connect with one another. Art became a universal language that allowed everyone to speak about their journeys and their roots, as well as their memories and their hopes for finding belonging in their new home. 

Join us for the second installment in this series where we share our reflections on this transformative community arts workshop and its lasting impact on us.