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Fostering integration through the arts (FIT-ART): Learning from the Toronto Arts Council program for newcomers and refugees

Two women writing in a Farsi calligraphy workshop

Team Members

Jérémie Molho, Anna Triandafyllidou, Alice Massari and Tomée Tzatzanis

Toronto Arts Council (external link) : Shawn Newman, Kadija De Paula

Funders

Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC-CRSH)

Description

The Toronto Arts Council launched Program for Newcomers and Refugees (PNR) in 2017 to support newcomer and refugee artists to become better represented in Toronto’s arts community and to reduce the barriers newcomer and refugee artists face in establishing careers in Canada. By offering grants to both artists and organizations that work with newcomers and refugees, the PNR builds capacity and fosters partnerships across the arts and settlement sectors. The PNR has allocated $2.5M in grants to 32 different organizations including settlement agencies, art and community art organizations, as well as 154 individual artists, giving rise to numerous artistic initiatives and mentoring relationships, from art education programs enhancing integration to the creation of platforms showcasing the work of newcomer and refugee artists.

While there is growing recognition of the potential for the arts to support immigrant integration, there is still a lack of rigorous empirical research on the effectiveness of specific arts-based programs and interventions toward newcomers and refugees. FIT-ART addressed this gap by analyzing existing PNR data collected by TAC and engaging with the programs’ clients in order to stimulate a reflection on the role that art can and does play in migration and integration.

Methodologies

The methodology included four initiatives:

  1. Desk research included an environmental scan of art funding programs benefitting immigrant artists in Canadian cities, and an analysis of TAC’s program data and archives;
  2. Six focus groups were held with program participants including settlement organizations, art organizations, and newcomer and refugee artists;
  3. A policy workshop was convened with experts and practitioners to discuss, and lastly;  
  4. Two film portraits were produced featuring newcomer and refugee artists.

Project Outcomes

Final Report

 (PDF file) Fostering Integration Though The Arts: Learning from Toronto Arts Council's Program for Newcomers and Refugees (external link) 

Films

Clay of Freedom (external link)  (2025). Documentary film about Aitak, newcomer and visual artist in Toronto. Produced within FIT-ART: A partnership between CERC Migration, TMU, and Toronto Arts Council

Strings of Resilience (external link)  (2025). Documentary film about Tarek, refugee and musician in Toronto. Produced within FIT-ART: A partnership between CERC Migration, TMU, and Toronto Arts Council.

Articles

Molho, J. (2025). How the arts strengthen newcomer settlement in Canada. The Conversation Canada. (external link) 

Events

Understanding the Impact of the Arts on Immigrant Integration, Workshop at Mabelle Arts, Toronto, Canada, 23/04/2025 

Fostering integration through the arts: Insights from practitioners (external link) , Policy Workshop, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada, 06/06/2024

Funding the arts to foster immigrant integration: Opportunities and challenges (external link) . Panel at the 26th Metropolis Canada Conference, Montreal, Canada, 15/03/2024.