TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Canadian singer-songwriter and social justice activist Lorraine Segato has been named as Regent Park’s honorary Artist in Residence as part of the community’s new cultural program. This initiative is one of the most innovative of its kind in Canada, designed to foster artistic expression across the city.
Segato, co-founder and lead singer of iconic polyrhythmic 80s pop band, The Parachute Club, will serve a two-year term in the honorary position.
Her mandate involves helping to envision and create a template for a future Artist in Residence program to augment and enhance Regent Park’s already vibrant arts and culture scene with an active pool of creative talent.
“I am thrilled to be asked by The Daniels Corporation to become a member of the Regent Park community as the honorary Artist in Residence,” Segato said. “I come to this appointment with a deep willingness to listen, and a great enthusiasm for a community that is brimming with creative talent and rich stories. My desire to forge respectful partnerships will no doubt yield interesting collaborations that also strengthen my own practice as an artist.”
Segato will be tasked with finding ways to enrich, celebrate and draw attention to the developing area, while curating cultural activities and events that further the envisioning of an international caliber artist residency program.
“As a first initiative, we’ve created an Artist in Residence Legacy Fund that will contribute to the continuation of this project across Regent Park and the City of Toronto for years to come. My first contribution to the Legacy Fund will be the donation of proceeds from the new mastered gospel arrangement of The Parachute Club’s Juno award-winning hit ‘Rise Up,’ that we are calling ‘Rize Time,’ which features a prelude by 18-year-old Regent Park spoken-word artist and rising star Mustafa The Poet,” Segato added.
“Supporting the arts is very much a part of our corporate culture and DNA,” said Heela Omarkhail, The Daniels Corporation’s Manager of Community Partnerships. “We’re delighted to begin this journey with Lorraine Segato, a multi-disciplinary artist with deep roots in the city of Toronto and with her own long history of collaboration, activism and creativity. Regent Park’s Artist in Residence program is a natural next step as we help further the transformation of this vibrant neighbourhood and watch it continue to thrive with the help of this unique program.”
The Daniels Corporation, the private-sector developer behind Regent Park’s revitalization, is sponsoring this initiative. Embracing the arts has been a major part of Daniels’ corporate philosophy dating back more than 25 years, when the company invited street artists to help create a graffiti board at a former Goodyear Tire site at its Lakeshore Village community in Etobicoke, ON.
Since then, Daniels incorporated artistic elements and programs into many of its projects across the Greater Toronto Area—from featuring rotating art exhibitions at its various sales offices, to designing and building a piano-themed walkway in honour of legendary Canadian musician Oscar Peterson at its FirstHomeTM community in Mississauga. The Regent Park Artist in Residence program represents an unprecedented expansion of that commitment to the arts and culture, and Daniels is delighted to help build the framework for this program that can be transferred to their other new home communities across the GTA.
In addition to the Artist in Residence program, Daniels has launched other arts and community projects in Regent Park, including contributing to the design and construction of Daniels Spectrum – a 60,000 sq.ft cultural hub, and developing a local arts procurement program, as well as partnering with the Regent Park Women and Families Quilting Group, which was commissioned to sew two one-of-a-kind quilts that have already become an integral part of the Regent Park social fabric.
To listen to the song Rize Time visit https://soundcloud.com/timeprophet/rize-time-feat-mustafa-the-poet
For more information about Daniels Artist in Residence program, visit www.lorrainesegato.com/dair
About Lorraine Segato
For the past 36 years, Lorraine Segato
has fueled an impressive artistic career that has produced some
excellent and edgy cultural work. Segato’s extensive experience as a
respected musician, songwriter, filmmaker, event producer, artistic
director, speechwriter, lecturer and social justice activist makes her
one of Canada’s iconic recording artists and leading cultural
commentators. As the co-founder and lead singer of The Parachute
Club—one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful
groups of the 1980s—Segato enjoyed an impressive career in the music
industry before turning her attention to other creative endeavors such
as directing, speechwriting, and producing large cultural events. Most
recently, she has dedicated her time to a 2 yr film project that unveils
the interesting stories of the many talented Homeless individuals who
vie for shelter while playing the streets of Toronto. She has also
finished a CD Invincible Decency slated for release in late 2014
and is about to workshop a one-woman show Get Off My Dress.
For
more information, visit www.lorrainesegato.com
About The Daniels Corporation
The Daniels Corporation (www.danielshomes.ca)
is one of Canada's preeminent builder/developers with a reputation for
quality and integrity in all forms of residential construction. Named
the Tarion Warranty Corporation's 2012 Ontario High Rise Builder of the
Year and the recipient of the 2012 Toronto Arts and Business Award
presented by the Toronto Arts Foundation, Daniels has built more than
25,000 homes throughout the GTA. Daniels was chosen to partner with
Toronto Community Housing to revitalize Regent Park - 69 acres
in Toronto’s Downtown East. Committed to community, Daniels champions
neighbourhood initiatives that enhance residents’ quality of life and
supports numerous charities and non-profit organizations.
