Celebrating Asian Heritage Month with Long Time No See Collective (@ltnschinatown) ❤️

Long Time No See (LTNS) is a collective of artists and educators from different backgrounds and generations of Chinese settlers living on Turtle Island. Through storytelling, public art, workshops, and community engagement, they honour their ancestors by teaching the histories of Chinatown, uplifting stories that have been erased, and reflecting on their responsibilities to act in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.

One of LTNS’s ongoing community projects, “Chinatown, the Best!”, invited seniors in the Chinatown community to imagine what would make Chinatown a more vibrant and welcoming place to live and gather. Through weekly gatherings at community centres, seniors shared their experiences, hopes, skills, and visions for the future of Chinatown. Participants were also invited to reflect on the best version of themselves and be photographed. ( Slide 2)

As part of LTNS’s Longing Belonging, 100 Years 100 Stories exhibition programming, members of the Markham community took an art bus ride to Toronto Chinatown for the rare opportunity to visit one of the historic Family Associations and hear about its history from Leo Chan. (Slide 3))

For May 5, 2026, LTNS partnered with Chinatown Land Trust, Thank-you Chinatown, and community volunteers to create a series of posters featuring community members wearing red dresses in honour of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S+). (Slide 4)

Learn more about LTNS and their work: https://ltnschinatown.com
Instagram: @ltnschinatown

Photo Credit (all photos): Maylynn Quan (@maylynnquan)
Image Descriptions:
• Chan Family Association
• For May 5, 2026 LTNS teamed up with Chinatown Land Trust and Thank-you Chinatown and many community volunteers to produce a series of posters with community members wearing red dresses to honour MMIWG2S+
• Chinatown the Best! (2024)

#AsianHeritageMonth #Chinatown #CommunityStories #TorontoArts …

This Asian Heritage Month, we’re honoured to highlight Sariena Luy: a neurodiverse Cambodian-Canadian multidisciplinary artist, community organizer, scholar, and founder of Flaunt-It Movement (@flauntitmovement). ✨

Through her work, Sariena has created powerful spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ BIPOC women and gender-diverse youth in Northwest Toronto, particularly within the Jane-Finch community, to feel seen, supported, and empowered through the arts, activism, and entrepreneurship.

As the founder of Flaunt-It Movement, she has helped build agrassroots youth-led platform that fosters self-love, leadership opportunities, highly esteemed representation, and pathways for marginalized youth to become self-actualized artists, activists, and entrepreneurs.

Flaunt-It Movement is a grassroots BIPOC and youth-led social purpose organization made up of a community artist collective, social enterprise, and creative co-working studio. Through campaigns, events, and programs, the organization creates inclusive and empowering spaces for marginalized women and non-binary youth to thrive creatively, socially, and economically.

Sariena’s impact extends across many communities and disciplines. She is an Adobe Creativity Scholar, The Remix Project and ArtWorksTO (@artworks.to) alum, recipient of the 2020 Alterna Prize for Women Social Change Leaders, and completed her Master of Arts in York University’s Critical Disability Studies program, where she earned a nomination for the Bength Lindqvist Human Rights Prize.

We celebrate Sariena’s inspiring leadership and the incredible work of Flaunt-It Movement in building a more inclusive and empowered future through arts, community, and advocacy. 💫

Visit flauntitmovement.ca to learn more. …

Toronto Arts is proud to celebrate #AsianHeritageMonth all year long with arts organizations like Ensemble Jeng Yi @ensemblejengyi 🎼🪘

Since 1998, this Toronto-based drumming and dance ensemble has been captivating audiences with a dynamic mix of original compositions and traditional Korean pieces. Known for their vibrant performances, the group brings rhythm, movement, and storytelling together in powerful ways.

One of their most iconic elements is the sangmo—a ribboned hat worn by performers who spin long flowing ribbons while dancing and drumming, creating a mesmerizing visual experience you won’t forget.

✨Catch them live this week!✨
Arts in the Parks
Saturday, May 30
4:00 PM
Lee Lifeson Art Park

Learn more about Emsemble Jeng Yi by visiting
https://www.ensemblejengyi.com/

#AsianHeritageMonth #ArtsInTheParks #TorontoArts #LivePerformance …

Fund your next story ✍️

The Writers Program offers grants to individual artists to create new literary works or works-in-progress across genres, including fiction, literary non-fiction, poetry, and oral storytelling forms like spoken word, dub, and rap.

Two levels of funding are available:
• $5,000 for emerging writers
• $10,000 for established writers

This program supports the writing and development process, giving you the time and resources to focus on your craft. Whether you’re working on your first published piece or your next book, this is your opportunity to move your project forward.

Open to Toronto-based writers who have been professionally published or have a history of public performance (for oral storytelling artists). Deadline for applications is June 15, 2026.

🔗 Learn more by visiting https://torontoartscouncil.org/grants/writers-program/

Questions? Reach out to rudrapriya@torontoartscouncil.org

#TorontoArts #WritersGrants #TorontoWriters #ArtsGrants …