ArtHeart has nourished the creative spirit of children, youth, adults and seniors in Regent Park since 1991.
Originally called A Home for Creative Opportunity, ArtHeart was founded in 1991 by Seanna Connell and a group of dedicated volunteers, including the homeless, community residents and families from the inner-city community of Regent Park, Toronto, Canada’s oldest and largest Government Housing Project. This group believed that an inner-city arts centre could be an oasis for learning and creativity in an under-resourced and under-serviced neighbourhood.
ArtHeart became incorporated in 2003 as a not-for-profit charitable organization and in 2004, the organization relocated from its original studio, as a project of 40 Oaks into a new space two blocks away. As part of the revitalization of Regent Park, in 2012, ArtHeart was invited to move again, into the wheelchair accessible Daniels Spectrum to become part of a dynamic arts and cultural centre.
In 2018, Artscape funded the “Halo Project” to assess the socio-economic impact that each of the Daniel Spectrum tenants contribute in services to the Regent Park community. We can now say, through rigorous external evaluation by Sphaera Research and Consulting that ArtHeart contributes over $2.3 million annually in value to the community.
