MISSION

The Willow provides low-barrier peer-to-peer arts education, and fosters safe spaces for creative exploration and connections for people with living experience of mental illness or substance use in Niagara.

VISION

A society free of stigma, void of shame, where artistic expression is supported and knows no bounds.

MANDATE

Our Charitable Mandate is to advance education by providing structured learning activities such as courses, instructional seminars, and workshops in music, theatre or performing arts, visual arts, literature, dance, media arts, and crafts for adults living with mental Illness and/or addictions.

Being peer-led, informed by research, rooted in best practices, and committed to remaining free of charge makes us leaders in this cross-sector initiative. Willow Arts is the first and only registered charity of its kind in Niagara with the mandate to advance education by providing structured learning activities such as courses, instructional seminars and workshops in music, theatre or performing arts, visual arts, literature, dance, media arts, and craft for adults living with mental illness or substance use.

VALUES

HISTORY

Willow Arts Community began in 2015 as a grassroots movement in St. Catharines, Ontario. The founding group, organized by Leigh MacLeod, consisted of artists, writers, musicians, educators, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and social service workers, all with lived or living experience of mental illness/substance use (MI/SU). They identified there was a gap in the arts and social services and a need for a peer support network where individuals living with MI/SU could participate in their own recovery through the arts.

Willow Arts emerged from discussions with local social service care providers, recognizing the absence of community resources for ongoing support. Many individuals struggle to transition from the medical system due to a lack of necessary community support, hindering their success. We affirm that healing and recovery thrive within the community setting. The group incorporated in 2016, and enjoyed a four-year residency at the historic public art gallery Rodman Hall Art Centre before its closure.

In 2018, we began a three-year project with Workman Arts in Toronto, Artfix in North Bay, and Mindful Makers Collective in Thunder Bay. Through province-wide evaluation, we successfully measured that active participation in peer-led multidisciplinary arts programming reduced social isolation. Workman Arts’ evidence-based program has been implemented in Toronto for 30 years and linked Willow Arts to a network of resource-sharing, best practices, and research.

In 2021 we became a registered charity and relocated to the heart of downtown St. Catharines within a growing arts hub. Silver Spire United Church provides dinners, showers, and laundry facilities for unhoused individuals, hosts various social justice forums, 2SLGBTQIA+ events and Indigenous groups, and is also the home of Carousel Players, a company providing theatre programming for youth.

Today we proudly provide our members a 1000 sq. ft. studio space. We also have a shared office space and two supply rooms. Within Silver Spire, we have access to a gymnasium, auditorium, and a sanctuary for classes, performances, and public events.