Information Letter

 

Dear k’inādās mentorship residents,

We are very excited as this residency approaches, and this letter is just to provide you with some pertinent information regarding our time together. We are grateful for this opportunity to be gathered in the same place, and we are excited to support building and supporting mentorship(s) that last a life/time.

For ease of navigation, we have divided the information in two parts.

1) Before Arriving:

Allergies and Accessibility:

All of you have already shared about your allergies, dietary restrictions and preferences in this shared document. If there is something you have missed out, please email Parth directly about it. We advise you to carry your allergy medication with you, nevertheless.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please feel free to contact Parth. Same for any medical condition which you think we should be aware of in case of an emergency.

Art Materials:

If there are any art materials/equipment, you would like to have during the residency and you don't want to travel with them, you can send us an email (as soon as you can) and we can try and arrange that here from Toronto. It would help to be as specific as you can about the art materials you want.

Travel:

You will all have received your confirmation for your Air Canada flights, booked through k’inādās Aeroplan points. As these have been booked in your name with your profile, you should be able to make changes if needed, but hoping that won’t be necessary. You would be flying into Pearson (YYZ) or Billy Bishop (YTZ).

To reach to the residency from airport, you can follow this post.

 

2) After Arriving:

Accommodations and Studios:

We are currently reviewing your various practices to determine how best to assign studios. Each of the mentors, trainees, and organizers will have their own private accommodation and there will be some sharing of studios. While we will pre-assign these, we encourage attendees to negotiate amongst themselves any changes if required. We will also have a common kitchen area to prepare food and an adjacent studio area for meetings and time together.

Groceries and meals:

Toronto Island does not have general services such as grocery stores, so we need to plan ahead and be strategic! We have a budget to buy groceries and there is a delivery service that comes to the island Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, plus of course we can make day trips across to get items. Our plan is to share cooking/preparing of meals and to have enough flexibility for eating together and separately. On the first night, June 10, since folks are arriving at different times, we will prepare a vegetarian Indian meal so you can all have a meal without concerning yourselves with grocery lists! On the second night, June 11, we will have a catered meal together. Subsequently, and for breakfasts and lunches, we can plan ahead. There are also a few restaurants on the island for some variety. (NB. The Island Café closed because of a March fire, but they are optimistic about opening up again soon.)

Tentative schedule of events:

There will be a few events happening at the Gibraltar Point Centre that are not associated with the residency but may be of interest. As well, we have a few events occurring for residents, a list that will likely grow as we get closer. The items in orange below are events planned by the Gibraltar Point Centre and not related to our residency but placing this for our information.

Ongoing: Studio visits – Ashok, Ayumi, Peter(virtually), mentors

 

Toronto Island amenities:

These are some businesses and activities you can find on Toronto Island. As well we are linking a Toronto Island ferry and water taxi schedule and info. There is also this map of Toronto Island that may be useful for explorations.

Toronto Activities:

While on Toronto Island, residents might want to venture into Toronto to see galleries and other spaces.

Shipping materials home:

There is no courier or postal service on the island, so those who are making things to send or take home should prepare these items well before departure.