Founded in 1988, the Workman Arts Project of Ontario (Workman Arts), formerly Workman Theatre Project, is based on the principle that the creative process is integral to the quest for personal and spiritual development. Workman Arts is a not-for-profit professional arts company working in partnership with and located at the Queen Street site of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto’s Art and Design District.

The mission of Workman Arts is to support aspiring, emerging and established artists with mental illness and addiction issues who are committed to developing and refining their art forms, and to promote a greater understanding of mental illness and addiction through film, theatre, visual arts, music and literary arts.

The objectives of Workman Arts are to:

• promote public awareness of mental health and addiction issues through various artistic media
• provide arts training, support, and employment within a professional creative environment for people receiving mental health services and addiction services
• promote relations between Workman Arts and Ontario arts companies in order to enhance employment opportunities for people receiving mental health and addiction services
• be an information source for members of the artistic community seeking information regarding mental health problems and related issues.

Under one roof, Workman Arts manages a 300-seat theatre, an art gallery, a fine arts studio and facilities for training. Workman Arts supports its members’ work from creation to presentation by providing arts instruction, studio space, employment opportunities, partnerships and presentation venues.

For more information about the company and its programs or to become a member, call (416) 583-4339 and make an appointment to speak with the membership director.

Contact: Box office (416) 583-4606. Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival

Location: Queen Street site, Joseph Workman Theatre. Main entrance off Queen Street before going through main administration doors. Office located underneath the theatre.