Introducing Art Club IN-PERSON workshops! Registration for in-person Art Club is now live! We can’t wait to make art with you! Click the button at the top of this page to register!
Swallowing Clouds presents: Art Club! A series of all ages welcome art-making sessions. Art Club focuses on individual and collaborative creation within a supportive community setting. Participants are encouraged to participate in any way they feel comfortable, it’s all about giving space for creativity without any pressure or expectation!
Participants will be led by Swallowing Clouds facilitators as well as special guest artists through various activities which will inspire and ignite a creative spark. Participants will then be offered creative prompts to help guide their creation process and given time for independent creation. Come as you are, no artistic experience necessary, all ages and abilities are welcome!
Please note, Art Club is open for all ages, participants under the age of 14 will need to be accompanied by a trusted adult.
February: Sound, Percussion & Composition with Brandon Valdivia
An exploration of creation in music. A journey of discovery and experimentation in sound, percussion and composition.
Thursday, February 12th, 2026, 6:30pm – 8:00pm | Guest Artist: Brandon Valdivia | Location: 918 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON
Saturday, February 14th, 2026, 10:30am – 12:00pm | Guest Artist: Brandon Valdivia | Location: Deer Park Library: 40 St Clair Ave E, Toronto, ON
March: Movement, Painting & Textile Art with Marie Lambin-Gagnon
Dive into the world of multidisciplinary artist Marie Lambin-Gagnon, whose work blends contemporary dance and visual art, including photography, installation, and textile practices. A workshop where dance and visual arts come together in the poetic world of the garden! Participants will explore dance movement, painting, and textiles to create a personal artwork that will gradually take shape within a collective creation. No previous experience in dance or visual arts is needed, all that matters is the desire to move, express yourself, and create together. You are invited to discover what is growing in this living and imaginative garden.
Thursday, March 12th, 2026, 6:30pm – 8:00pm | Guest Artist: Marie Lambin-Gagnon | Location: Tranzac Club: 292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto, ON
Saturday, March 14th, 2026, 10:30am – 12:00pm | Guest Artist: Marie Lambin-Gagnon | Location: Deer Park Library: 40 St Clair Ave E, Toronto, ON
Our past guest artists have included a Chinese Opera Performer, a Jingle Dress Dancer and Beadmaker, and a Singer and Musician, a Kathak dancer and choreographer, a tabla artist and composer, a poet, an animator and Capoeira artist, puppet and theatre artists, costume designers and many more!
Art Club is free to attend. Donations of any size are welcome which help us continue delivering enriching arts education programming.
Venue Access:
918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education – Room B
918 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G5
Thurs. Feb 12
The workshop will take place in Room B, located in the basement level. The space is accessed via several short flights of stairs. A few steps to enter the building (approximately 4 stairs), then a flight of stairs to the basement (approximately 10 stairs). Washrooms are located on the basement level.
TTC access via Bathurst Subway Station (Line 2), Bathurst 511 Streetcar, or Bathurst 7 Bus.
Deer Park Library
40 St Clair Ave E, Toronto, ON M4T 1M9
Sat. Feb 14 & Sat. Mar 14
The workshops will take place in the community room, located on the second floor of the library. There is elevator access to the second floor. Wheelchair accessible washrooms are located on the main floor of the library. Additional washrooms are located on the second floor.
TTC access via St Clair Subway Station (Line 1), or St Clair 512 Streetcar.
Tranzac Club
292 Brunswick Ave, Toronto, ON M5S 2M7
Thurs. Mar 12
The workshop will take place in the ‘Living Room’, located on the main floor. Wheelchair accessible washrooms are located on the main floor.
TTC access via Spadina OR Bathurst Subway Station (Line 2), or Spadina 510 Streetcar, Bathurst 511 Streetcar, or Bathurst 7 Bus.
Values Statement
Our team of facilitators are thoughtful about the content they share with participants and we believe our offerings to be family friendly. We are a company that is proud to present and support artists from a variety of practices, backgrounds and identities including BIPOC artists, Queer artists, artists with disabilities and other underrepresented voices. We value freedom in creative expression and acknowledge that through this lens, our choices may not exactly align with others in our community. We respect that individuals can reasonably disagree on what content is family friendly.
Disclaimer
The content presented during the program is, in our opinion, appropriate for all ages, however artists that are presented do not create content exclusively for children.
For more information, email: info@princessproductions.ca
Guest Artist #1 – Brandon Valdivia
Brandon Miguel Valdivia is a drummer, percussionist and composer based in London, Ontario. Over the past twenty years Valdivia has emerged as one of the most prolific musicians in Canada. He is primarily known for his contributions to groups such as Not The Wind, Not The Flag, Picastro, The Cosmic Range and Lido Pimienta. In addition to these projects Valdivia has also been heard alongside the likes of such diverse groups such as Laraaji, Bomba Estéreo,Tanya Tagaq, Sook-Yin Lee, U.S. Girls, Anthony Braxton, Jeremy Dutcher, and as remixer for Run The Jewels. He amassed Juno Award nominations, Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations and two Polaris Prizes. He has worked extensively in music for dance and theatre having collaborated with Aluna Theatre, Cinnamoon Collective with whom he was nominated for a DORA award for original composition.
Brandon’s work as his solo project as Mas Aya integrates his eclectic musical activities of his life: exploring his studies of Global musical traditions combining with contemporary electronic musical expressions. He has garnished international acclaim with recent releases on Telephone Explosion Records with 2021’s “Máscaras” and 2024’s “Coming and Going,” receiving warm critical reception from such sources as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, CBC, the New York Times and more.
Guest Artist #2 – Marie Lambin-Gagnon
Marie Lambin-Gagnon, originally from Montreal, trained at Ballet Divertimento and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She has participated in workshops such as the Gaga Summer Course in Tel Aviv, Morphing/Evolution with Compagnie Marie Chouinard, and Springboard Danse Montreal, where she worked with RUBBERBANDance Group, directed by Victor Quijada. In January 2013, Marie collaborated with Quebecois choreographer Robert Desrosiers, who created a new solo on her presented at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto. She has worked with Shannon Liztenberger, Robert Abubo, ReActive Dance Theatre, is part of the collective The Garage and NewFoundDance. She has presented her choreography at Nuit Créative and Series 808. A recent piece, ‘’WTF’’ has been presented for Danses Buissionières, the 2015 Rhubarb Festival and the Festival Vue sur la Relève. Her most recent work-in-progress, ‘’Here, a celebration of failure’’, was showcased at Octopus Garden Yoga Centre in December 2014.