History

MABELLEarts was founded by Leah Houston and Noah Kenneally in March of 2007 under the name Pigeon Creek Collective. Our first project, Lantern Garden brought together kids and their families with professional artists and builders to repair the Mabelle Park. This project is now entering its fourth year. In 2008, we changed our name to MABELLEarts to reflect our home (the Mabelle neighbourhood) a high-density building complex in Etobicoke Ontario.

MABELLEarts developed out of a highly successful four-year residency of our predecessor and “Mothership” Jumblies Theatre (jumbliestheatre.org). As an “offshoot organization” and member of the Jumblies family of projects, MABELLEarts enjoys support and mentorship of Jumblies Theatre, and, in turn, we connect and contribute to Jumblies approach and ideas as a core contributor to the Jumblies Studio – Jumblies’ ongoing apprenticeship program.

Our ongoing projects include The Women’s Sewing Room, The Memory Project, Lobby Art, MABELLEartSchool, Lantern Garden and A Park of Many Paths. These projects, coupled with our ongoing festivals and celebrations, have involved over 200 participants from the Mabelle neighbourhood.

MABELLEarts has become a recognized community arts company, forging relationships with innovative Canadian artists and organizations. We are committed to breaking new ground – in the community arts and contemporary arts worlds; by pioneering new ways of working and fusing unlikely forms: sustainable building with community arts, urban design with oral history, food access with celebration arts.