MASC's Spring 18 Newsletter Spring 2018 Newsletter | Page 6

An awesome,
busy year
MASC Awesome Arts programs have happened
in several contexts and communities this year
and last. We’ve been able to run programs large
and small, from reaching small groups of youth
to serving entire neighbourhoods. The various
projects have been operated in collaboration
with many partners, all of whom we’d like to
acknowledge below. It has been an ‘awesome’
year!
All Awesome Arts programs deal with issues of
importance to the participants aged 5 to 95.
This past year, Diversity and Inclusion has been
a major theme woven through all the
workshops, expressed through stop motion
animation, slam poetry, documentaries,
murals, cinepoems,  dance and music. During
2016 and 2017, MASC hosted 4 different
Awesome Arts en folie events.
Awesome Arts music pilot Series -
Fall 2016
Over the course of two residencies,
a group of 12 at-risk youth created
an original song and music video.
The first residency was led by
American artist Ricardo “Ricky”
Nigaglioni, and was funded by
the US Embassy in Canada.
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MASC Artist, Jamaal Jackson Rogers built on this
experience and worked with the same youth
recording a second original song in a follow-up
residency, funded by TELUS. These programs
were held in partnership with Boys & Girls Club of
Ottawa and the Pathways to Education Ottawa. In
collaboration with the youth, Craig Conoley and
Nickolas Lacelle transformed these songs into
powerful music videos that have garnered more
than 5000 views on YouTube.
The youth who participated in the Embassy and
TELUS projects have now created a band called
OTTR and have performed these two songs at 10
events and festivals across the city and have
recently created a 3rd new song through a
project held in partnership with the City of
Ottawa’s Community Arts and
Social Engagement.