Art Groups Toronto

The Christian Imagination and the Question of Autonomous Art

[Theopolis](https://www.theopolis.ca/) is excited to present the inaugural Gaudí Lecture, featuring renowned liturgical artist, writer, and speaker Jonathan Pageau. The notion of “art for art’s sake” continues to pervade contemporary thinking and practice in the arts. Art is understood as autonomous, liberated from its connection to worship, culture, morality, truth, or beauty, or reduced to a commodity valued primarily for its price and prestige. In either case, art risks becoming detached from the larger human story. In this lecture, Pageau will argue that the response of the Christian imagination is not simply to reunite art with religious content by depicting biblical scenes or communicating moral messages. Rather, liturgy and sacramentality must be recovered as the internal and coherent driving force of the arts themselves, shaping their forms and their application within the Body of Christ. **Please note this is a ticketed event. YOU NEED TO PURCHASE A TICKET IN ADVANCE through this link [HERE](https://www.theopolis.ca/gaudi-lecture/) to be admitted. Theopolis has generously offered a package of 10 discounted (25% off) tickets for members of the Toronto Philosophy Meetup — use the code TPM2026 at checkout to receive the discount.** ***______________________________________________*** ABOUT JONATHAN PAGEAU Jonathan Pageau is a renowned liturgical artist, writer, and public speaker whose work explores symbolism, religion, art, literature, and culture. Through his carvings, writing, lectures, and *The Symbolic World*, Pageau has helped a wide audience recover a symbolic vision of the world, one in which spiritual meaning is revealed through images, stories, rituals, and the patterns of everyday life. Drawing deeply from the Christian tradition, his work offers a compelling way of engaging many of the central questions facing contemporary culture. Theopolis is honoured to welcome Jonathan Pageau to Toronto to deliver the inaugural Gaudí Lecture. ***______________________________________________*** ABOUT THEOPOLIS Catholic art has the power to renew culture and share the faith through beauty, but in Ontario, it’s too often absent from public life. Theopolis exists to change that. We’re empowering a rising generation of Catholic artists and creating a space for encounter between the secular and sacred. We believe that art plays a vital role in shaping how we understand the world, and that beauty can serve as an avenue for the Holy Spirit — sparking an encounter with the sacred. By bringing works of Catholic art into dialogue with contemporary Canadian culture, Theopolis ensures that the Catholic imagination remains part of the public conversation, creating spaces where culture and faith meet. More info about Theopolis here: https://www.theopolis.ca/about/ ***______________________________________________*** ABOUT THE GAUDÍ LECTURE The Gaudí Lecture is an annual public lecture exploring the importance, influence, and enduring relevance of the Christian imagination. Each year, Theopolis will invite a distinguished creative figure to reflect on the role of the Christian imagination in shaping culture, artistic practice, and daily life. The lecture is named for Venerable Antoni Gaudí, whose architecture reflects an imagination formed by faith, nature, craftsmanship, and a profound sense of the sacred. His work reveals how artistic practice can become a form of contemplation and how beauty can prepare the soul for faith. Through this series, Theopolis hopes to create a lasting forum for serious and accessible public conversation, bringing artists, students, professionals, clergy, patrons, academics, and members of the wider community into a shared exploration of art, faith, and culture.

Creative Code Toronto work session

Join us for a Toronto meetup of creative coders! Instead of our usual show-and-tell, this will be a **work session!** If you're looking for some motivation to tinker on a creative project, now's your chance! **What is creative code?** *Creative coding* refers to anything with an artistic component that uses code as a medium. We welcome artists who use code (for visuals, audio, poetry, or whatever else), designers, animators, toolmakers, researchers, or just enjoyers and people looking to learn more! **Location:** Impact Kitchen on Queens Quay (88 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON M5J 0B6) **Join our discord** if you want to talk to everyone before/after the event, or have any suggestions for things you'd like to see or do! [https://discord.gg/ux9txXPsdJ](https://discord.gg/ux9txXPsdJ)

Fashion Implied/Lingerie/Fine Art w/ Meg Modelling - Britain

Fashion Implied/Lingerie/Fine Art w/ Meg Modelling - Britain

Natural Light Fashion Implied & Fine Art w/ Fanny Lee from Hungary

Natural Light Fashion Implied & Fine Art w/ Fanny Lee from Hungary

Arts and Culture Social Mixer

I am hosting a social drinks night for GTA Art lovers, business professionals and entrepreneurs to mingle and connect. Our event will be inside Mister C Bar Room @ The Bisha Hotel Toronto Enter the hotel lobby from the front doors of the Bisha Hotel, Mister C Bar Room is on your left inside the hotel lobby. Style Code: Business Casual/Upscale Trendy. Come out and socialize with other GTA Art lovers, business professionals and entrepreneurs over drinks! We have over 7 meetup groups invited to this event so this won't be a small crowd. Remember to bring your business cards as this is a networking event. This event is FREE to attend, food and drinks are at your own cost. Please purchase 1 drink to support the venue. We will have name tags for everyone and encourage people to mingle. \*\*\* FREE BUSINESS CARD RAFFLE DRAW - PRIZE $20.00 LCBO GIFT CARD. \*\*\* Please follow us: Facebook/TikTok @TorontoSocialMixer Twitter/Instagram: @TOSocialMixer WhatsApp Channel: Toronto Social Mixer Invite your facebook friends to our events.

October ART Crawl: Tour 3 top West End private galleries/spaces ($10 per person)

We will continue with our monthly **Art Crawls**! ***Please read everything over first.*** \*\*\*Our only ART Crawl in October will be on Saturday 10th (12:30pm-2:30pm) This is the Saturday of **Thanksgiving** long weekend. Note: the **12:30pm START**-time. 16 people/members each time. **$10 per person.** **\*\*\*Sent via e-transfer when you signup/rsvp.** **I'm not able to HOLD space for you.** ***--We will visit 3 different*** (downtown/west end/east end) galleries each month **(with short walks between each one)** Each month will be different galleries and/or artist-run centres. \*\*We'll meet the Gallery owners/artists/directors--who will lead us in tours and conversation at each stop. NO weather cancellations---**we will carry on!** NO cancellations/no refunds or any [re-scheduling](http://re-scheduling...if/) if you cannot make it. \-\-\-Check your calendars and PLAN ahead if you can join us\-\-and please arrive on time\. We're not able to wait for you\. Sorry\. Are you Interested in ART/artists--**and learning/visiting the exceptional local galleries we have in Toronto? With other MEETUP members** Saturday October 10th ***(12:30pm-2:30pm)*** Once I have 16 **confirmations** from Meetup members (you)--I will email you the start location of our ART Crawl!! Next week. **Our first stop**. Bloor/Lansdowne (we then head WEST) If interested, please email me $10. Include your first name only, and email address for a reply. **I will then confirm you.** And will firm up our itinerary with you in a few days. See you on Saturday October 10th--if you're confirmed--watch for an email directly from me!! ***We will do this again in November*** and ongoing all Winter---as we find some interesting spaces and exhibitions. Each month will be posted separately. **October 2026 is posted now.** You can email me directly here: torontoisculture@gmail,com Greg Thanks (Please understand I have NO space for any guests you may wish to bring with you. I am limited in group size based on the GALLERY instructions)

Korean Martial Arts (Regular Classes) - FREE

**Come workout, have fun, relieve your stress, and meet your fellow neighbours!** Welcoming interested people to join our FREE classes every Tuesday evening from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and every Sunday afternoon from 2:30PM-4:30PM near Bathurst/Lake Shore area. Classes are led by our event organizer, Master **Dave Crook**, a seasoned 4th degree black belt Hapkido practitioner from a respected academy with many years of experience in this art and various others. **About this form of martial arts:** Hapkido is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. **How to join:** Join this group/event and directly message me with your interest. **Q: Is this completely FREE?** A: Yes, classes/lessons are completely FREE **Q: Do I require a gi/uniform to participate?** A: Gi is completely optional, only required when doing groundwork grappling/throw techniques **Q: Are there grading and belt progression?** A: Yes, there are grading and belts, which will cost $30 just to cover the cost, testing will done when YOU are comfortable and ready! **Current Martial Artists Belt Status:** 1x Masters - 4th Degree Black Belt 1x Yellow Belt (former red belt) 1x Yellow Stripe Belt 134x White Belts **Belt Colours - Progression in Descending Order:** * White Belt * Yellow Stripe Belt * Yellow Belt * Orange Stripe Belt * Orange Belt * Green Stripe Belt * Green Belt * Blue Stripe Belt * Blue Belt * Red Stripe Belt * Red Belt * Black Stripe Belt * Black Belt **Curriculum of Techniques** **White Belt to Yellow Stripe:** **Strikes (all strikes from left wrist grab, striking with right)** 1\. Sword Strike to Clavicle 2\. Nunchuk Strike to Temple 3\. Companion Sword Strike with Elbow Strike to Solar Plexus 4\. Spear Hand to Femoral Artery 5\. Palm Strike to Floating Rib 6\. Spear Hand to Trachea **Breakaways (all breakaways from right wrist grab)** 1\. Latissimus Dorsi push with bucking back fist 2\. When pulled with bucking back fist 3\. When pushed with bucking back fist 4\. Downward break away with elbow strike 5\. Live\-hand tricept push up with elbow strike 6\. Assisted tricept push\-up with elbow strike **Take Downs (performed both sides)** 1\. Pivot throw Joint Locks (all joint locks from right wrist grab) 1\. 'Kul Nut Key' to elbow 2\. 'Kul Nut Key' to elbow 45 degrees 3\. One inch bow 4\. Side wrist lock \- bend elbow 5\. Side elbow lock 6\. Elbow lock controlled **Escapes From Mounted Position (all from opponent on mount position - performed both sides)** 1\. Escape to Mount 2\. Escape to Guard 3\. As punches are received \- buck \- single arm hook \- roll 4\. As punches are received \- buck \- shoulder walk \- two arm hook \- guard 5\. Escape when head is locked 6\. Escape when head is locked with high mount **Kicks (both sides)** 1\. Side kick **To learn more about Hwa Won Yue Hapkido visit our website here:** http://www.hapkidohwawonyue.ca/toronto.html#

Lingerie/Fashion Implied/Fine Art - with Riel Life

Korean Martial Arts (Casual Classes) - FREE

***\*\*\*This class is open to all levels, weather permitting; in an event of poor weather conditions class will be changed to a regular class\*\*\**** **Come workout, have fun, relieve your stress, and meet your fellow neighbours!** Welcoming interested people to join our FREE classes every Tuesday evening from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and every Sunday afternoon from 2:30PM-4:30PM near Bathurst/Lake Shore area. Classes are led by our event organizer, Master **Dave Crook**, a seasoned 4th degree black belt Hapkido practitioner from a respected academy with many years of experience in this art and various others. **About this form of martial arts:** Hapkido is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. **How to join:** Join this group/event and directly message me with your interest. **Q: Is this completely FREE?** A: Yes, classes/lessons are completely FREE **Q: Do I require a gi/uniform to participate?** A: Gi is completely optional, only required when doing groundwork grappling/throw techniques **Q: Are there grading and belt progression?** A: Yes, there are grading and belts, which will cost $30 just to cover the cost, testing will done when YOU are comfortable and ready! **Current Martial Artists Belt Status:** 1x Masters - 4th Degree Black Belt 1x Yellow Belt (former red belt) 1x Yellow Stripe Belt 134x White Belts **Belt Colours - Progression in Descending Order:** * White Belt * Yellow Stripe Belt * Yellow Belt * Orange Stripe Belt * Orange Belt * Green Stripe Belt * Green Belt * Blue Stripe Belt * Blue Belt * Red Stripe Belt * Red Belt * Black Stripe Belt * Black Belt **Curriculum of Techniques** **White Belt to Yellow Stripe:** **Strikes (all strikes from left wrist grab, striking with right)** 1\. Sword Strike to Clavicle 2\. Nunchuk Strike to Temple 3\. Companion Sword Strike with Elbow Strike to Solar Plexus 4\. Spear Hand to Femoral Artery 5\. Palm Strike to Floating Rib 6\. Spear Hand to Trachea **Breakaways (all breakaways from right wrist grab)** 1\. Latissimus Dorsi push with bucking back fist 2\. When pulled with bucking back fist 3\. When pushed with bucking back fist 4\. Downward break away with elbow strike 5\. Live\-hand tricept push up with elbow strike 6\. Assisted tricept push\-up with elbow strike **Take Downs (performed both sides)** 1\. Pivot throw Joint Locks (all joint locks from right wrist grab) 1\. 'Kul Nut Key' to elbow 2\. 'Kul Nut Key' to elbow 45 degrees 3\. One inch bow 4\. Side wrist lock \- bend elbow 5\. Side elbow lock 6\. Elbow lock controlled **Escapes From Mounted Position (all from opponent on mount position - performed both sides)** 1\. Escape to Mount 2\. Escape to Guard 3\. As punches are received \- buck \- single arm hook \- roll 4\. As punches are received \- buck \- shoulder walk \- two arm hook \- guard 5\. Escape when head is locked 6\. Escape when head is locked with high mount **Kicks (both sides)** 1\. Side kick **To learn more about Hwa Won Yue Hapkido visit our website here:** http://www.hapkidohwawonyue.ca/toronto.html#

ROTMAN Talk: Prof. Daron Acemoglu- "What Happened to Liberal Democracy?" ($25)

### **Book Synopsis:** **From Daron Acemoglu, 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and coauthor of *Why Nations Fail,* an ambitious and expansive inquiry into the biggest story in global politics over the last hundred years: the rise and fall of liberal democracy.** **"A very important work and a must-read."** —Thomas Piketty, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author of *Capital in the Twenty-First Century* **Tickets are $25 only (or with book $44). LINK below.** **"Daron Acemoglu is one of the most brilliant and insightful thinkers I’ve ever known. His particular genius is being able to look at impossibly complex problems and see right to the heart of what matters. This book is a tour de force that left me feeling more optimistic about the future than I have in a long time."** —Steven Levitt, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author of *Freakonomics* The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 raised hopes that we were one step closer to the triumph of liberalism. Soon, many predicted, we would all be living in functional liberal democracies. Sustained economic growth would benefit all segments of society and war would be a relic of the past. A generation later, one can only ask: What happened? **Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu** argues in this powerful book that liberal democracy flourished when it pursued its core promises of shared prosperity, democratic governance, and the free pursuit of knowledge. But liberalism, a philosophy built to challenge power, never fully adjusted to becoming the establishment. Nor was it able to deal with the economic and social disruptions that digital technologies wrought. Worse, in the postindustrial economy, liberalism turned its back on its core promises. As a segment of college-educated elites became politically dominant and separated from the rest of society, they sowed the seeds of widespread inequality while intensifying efforts to reshape mass culture and values. **Ticket link** (mostly sold-out)-- https://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/news-events-and-ideas/public-events/events-listings/2026/september-2026/sept-29-daron-acemoglu/ (Note: these ROTMAN Author Talks start promptly at 5:30pm, and finish at 6:30pm. We begin to meetup about 5pm for coffee/cookies)