DesignTO

### Context Profile for DesignTO

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - **Mission**: DesignTO is dedicated to celebrating design and its impact on our daily lives. Their mission is to engage the public in design conversations, showcasing the role of design in shaping communities and fostering innovation.
   - **Cause**: They aim to create a platform for designers, artists, and the community to connect, share ideas, and inspire one another through various design-related events and initiatives.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **DesignTO Festival**: An annual festival that includes exhibitions, installations, and talks, showcasing local and international design talent.
   - **Workshops and Tours**: They organize hands-on workshops and guided tours to educate the public about design practices and principles.
   - **Community Programs**: Initiatives aimed at engaging the community in design thinking and practices, often collaborating with local organizations and schools.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone is **friendly**, **inspiring**, and **inclusive**. The language used is accessible and encourages participation, reflecting a community-oriented approach. They use exclamation points and engaging language to evoke excitement about design.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - DesignTO uses emojis sparingly but effectively in their communications. For example, they utilize a heart emoji (💜) in their recent campaign to convey warmth and connection. Emojis are used to enhance engagement without overwhelming the text.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: DesignTO was founded to create a platform for design in Toronto and has grown to become a significant event in the design calendar.
   - **Scale**: They have organized numerous events, with 18 total forms and 62 email campaigns indicating a robust engagement strategy.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics are not detailed on the website, the festival attracts thousands of attendees and features numerous local and international designers.
   - **Volunteer Info**: Opportunities for volunteering are likely available, as community engagement is a core aspect of their activities, although specific details should be confirmed on their website.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - **Style**: Use a conversational and engaging style that invites readers to participate in events and discussions. 
   - **Clarity**: Ensure that information is clear and easy to understand, avoiding jargon unless it is explained.
   - **Call to Action**: Include strong calls to action that encourage participation, whether in events, workshops, or community initiatives.
   - **Visuals**: Incorporate visuals where appropriate, as design is a visual medium, and imagery can enhance the message.

This context profile serves as a foundational guide for crafting personalized and effective content for DesignTO, aligning with their mission, activities, and community engagement strategies.

General Admission

As part of our charitable fundraising efforts, join DesignTO for an exclusive house tour in Toronto&rsquo;s Wychwood Park neighbourhood.&nbsp; Dr. Kenneth Montague was born a collector. So it&rsquo;s fitting that the Montague House &ndash; for Montague, artist and educator Sarah Aranha, and their two young children &ndash; was designed for an extensive art, object, and design collection all within a historic house that was sensitively renovated and expanded by the Studio for Contemporary Architecture (SOCA). &ldquo;The idea was a beautiful envelope for the artwork and the books, rather than going for grand gestures,&rdquo; says the homeowners. Within 5,000 square feet across 3 storeys, personal collections of art and design fill each space, including artworks from the Wedge Collection, one of the world&rsquo;s most important&nbsp;privately owned collections committed to championing Black artists. Montague leverages his collection and his non-profit arts organization, Wedge Curatorial Projects, to create exhibitions and events that explore an expansive expression of&nbsp;Black identity. When Montague and Aranha purchased the 1919 house designed by Eden Smith, Canada&rsquo;s leading proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, there wasn&rsquo;t much left of the original design; but there were good bones and a few charming elements including the original homeowner&rsquo;s art studio, which was an ideal spot for Aranha to continue the tradition. The architectural solution involved a careful restoration of the street-facing fa&ccedil;ade and adding a dormer on the side of the house. An addition on the rear accommodates a family room, an eat-in kitchen, and a principal bedroom suite &ndash; contemporary living spaces that didn&rsquo;t exist when the original house was built. Inside, a series of volumes and interior windows provide sequential moments of livable area and relief in the space, offering different vantage points to view art. &ldquo;Consider it architecture as a frame for art,&rdquo; the architect describes. Experience this special space yourself by joining the tour led by the homeowners, architect and SOCA partner Tura Cousins Wilson, and DesignTO Artistic Director Deborah Wang. Event Schedule 10:30 AM &ndash; Arrive and Gather Outside 10:45 AM &ndash; House Tour Begins Event LocationThe exact address for the house tour will be shared with ticket holders. Please respect the privacy of the homeowners by keeping their address confidential.&nbsp; Continuing EducationGuests that log professional continuing education hours can request a certificate for 1 hour of structured learning after they attend the tour. Thank YouThank you to the homeowners and our Sensory Partner Aesop. Guests will receive a complimentary Aesop gift.&nbsp; A charitable tax receipt will be issued for the allowable&nbsp;portion of the tour ticket. All sales are final.&nbsp;Image credit: doublespace, courtesy of SOCA and doublespace.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for our event and supporting our charitable organization. The address for this house tour is 29 Alcina Avenue, Toronto.&nbsp; There is street parking available (check posted signs) and a bus stop on Bathurst Street (at Nina St) is a 3-minute walk away. We look forward to welcoming you on May 23 at 10:30am. Please ensure you have a General Admission ticket for entry. If you have any questions leading up to the event, please email Festival Coordinator Renee Powell-Hines at renee@designto.org. DesignTO

As part of our charitable fundraising efforts, join DesignTO for an exclusive house tour in Toronto’s Wychwood Park neighbourhood.  Dr. Kenneth Montague was born a collector. So it’s fitting that the Montague House – for Montague, artist and educator Sarah Aranha, and their two young children – was designed for an extensive art, object, and design collection all within a historic house that was sensitively renovated and expanded by the Studio for Contemporary Architecture (SOCA). “The idea was a beautiful envelope for the artwork and the books, rather than going for grand gestures,” says the homeowners. Within 5,000 square feet across 3 storeys, personal collections of art and design fill each space, including artworks from the Wedge Collection, one of the world’s most important privately owned collections committed to championing Black artists. Montague leverages his collection and his non-profit arts organization, Wedge Curatorial Projects, to create exhibitions and events that explore an expansive expression of Black identity. When Montague and Aranha purchased the 1919 house designed by Eden Smith, Canada’s leading proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, there wasn’t much left of the original design; but there were good bones and a few charming elements including the original homeowner’s art studio, which was an ideal spot for Aranha to continue the tradition. The architectural solution involved a careful restoration of the street-facing façade and adding a dormer on the side of the house. An addition on the rear accommodates a family room, an eat-in kitchen, and a principal bedroom suite – contemporary living spaces that didn’t exist when the original house was built. Inside, a series of volumes and interior windows provide sequential moments of livable area and relief in the space, offering different vantage points to view art. “Consider it architecture as a frame for art,” the architect describes. Experience this special space yourself by joining the tour led by the homeowners, architect and SOCA partner Tura Cousins Wilson, and DesignTO Artistic Director Deborah Wang. Event Schedule 10:30 AM – Arrive and Gather Outside 10:45 AM – House Tour Begins Event LocationThe exact address for the house tour will be shared with ticket holders. Please respect the privacy of the homeowners by keeping their address confidential.  Continuing EducationGuests that log professional continuing education hours can request a certificate for 1 hour of structured learning after they attend the tour. Thank YouThank you to the homeowners and our Sensory Partner Aesop. Guests will receive a complimentary Aesop gift.  A charitable tax receipt will be issued for the allowable portion of the tour ticket. All sales are final. Image credit: doublespace, courtesy of SOCA and doublespace.

DesignTO

DesignTO Tours: Montague House

Wychwood Park

General Admission

$100

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