The seasoned participants of SPACE, affiliated with the Seniors' Program for the Arts & Creative Expressions, gathered weekly at the Aaniin Community Centre for a series of workshops exploring arts, culture, identity, and community. Within this program, seniors actively engaged in learning one of three art forms—painting, poetry, and music or embroidery—for a duration of 7-8 weeks.

The SPACE Gallery Exhibition stands as a testament to the collaborative efforts of older adults from Markham and Toronto, showcasing paintings and a song. During the painting workshops, seniors were tasked with selecting an inspirational figure from their lives and capturing them on canvas. These portraits brought about personal stories of loved ones across generations and joyful relationships seniors had with their muse. The song, titled "Family," was a creation born from the collective talents of senior participants who skilfully blended traditional writing and cultural music influences with the genre of hip-hop. The lyrics drew inspiration from participants' cherished memories with family during the holiday season.

SPACE is a collaborative initiative hosted by the Senior Services Network (SSN) in partnership with Next Generation Arts (NGA) and funded by the Government of Ontario’s Seniors Community Grant. The program aims to promote the arts as a means of enhancing the cognitive health of seniors while addressing social isolation in a supportive peer environment. Beyond individual artistic exploration, senior participants of SPACE actively participated in intergenerational learning opportunities, fostering connections with young BIPOC artists from NGA who facilitated the workshops. We extend an invitation to explore this vibrant collection of works meticulously crafted by the talented participants of SPACE.