Awesome Arts

Awesome Arts en folie brings together participants of all ages to explore issues important to their community through the arts! Held in partnership with community organizations, Awesome Arts offers an exciting series of workshops for different age groups that culminate in a public celebration. Participants express themselves via various art forms such as slam poetry, animation, music, theatre and video, all the while exploring issues important to them and their community.

In November 2017, Awesome Arts was awarded the International Spotlight Award presented by the American National Arts and Humanities Youth program. Along with 12 exceptional organizations from across the United States, MASC was thrilled receive the United States' highest honour for after-school arts and humanities programs that reach underserved youth.

To date, Awesome Arts has been run in a number of communities around Ottawa with a variety of partners. Awesome Arts has provided 814 individual workshops to 1942 children, youth and seniors. Awesome Arts Festivals have featured performances from over 1600 children, youth and seniors and 80 local professional artists to over 7519 Ottawa residents.

2023 Workshop Leaders and Performers

Videos for Awesome Arts

Why Awesome Arts is awesome

I don’t know where I would have gone in life if it wasn’t for the kind of programming Awesome Arts offered me as a teen. It was my escape route for a lot of the difficulties I was experiencing. I found that it brought me healthier ways to express my frustrations, it gave me a space to laugh and write even if it was once a week. Art is a form of therapy for people like me that didn’t have the opportunity to talk to professionals through rough times. I can honestly say Awesome Arts saved me in a way.

— Akuol Luala, past Awesome Arts participant, former MASC Board Member

A big thank you to our festival sponsors!

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