The Creative School Catalyst Summer Institute 2026

Overview

The Creative School Catalyst Summer Institute 2026, facilitated by Deanna Armenti and Paola Poletto, is titled DEN/dwelling and proposes Foraging, Found Objects, and Assemblage as foundational elements for collaborative research-creation. Participants will gather as a collective to make and discuss ideas inspired by readings, complete an art installation, and go on field trips. The artists note: your participation shapes what's next, what's possible.

Dates & Location

• Tuesday, August 11 – Thursday, August 13, 2026
• 10am – 4pm
• The Catalyst, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto
• Closing Public Reception: Thursday, August 13, 3 – 6pm

Workshop Schedule

• Day 1: Foraging — Introduction to ethical foraging practices via Robin Wall Kimmerer's 'The Honorable Harvest,' followed by field trip to Tommy Thompson Park | Leslie Street Spit
• Day 2: Found Objects — Working with foraged matter, personal archives, and Day 1 making while considering self-representation within the collective through looking together as method
• Day 3: Assemblage — Transitioning DEN/dwelling forward through collective making and community building; questions about presentation and representation transformed into action

Eligibility & Application

Open to all; a few spots available. No fees for application or successful applicants.

About the Facilitators

Deanna Armenti (Fae/Faer, She/Her) is a Queer Faegender poet, zine creator, and interdisciplinary textile artist and researcher, PhD candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University in the Media and Design Innovation program. Her research-creation practice sits at the intersection of Ecology, Folklore, and Gender Studies. Paola Poletto is an arts professional and artist-curator of design, craft, new media, and visual art with extensive experience in exhibitions, public programs, educational workshops, and museum work. Her doctoral research examines what it means to be an artist/arts worker in a museum today.