History

The Scarborough Arts Council is an evolving community arts organization serving Scarborough and east Toronto, with programs and services that support artistic growth and foster a culturally aware community.

Founded in 1978, the Scarborough Arts Council was established under the name Arts Scarborough, with operating grants from the City of Scarborough and the Ontario Arts Council to promote artistic growth in the community. A membership base was established and initial programs were built at this time.

A reassessment of the organization took place in the mid-80s, and by 1989, Arts Scarborough was redeveloped as the Scarborough Arts Council.

SAC relocated to its current location at a city-owned property on the Scarborough Bluffs in 1992. Gallery space was created at this facility for the exhibition and sale of members’ work, and has since developed to include non-members exhibitions.

Scarborough Arts Council maintained a solid stable of programs for many years, and places great emphasis on its partnerships with other exceptional community organizations. SAC also publishes surface & symbol, a Toronto arts newspaper, founded in 1987. Surface & Symbol is the only newspaper of its kind in Toronto, and recently, it expanded to online publication for greater community access.

Scarborough Arts Council developed www.scarborougharts.com in 2000 to serve as a portal to the arts in east Toronto and Scarborough. With an increasingly web-savvy community to service, the site has since been improved and has increased user traffic.

SAC recently celebrated 30 years of serving the community through the arts, and will continue to improve on delivering this mission in the years to come, with fresh and innovative programs and services that enhance the cultural life of Scarborough.