Past CIF Projects

Portrait & Perspective Drawing

This 11-week course runs in a 2-module structure. Learn techniques to draw:

• Portraits – including the nose, mouth, eyes and ears
• Perspectives – including one-point and two-point perspectives

Lessons start from simple and easy to do exercises, then build on those skills, and eventually reach some advanced ways to accomplish art.

One of our motto’s is that in every class we are here to have fun, and if we learn something new then that is a bonus. Having fun is the most important part of learning.

Creative Expressions Art Nights

A series of community crafting events with offerings held both online and in-person. This project is a celebration of meeting and making, a social way to share your passion for craft, art, and design with the community.

Get social and creative by partaking in community-building activities. Bring a creative project you are working on, or come and see what everyone else is working on.

One free mini-tutorial is offered at each event to get our creativity flowing. In-person events provide participants who attend with the supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how at no cost to participants. Online events will showcase the projects and process of creations made at home.

Creative Expressions Art Nights is led by a peer who is interested in holding community events that provide opportunities for other peers to socialize and create artwork to improve their wellbeing.

Improvisation Theatre

This project is is divided into two separate classes:

Introduction to Improvisation: Discover the secrets of improvisation in this fun, team-oriented 9-week comedy workshop. Learn how to give and accept offers, create an environment and develop storytelling skills. Surprise yourself with your own spontaneity and lose your stage fright as we perform group improv games.

Playback Theatre: Are you a compassionate person? Do you want to take part in meaningful and expressive theatre with a view to starting our own playback theatre troupe? Join our class as we improvise each others stories using fabric, acting, music and movement in a friendly, safe and supportive environment. The final class will be a performance for family and friends.

Musings From Lived Experience

An opinion column by Merle Ginsburg covering topics related to mental health and substance use.

Past Columns:

December 2023

April 2023

December 2022

November 2022

September 2022

Let Art Shine A Path

Let Art Shine A Path is an Art Hub Directory Page to help artists with lived/living experience of mental health/disabilities to expose them to available art shows and more.

Art brings out feelings, meaning, worth, value, and both joy and sadness from within. We want to help artists connect, share information, talk about the art that inspired them, and/or helped in their mental wellness journey.

This project gathers information about events and opportunities throughout the year for artists with disabilities. It supports participants with the application process, sharing their work in art shows (both online and in person), providing the chance to earn some income through their creative outlet.

Let Art Shine A Path is also hosted their own art show featuring the work of local peers.

Adventures in Short Film Writing

Have you been interested in films but don’t know where to begin? Why not start with the creation of a short film script? The basics are covered in this course.

Writing gives you the chance to realize your vision by turning concepts into pictures that can then be turned into a short film. You’ll learn the fundamentals of screenwriting through guided lessons and exercises, and you’ll have the chance to create your very own project in a welcoming, judgment-free environment!

Community Kitchen Club

This project allows people to meet in a social setting to learn new healthy cooking skills. This can help those who are more isolated to participate in food production and not feel pressured to talk in a group. Participants will be able to enjoy healthy food and hopefully improve their skills for preparing healthy food and become healthier in the process.

Drawing Fundamentals

The fundamentals of drawing are being offered in a 11-week course. The last class will be a partial party. I plan to start from simple and easy to do exercises, then build on those skills, and eventually reach some advanced ideas and ways to accomplish art. The course runs in a 5 module structure that builds upon basic skills to more advanced ones.

The goal is for people to have fun in a safe environment where they can learn new skills that will give them confidence in doing art which could possibly give them more confidence in life.

Tour Vancouver

Tour Vancouver as a group, be a tourist in your own city! It allows people with similar interests to come together and do something fun, that they may not be comfortable doing on their own.

I’ve lived in Vancouver for almost half my life yet there are things (attractions) that I have never done. This is due to limited funds and also because I don’t feel comfortable doing them alone. I hope that by offering this group, people who have been living in Vancouver for the majority of their lives, or those who are new to the City, can share this experience together.

Autobiographical Writing

Write your lived experience in a full length autobiography in a supportive group setting. We meet weekly to discuss what we’ve written and read each other’s progress for insight and encouragement. Putting your life’s journey into words can be healing for you and others that read your story. At the end of 12 months we will have the books professionally proofread. We will be submitting the work to publishers and lastly at least self publish.

Bocce

Have you been yearning to get outside, play, enjoy summer, and/or socialize in a low-pressure environment all isolating pandemic? Go beyond your front door and join us for a classic Italian lawn bowling game called bocce. It is easy to learn and fun to play for diverse abilities!

Bocce in the Park provides a safe, socially distanced, inclusive opportunity for peers to get together outdoors in the local community while being physically active.

The Bocce in the Park group meets at the same time weekly for recreational rounds of Bocce in the park. PPE, sanitizing supplies, bocce equipment and refreshments are provided. At the end of the project we celebrate with a pizza picnic in the park.

Night of Games

A place for folks to connect online and have fun learning new games and playing together. Games played include word games, variations of trivial pursuit, and guess who.

Hosted virtually on Zoom each week. Drop-in, no registration required. Co-hosts take turns leading games.

Participants are not under any obligation or pressure to play any game if they’d rather not.
We hope people will enjoy the social connection & feel less isolated when they join in.