The Don River Awakens was a community-driven initiative that celebrated the restoration of the Don River and the birth of Ookwemin Minising in Toronto’s Port Lands.
Aspirations
-
Ensure co-creation of the project with local residents & indigenous communities.
Foster relationships with cultural and community leaders to collaboratively shape the events and the Island’s cultural development.
Amplify authentic voices and representation through collaboration with local artists and performers.
Foster exploration of Ookwemin Minising’s Biidaasige Park through free, ephemeral public programming.
-
Root the Island’s cultural tone in Indigenous empowerment and community led placemaking.
Provide a model for ephemeral cultural activations in Toronto.
Identify best practices for placemaking through art, music, and movement.
Explore long-term cultural stewardship of Ookwemin’s development process.
-
Placemaking begins with understanding place. The area that houses Ookwemin Minising and the mouth of the Don River have undergone a profound transformation from natural landscapes to Indigenous stewardship, colonization, industrialization, economic prowess, degradation, and now ecological renewal. Today, the island is being restored to its natural landscape, becoming a vibrant space for all Torontonians. Recognizing this journey allows us to celebrate the land’s resilience and create a shared vision for its future.
Initiative Themes
-
Fostering an inclusive and equitable public space requires centering its many diverse communities from past, present, and future. This means amplifying the voices of those who have stewarded it, and inviting the next generation of caretakers to envision and shape its future together.
-
Art is a powerful medium for storytelling and connection, capable of uniting people across diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. As the island undergoes its renewal, it is poised to become a new cultural landmark for Toronto. The Don River Awakens uses art as a unifying language to celebrate and honor the island’s transformation.
Project at a Glance:
Locations:
St. Matthews Clubhouse, Toronto, ON
Biidaasige Park, Toronto, ON
Dates:
October 19, 20, and 25, 2025
Collaborators:
Red Pepper Spectacle, Lost Rivers, Kayos Jones, Emily Gaudet Dick, Maracatu Mar Aberto, Nithursan Elamuhilan, East End Arts, Toronto Arts Council, Waterfront Toronto, Monumental, and
City of Toronto
Budget:
via grants & sponsorships
$11,500
Scope:
2
community
arts workshops hosted
2
exploration
based programs delivered
1
public art installation commissioned
Engagement:
community members
engaged
250+
5
artists & performance
groups platformed
>80%
new visitors welcomed
6/6
average participant satisfaction rating
38,000
social media engagements
Activities
With our partners, we offered free community workshops leading up to a multi-part public event that surfaced the Indigenous and industrial past of Ookwemin Minising and the mouth of the Don River, while celebrating their futures as ecological and cultural anchors for the city.
Commemorative Lantern Making Workshop
October 19, 2025 | St. Matthew's Clubhouse
We gathered with neighbors and Indigenous partners for art workshops led by East End Arts and Red Pepper Spectacle. Together, we crafted bamboo-and-paper lanterns with imagery commemorating the Salmon spawning season and messages connected to the City of Toronto’s Indigenous Place Naming Initiative: Akinomaagewin.
Family Art Workshop
October 20, 2025 | St. Matthew's Clubhouse
Families and locals joined Indigenous two-spirit artist Kayos Jones and East End Arts in creating small fish puppets and painted woven textiles. The hands-on workshop blended art, storytelling, and ecology inviting participants to craft, imagine, and contribute to the Don River Awakens procession.
River History Tour
October 25, 2025| Biidaasige Park
During the event, John Wilson, of Lost Rivers, and the Task Force to Bring Back the Don led a guided walking tour with Shannon Baker of Waterfront Toronto highlighting the Indigenous and industrial histories of the Port Lands and the Don River as well as details behind their transformation into Ookwemin Minising Island and a preview of what’s to come. This shared exploration from past to present delivered essential context for understanding the site’s cultural significance and its journey toward ecological renewal.
Costume & Puppet Procession
October 25, 2025 | Biidaasige Park
As the sun set, community members gathered for a lantern-lit procession led by Red Pepper Spectacle. Together, we moved through Ookwemin Minising’s Biidaasige Park, uniting in art, culture, and place and sharing in its stories, beauty, and promise for the future.
Public Art Installation
October 25, 2025 | Biidaasige Park
The procession concluded at Biiskaabe Zaa’emaanag (Return of the Salmon), a temporary installation by Anishinaabe artist Joseph Sagaj (Sturgeon Clan). Here, we paused and reflected collectively on the future of Ookwemin Minising and the Don River inspired by large salmon lantern sculptures inscribed with artwork that narrates a story eulogizing the loss of natural habitats, but also celebrates the salmon’s return to Toronto’s waterways after a century’s absence.
2025 Don River Awakens Workshop Participant:
“The celebration of art, craft and culture highlighted our need to pay attention to the environment and raise awareness for the precious ecological systems that surround us.”
Support
Support and partnership is provided by East End Arts, Waterfront Toronto, City of Toronto, Lost Rivers, local and indigenous artists and leaders in Tkaronto.
Special thanks to our friends Red Pepper Spectacle and Kayos Jones for their leadership and collaboration.
The Don River Awakens is generously funded by the Toronto Arts Council.
The Don River Awakens is made in partnership with Monumental.