Artist (Multi-Disciplinary) - Spiral Garden 2026

Description

Join us in building a world of possibility! Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Canada’s largest pediatric rehabilitation hospital, and a top 40 Canadian research hospital. Serving over 9,000 families annually in both inpatient and outpatient programs and services, Holland Bloorview is renowned for its expertise in partnering with clients and families to provide exceptional care and is the only organization to ever achieve 100 per cent in three successive quality surveys by Accreditation Canada.

Holland Bloorview’s vision is to support the most meaningful and healthy futures for all children, youth and families. We are an academic hospital, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. All clinical staff are expected to contribute to the academic agenda through one or more of the following activities: supervising students, teaching, academic service, scholarship and research. Holland Bloorview has won numerous awards including Greater Toronto's Top Employers, Canada's Top Employers for Young People and Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures. We offer an inspiring, inclusive, innovative, and collaborative work environment with competitive compensation and benefit packages and programs that support ongoing learning and professional growth.

Program Summary

The Spiral Garden is an integrated art/garden/play program for children and youth ages 6-18 yrs old, with physical disabilities and developmental delays. Lead by professional Artists and Musicians, participants will interact and play through music, visual art, movement, drama, gardening and other arts activities. Client Service Assistants (CSAs) support clients who require one to one facilitation so they can have a safe, successful and fun experience in Spiral Garden. Nursing support provides care for medical interventions.

Position Summary: Multi-Disciplinary Artist - Sessions A, B, C and D

Key Responsibilities

• Rotate through several art activity areas as needed, such as Spectral Palette (Crafts), Painting and Clay, for multiple sessions of the Spiral Garden summer program 2026
• Develop and deliver craft, clay and painting activities to accommodate diverse needs of participants
• Work with an integrated group of children and youth using these various art forms
• Enable the creativity of others and encourage full participation in activity area(s)
• Maintain materials, tools and other related equipment in good repair
• Supervise and train volunteers in supporting Painting, Clay and Spectral Palette activities
• Contribute to planning meetings and daily staff meetings during program
• Assist the safe participation of children and youth in program
• Supervise lunch/break times of participants
• Collaborate with program staff, volunteers and families
• Work as a team member with the Program Coordinator, Artists, volunteers and other staff, in order to ensure programming goals are met, including participation in group activities
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives, support the maintenance of a safe and healthy work environment and advance a culture of client/patient safety through work and daily practices
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• BFA or college diploma/certificate in the arts or equivalent is required
• Minimum of one-year experience in the practice of painting, crafts, clay; 1:1 and group facilitation is required
• Preferred education & experience in painting, clay and crafts techniques and training/skills related to children and youth with developmental and acquired disabilities
• Talent/skills in other areas such as music, woodworking, drama, gardening an asset
• In your application materials, please let us know about your experience with the below techniques, equipment, and media. You are welcome to include visual/portfolio examples: Demonstrated ability with a variety of painting and crafts techniques, materials and tools, e.g. machine and hand sewing, jewelry making, woodworking, water-colour painting, mixing pigments for paint, mural painting etc. Proven experience facilitating clay exploration and teaching techniques such as hand-building and wheel work, with the use of underglazes, glazes and a variety of clay bodies Proven ability to load, fire and unload kiln safely, reliably and efficiently
• Must be flexible, have the ability to assess the needs of individuals and quickly respond to those needs
• Ability to independently provide physical assistance to participants (lifts, transfers, positioning, eating/feeding), as needed
• Demonstrated ability to work in collaboration with staff/clients/families
• Sound judgment and ability to work independently at times
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to efficiently manage working hours
• Well-developed communication skills to engage participants and to facilitate collaboration with staff, volunteers, and other team members