Community Programs
At Creative Community Impact Association (CCIA), we use creative practice to bring adults together to explore social and environmental issues, exchange ideas, learn from one another, and build connections. Our programs offer opportunities to engage with topics that shape our lives and communities through hands-on activities, conversation, and shared exploration.
Our programming are free and designed to be welcoming and accessible. No artistic experience is necessary. Whether exploring an unfamiliar topic, sharing perspectives, or connecting with others, participants are invited to take part in ways that feel comfortable to them.
We offer programs in community venues throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality (Kjipuktuk) and rural Nova Scotia, as well as virtual opportunities for adults across Canada. Our community-based approach allows us to work in different settings and reach people beyond a single location.
Help Keep Our Programs Accessible
Community support helps CCIA offer free programming and make it accessible to more people. Donations contribute to materials, program delivery, and community events, helping us continue bringing people together through creative practice.
Our programs are categorized into four core areas, reflecting our mission and community values.
Creative Connections
Focused on community-building through arts, dialogue, and storytelling. Participants explore creative practice while connecting with others, sharing experiences, and cultivating belonging in safe and supportive spaces.
Inclusive Arts Practice
Designed for artists, educators, and socially engaged creatives to explore accessibility, equity, and inclusion in the arts. Participants gain practical skills, reflect on inclusive practices, and engage with peers in mission-aligned training and creative exercises.
EcoArts Labs
Creative explorations that address environmental awareness and eco-innovation. Participants engage in multidisciplinary arts activities while considering how creativity can support sustainability, ecological literacy, and positive environmental action.
Pride Pedagogy
2SLGBTQIA+ centered and exploring identity, culture, and social change through arts-based learning. Facilitated by queer arts professionals, these sessions provide a safe, affirming space for discussion, creative practice, and connection for socially engaged adults. Allies are welcome to join respectfully and support inclusive dialogue, while the focus remains on 2SLGBTQIA+ voices and experiences
Community Note:
If you are no longer able to attend, we kindly ask that you let us know as soon as possible by email. Our free programs often have waitlists, and this allows us to offer your spot to another community member.
We are committed to creating accessible and welcoming spaces. If there is anything we can do to support your participation, please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate within our available resources.
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October: Special Community Events
This October, we’re getting out into the community, connecting with new people, and taking part in two special community events.
CCIA Market Pop-Up & Art Supply Drive
Stop by our table to say hello, learn more about our mission at CCIA, and find out what exciting programs we have coming up.
We will also be collecting art supplies at this pop-up! If you have supplies you no longer use, consider giving them a second life. Your donations will directly support our free community arts programming for adults. Because our storage space is limited, we are primarily looking for smaller items that are easy to transport.
Date: Saturday, Oct 10, 2026 | Time: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Halifax Brewery market: 1496 Lower Water Street, Kjipuktuk (Halifax)
Accepted Items: New or gently used art supplies.
Some specific items we're seeking but not limited to:
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Acrylic paints, paint brushes, palettes, coloured pencils, markers
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Collage art supplies, decorative paper, stickers, glue sticks
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Stamp making supplies
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Eco-friendly art supplies, natural inks and pigments
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Other small supplies
Queer Artists Networking Night
Event postponed
Our friends at The Q Creative Network have postponed the Queer Artists Networking Night originally scheduled for October 15. CCIA is proud to support this event and looks forward to its return when a new date is announced.
This free community event brings 2SLGBTQIA+ creatives together to connect, collaborate, and share what they're working on. It's an opportunity to meet fellow artists, exchange ideas and resources, and discover new ways to support one another's creative practice.
From music, drag, dance, design, literature, and visual arts to aesthetics, crafts, and everything in between, all creative practices are welcome. Whether you're emerging or established, there's a place for you to meet fellow creatives, share your work, and build community.
Learning From Our Programs
We believe there's value in learning from every creative experience. Participants may occasionally be invited to share feedback or take part in a short reflection activity during or after a session.
These opportunities help us understand participants' experiences and improve our future programming. Taking part in these activities is entirely voluntary and is not required to participate in a CCIA program.
community canvas: collaborative painting
Past Events:
Facilitators: Jacquelyn Miccolis and Kirsten Bashir
Date/time: Sunday, Sep 13| 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Location: Halifax Central Library, Lou Duggan Creative Studio
Price: Free | Registration required
Themes: Environmental Awareness and Pride Pedagogy
Join CCIA for a hands-on fabric painting session where adults, local artists, and neighbours come together to create art with a purpose.
Participants will design and paint two permanent table runners featuring Environmental Awareness and 2SLGBTQIA+ themes, which will be used at future CCIA community events and pop-up markets.
No experience is required and all materials are provided. Come paint, connect, and help create something that will become part of future CCIA events across the city.
community canvas: collaborative painting
Facilitators: Jacquelyn Miccolis and Kirsten Bashir
Date/time: Sunday, Aug 30| 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Location: Halifax Central Library, Lou Duggan Creative Studio
Price: Free | Registration required | Capacity: Sold Out
Themes: Community and Inclusion
Join us for a fun, hands-on fabric painting experience where community members, local artists, and neighbours come together to create something meaningful. Together, we'll design and paint vibrant, permanent table runners that will be used at future CCIA community events and local pop-up markets, becoming a lasting symbol of creativity, collaboration, and connection.
Throughout the session, our facilitators will guide participants through brainstorming ideas, experimenting with colour and composition, and learning simple textile painting techniques. Whether you're an experienced artist looking to connect with other creatives or you're picking up a paintbrush for the first time, you'll find a welcoming, relaxed space to create, chat, and contribute.
No experience is necessary, and all materials are provided. Everyone is welcome. Come add your unique mark to a project that will continue bringing colour and community to events for years to come.
SPECIAL EVENT | CINEMA & CHANGEMAKERS PANEL
Film: Parade: Queer Resilience and Love
Date/Time: Monday, July 13, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM (Doors Open at 6:00 PM)
Location: Halifax Central Library, Paul O’Regan Hall
Price: Free | No registration required
Join us for our pride kick-off event in partnership with Halifax Public Libraries. This is a free evening of film and conversation celebrating queer history, resilience, creativity, and connection. We will screen Parade: Queer Resilience and Love, a National Film Board of Canada documentary about the history of Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ movement, followed by a lively panel with local changemakers.
Together, we will explore storytelling, the arts, community building, grassroots activism, and intergenerational knowledge in a welcoming and relaxed space designed for connection and reflection.
ASL interpreter: Panel discussion and opening/closing remarks.
Film language: English, with English subtitles provided for increased accessibility
Featured Panelists
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Kenney Fitzpatrick, The Q Creative Network and Out Loud Radio
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Daniel MacKay, Wayves Magazine and Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia
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Jacquelyn Miccolis, Creative Community Impact Association
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Art Ross, Pillow Fite
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Jay Aaron Roy, Cape & Cowl Comics & Collectibles
Photos by: Blaire Edgett & Kirsten Bashir
RADICAL QUEER JOY ARTIVISM | VIRTUAL
Facilitator: Kirsten Bashir
Date/Time: Thursday, June 11th, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM AST
Location: Virtual Google Meet)
Price: Free | Registration required
What if joy is not just celebration but resistance?
Radical Queer Joy Artivism is a vibrant and affirming virtual gathering for 2SLGBTQIA+ community members who believe creativity can be both playful and powerful. In a world that often asks queer communities to focus on struggle, this session invites us to centre joy as a quiet and sometimes bold act of rebellion.
We begin by setting the tone with a curated queer joy playlist, welcoming participants into a warm low-pressure space grounded in safety, creativity, and connection. No artistic experience is necessary, just curiosity and openness.
Together we explore questions such as: When we celebrate queer joy, is it simply for fun, or can it be a radical act? Participants are invited to share a line of poetry, a thought, or even just a feeling in response. Reflection is encouraged but always optional.
The heart of this gathering is a collective creative moment. Each participant will craft a tiny Six-Word Artivist Manifesto, a micro-declaration of queer joy, resistance, belonging, or becoming.
Artwork created by a participant in our Pride Pedagogy community program.
Community in Colour: Exploring Connection Roots & Resilience Gathering (Debert, NS)
Facilitator: Jacquelyn Miccolis
Date & Time: Saturday, May 9th, 2026
Location: Debert Hospitality Centre
Address: 130 Ventura Drive, Debert, NS
Price: Free | Registration required
Join us for our Community in Colour: Connecting Through Watercolours during the opening session of Day 1 at the Roots & Resilience Community Gathering in Debert.
This free two-day gathering centers the voices of on BIPOC, and other racialized community members, with programming focused on wellness, climate resilience, storytelling, land-based learning, and community connection.
This session offers an accessible, hands-on creative space for reflection and dialogue. Participants will explore what community means to them through group discussion, watercolour-based activities, and basic skill-building. No prior art experience is required. The session is designed to be inclusive and low-barrier, supporting both personal reflection and shared conversation through creative practice.
Special Event | National Canadian Film Day Screening & Talk
Film: Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 | 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM (Doors Open at 7:00 PM)
Location: Patagonia Halifax, 1496 Lower Water St #408, Kjipuktuk (Halifax)
Price: Free | Registration required
We are proud to serve as a screening partner for National Canadian Film Day, hosting an evening of film, conversation, and community.
Following the screening, Charlotte Genge of EnsembleCo will facilitate a discussion on environmental leadership, circular systems, and the creative practices that support communities in protecting Canada’s natural landscapes.
Phenology Wheel: A Circular Economy Creative Lab
Facilitator: Charlotte Genge
Date & Time: Wednesday, April 10th | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 1256 Hollis Street, Kjipuktuk (Halifax)
Price: Free | Registration required | Capacity: Sold Out
During this two-hour creative lab, participants will reimagine the traditional Phenology
Wheel as a tool for exploring the life cycle of materials within a circular economy.
Blending scientific observation with artistic experimentation, this workshop invites
participants to rethink waste as a resource and to consider how everyday design choices
connect to larger environmental systems.
By the end of the session, participants leave with a completed circular systems artwork and a creative framework for thinking more expansively about sustainability. No prior art experience is required. All tools and sustainable materials are provided.
Writing for Accessibility in the Arts
Instructor: Jacquelyn Miccolis
Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb 25th | 2 :00 PM - 3:30 PM AST
Location: Virtual Workshop (Zoom)
Suitable for: Artists & Arts Organizations
Price: $15 (2 people from the same organization $25)
Registration required | Capacity: Sold Out
This mini workshop (+ Q&A) supports artists and arts organizations in making
their art and communications more accessible to diverse audiences.
Participants will learn how to:
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Write effective alt text,
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Create accessible image captions,
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Develop accessible exhibition and promotional materials, while honouring artistic intent
Imagining a Better World: Creating & Connecting
Facilitator: Meghan Weber | Assistant: Jacquelyn Miccolis
Date/Time: Sat. Jan 10th, 2026 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: Open Book Coffee
Address: 3660 Strawberry Hill St. Kjipuktuk (Halifax)
Price: Free | Registration required | Capacity: Sold Out
This is a gentle space to create and connect while looking both inward and outward
as we consider what a kinder and more just world could look like.
It begins with a brief guided Loving-Kindness meditation, followed by hands-on
vision board creation. Through creative practice, we explore how rest,self-compassion,
and slowing down can act as forms of resistance thatchallenge capitalism, hustle culture,
and the expectation to constantly produce.
Rooted in a gentle and accessible social justice lens, this offering provides space to reflect on how personal well-being is connected to collective care. It is ideal for adults interested in creativity, social awareness, and personal reflection. No art experience is needed and all supplies are provided.
Photographs by Mirror Form Photography.
QUEER ART AS PEDAGOGY: CREATIVE PRACTICE FOR JUSTICE & COMMUNITY
Facilitator: Karlee Campbell (Ontario)
Date/Time: Thurs. Dec 4th | 7:00 - 8:00 PM AST (6:00 - 7:00 PM ET)
Location: Virtual (Google Meet)
Price: Free | Registration required
This virtual gathering invites artists, educators, cultural workers, and creative,
mission-driven people from across Canada to explore poetry as a tool for learning,
connection, and collective imagination.
Together, we approach art not only as self-expression but as a way of thinking,
reflecting, and growing in community. This practice can help us envision more just,
caring, and inclusive worlds.
Rooted in the belief that art is both personal and deeply connected to the world around us, we will use poetry, world-building, and gentle writing prompts to explore how queer creativity can open space for care, justice, and collective transformation.
Accessibility & Participation Notes
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Free to attend
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Live auto-captions available
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You are welcome to keep your camera on or off
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Gentle, 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming space
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No prior poetry experience is required
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Participate in any way that feels right for you
community in colours: exploring connections
Facilitator: Jacquelyn Miccolis
Date/time: Sat. Nov 1st | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Bedford Public Library
Address: 15 Dartmouth Road, Kjipuktuk (Halifax)
Price: Free | Registration required | Capacity: Sold Out
What does community mean to you? How do art and connection intersect?
Join us for a reflective, hands-on session that uses watercolour as a tool for exploring
ideas of community, connection, and creativity. Together, we will create a collaborative
doodle mural, reflect on what community means to us as individuals, and explore how
art can foster connection.
Participants will receive friendly step-by-step guidance in basic watercolour techniques and individually create a community-inspired spiral painting to take home as a keepsake.
