History

Throughout Kapisanan’s award-winning, sixteen year history, it has maintained its vision as a community arts hub supporting young artists of Filipino/a/x descent in the GTA. Through its flagship programs of CLUTCH (2009-2017) for young Filipina women, and NAV (2013-2017) for young Filipino men and subsequently ULAM and BABAE for culinary arts and theatre in the following years, Kapisanan has amplified the work of Filipino/a/x artists, new generation artists and LGBTQ2S artists. We currently offer mentorship opportunities with established members of the Filipino arts community, workshops in professional arts development, and a safe space for the exploration of cultural heritage through the arts.

Kapisanan was started in the late 1980s, later incorporated in 1989, by members of the Filipino-Canadian community who felt a need to establish a multi-purpose facility which would serve their needs, including preserving the community’s history and cultural heritage. At the time, Kapisanan was still called the ‘San Lorenzo Ruiz Filipino-Canadian community.’
In late 2003, Kapisanan was approached by two vibrant, young, professional arts organizations, Carlos Bulosan Theatre (CBT) and The Digital Sweatshop Inc. (DS), to address the gap in services for the youth community. Carlos Bulosan Theatre and Digital Sweatshop proposed a new concept for a multi-purpose facility that was already being planned–envisioned as a creative hub where young people can explore their history and identity. Recognizing a tangible need for a youth-focused center, organizational leadership reflected the youth target, and in the same year ‘San Lorenzo Ruiz Filipino-Canadian Community’ updated its name legally to ‘Kapisanan Philippine Centre’.
During the organization’s most active years, it was based in Kensington Market, in the heart of Toronto’s arts district. Kapisanan has mounted various arts mentorship programs, exhibits, presentations, and events throughout Toronto as well as brought over Philippine-based talent for performances.
In 2011 Kapisanan mounted Kultura. Kultura was an arts & culture festival that gathered together Filipino artists, performances, artisans, restaurants, food industry pop-ups, and business owners in an exciting and celebratory space. We highlighted Filipino Canadian culture and drew in thousands of attendees. The last iteration of KULTURA took place at Nathan Phillips Square in 2017.
From 2009-2017 the CLUTCH program was founded. 9 cohorts of CLUTCH and 4 cohorts of NAV culminated in annual exhibitions of the participants’ work in spaces including Kensington Market, OCAD University, and Daniels Spectrum. These public exhibits fulfilled Kapisanan’s mission to reach intergenerational audiences.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Kapisanan moved operations online.
But with a small, yet dedicated team of staff, Kapisanan resumed operations in 2021. Now Kapisanan enters a new phase where members build more bridges and explore more collaborations, growing the organization beyond our immediate community to an exciting realm of endless possibilities.