Artist (Program Coverage) – Spiral Garden 2026

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: Artists, Program Coverage (Cookery, Puppetry, Gardening, Woodworking)

We are seeking artists to provide short-term temporary coverage for specific program areas, with the potential for additional casual coverage shifts throughout the summer.

• Cookery: Session B2 (July 27 – 31, 2026)
• Puppetry: Sessions C1 (August 10 – 13, 2026) and C2 (August 17 – 20, 2026)
• Gardening: Session C2 (August 17 – 20, 2026)
• Woodworking: Session D2 (August 31 – September 4, 2026)

In your application, please indicate which program area(s) you wish to be considered for. Demonstrated ability to lead activities in more than one program area is an asset.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver activities that accommodate diverse needs and ages of participants
  • Cookery: Create and deliver cooking activities, including arranging purchase of needed ingredients
  • Puppetry: Develop and deliver puppetry activities (making, performing)
  • Gardening: Create and deliver high-quality garden/nature-based crafts activities to participants; general maintenance of garden: watering, pruning, composting etc.
  • Woodworking: Develop and deliver woodworking activities that are aligned to a range of ages and abilities
• 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 the assigned program area(s)
• 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 horticulture, gardening, landscaping, culinary arts, drama, arts or equivalent is required
• Minimum of one-year experience in the practice of relevant program area(s); 1:1 and group facilitation is required
• Preferred education & experience in applicable techniques and training/skills related to children and youth with developmental and acquired disabilities
• Cookery: Valid Food Handler Certificate a strong asset
• In your application materials, please let us know about your experience with the below skills. You are welcome to include visual/portfolio examples:
  • Cookery: Demonstrated ability with safe food handling, vegetarian food preparation and cooking
  • Puppetry: Demonstrated ability with a variety of puppetry techniques, materials and tools
  • Gardening: Demonstrated ability with a variety of gardening techniques, materials and tools; Proven expertise and knowledge on organic food gardens, native perennials, ornamentals, composting/soil amendments, organic pest control etc.
  • Woodworking: Demonstrated ability with a variety of woodworking techniques and tools (power and hand)
• 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