By Marina Nicholson, Assistant, Events & Outreach

Over the course of a two-year pilot project, Toronto Arts Foundation, with support from TD Bank Group, will work directly with community members to support the co-curation and enhancement of existing Arts in the Parks activities and events. These enhancements are based on a series of community consultations that took place in the spring of 2026 and will continue into 2027. For more information on the pilot, please reach out to engagement coordinators Jeff (jeff@torontoarts.org) and Liz (liz@torontoarts.org). 

It’s close to sunset at Little Avenue Memorial Park in Weston on July 4, 2026. Families and friends are beginning to gather around the tree-framed bandshell, laying out picnic blankets and camping chairs on the grass. Conversation buzzes as we await the evening’s performance of The Tweetations’ The Love Nest, when an unexpected guest star captures our attention in dazzling sunset hues and a squawked “Hello!” 

The Tweetations is a musical revue hatched in 2023 by filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Fraser Collins. Their performances celebrate the connections between Black music and nature, drawing particular inspiration from the colours, songs, and funny characters of our neighbours in the sky:— birds! The Love Nest is a show celebrating love and connection, and, like all The Tweetations’ work, encourages us to feel empathy not only for other people, but for other species and the world around us.

So, what better way to open the show than with an encounter with a show-stopping bird? Our guest star was Phelin the Catalina Macaw, a huge parrot with a personality to match. His brilliant orange, yellow, green, and blue plumage attracted everyone’s attention right away, offering a sneak peek of some of the beautiful costuming in the performance to come. Making it in showbiz requires a great team, so Phelin brought along his handler, Seth Falk from Hands On Exotics. A Toronto-based company specializing in interactive animal outreach programs, Hands On Exotics teaches audiences about the species we share our Earth with and the importance of their conservation and care.  

Direct encounters with animal ambassadors like Phelin can help build compassion and respect for other species through personal connection, and leave lasting impressions through face-to-face interactions. Phelin graciously accepted seeds from the hands of audience members and was happy to perch on the arm of anyone who approached. He showed off his dancing and singing in a pre-show performance, and we even got to see his full one-metre wingspan in all its vibrant glory. Phelin’s pre-show presence helped highlight the inspiration The Tweetations take from our feathered friends, and extended their message of empathy for all living things through a real-life muse.

We would like to say a big thank you to Phelin, Seth, The Tweetations, and Hands On Exotics for the work they do to spread the love! 

If you are interested in donating to Arts in the Parks to help this work continue, visit us here.