Image: Anti-Oppression" by daryl james bucar

As mentioned last week, the social in Social Butterfly is not just for schmooze festivals and art parties. Sunday, the 22, saw the unofficial kick-off of ARCfest, Toronto's Social Justice Arts Festival, which continues until this Sunday, the 29, at various locations in the city. The festival officially opens tonight at the Spin Gallery, 1100 Queen St. West from 7 pm - 1 am, with a keynote address, "Through Humour, Imagination and Dissent" presented by Drew Hayden Taylor, a Spoken Word performance by Gein Wong and Heidi Chan of The Fusilli Project, and a "dancehall rock" music performance d'bi.young and the dubbin.revolushun.gangstars. Suggested donation at door: $10-20.

At 7:30 pm, also at Spin Gallery, the exhibit Art as Resistance will launch featuring the works of Chris Ablett, daryl james bucar (yes, I know his name is not in title case), Denniston Ewan, Chuck Kuderick, and Natalie Wood.

This should not be confused with the Resistance as Art exhibition opening 6-10 pm at the Lennox Contemporary Gallery, 12 Ossington Ave. Featuring the works of Jenn Cole, Peter Collins, Terri Donovan, Jorial, Jerry Lee Miller & Mike Constable, Jim Lemoire and Claro Cosco, Gabriel Sirois and Srimoyee Mitra, and Natalyn Tremblay, the exhibition "examines legacies of colonization, issues of land rights, prison and incarceration, and classism". Free.

The rest of the week is jammed pack with over 100 artists in 25 events comprised of screenings, readings, installations, performances, plays and workshops.

So that takes up all my word count for the column. This week I will be meeting with Toronto artist Sally Mckay to discuss her work in Neutrinos They Are Small at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston until Dec. 15.