The MHSO was an active participant in the social media website, Collection X. Collection X was one component of a multi-year, experimental community arts initiative, ArtsAccess, undertaken in Toronto, Thunder Bay, Brantford/Six Nations, and Kitchener/Waterloo by the Art Gallery of Ontario, with many partners including the Society. The objective was to build relationships among artists, community members, and cultural organizations, encourage dialogue about community arts practice, and engage more people in creative activity and artistic expression. Examining individual and collective identities and healthy civic living through the medium of art became a particular focus of the initiative. Using non-traditional spaces for art, including virtual space, was another. Launched in 2007, Collection X allowed users to explore the art collections and exhibitions of the partner cultural institutions online. It also enabled them to upload their own artworks and projects, and interact with other users. The MHSO was invited to participate in the creation of the website. It contributed three virtual exhibits focusing on the experience of immigrants in Toronto. These exhibits, entitled Home Values: Old and New, Developing Self-Reliance: Immigrants and Work in 20th Century Toronto, and Urban Universes, were composed of text, historical and contemporary photographs, and excerpts from oral history interviews.
