Akin Studio Program at MOCA: Call for Applications

Akin and The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA) are excited to announce our Call for Applications for the Akin Studio Program. This program will provide affordable studio space to 20+ visual artists and cultural practitioners in the museum's new home which is set to open on May 26, 2018 at 158 Sterling Road in the Junction Triangle.

Geoffrey James, The Tower Building, interior, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Bulger Gallery, Toronto

Selected artists will be invited to move their studio into the museum for a term of one year and will share their practices with the museum’s visitors through programs such as open studio events. Regular Akin studio rental fees will apply. The studios will vary in size from approximately 50 to 250 square feet and will be designed by Akin to create a bright and welcoming environment for artists to develop their work. Similar to Akin’s seven other locations, the space will foster a community atmosphere and the exchange of ideas.

This call is open to student, emerging and professional art practitioners, curators and writers living in Toronto.

The deadline for the Call is March 5, 2018 at 5:00pm.*
*Applicants who require additional resources, support or time to complete their applications can request as such. Please request this assistance at least two weeks in advance of the submission deadline. To do so, or for additional information, please contact moca@akincollective.com

The full call is copied below. Please share widely. You can share the call using the following links:

Web Version: www.akin.art/mocacall

Thank you,
Love, Akin
 

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: AKIN STUDIO PROGRAM AT MOCA, 2018-19


Overview
The Akin Studio Program is a unique opportunity for art practitioners, curators and writers (hereafter referred to as artists) to lease shared studio space within The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA) at 158 Sterling Road in Toronto. In addition to a one year studio space rental selected artists will be immersed within a community of peers, offering various opportunities for engagement. Studio members will be encouraged to develop and expand their individual practices while playing a role in the artistic community within the museum itself.

Studio Rental Program Start Date: May 1, 2018
Studio Rental Program End Date: April 30, 2019

Submission Details
Deadline to apply: March 5, 2018, 5:00pm.

Application Criteria, Artist Expectations and Opportunities
Applicants should consider the unique shared studio environment within the museum in which Akin’s Studio Program occurs. Certain processes and forms of production, materials and hardware (especially use of aerosols, and creation of dust or substantial noise) are not well suited to this context. Please ensure that your process is a good fit before applying, and contact us if unsure. While the focus for selected artists will be to use their studio spaces for independent practice, research and development, this is an inclusive, shared studio environment where artists will benefit from insight provided by not only their studio peers, but also guest curators and art professionals. Selected artists agree to participate in three public open studio days, organized in collaboration with the museum, during the course of their year-long program (dates to be determined).

Application Process
Within one single PDF document, applicants are asked to provide the following:

  • Name:

  • Email:

  • Address:

  • Phone Number:

  • Website if available:

  • Link to art-focused social media profile if available:

*Artist collectives please include the name of the collective as well as contact info for its members as indicated directly above and answer the following questions from the perspective of your collective.

  1. A brief artist statement and biography. (300 words max)

  2. Supporting documentation of up to 10 images of work and installation shots, including relevant caption information (title, medium, date, dimension). In the case of curators or art writers, please include two sample texts or appropriate work examples in addition to up to 5 related images if applicable. As noted above, please embed images and all application information into one PDF document.

  3. A written statement considering the following questions: How do you feel your experience and practice will help cultivate and contribute to a vibrant, equitable and diverse artistic community in our shared studio space environment within MOCA? How will you use your rented space, and how do you feel this opportunity will benefit and support your artistic practice at this time in your career? The studios will be flanked by a large open-studio where MOCA intends to develop and host workshops, talks and other programming that focuses on socially engaged artistic and interdisciplinary practices. Do you see your practice aligning with these concerns and interests and if so, please describe how? (300 words max)

  4. CV or relatable artistic experience.

  5. Can you commit to the entire program period from May 1, 2018 to April 30, 2019? If not, what duration (necessarily beginning May 1, 2018) can you commit to? Please note that, if necessary, selected artists can relinquish their studio space by way of providing at least one full calendar month notice.

  6. Optional: Should you desire to, please identify if you are a member of one the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups detailed in the Selection Process information below.

  7. Below are examples of sizes and prices of Akin's studios. Please rank the sizes of studios that you would consider renting, beginning with your ideal size. If your application is successful we will do our best to match you with a space that is as close to your preference as possible.

25sf - $160/mth
50sf - $250/mth
75sf - $340/mth
100sf - $420/mth
150sf - $545/mth
200sf - $670/mth
250sf - $780/mth
550sf - $1300/mth

All prices include 24/7 access to the studios, taxes, insurance, wifi, access to communal working areas as well as shared storage, kitchen, and bathroom. There are no additional fees, though there will be a small rent increase in January 2019. Upon selection, artists will be required to pay first and last month's rent in order to confirm their placement within the program. Please note that pricing is the same as at other Akin studio locations

*Selected applicants must be available to begin their rental on May 1, 2018.


Accessibility Information
Within the building, there is elevator access to all floors as well as AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) compliant washrooms.

The Museum ground floor has three accessible entries:
East Vestibule, MOCA – operation-assisted doors to a ramp to an automatic sliding door to the main lobby.
West Vestibule, MOCA – operation-assisted doors from grade directly to the lobby.
West Vestibule, Base Building – operation-assisted doors directly to the elevators to all floors. 

The washrooms are gender-neutral.

The doorways into Akin’s studios are 36” wide and are not operation-assisted.

The kitchenette is AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) compliant.


Submission Format
Email application document to moca@akincollective.com with the subject line: Akin Studio Program 2018 Application // [last name]. Please ensure that the total file size of your PDF is 10mb or smaller.

Deadline for applications: March 5, 2018, 5:00pm.


Selection Process
An impartial jury comprised of local artists, curators, arts professionals and MOCA’s Constituent Curator, will select artists and creatives based on their submitted material, anticipated benefit from the program, anticipated contribution to the studio environment, and practical considerations regarding their proposed use of the rented studio space.

Selected studio rental applicants will be notified of their status approximately 2 weeks following the application deadline, or as soon as selections have been made.

A significant component of the jury selection process is a desire to reflect the diversity of our city’s artistic community and the different voices within it. As part of this process, jury members will reference the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Framework and its list of Equity Priority Groups(Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIAP).  More information on this framework, as part of the TAC Strategic Plan, can be found here.  Please note that the application and selection process for the Akin Studio Program at MOCA has adapted parts of the TAC Equity Framework and that it is not the same process used by TAC for the purpose of adjudication of grant applications.

Adapting the TAC Equity Priority Policy, applications of merit proposed by applicants who self-identify as belonging to one (or more) of Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups or who primarily involve or serve artists from these groups will be prioritized. We encourage applications from these communities. The jury will similarly prioritize artists living or working within the museum’s local Junction area given the recent displacement of artists within the neighbourhood.


Application Accessibility Support
Applicants who require additional resources, support or time to complete their applications can request as such. Please request this assistance at least two weeks in advance of the submission deadline. To do so, or for additional information, please contact moca@akincollective.com.

Thank you to The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada (MOCA) and to the Toronto Arts Council for their feedback on the selection process.