Image Description: A graphic of a person putting money into a donation box, with text that reads, Happy National Philanthropy Day to our Akin Donors.
🔥 Happy NPD2022! 🔥
We want to wish a happy national philanthropy day to our donor community! Without our donors, our developers, and our supporters we would not be able to continue our pursuit in creating more affordable spaces for our creatives.
This Giving Tuesday (November 29!) we will be fundraising $5000 to go towards our December Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the brand new Clark Art Centre in Scarborough!
More coming in the next few days ❤️
Image Description: A soft pink graphic of black text that reads Financial Planning for Artists with a calendar and a money sign beside. Over the black ext is blue text that reads October 25th Online at 5PM EST. Underneath all the text is a coins stacked on one another.
Financial Planning For Artists
Tuesday October 25th 5-6:30pm - Free and online!
As part of a new series on Financial Literacy and Learning, Akin invites artists and the public to join us for the 2nd of 3 workshops happening this fall, hosted in collaboration with a team of facilitators from our partners at Wealthsimple. This month's session will be focussing on Financial Planning For Artists.
Along with a discussion around the following topics (below), we're inviting artists to submit their questions around Financial planning and strategies to erin@akincollective.com. Your questions will support the presentation and may be used during the Q&A period following. In preparation, the upcoming workshop will look at such topics as:
Understanding sole-proprietorship vs. incorporation
Taxes & accounting as a small business owner
Financial goal setting as a business owner &
How much to save for retirement
Send your questions or ideas for the Q&A to erin@akincollective.com and let us know what else you'd like to see!
Prioritizing and making Financial Literacy learning and resources available and accessible to creative entrepreneurs is one of the ways that Akin can support Artists in their work towards economic independence and stability. From breaking down language and providing clear steps required for understanding one's personal finances, to templates and resources that can be useful tools, Akin and community partner Wealthsimple are pleased to present a 3-month workshop series on Financial Literacy for artists, from September through November.
There will be an ASL interpreter at the event. For more details please register through the link in the @akinprojects bio and feel free to contact erin@akincollective.com for questions or concerns in advance.
Image Description: A black background with white text that reads Community Check-in: How has Akin committed itself against systemic anti-Black racism since July 2020
In July of 2020, we made a promise to our community that we would continue our work towards combating systemic anti-Black racism at our organization and we’re taking time to provide you insight into Akin’s current progress, offerings, and what we have committed to in the last 22 months along with some of our plans moving forward.
We want to begin by thanking everyone who has offered their advice, insights, and support in pushing Akin towards creating intentional and proactive changes. In doing so, we have been actively guided by the leadership and consultation with mentorship of local Black artists, advisors and our own members to create foundational changes that endeavour to centre and uplift Black artists in our communities.
With your feedback, we revised our social media process to create transparency and equity when requesting labour from the Akin community. We began paying CARFAC artist fees to all artists doing Instagram takeovers—while specifically and indefinitely prioritizing Black artists for these and all other programming opportunities.
In August 2020, we began offering additional support to any individuals harmed by racism in our spaces. We have been mentored by local Black artists and organizations who have been hired towards the goal of creating studio spaces and supports specifically for Black artists in a way that centers around self determination, sovereignty, and self-governance. Akin is actively critiquing our power structures; how an organization can hold power over information, space, and resources. We are cognizant of the systems we exist under, but we are determined to learn and push towards leveraging our position in regards to redistributing access to Toronto’s Black creatives.
In August, we also began a complete reimagining and restructuring of Akin’s Board of Directors which, until this point, did not fully reflect the city and community it serves. We have welcomed 6 new Board Members across various sectors, interests, experiences, and disciplines, with the Board of Directors now comprising a majority of members who self-identify as belonging to one or more of the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups including Black artists and community organizers. Akin has also completely revised its board member search and hiring process which began with these board members and has been applied to three hires that Akin has made over the past year. Part of this revision includes the re-allocation of decision-making power to include Akin’s staff and board as well as Akin studio members in hiring and programming jury processes. This change arose from a collaborative process amongst all parties which determined who would be the best fit for these and future roles, prioritizing equity deserving groups as identified by Toronto Arts Council.
In the fall of 2020, in an effort to structurally change the organization and redistribute power and decision making, four committees were created to critique and develop our work in these areas: programming, marketing, conflict resolution, and community experience. The committees currently comprise of board members and staff who guide the process of creating more equitable committee structures with a goal of also including Akin studio members on the committees in the future.
We are also offering future plans for our community. In the next six months we plan to:
Undertake a 2022 Updated Demographics Report to gain insights on changes to Akin’s community since 2018, and create a connected, goal-oriented action plan for addressing the needs of Black artists.
Revise the Conflict Resolution process used by Akin, and work with community partners in a way that ensures Black artists are heard, safe and supported through the process.
Assist in the launch of studio supports and spaces specifically focused on supporting Black artists as a result of our ongoing collaborations with Black artists and advisors.
As a collective of individuals far greater than simply our board, staff teams and Akin’s community of artists alone, we are endeavoring to stand in solidarity with Black experiences, leadership and teachings in each step forward in 2022. We have shared this update to be accountable to you, our members and community, and to document and inform you about the work we have done and still have ahead of us with openness, kindness and hope.
While we are aware that these steps are small, we are determined to continue to implement lasting changes in the structures of our organization. We are grateful for your patience, care, and willingness to join us in this journey. We feel a huge amount of gratitude towards the many folks who have supported us through our learning over the last several years as we have grown to try and better support BIPOC creatives—beginning with our 2018 Demographics survey and ongoing community conversations that guide us as we look ahead. A special thank you to BAU Collective, Anique Jordan, Catherine Tammaro, Rania El Mugammar, and Tannis Nielsen for their ongoing labour and wisdom as part of these collective efforts.
In order to ensure we hear your concerns in a timely manner, we have created a form for your thoughts on the above steps. As always, we are excited by your feedback and appreciate hearing what you’re hoping to see next from our organization as we continue doing this work. We are grateful for your words, questions, and concerns as they allow us to remain critical of the ways we envision the future of Akin.
With gratitude,
Akin
Akin is thrilled to announce the opening of a new studio location in one of Toronto’s most bustling intersections; Akin Bloor-Yonge! This space is located at 717 Church Street, north of the Bloor St W and Yonge St intersection, making it a great addition to a lively and cultural Toronto neighbourhood.
This studio is Akin’s 8th studio in the city, marking a slow but sure recovery from the necessary closures occurring during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic. Akin Bloor-Yonge will bring with it 28 dedicated studios —12 private, 10 semi private, and 6 regular studios along with 8 Shared Memberships.
Our Akin Bloor-Yonge Shared Memberships will be available for $71/month, which includes access to shared working areas, shared storage, kitchen, and bathroom. The 28 Dedicated Memberships available will be ranging from 37sf for $216/month to 179sf for $662/month including 12 completely private studios (four walls that go to the ceiling and a door that closes) and 10 semi private studios (three or four walls that go to the ceiling, but no door - just an entranceway) as well as some regular dedicated studios (partitions or walls). The Private and Semi Private studios range from 95sf for $440/month to 179sf for $662/month. Just like at all of our studio memberships the monthly fee includes HST, 24/7 access, insurance, WiFi, contents insurance, cleaning and maintenance service, and access to all common areas.
Priority for studios has been given to current Akin members from other studio locations, artists who have been on the Akin waiting lists for 6 months or longer, Akin members from our former Akin studio locations which closed in 2020 or 2021, as well as those who identify as a member of one or more of the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups (Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIAP). That being said, we will do our best to provide space at this new location to anyone who is interested in the future.
We would like to acknowledge the support of our partners Capital Developments for making this location available for our community and a special thank you to our community for uplifting our efforts to return our spaces back to the city.
Akin is looking forward to you joining us in building this space together and carving out more affordable working areas for our artists in similarly appealing spots. This studio currently has a limited number of private, semi-private, and regular studios available ranging from 110sf for $576/month to 179sf for $662/month, as well as Shared Memberships which are $71/month.
Please email info@akincollective.com to learn more.
🪁Banafsheh Erfanian, Fly Your Burning Kite🪁
We're so excited to present Banafsheh Erfanian from our RBC Space Recipients Exhibitions! The RBC Space Award is a partnership between Neighbourhood Arts Network and Akin. This award provides access to space for professional artists to grow their practice.
A little bit about the show from the artist:
‘Fly Your Burning Kite’ is my visual interpretation of the post-1979 revolution era in Iran. This solo painting exhibit is a contribution to the suffering my people are going through. It addresses the ongoing cultural issues Iran has been dealing with since the revolution. Iran has been experiencing crucial cultural and political changes. The use of symbolism and surrealism has been a strong tool for me to portrait this bizarre chain of events taking place in my country of origin and the destruction that has been left behind from the revolution and war. Rigidity crawled into our daily routines when we were sleeping and we became believers in ghosts more than ever. In the Middle of the East, we are chained. In the middle of the perpetual night, we are burning. Nevertheless, are we collecting ashes from which we will be reborn. Our children will fly their burning kites of dream. From the fire, clouds will be created.
The clouds will cry so loud for the ones who do not have a voice. Then the clouds will burst into tears and wipe out all this darkness. We will see once again the time when dogs were not slaughtered and crows did not migrate. It was when the wind blew into girls' hair."
We're excited to invite you to attend Fly Your Burning Kite from October 23rd to the 30th!
NEW WATERFRONT STUDIO? : We need your input by June 18th! https://bit.ly/3zcsYmd
As part of our ongoing work to source available and accessible studios for artists across the GTA, Akin is considering opening a brand new studio in a space along the waterfront! We’re hoping to gauge interest, and would love your feedback on a few quick questions. The building is a 20 minute walk from Union Station next to the lakeshore along Queen’s Quay E. It’s also accessible on TTC using the 6 Bay Bus Route or the 72 Pape Bus. You can view a map of the location at this link: https://goo.gl/maps/hmL5y1cPU2PZ3whx8 .
Members of the studio would have access beginning in early autumn 2021 (September or October) and we will likely be engaged for a minimum of 2 years. Our occupancy could be longer depending on development plans for the site. There will also be limited on-site parking available for Akin members, and your input may influence some of the design choices that the developer is considering for the build-out.
To better suit the needs of the community and the artists within it, we’re asking you to fill out this brief survey: ( link: https://bit.ly/3zcsYmd )
Your ideas and suggestions will be invaluable to the process of defining and designing the space, and we’d like to hear from you on cultivating a dynamic and creative location. Your expression of interest (or lack thereof - it’s helpful for us to know this too) is needed by Friday June 18th. Akin’s mandate holds the needs of our community in high regard and we appreciate your effort and engagement, so thank you in advance!
Priority for these studios would be given to Akin members who have faced eviction from our former Akin Sunrise and Akin River locations, as well as those who have been on the Akin waiting lists for 6 months or more. We also give priority at all our studios to Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups (Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQIAP). Even if this location does not work out, your responses will be incredibly helpful as we try to secure more space for artists in this part of the city.
Thank you so much for your time! We really appreciate it and hope that we can work with you to activate this space with arts and creativity. If you have any questions please send an email to: info@akincollective.com.
XO - The Akin Team
ABOUT AKIN:
Akin is a Toronto based not-for-profit arts organization that provides affordable studio space to visual artists, designers and creatives. Our studios maintain an inclusive, friendly and inspiring atmosphere where people can work on creative endeavours and entrepreneurial undertakings of all kinds. We also host a variety of arts programming and educational events on an on-going basis across three streams: professional development opportunities for practicing artists, creative workshops and programs, and community engagement projects.
www.akin.art
2021 AKIN STUDIO PROGRAM @ Auto BLDG (158 STERLING)
DEADLINE SATURDAY OCTOBER 31
APPLY HERE: https://www.akincollective.com/autobldg-call-2021
The Akin Studio Program is a unique and publicly open opportunity for art practitioners, curators and writers (hereafter referred to as artists) to lease shared studio space within the historical Auto Building at 158 Sterling Road in Toronto. In addition to a studio space throughout 2021, 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 studios itself. Year 1 & 2 Program Cohort members are welcome to re-apply.
Studio Rental Program Start Date: January 7, 2021.
Studio Rental Program End Date: December 31, 2021.
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CALL FOR ART SUBMISSIONS : KEAXU Online Exhibition
DEADLINE OCT 30th 2020
APPLY HERE: keaxu2020@gmail.com
We are calling for artists in what is currently known as Canada to submit their existing works for an art exhibition to be hosted online. The works to be considered for this exhibition will engage dialogues that can be found between our bodies and the land. We welcome submissions from artists working in any media that explore issues related to the relationships between the body, identity, land, and place.
While any medium will be considered, we are especially interested in exhibiting works of art including (but not limited to) land-based performances, actions, and multimedia presentations.
Submission Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2020, Notification of Results: Monday, November 2, 2020
MORE INFO :
Due to COVID-19, KEAXU will utilize diverse online platforms to exhibit and promote the works of the selected artists. This exhibition will run for a month, from November 24 to December 23, 2020.
Selected artists will be given an opportunity to promote their work and the exhibition by hosting a virtual studio visit, an interview, or another live appearance.
KEAXU is a OCADU curatorial collective consisting of Katie Jakobiec, Avery Creed, Xiao Han, Unnikrishnan Kalidas. Portfolio must be submitted by email to: keaxu2020@gmail.com
Please include the following material:
-Artist Statement addressing the relevance to the proposed exhibition (500 words max)
-Bio (one paragraph, 150 words max)
-Current CV (2 page max)
-Portfolio (3-5 examples of work) ○ If you wish to submit video work, please upload to a site such as YouTube or Vimeo and provide a link in your application. Please provide full videos although the selection committee might view the first five minutes of each submitted video. Please number and label your visual submissions, for example (01_name.jpg, 02_name.jpg, etc.). If you are submitting large files you can send us a link via a file hosting service such as DropBox, etc. Please include an image list with the title, date, medium, and dimensions, and any additional information.
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/KEAXU-Virtual-Exhibition-2020-110195190863773
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KASAHARA GABRIOLA RESIDENCY APPLICATION:
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 16th
APPLY HERE: https://artsgabriola.ca/kasahara-gabriola-trust-artist-residency-call-for-applications/?fbclid=IwAR10HVdg-RARi7W-HINlq2lMfwAZqO9vUmkwJP2rMkd5yg-s7SU9R0CLfNU
Please Note: Currently we are under a state of emergency and if it is not lifted by January 1st, 2021, we will not be able to offer the residency.
Kasahara Gabriola Trust and the Gabriola Arts Council is seeking applications for the inaugural residency program from artists working in a wide range of disciplines. Residencies are four months in length and take place on Gabriola Island, BC, the Isle of the Arts. Gabriola Island is a Gulf Island located in the Salish Sea and is a 20 minute ferry ride from Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island.
The Kasahara Gabriola Trust Residency is accepting applications from artists at all stages of their career emerging artists (artists pursuing education within arts field) or established, practicing artist with a demonstrated body of work in a professional artistic environment. Artists within a variety of artistic disciplines will be accepted. The residency provides a live/workspace on an inspirational and intimate island setting, allowing artists the opportunity to imagine, create, experiment, develop new ideas, and ultimately a new body of work. The Kasahara Gabriola Trust Residency is a self-directed retreat, with opportunity for professional development, while giving the local community access to a diverse range of arts practices, theories and experiences.
Gabriola Arts Council is strongly committed to fostering diversity within our organization and art community. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of arts on Gabriola Island including, but not limited to, visible minorities, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you require any form of accommodation throughout the residency application process, please contact directly Carol Fergusson at carol@artsgabriola.ca or 250-247-7409, so we can offer you individualized assistance and ensure equity in our application process.
Selected artists will reside in a beautiful 1700 square foot, 3 bedroom, ocean front home. The home does not have a formal studio space, but the extra bedroom or the front room are suitable areas for studio work. The grounds are large enough to erect a tent for outdoor work. A residency fee of $500 per month is required, and payable in advance of attending the residency.
At the end of the residency the artist is expected to present a gallery show, performance piece, reading, or appropriate sharing of the body of work completed during the residency, to the community. Gallery space/outdoor space/performance space will be provided, and all promotional activities will be provided by the Gabriola Arts Council.
Travel
Short term moving costs
Food
Supplies
Housing (residency fee $500 per month)
Master bedroom with en suite
2 Private bedrooms
Additional full bath
Kitchen and living space
Internet
Free Exhibition or performance space at Gabriola Arts & Heritage Centre
Promotional Services
Networking
Applications are welcome from Canadian artists working in a wide range of disciplines including visual art, film, literary arts, performance arts or music/sound.
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XAPACE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 20th
APPLY HERE: http://www.xpace.info/call-for-submissions-the-way-you-look-tonight/
Xpace Cultural Centre is accepting submissions for artwork and writing from emerging artists, designers and writers for a group exhibition tentatively titled, “the way you look tonight” curated by Philip Leonard Ocampo. The exhibition will run from January 15th – February 13th, 2021.
From the Civil Rights movement of the 1970s, to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, nostalgia has the capacity to eclipse the complicated, often painful realities of the historic events that had transpired during these times; the lens of retrospect can sometimes only preserve that which is amiable or enjoyable about these time periods. If the word nostalgia derives from the Greek word nostos (‘return home’) and algos (‘pain’), “the way you look tonight” seeks to embody the term’s etymological origins through exploring nostalgia as a complex method of both remembering and forgetting. In questioning the ways in which historic decades are preserved and romanticized within the collective consciousness and popular culture, this exhibition asks:
What histories are obscured and erased in treasuring that which is glamorous, entertaining and marketable about the past? Inversely, how are historic experiences of struggle sensationalized and commodified when seen through a retrospective lens?
How is the recalling of previous decades a matter of generational experience (or lack thereof)?
How do we frame the histories that we’re ancestrally connected to, but never lived?
How can we consider the iconography of various time periods outside of the North American canon of popular culture?
How are members of marginalized communities affected by the way that history is documented, archived and remembered?
How might these contemporary times be remembered, forgotten or obscured in the future?
As this exhibition will manifest in part as an online project, this call is interested in works that utilize text, poetry, illustration, drawing / painting, animation, video, archival materials and/or other ways of making that use of digital platforms advantageously in addition to sculpture, installation, etc.
This exhibition will prioritize artists that are Indigenous, Black, people of color, women, 2SLGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and members of other marginalized communities.
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 20TH, 2020 at 11:59pm
SUBMIT ONLINE: https://tinyurl.com/y6xkadtq
To apply, you must provide:
1. Artist Statement (250-500 words): The Artist Statement should give a description of your overall practice as it relates to the project you are proposing.
2. Project Description (250-500 words): The project description should give a clear and concrete description of the work you are proposing for installation.
3. Technical Description: a list of all foreseeable technical requirements including equipment and materials necessary for installation within Xpace.
4. Curriculum Vitae (Max 3 pages): Your CV should include education and exhibition history, as well as any relevant experience, reviews, etc.
5. Visual Support Material with accompanying Support Material List (5-10 images and/or minutes of video): Images must be in JPG format. You may provide links to video work/documentation.
If you have any questions about the proposal process, please contact Philip Leonard Ocampo at philip@xpace.info
Works must be ready for exhibition by January 2021. Selected applicants will be notified in late November. All selected participants will be paid an artist fee for the exhibition.
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PROPELLER CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: MAIL ART - UNLIMITED DADA
DEADLINE DECEMBER 15th
APPLY HERE: https://www.propellerartgallery.ca/mail-art-unlimited-dada.html
Call for Submissions: Mail Art: unlimited Dada
postmarked Artwork & Online submission
Upcoming Exhibition @ Propeller Art Gallery & Online
January 20 — February 7, 2021
MAIL ART SUBMISSION FORM
COVID-19 has created crisis and instability across the world. During this volatile time, with most of us stuck in place, the mail offers us metaphorical transport out of our immediate physical spaces. Mail can travel while we cannot. In response, Propeller Art Gallery is creating an open call Mail Art Exhibition in January with all works available for sale unless otherwise noted by the artist. This creative outlet for the community will serve as a physical artefact of the time we are living through, and recognises that, while many of our interactions have moved to the virtual realm, there is also increased interest in making things by hand.
You are invited to make a piece of Mail Art: art that can travel through the mail with a stamp.
What is Mail Art?
The Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus defines mail art as "works produced by artists, often in postcard format, specifically intended to be mailed to other artists or be displayed in an exhibition."
Mail art began in the 1960s when artists sent postcards inscribed with poems or drawings through the post rather than exhibiting or selling them through conventional commercial channels. Its origins can be found in Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters and the Italian futurists. But it was the New York artist Ray Johnson who, in the mid 1950s, posted small collages, prints of abstract drawings and poems to art world notables giving rise to what eventually became known as the New York Correspondence School. Mail art can take a variety of forms including postcards, packages, faxes, emails and blogs. In the 1960s the Fluxus artist On Kawara sent telegrams to friends and family that informed them he was alive. In the mid 1990s, the artist and curator Matthew Higgs set up Imprint, which posted art by young British artists, among them Martin Creed, to critics and curators. David Opdyke “this land” altered vintage postcards and combined them into large scale works and the list goes on.
In your submission:
What emotions are you feeling, and how are you coping? What is one thing you want to remember from this time, or one thing you want to forget? What do you hope for in the future when “normal” resumes? What are you looking forward to? What feels just out of reach? What have you gained through this experience? What has been a surprise to you?
This is an unjuried show, as you, the artists are collectively our curators. Although historically some Mail Art initiatives have been without submission fees, Propeller, as a Members-run non-profit gallery since 1996 that receives no arts council funding, it is necessary to request a submission fee in order to present Mail Art: unlimited Dada.
Submission requirements:
Name, address, email, phone number
Maximum of three artwork images submitted: submission pricing as follows
1 image for 25.00 payable through online submission form
2 images for 35.00 payable through online submission form
3 images for 45.00 payable through online submission form
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XSPACE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: AN ILLUMINATED IDENTITY
DEADLINE DECEMBER 15th
APPLY HERE: https://www.xpace.info/call-for-submissions/
Call for Artistic Proposals and Submissions_An ILLUMINATED iDENTITY
Open Call: Undergraduate and Graduate student artists working in and responding to a question of identity and individuality in a context of the Future-Present (democratized surveillance, weaponized branding, mobilized e-motions, and mythological realities).
XPACE/IMAGES festival is seeking proposals from student artists who are interested in responding to a question of the Future-Present. One could think of the term “Future-Present” as being a condition in which our dreams of the future collide with the reality of the present and where the real and imagined world are as one after the idealized World of Tomorrow has been dissolved. We live in a world that integrates technology with daily life, causing physiological and psychological shifts, giving us a kind of cybernetic lens in which to view the world. A lens that not only affects the way we think about ourselves and the world but also the images we use to represent that world. Now that peoples, places, and things are all accessible at the click of a button, what does it mean to be an individual in our contemporary condition and how are our identities formed? Proposals should consider the space the artwork occupies, the media used and its relationship to the subject in question, and a thorough understanding of the relative condition being: the Future-Present. Proposals are encouraged to be innovative and critical but also visually stimulating and sensorially provocative.
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
Online or Web specific art
Computer specific art
3D Prints
Digital Images and/or Videos
Performance Video and/or Live Performance
Animated GIF
Robotics and/or Haptic Technologies
Mobile Technologies
Weaponized Technologies
Archetypal Technologies (ie. LED’s, Electromagnetics, Cybernetics/Body-Mod Tech, Drone, etc.)
Electronic Submissions only can be sent to: david.f.m.hanes@gmail.com
Deadline: December 15th, 2012
Include in your submission:
images of the proposed work (or relevant work) or a link to a website and/or youtube/vimeo
– MAXIMUM of 6 images (72dpi @ 768 x 1024)
description of the proposed work, including physical qualities, spatial and hanging needs, technical requirements, etc. (max. 150 words, PDF only)
brief artist statement and biography (max. 200 words, PDF only)
CV (2 pages MAX, PDF only)
for addition information contact the curator of the project David Hanes:
david.f.m.hanes@gmail.com
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HAMILTON ARTISTS INC: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - Multiple Events
DEADLINE JANUARY 12th
APPLY HERE: https://akimbo.ca/listings/call-for-submissions-from-artists-collectives-curators-and-writers-2020/
Hamilton Artists Inc. (The Inc.) is seeking dynamic proposals from artists, collectives, curators and writers at various stages of their careers for its exhibition platforms and public programs. The Inc. exhibits a range of artistic disciplines and welcomes applications by artists from local, regional and national communities. We have numerous opportunities available, please read the full description for each call to identify which opportunity is best suited to your practice/objectives.
As an artist-run centre, we are interested in works/projects that push boundaries and engage with critical, conceptual and/or experimental thinking from diverse perspectives. We are committed to providing platforms for risk-taking and creating an inclusive space for exploring expanded art practices. The Inc. supports submissions that showcase artists and curators’ most recent endeavours as well as works that incite conversation and promote a range of intersectional narratives. We pay artists based on CARFAC fee standards.
We welcome submissions from artists of all backgrounds including, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, and persons of colour; refugee, newcomer and immigrant persons; Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+ and gender non-binary persons, persons with disabilities, and those on low-incomes or living in poverty. The Inc. is committed to equity and inclusion in all aspects of its operations, and will accept submissions in various formats.
Cannon Gallery
Deadline: January 12, 2020
The Cannon Gallery is the Inc.’s largest gallery space and is programmed three years in advance. Artists and curators working in all mediums and at all levels of their careers are encouraged to apply.
James Gallery
Deadline: January 12, 2020
The James Gallery is the Inc.’s dedicated members’ gallery. We always welcome new and returning members, who will then be eligible to exhibit in this space.
Cannon Project Wall
Deadline: January 12, 2020
The Cannon Project Wall is an 8’ x 33’ billboard on the side of our building in downtown Hamilton. The billboard sees upwards of 10,000 vehicular and pedestrian traffic each day.
Special Projects
Deadline: Ongoing
Special Projects are activities that do not take the form of regular exhibitions. They can be one-off events, print materials, multiples, digital platforms, screenings, workshops, outdoor projects in our courtyard, site-specific interventions, off-site projects, or other unique initiatives.
Writers/ Essayists
Deadline: Ongoing
We’re seeking submissions from regional writers interested in producing short, commissioned texts to accompany our exhibitions and programs.
2019 Art Access and Space Awards were presented at the MOCA on February 11 2020.
Congratulations are in order to a wonderful group of talented artists! Last week 20 artists took the stage at MOCA Toronto during a cheerful awards evening to highlight newcomer talent in the city. Community partners from RBC, The Artists Network, and Toronto Arts Foundation, as well as Akin Co-Director Michael Vickers, were all on hand to celebrate the winners.
Administered by Toronto Arts Foundation’s Neighbourhood Arts Network and generously sponsored by RBC, the RBC Arts Access Fund provides micro-awards of up to $1500 to professional newcomer artists to support the creation of new work. The RBC Space Award, a new partnership with arts organization Akin Collective, provides six recipients (who must be a past RBC Arts Access Award recipient) with $500 cash to support their art practice and $1,000 in studio credit to be used for shared studio or exhibition space. The initiative was spearheaded by Akin, and launched in the past year. (Akin has a similar space award with OCAD University for graduating artists in the painting and drawing faculty.)
“Akin is thrilled to partner with Neighbourhood Arts Network on the creation of this unique new award, offering space to newcomer artists to make work, sustain their artistic practice and exhibit across Toronto – a city facing an affordability crisis that we are working to address in a creative way,” said Michael Vickers, Co-Director, Akin Collective.
Sahar Abdallah | Award-winning illustrator originally from Egypt whose work has appeared in several children’s books, four solo exhibits and several international group shows.
Andrea Vela Alarcón | Peruvian community artist and self-taught illustrator whose work centres under-represented communities and is inspired by folk culture, femininity, and nature.
Tenzin Desel | Visual artist originally from Tibet. Born into a family of political refugees, she was invited by the Dalai Lama to study religious painting in India, spending nearly 30 years studying Buddhist paintings, philosophy, architecture and language.
Banafsheh Erfanian Painter, illustrator and educator born in Tehran, Iran, whose illustrations grace 30 books and magazines. Her work has been exhibited in 45 shows around the world and won international awards.
Tarek Ghriri Musician originally from Damascus, Syria, whose music is inspired by classical and Flamenco music, which he now blends with traditional Arabic melodies for a sound all his own. Also a founding member of local trio Diar.
Melika Saeeda Illustrator from Tehran, Iran, who has illustratedmore than 30 children’s books in Turkey and Iran. Her work, inspired by the narratives in Persian miniatures, has been exhibited at book fairs around the world.
Volodymyr 'Volo' Bedzvin | Musician originally from Ukraine whose sound is a unique combination of cello and vocals treated with sound effects pedals. Volo has performed across Europe and North America, including at the Luminato Festival.
Banafsheh Erfanian | Painter, illustrator and educator born in Tehran, Iran, whose illustrations grace 30 books and magazines. Her work has been exhibited in 45 shows around the world and won international awards.
Tarek Ghriri | Musician originally from Damascus, Syria, whose music is inspired by classical and Flamenco music, which he now blends with traditional Arabic melodies for a sound all his own. Also a founding member of local trio Diar.
Leen Hamo | Professional singer, violinist and visual artist from Aleppo, Syria, who is a violinist and choir member with the Canadian Arabic Orchestra of Mississauga and founding member of local band Diar.
Xuefei Ji | Chinese-born painter interested in capturing body language and the human figure, inspired by the pioneering Western painters of the early 19th century.
Siavash Kavehmaryan | Iranian electronic-music composer/performer who blends computer-assisted sounds with Iranian traditional music.
Nour Kaadan | Musician from Damascus, Syria, who is a core member of local Syrian-Flamenco band Diar and the collective Music from Hope, a creative outlet where children can communicate through art to overcome trauma.
Yannis Lobaina | Cuban writer, filmmaker and storyteller who explores themes of immigration, diaspora and motherhood through storytelling. She also works at the International School of Cinema, Radio, and TV as a director, script consultant and still photographer.
Ahmed Moneka | Actor and musician from Iraq who is the co-founder of Toronto bands Moskitto Bar (a harmonious blend of Celtic, Balkan and Arabic music) and Moneka Arabic Jazz (rooted in jazz and blues as well as Afro rhythms and the Iraqi maqam style of singing).
Parisa Pajoohandeh | Filmmaker and academic from Iran interested in sociopolitical issues and the struggles of human life, such as identity, migration, war, solitude and women's stories.
Melika Saeeda | Illustrator from Tehran, Iran, who has illustrated more than 30 children’s books in Turkey and Iran. Her work, inspired by the narratives in Persian miniatures, has been exhibited at book fairs around the world.
Omid Shakib | Filmmaker originally from Iran with 20 years’ experience working in the film industry in Iran, Iraq, the UK, and now in Canada. He has directed and produced over 25 documentaries, docudramas, and experimental films.
Alice Il Shin | Korean filmmaker trained at Nihon University in Japan. Since then, she has worked in Japan, Korea, the U.S., and Canada as a director, producer, and editor.
Rouvan Silogix | Pakistani-Tanzanian director, writer, actor, producer and classical pianist. Artistic Director for Theatre ARTaud and a member of the Mammalian Diving Reflex collective, he was Writer in Residence at Theatre Passe Muraille in 2018 and a finalist for the Emerging Director Residency Award from Crow's Theatre.
Megha Subramanian | Storyteller in dance, writing and film inspired by her Indian roots who aims to modernize the traditional Bharatanatyam dance form through teaching and performance. She also draws on writing and filmmaking to support this artistic vision.
Salbhi Sumaiya |Visual artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. As a hard of hearing (HOH) individual, she was drawn to painting due to its accessibility to her as a visual art form. Her work focuses on raising awareness of contemporary issues, including animal extinction and Myanmar’s atrocities against the Rohingya population.
Namie Ueno | Painter from Arashiyama, Japan who began studying art as a teenager. Beyond their decorative beauty, her artworks look for a balance between fear and longing away from the materialist culture of today, a truce between the often duelling aspects of our own selves.
About Toronto Arts Foundation
Toronto Arts Foundation is a charitable organization that sparks creative connections, spotlights artistic excellence, and supports vibrant cultural growth throughout our diverse city through private-sector investment. To learn more or to make a donation, visit torontoartsfoundation.org.
About Neighbourhood Arts Network
Neighbourhood Arts Network, a network of over 1,900 members, is a strategic initiative of the Toronto Arts Foundation, offering accessible arts programming, awards, and partnership opportunities to local artists, arts workers, and arts organizations working throughout the City of Toronto. To learn more, visit neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org.
Pancakes and Booze Toronto April 12
Event Date: April 12
Location: Revival 8pm- 2am
$10/$13
Aaron Lozynsky is an Akin Lansdowne member and is the Canadain coordinator of Pancakes and Booze Toronto. Pancakes and Booze is an LA based event originated in 2009 and has since popped up more than 500 times in 35+ cities around Europe & North America.
Batter sizzles, beer foams, and canvas lines the walls from ceiling to floor as hundreds, sometimes thousands, of revelers indulge in endless pancakes.
This is no stuffy wine-and-cheese, pretentious, someone-gag-me art event. It’s an innovative reimagining of the art show concept. A welcoming vibe for up-and-coming artists to sell and strut their stuff in a free verse, anything goes environment.
Pancakes and Booze travels the world transforming some of the best music venues and event halls into exhibitions of art, photography, jewelry, & music. Pancakes and Booze focuses on keeping the work on display local and original in an effort to help living artists of all types sell their work. Each show features up to 150 local artisans, a unique lineup of live musicians and/or DJs, live painting, and body painting along with many other forms of entertainment.As well as free PANCAKES all night! Pancakes and Booze aim is to bring the art community and those outside the artist community together by creating an upbeat and unique event. They work to make each event a judgement-free environment in which artists, potential buyers, and pancake fanatics alike can make connections with a diverse community that they may not have an opportunity to engage otherwise.
About the Artist:
Akin Lansdowne member Aaron Lozynsky is a Toronto based Canadian visual artist. Exploring the human figure and the soul. Conveying the energy and vitality of my subjects with expressive colour and vibrant brushwork. Acrylic works on panel board that illuminate their surroundings.
An assuring zine making workshop for IBPOC. This workshop will be facilitated by Akin King member Althea Balmes. This workshop is open to Indigenous, Black and People of Colour interested in creating or collaborating on pocket zines. Its small size makes it a useful tool for organizing, mobilizing or declaring your love for someone! In this workshop we’ll create pocket zines that focus on self-healing, affirmations and words of wisdom, perfect for times when you feel like your world is out of control. Just take this zine out and remember, you have a loving community who supports you.
Connect, share resources and start creating a self-affirmation pocket guide to feeling okay!
Date: Thursday April 11, 2019 from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Tea Base (Basement of Chinatown Centre) 222 Spadina Ave, Unit C-15
To register, email: hello.wayf@gmail.com
PWYC (no one turned away at the door for lack of funds): WAYF is currently fundraising for future programming and would love it if folks can help us out with some donations.
Snacks and tokens provided. Please let WAYF know ahead of time of your accessibility and dietary needs. WAYF are asking folks to register so that we know how much food to prepare for.
About Althea Balmes:
At the core of her practice is the embodiment of anti-oppressive framework, process of decolonization and community building. In creating visual narratives, she explores themes and stories of migration, labour and personhood. Her work expands on the decolonial aesthetics of the Filipinx diasporic experience.
Her films have been shown at Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, Kaohsiung International Film Festival, Scarborough Arts Bridging Festival. Her illustrations and comics have been published in Briarpatch Magazine, Rice Paper Magazine, Our Times Magazine, Carte Blanche, Looseleaf Magazine and by Between the Lines Press. As part of Kwentong Bayan Collective, she creates work with and about the love and struggle of Filipinx (live-in) migrant care workers. The Collective have exhibited works in Centre d’art la Ferme du Buisson, Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, A-Space Gallery, Blackwood Gallery, Mayworks Festival among others.
Althea facilitates workshops on visual storytelling and comics working with newcomers, youth, 2SLGBTQI+, racialized groups and under-served communities. She started the Comic- Making Workshop + Residency Program (Cup Doodle Project) in 2016 to nurture and provide a creative space for Asian youth interested in telling their stories through comics.
As a UX researcher she helps designers and developers create consensual, accessible and ethical digital experiences.
She received her B.A in Anthropology and International Development Studies at York University and her Master of Information in University of Toronto in User Experience Design.
About WAYF Collective:
The Where Are You From? Collective (WAYF Collective) is an art-based and activism program for Asian-identified people (that includes but is not limited to Southeast Asian, South Asian, East Asians, Asian-Pacific Islander).
WAYF’s work seeks to address issues of agency that Asians living on Turtle Island experience in defining our identities, visibility, and representation by offering workshops for youth, running Arts events, and creating an online platform for self-representation.
WAYF work from an intersectional, anti-oppression framework to empower Asians to develop critical art practices and build activist spaces that challenge dominant culture after decades of collective silence. WAYF’s mission is to celebrate Asian identities and achievements, build capacity for Asian-identified youth, and connect diasporic Asian communities so that we can create intentional dialogue that disrupts status quo.
Exhibition: Friday, April 5-Thursday, April 11, 2019
Ticketed Reception: Thursday, April 11, 7:00-10:00pm
Online Auction Ends Thursday, April 11, 2019
The Textile Museum of Canada is partnering with Project Sunshine Canada for a new fundraising initiative in support of family-oriented programs at both organizations. Professional artists, designers, and celebrities are creating one-of-a-kind, collectable Surgi Dolls, to be auctioned online and displayed at the Museum from April 5-11. Surgi Dolls represent an intersection of healing and creativity through textiles: Project Sunshine gives children blank dolls of diverse skin tones to make their own, to travel with them through their medical journey and provide a sense of comfort and control. By participating in the auction, you could take home your very own collectible Surgi Doll - these art objects are not for hospital use. The auction will culminate in a ticketed event at the Museum on April 11, 7-10 pm, with special guest Sally Siren.
Akin King member Rakefet Arieli, Akin alumni Emily Norry and many other talented artists were invited to decorate a Surgi Doll for The Doll Project: #SewMuchHeart. The Textile Museum of Canada has partnered with Project Sunshine Canada for a new fundraising initiative in support of family-oriented programs at both organizations. Get a chance to see the dolls in person at the Textile Museum until April 11th. Or bid on them online here.
Edition 2017 was a success, featuring a unique display of art multiples and prints by Akin artists.
October 26–28, 2018
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Admission is free
Akin Projects is thrilled to be selling works by many of our talented studio artists at the 3e Edition Toronto International Art Book Fair. Artists from Akin King, Dupont, Lansdowne, and MOCA will be presenting a diverse collection of editioned prints, 3D art multiples, printed totebags and scarves, artist books, zines and other collectables.
Participating artists for 2018 :
Adria Mirabelli, Laura Kay Keeling, Loretta Mui, Lily Kim, Liliana Vera, Mark Liam Smith, Mia Zhou, Monique Resnick, Rebekah Andrade, Natalie Waddell, Erin Candela, Rebeccah Houston,
Edition, unique in its scope and contemporary approach, celebrates the idea of the “Multiple” and limited edition art productions. It is hosted annually in tandem with Art Toronto , Canada’s largest International art fair. Officially labelled a ‘‘book fair’’, Edition is dedicated to the promotion of art book publishing and all forms of art works created in limited edition format, which opens the door to exploratory ventures and mediums. The concept champions forward-thinking projects by artists, publishers, galleries, and organizations who share a similar mission to advance and strengthen Canadian and International art book initiatives. Vendors at the fair represent a diverse cross-section of mediums and interests, as well as a wide range of locales spanning Ontario, Canada, and Internationally.
Artists Rebeccah Houston (left) and Natalie Waddell (above) work in clay and will be contributing ceramic multiples to the show.
HOURS:
October 25, 2018 6–10pm
October 26, 2018 12–8pm
October 27, 2018 12–8pm
October 28, 2018 12–6pm
editiontoronto.com
arttoronto.com
akincollective.com
akinprojects.org
Limited edition archival giclee print (right) by Mark Liam Smith 2018.
Samar Hejazi - Xspace - Opening June 29 - July 28 2018
June Clark - AGO - July 1st Opening - October 2018
Sara Pearson - Project Gallery - July 5- July 28 2018
Katrina Jurjans - Cutler and Gross - June & July 2018
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Akin MOCA artist Samar Hejazi will be exhibiting her recent audio visual piece Mawtini at Xspace Cultural Centre. Opening Friday June 29th 7-10 pm until July 28th 2018, Maw6ini is an audio visual installation that simulates the internal experience of the Arab diaspora in the west through the appropriation of the english language. The installation is a combination of typographical artworks spanning across textile, soundscapes and video of the anthem Maw6ini(homeland), an Arabic song by Palestinian poet Ibrahim Touqan. Hejazi’s piece allows the viewer to reflect on how ancestry and present environment merge to inform elements of a new and continually shifting (cultural) identity.
Xpace Cultural Centre is a not-for-profit artist-run centre dedicated to providing emerging and student artists, designers, curators and writers with opportunities to showcase their work in a professional setting. Xpace is supported by the OCAD Student Union.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 12–6PM Address: 303 Lansdowne Avenue Unit 2, Main Floor Toronto, ON M6K 2W5
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June Clark , a member of Akin's Sunrise Studio, will be exhibiting work for the July 1st opening of the recently revisioned J.S. McLean Centre for Canadian Art , at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The J.S. McLean Centre for Canadian Art closed for renovations on March 6, 2018 and will re-open on Canada Day on July 1, 2018, following an extensive renovation. The re-configuration and re-installation of the Centre will see works by Indigenous, Inuit and Canadian artists put into conversation across time, to better reflect the Nation to Nation relationship that Canada was built upon. In recognition that the AGO is located on Mississauga Anishinaabe territory, all texts in the McLean Centre will be trilingual – in Anishnaabemowin, English and French. The Inuit collection will feature texts in Inuktitut, along with English and French.
“The re-opening of the McLean Centre is an exciting opportunity to place artists at the core of the installations, to tell stories from new perspectives and engage visitors with the very best works – both new and familiar – from the Gallery’s Indigenous and Canadian collection,” said Georgiana Uhlyarik, Fredrik S. Eaton Curator, Canadian Art.
Once open, the McLean Centre will feature works by Indigenous artists Carl Beam, Ruth Cuthand, Robert Houle, Robert Markle, Kent Monkman, Norval Morrisseau, Daphne Odjig, Jessie Oonark, Jane Ash Poitras and Jeff Thomas among others, along with Inuit artists Shuvinai Ashoona and Annie Pootoogook. Canadian artists will include Florence Carlyle, Emily Carr, June Clark, Lawren Harris, Jamelie Hassan, Kazuo Nakamura, Joanne Tod, Joyce Wieland and many more. In addition to the Indigenous and Canadian works positioned together, the Centre will include dedicated spaces for both Inuit art and sculpture, and Indigenous artists. This reinstallation is part of the larger Gallery-wide Look: Forward project begun in 2017.
The installation of the AGO’s Indigenous and Canadian Collection is generously supported by:
Andrew & Marianne Guizzetti
Robert Harding & Angel Yang
The McLean Foundation
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Exhibition Dates: July 5 – 28, 2018
Opening Reception: Thursday July 5th 6:00 – 8:00pm
Location: Project Gallery 1210 Dundas Street East
A member and the manager of Akin's Dupont Studio, Sara Pearson is a Toronto based artist who graduated with a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design University. Using abstracted imagery of crystallic forms and suggestions of remembered landscapes from past travels, themes of transformation and healing are explored from a feminine perspective with a focus on the spiritual connection between womxn and nature.
Wanderer explores the process of loss, forgiveness and the rebuilding of one’s self. In life we wander, searching for meaning, identity and connection. Experiencing unexpected change, letting go of past attachments, picking ourselves up again with the support of those around us and traveling a new path.
In her new body of work Sara Pearson continues her obsession with themes of geological and gemological formations, working with mediums that reflect natural elements of the Earth such as bronze, rocks and clay. She is also interested in the overlap of digital and traditional processes, the visual tangle of abstract and representational methodologies of art making and the optical play of collage. This is Sara’s second solo show with Project Gallery. She currently lives and works in Toronto where she has been a member of Akin Collective for four years. She holds a BFA from OCAD University.
To RSVP click here
Project Gallery is located at 1210 Dundas St E and open Tues-Sat 11-6pm
Please direct inquiries to devan@projectgallery.ca
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Through June and July 2018 - Luxury British eyewear brand Cutler and Gross is proud to feature artist Katrina Jurjans, awith a presentation of “my transformation is ongoing” in the Toronto store, as part of Cutler and Gross Visionaires. The Visionaires series encompasses a range of collaborations between Cutler and Gross and artistic and creative talents, whether new, emerging or famous, who have the personality, creative vision and intelligent style to help us all see the world differently. To view “my transformation is ongoing” complemented by Cutler and Gross eyewear, visit Cutler and Gross, 758 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1E9 FOR MORE INFORMATION: torontopr@cutlerandgross.com www.cutlerandgross.com
About Katrina Jurjans Katrina graduated from Concordia University in 2014 with a BFA in Studio Art and Art History. In her last year of studies, she became increasingly fascinated with spatial theory and in particular spaces of transition and notions of ephemerality, memory, transformation and emotionality. Manifesting in various forms throughout the years, these ideas have been brought to the conceptual forefront of her painting practice, where they have been solidified into the visual language of pattern, layering, colour and spatial tension. About my transformation is ongoing Driven by emotion, the paintings presented explore the intensity and complexity of feelings within intimate relationships. Through the sharing of space – both physically and emotionally – the figures are suspended in a transient moment, symbolically framed by large blocks of colour occupying the peripheries. In turn, these peripheral spaces mark a distinct border between the captured moment and everything that exists beyond it, ruminating on the transformation that takes place when moving from one space - physically, temporally, emotionally - into another. This installation pushes this idea further by envisioning what exists beyond the canvas’ borders. Disrupting the idea that painting needs to exists within a fixed, two-dimensional space, it plays with the concept of transformation in both poetic and physical ways, as the painting’s patterns are transmuted into other forms. This installation will be up till the end of July 2018. k.jurjans@gmail.com @katrinajurjans
About Cutler and Gross Founded in 1969, British luxury eyewear brand Cutler and Gross combines the finest Italian craftsmanship with irrefutably cool style. Since its establishment in fashion’s halcyon days, the brand’s signature creativity has been applied to sunglasses and optical frames with their trademark numbered designs and absence of an ostentatious logo. The bold, individual style of Cutler and Gross has attracted some of the most prestigious names in the industry for collaborations – from design houses such as Erdem, Comme Des Garçons and Maison Martin Margiela, to creative icons including Victoria Beckham, Roksanda Ilincic and Bella Freud, as well as limited edition launches such as Jay-Z for Barney’s New York.
1. The Myseum Connects: Borders and Barriers Creating Cultural Networks for Newcomers (Deadline June 6th 2018) In partnership with the Centre for Social Innovation, get together for a networking event for newcomers to meet and make connections with some of Toronto’s key arts & culture organization representatives. We will have a keynote address by Dr. Duke Redbird and free workshops.
Join the Ontario Arts Council for a free grant writing information session. Learn about the Skills and Career Development: Indigenous Arts Professionals and Arts Professionals of Colour program, other OAC programs, and applying using Nova, OAC’s online application system.
This workshop, geared towards emerging visual artists and arts administrators, will provide tips and online resources to keep yourself up-to-date with call for submissions, work opportunities, grants, and arts & culture related events taking place across Toronto.
The cultural sector embraces a wide range of disciplines including music, dance, theatre, film, literature, heritage, craft, visual art and design. The City of Toronto in particular, has a strong and vibrant cultural sector that continues to grow, attract, and develop a community of workers who are eager to showcase their creativity and talents. Join WorkInCulture for an introduction into the employment in the cultural sector – you will receive an overview of arts & culture career paths and resources to help you understand how your skills could be applied to a range of employment opportunities
RSVP and find more info at paralianewcomerarts.com !
2. The RBC Arts Access Fund (Deadline: June 15, 2018) is designed to support newcomer artists across Toronto. The Funds range from $500 to $1500 and supports costs associated with arts projects, such as artist fees, art supplies, equipment rental, space rental and food costs for a workshop or event. In addition to art projects, this fund also supports professional development, training and mentorship requests for newcomer artists looking to improve their skills in working with community.
For more information and eligibility criteria visit:
http://www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org/awards/awards-programs/rbcartsaccessfund
The RBC Arts Access Fund is designed to support newcomer artists across Toronto. The Funds range from $500 to $1500 and are intended to support costs associated with arts projects, such as artist fees, art supplies, equipment rental, space rental and food costs for a workshop or event.
In addition to art projects, this fund also supports professional development, training and mentorship requests for newcomer artists looking to improve their skills in working with community.
You are eligible to have support by other partners, organizations and artists, however the project itself should be your vision.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be:
- Residents of the City of Toronto for at least one year prior to the application deadline.
- Newcomers who have been in Canada between 1 and 7 years
- A permanent resident or Canadian citizen
- Be over 18 years old
- A member of Neighbourhood Arts Network, if you are not a member, sign up here
*Artists can receive only one RBC Arts Access Fund per year.
DEADLINES
INTERESTED IN NOMINATING/SELF-NOMINATING?
1. Visit https://tac.smartsimple.ca/welcome/taf/
2. Create a Smart Simple account
3. Submit your nomination form
Note:
- Nominees can save their application at any time before submission by clicking ‘Save Draft.’ Nominees can log-in and out of TAF Awards portal as many times as needed before clicking ‘Submit.’
- Please ensure you are on the Toronto Arts Foundation Awards portal and NOT Toronto Arts Council.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Angie at 416-392-6802 x 218 or email angie(at)torontoarts(dot)org
PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!
There is going to be an Art Supply Drive this Friday, May 25th to help the Walnut Studios artists who lost everything in a devastating fire this past weekend. All donations are appreciated, as even studios located at the opposite end of the building have had extensive damage due to toxic smoke and ash resulting from the flames.
The drive will take place at 229 Niagra Street, just north of King at Acme Coworking. Supplies of any and all materials are welcome as more than 20 artists have lost the contents of their studios and collected works. Additionally, a GoFundMe Campaign has been started to assist the artists, many of whom are facing a tough real-estate market in Toronto where rent prices have skyrocketed over the last 10 years.
For more information about Walnut studios, their history, their artists and their community involvement initiatives, please see their Facebook Page and website.
Do yourself a favour and apply to something cool every month. It's great practice and gets your name out there, but also your chances of getting accepted to a very exciting project are 100% better than if you never applied at all!
Here are 3 very great opportunities for an artist with a little initiative (details below):
1. The Intergenerational LGBT Artist Residency - Gibralter Point - Deadline June 1 2018
2. NAISA Call For Submissions - Sound Art - Deadline June 4 2018
3. Out of This World - Group Show - Propeller Gallery - Deadline June 7th 2018
Residency period: AUGUST 21 - SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
The aim of THE INTERGENERATIONAL LGBT ARTIST RESIDENCY is a vision and experience of sustainability through shared practice, art career management training, and community building via Canadian LGBTQ2 art and political histories. (English fluency is not required, landed immigrant status is not required.) Whether you are ‘emerging,’ 'established,’ or an inbetweenster, please consider applying!
Notification will be emailed mid June 2018. Those artists who accept the offer of a place at the residency will then have some time to prepare, and if necessary to apply for travel funding. The residency is in the process of raising money to contribute to travel expenses, and we committed to helping you to raise additional money for travel.
The residency is interested in applications critically engaged with politics and art histories of LGBTQ2 communities in Canada. Previous investigations have queered methods, materials, immigrant histories, landscape and Canadian canon. Projects and practices responding to or resisting history of colonialism are of particular interest. The jury seeks to build a cohort each summer of artists who could in multiple ways connect with each other and contribute to each other's experience.
In your application, please consider the following:
If you could have a studio visit from anyone, whom would it be, what would you like to ask them about their own practice or would you want feedback/critiques.....?
How would you identify in terms of 'generations'?
While there is ample time and spaces for solitude during the residency, this is a group themed residency and not appropriate for those seeking a solo residency. Participants are expected to take full advantage of the opportunities the residency provides, and the unique qualities of the islands. In light of this, and for group cohesion and scheduling, participants remain on site minimum 80% of the time. We cannot accommodate overnight guests, except in the case of personal attendant for accessibility accommodation. Please contact us regarding accessibility needs.
The entire application process is paperless, and can be completed via online form (see website for futher details).
3. OUT OF THIS WORLD Art inspired by all things astronomical All Media are welcome. Show dates: July 4-22, 2018
Submission deadline: Thu June 7, 4pm (EDT)
Opening Reception: Thu July 5, 6:30-9:30pm
Show Location: Propeller Gallery, 30 Abell St., Toronto
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat 12-6, Sun 12-5
“ Space… is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big
it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.”
- DOUGLAS ADAMS: THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (1979)
2018 marks a century-and- a-half of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's (RASC) promotion of astronomy and allied sciences in Canada. From early on, the RASC has encouraged exploring the connections of astronomy with other areas of culture, an interest which continues to the present. Both amateur and professional astronomers produce visually arresting material combined with deeply engaging ideas that spark a sense of awe and wonder. Artists are engaged and inspired by both the visual and conceptual elements of this work.
Submission Requirements:
You may submit up to three separate submissions. With each submission, please provide one image only (2000 pixels on the longest edge @72dpi preferred).
Submit your work here: http://huutaart.com/opencalls/out-of-this-world
Out Of This World is a partnership between Propeller Gallery and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, and celebrates 150 years of the RASC.
Curatorial Team Members: Robin Kingsburgh, David Griffin, Randall Rosenfeld, Anthony F. Saad
Additional Information:
Please direct inquiries to:
Nathan Heuvingh, Gallery Director
gallery@propellerctr.com
1-416-504-7142
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PropellerTO/
Twitter: @PropellerTO
Instagram: @propellerygallery_to
An artist’s step-by-step, beginner’s guide to financial planning.
Wednesday June 6 / Council Chambers at Toronto City Hall - 100 Queen St West / 6:30-8:30pm / PWYC (Suggested Donation $10) / Please register to attend at www.universe.com/artfinance2018
Many artists wonder if they can afford to do what they love. You can with a plan! Join us for an evening full of financial strategies that will help you make the most of your money, so you can make the most of your practice.
This session includes free worksheets and take home resources to guide you through each step of your financial planning process.
This workshop will cover 8 Steps to a Financial Plan:
Create Goals
Know Where You Stand
Find Income
Save
Track
Make a Budget
Reduce Debt
Make the Plan
The workshop includes:
Presentation on financial planning
Short break
Q&A period at the end
Printed copy of the presentation and FAQs
Free worksheets and resources to take away and guide you through each step of your own financial planning process
Participants should bring:
Pen/pencil/device for note-taking if they wish
Their creativity and questions!
About the presenter:
Diana Bahr is an OCAD U graduate in Drawing & Painting (2016), and former OCAD U staff from the Financial Aid department where she provided financial literacy and professional practice workshops to student artists and designers for five years. She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto and works as an Educational Counsellor for a women’s employment agency. She is an emerging multi-disciplinary artist and has exhibited her work at various locations including a traveling show in New York, the Ontario Science Centre, the Brain Project in Toronto, and Mercedes Benz in Mississauga. She is currently co-organizing and participating in a year-long artist residency program in the east end of Toronto.
The event venue is fully wheelchair accessible and please let us know of any other accessibility needs, including ASL interpretation, so that we can assist you. Please email michael@akincollective.com at least one week before the event and we will do our best to accommodate you. Thank you.
Get your Summer work deadlines sorted and start booking new projects and residencies before the nice weather arrives. Apply now!
Outside The Box (City Of Toronto) - April 30 2018
World Of Threads Festival - April 30 2018
Career Launcher Prize 2018 – MAY 11 2018
OUTSIDE THE BOX - Traffic Box Proposal City Of Toronto - APRIL 30 2018
The Outside the Box program provides an opportunity for local artists to create works of art on traffic signal boxes across Toronto. Since 2013, over 350 boxes have been hand-painted by local artists, or wrapped featuring designs by local graphic artists, and transformed into extraordinary works of art. Artists and graphic designers applying to this program are encouraged to consider the context of the local area and the city as a whole. Art calls for hand-painted boxes, and graphic designs for wrapped boxes, are issued separately.
Finished works will be on functioning City of Toronto equipment that will need repair or replacing at some point in time. The City therefore cannot guarantee the duration of use of each traffic signal box. Artists and graphic designers should also be aware that traffic signal boxes are often targets for vandalism. Although the City will protect the artwork with a vandal-resistant clear coat or wrap, it cannot guarantee that vandalized traffic signal boxes will be repaired and the artwork restored to its original state. Artists must accept the risk that their artwork may be damaged, altered, or removed at any time after completion.
See here for Application Form and Traffic Box Dimensions.
WORLD OF THREADS FESTIVAL - OAKVILLE - Due APRIL 30 2018
Festival Dates: October 13, 2018 – November 25, 2018
Opening Reception: October 20, 2018
Artists from around the world are invited to submit bodies of work, installations or individual pieces to the festival. The curators will draw from the pool of submissions to create different thematic group exhibitions. We also mount dozens of solo shows.
Something that’s different about World of Threads Festival is that we let the art guide us. We don’t have predetermined curatorial ideas or impose our concepts on the artists. Each festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions received. Your work might inspire an entire exhibition! For Festivals 2016, 2014 and 2012 we curated using this process and it worked very successfully. Don’t assume what kind of exhibitions we will mount based on our past shows. Remember that they’re based on what the artists submit. So Festival 2018 could look very different. We’re also open to work that is not made of fibre materials but instead uses techniques of fibre like sewing and weaving or evokes fibre processes or aesthetics.
Festival 2018 will be focused around Queen Elisabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. In addition to the beautiful gallery, we will also be using the Display Area Gallery, the Corridor Galleries, lobby and open public spaces of the entire facility.
Your work may be for sale and we will try to sell it. There will be a 40% commission on any sales.
Fibre Artist Interviews: Some artists who are accepted will be invited to participate in our interview series.
Body of Work – Maximum 10 pieces + details.
Individual Pieces – Maximum 10 pieces + details.
Installations – Maximum 10 images + details and renderings.
The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fibre and textile art. We are a not-for-profit initiative with charitable status run by a couple of dedicated volunteers. The Festival is ambitious and constantly expanding into new territory. We believe that some of the most exciting and compelling artwork being made today is happening in the field of fibre arts. Through our initiatives we have discovered some remarkable artists and brought them to the attention of Canadian and international audiences.
We began in Oakville, Ontario in 1994 as a single exhibition, expanding to a full festival in 1998 and becoming international in 2009. Festival 2016 had 315 artworks by 134 artists from 23 countries. The festival draws visitors from across the region and internationally and has featured work submitted by hundreds of artists from around the world. Festival 2016 attracted more than 60,000 visitors. In 2015 Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate won the Oakville Arts Council 2015 Community Impact Arts Award, for bringing global attention to Oakville and elevating the fibre/textile art form around the world.
Our website has become a central hub for lovers of fibre art with our Fibre Artist Interviews series. We currently have a following in 95 countries. To date we have conducted over 135 interviews with Canadian and international artists. We encourage you to spend some time on our website to see what we have done in the past. For some examples of previous artists and exhibitions look under Artwork or check out our Artist Interviews and Curator Interviews.We are working on getting the albums up from the last festival.
CAREER LAUNCHER PRIZE - 401 RICHMOND - Due MAY 11 2018 5pm
Each year, 401 Richmond Street West welcomes an emerging artist into its community through the 401 Richmond Career Launcher Prize. The Career Launcher Prize provides an exceptional opportunity to occupy a coveted 500 ft2 studio for one year at 401 Richmond Street West, one of Canada’s most dynamic arts facilities. The award recipient will become part of a unique community of artists, cultural producers, creative pioneers, passionate activists and social entrepreneurs. The recipient is chosen from a Toronto-wide competition by a panel of visual arts professionals. The Career Launcher Prize has been presented annually since 2000 as a way of providing space and support for research and experimentation at a critical time in an emerging artist’s career.
Who is eligible?
Duration
How to apply
Candidates must provide:
Applications and supporting documents should be submitted to:
Career Launcher Prize
c/o Urbanspace Property Group
Studio 111, 401 Richmond Street West
Toronto ON
M5V 3A8
Deadline for applications is 5pm May 11 2018. No applications will be accepted after this date. Prize recipient will be notified by end of June 2018.
Assessment Process
A panel of Toronto arts professionals drawn from the rich pool of expertise at 401 Richmond and beyond, including visual and media artists, arts presenters, curators and critics, will review all applications. Final decisions are made based on the quality of the applicant’s demonstrated practice and the expected value a residency at 401 Richmond would bring to the candidate’s career trajectory. Consideration is given to how effectively the candidate would integrate into the 401 Richmond community. The assessment panel will also be available as advisors and mentors for the recipient during their year-long tenure in the studio, to discuss developments in the work and to share professional insights.
Conditions and Considerations
Past Recipients
Sarah Blagg (2000), Angie Nishikihama (2001), Sarah Lowry (2002), Emma Shankland (2003), Kristine Moran (2004), Emmy Skensved (2005), Adam Brandejs (2006), Gareth Bate (2007), Nikki Woolsey (2008), Angela Noussis (2009), Winnie Truong (2010), Chelsea Jamieson (2011), Graham Curry (2012), Kerry Zentner (2013), Erin MacKeen (2014), Kelly Uyeda (2016), and Ellen Bleiwas (2017)
About 401 Richmond
401 Richmond is an early 20th century industrial building that was transformed in 1994 into a vibrant home for artists’, galleries, film festivals, charities, not-for-profits, magazines, architects, theatre groups and design firms. The building’s renewal, over 20 years ago, was inspired by author Jane Jacobs’ observation that “new ideas need old buildings” and the importance of diversity and mixed-uses in the city.
For more information please contact Careerlauncherprize@urbanspace.org
Drake Commissary / 128 Sterling Rd/ 12-3 pm February 18:
Livia Roscioli's paintings are bright, charming, and contain the occassional weird or bizzare scene. She may surprise viewers this Sunday at the Drake Commissary when they come across a bloody head or toilet shot amidst the flowers. Livia arrived in 2016 from Rome with her partner by way of Paris where at the time she dabbled in multiple art practices including writing, photography and theatre. Throughout the various mediums, however she states that she "was not interested in technique or learning how to do a certain thing traditionally". Having a studio for the first time (she is currently at Akin Dufferin) she says, has completely energized the way she works.
Roscioli says she feels most herself and at ease when she is working at her studio. When asked why she chooses to work in a style that may be labeled naiive or childlike, she answers that she has always fought against the aesthetic ideal, that she cares more about the expression and the idea. "It's about what's inside, not about the quality of perfection. It's about how it makes you feel" She admits there is something about children's drawings that she seeks as a painter, an ability to lean towards abandon, to let one's self go without expectation.
Livia will be selling paintings, prints, bags, and painted clothes and underwear this Saturday at 128 Sterling Road, at the Drake's newest location The Commissary; billed as a bakery, bar and community hub. She's also selling some of her original drawings on cards, although she adds "I don't want people to see my work and think it is like a big Happy Birthday card. There's a lot of adult stuff in it too. It should always be more than that."
It Was Never About You
Akin Dufferin member Rebekah Andrade has enough work to fill a small store. And so she has. Filling it with her paintings in a last-minute turn of events, she has transformed the empty storefront, formerly a shoestore at 348 Danforth Ave, into a small gallery full of bright beautiful art for the next ten days.
The venue, owned by Thomas Walsh a local businessman, was only going to be empty for a short period but within a matter of days Rebekah had a working title (taken from a recent piece in the show) and complete collection ready. '' It was a challenge'', she says, ''but I'm so happy I did it!'' Rebekah says the titles of her paintings arise from a self-reflective and humorous take on life, with pieces like We Drank We Laughed and So Tender And Delicate.
Coming from Northern BC, Rebekah Andrade finished her BA at Emily Carr in 2012 and has since exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her most recent formal exhibition, a group show, is still up at Sussex Contemporary in Ottawa. Check out her pop-up featuring IT WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU and chat with Rebekah until January 31, most days (except christmas) 11-7 pm at 348 Danforth Ave.
