Winter Art Crawl - DesignTO Stops

Sometimes it’s all sunshine and rainbows and other times Toronto slingshots from Fall-like weather to a mid-winter blizzard overnight. This tricky weather occasionally affects Akin’s programming like today’s scheduled Winter Art Crawl. That being said, if any art crawl had to be cancelled due to weather conditions this created the perfect opportunity for folks planning to attend today’s event to create their own DesignTO Festival crawl over the next week.

DesignTO Festival is Canada’s leading (and largest) annual design festival that celebrates design as a multidisciplinary form of creative thinking and making, with over 100 exhibitions and events forming Toronto’s design week, January 17-26, 2020. Since 2011, DesignTO has been bringing communities together to celebrate design, by taking art and design out of the studio and into the urban realm.

Akin’s 2020 Winter Art Crawl consisted of 5 stops in Toronto’s Queen Street West and Ossington area, but you don’t have to stop there! The DesignTO Festival spreads across the city featuring many exhibitions, pop ups, window installations and more. Visit the festival’s website for full details and locations of all of this year’s projects.

We recommend checking out the following stops that would have been featured during today’s art crawl along with a few other notable pop ups.

Image Source: DesignTO Festival. Can’t Say Nothing (Lorem Ipsum, Moving Patterns).

Can’t Say Nothing (Lorem Ipsum, Moving Patterns)

Where: Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 17-31, 2020

Using Lorem Ipsum text and the Photoshop background, ‘Can’t Say Nothing’ by Janina Anderson, turns signifiers of blankness into overlapping patterns, which are printed, mounted and stitched together. ‘Can’t say Nothing’ is a mixed media installation drawing from textile art, collage, painting, graphic design and sculpture. ‘Can’t say Nothing’ investigates the way systems of language, symbols and design affect meaning, and wonders: if even the expression of absence is so heavily coded, is it possible to express oneself without external mediation, and to what extent is it possible to truly “say nothing” at all?

Dying.exhibits

Where: Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 12 - February 1, 2020

Dying.exhibits’ is an exhibition series on end of life, inviting participants to think about their relationship with life and death as a process; encouraging heart-level conversations about difficult, often taboo topics. By holistically engaging with life, including death, ‘Dying.exhibits’ becomes a catalyst for unpacking the uncomfortable. The exhibition serves as an opportunity to engage with diverse perspectives and participate in open discussion about death and dying through engaging art and design works and participatory experiences.

During DesignTO there will be several events under the ‘Dying.’ series, featuring work by Akin MOCA artist Laura Kay Keeling and Akin Alum David Salazar, with an opportunity to visit exhibits across Toronto. ‘Dying.’ is a collaboration between the Health Design Studio at OCAD U and Taboo Health.

Daydream Under the Penny Vine

Where: gh3*, 55 Ossington Avenue, Toronto

Project Type: Window Installation

Dates: January 14 - February 2, 2020

Sylvia Lee, glass designer and Creative Director of Jeff Goodman Studio is launching her first lighting product at DesignTO 2020. Titled the ‘Penny Vine’, this piece is a luminescent wall installation inspired by the humble copper penny and a silver coin vine, a favorite succulent houseplant.

The wall mounted system comes in various size is available in multiple lengths or ‘strands’ of lights which are cantilevered on delicate copper vines. Each ‘leaf’ is an illuminated opal glass circle with subtle copper edging. For the DesignTO 2020 exhibition, Lee chose a colour palette of leaves in delicate greens and pinks.

“For my inspiration, I’m always fascinated by vernacular, obsolete objects. The Silver Coin Vine plant started a thought process about coins and specifically pennies, which are not used anymore. I envisioned this copper strand light with simple, coin shaped leaves.” says Lee of her design. The theme of obsolete objects continues from her work in past exhibitions which were inspired by simple paper file folders and an abacus.

She goes on, “I wanted this to be scalable for designers and architects to be able to layer and have vines project into their space. For this DesignTO installation, I chose a subtle palette, but we could layer infinite glass colours into any configuration.”

‘Daydream Under the Penny Vine’ also includes a translucent, hand carved Temple Glass bench lit from the inside, a cast glass architectural product produced by Jeff Goodman Studio. Passersby will come upon a small glowing bench under a magically lit strands of illuminated leaves. Lee says, “I want viewers to experience a moment of departure in their urban commute.”

Image Source: DesignTO Festival. (AI) - Aesthete’s Items.

(AI) - Aesthete’s Items

Where: gravity pope, 1010 Queen Street West, Toronto

Project Type: Window Installation

Dates: January 17-26, 2020

‘(AI) – Aesthete’s Items’ is founded on the philosophy that beauty must be expressed and shared commonly. It should not be reserved for a limited circle of initiates, but rather be a part of our daily lives in the form of everyday objects.

Yaw Tony’s artistic practice is deeply rooted in use of colour and its connection to humanity. His artistic oeuvre has shifted from narrative art, into experimental research on the value of colour and its impact on human behaviour. The value determines the worth and worth determines the significance of each colour.

Yaw Tony’s approach to aesthetics and beauty is an intriguing invitation to explore an eclectic, colourful, language. His work draws viewers into a resplendent world of visual journeys where artistry and character go hand-in-hand. The majority of his artwork is on 100% silk or natural fabrics, the aesthetic and design concepts are influenced by the sophisticated details of African adages, combined with elements from western culture. It is the “gameo” – “gem” – “marriage”, the fusion of two distinct elements into one. All the patterns, motifs and details are hand drawn, painted, and then transferred into colour to give them form — this is when the stories come to life. The scarf collection is the first stage in a larger series of applications for the Life Liveth brand, whose maximalist aesthetic is then applied to furniture, wallpaper, decorative items, textiles, art prints and installation and so much more.

Yaw Tony breaks all colour rules to define all colour rules. He strongly believes that all colours complement each other, one just has to know what they are doing. Take a look at nature, it consists of many colours at a given time and they all work beautifully.

Image source: Erin Candela. Installation view of Akin MOCA artist Emmie Tsumura’s work at CUTMR20.

Come Up to My Room

Where: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 16-19, 2020

‘Come Up To My Room’ (CUTMR) is an annual 3-day alternative design exhibition created and produced by the Gladstone Hotel. Art and design intersect, with the historic hotel becoming a platform for site-specific installations. Visitors can explore, discover and engage in conversation with the artists. Different from our 37 permanent artist-designed hotel rooms, CUTMR presents temporary projects that occupy and alter spaces in dramatic, conceptual, or experimental ways.

Artists are selected based on their body of work, not on detailed proposals, and they are invited to challenge themselves and try new things in this unconventional setting.  This model allows for the evolution of ideas, risk-taking and an element of surprise. Participants use art and design to converse, connect, collaborate and construct delight in the unexpected.

Projects are presented by individuals, collectives, and multidisciplinary teams.

Image source: MUKË

Other notable 2020 DesignTO Festival projects include:

Design Collection @ stackt (IN RESIDENCE)

Where: stackt market, #1-112, 28 Bathurst Street, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 17-26, 2020

During the festival, local design duo MUKË (Akin co-director Michael Vickers and Akin co-founder Michael Dellios) will move the contents of its studio (furniture, plants, pets, maquettes, materials and more) into a shipping container at stackt — enveloping it as a site to showcase new and recent work, but also inviting visitors to engage directly with our process, the practices of our Toronto peers, and one another through live programming.

100 Vases

Where: The Shop, 1485 Dupont Street, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 24-25, 2020

‘100 Vases’ is inspired by the possibilities presented when objects come together, and the dialogue that happens between them. Spearheaded by ceramicist Michelle Organ, and artist and designer, Dasha Valakhanovitch, the two day event is a showcase of diversity in contemporary clay design, featuring work by Akin MOCA artist Erin Candela.

Future Retrospectives

Where: Harbourfront Centre, Artport Gallery, 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 17 - March 29, 2020

‘Future Retrospectives’ is a group exhibition featuring the work of eleven local and international artists and designers, including Akin Ossington artist Jessica Thalmann, unified by a shared methodology: using the past as a lens through which we imagine the future. It asks, “what will the future look like, and how did we get there?”

Light is Magnetic

Where: ergoCentric Showroom and Store, 37 King Street East

Project Type: Window Installation

Dates: January 17-26, 2020

Light is energy. It encompasses a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation much of which exists beyond our visible experience. This is the light that can not be seen manifest in radio waves, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma rays. “My art is inspired by the physics of light as I seek to find ways to portray energy. ‘Light is Magnetic’ is an exhibition that brings together my recent experiments in light sculpture. It will include sculptures that integrate light or reflective elements with other conceptual pieces that explore the connection between light and energy.” - Akin MOCA artist, Tonya Hart

The Sky is Falling

Where: Knife Fork Book, Mezzanine, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street

Project Type: Exhibition

Dates: January 17-26, 2020

Visual artist, designer and poet Jessica Hiemstra of Akin Lakeshore creates an abstracted paper sky on the ceiling of Toronto’s only all-poetry bookstore, Knife Fork Book. Using watercolour paper, thread and washes of Genzäh Handmade Watercolours paint, Hiemstra’s sky is one that is torn and sewn back together. This sky has tangled stitching, punctures, long dangling threads, and fragments of poetry sewn into it. Independent bookstores and especially those that specialize in theatre, poetry, music and art are becoming rarer and rarer. Knife Fork Book is an ephemeral place. It continues to exist because its sky continues to be held together by delicate threads.

Come Up To My Room - Emmie Tsumura

There are only a couple of days left to check out Come Up To My Room at the Gladstone Hotel, featuring Akin MOCA member Emmie Tsumura!

The historic spaces of the Gladstone Hotel come alive with site-specific art and design installations! Walk into a universe of art and design at Come Up To My Room (CUTMR) 2020, the Gladstone Hotel’s annual 4-day alternative design exhibition running from January 16-19. Find out what happens when art and design intersect through site-specific installations, within the walls of a historic hotel. Visitors can explore, discover and engage in conversation with the artists on site throughout the festival. Different from our 37 permanent artist-designed hotel rooms (some of which will also be on display!), CUTMR presents temporary projects that occupy and alter spaces in dramatic, conceptual and experimental ways.

CUTMR is curated by artist, not project, giving artists the opportunity to take risks and explore their wildest dreams! Nobody (including the curators) will know what the exhibition will look like until it’s installed the day before!

Emmie Tsumura, an Akin MOCA member, is a multidisciplinary artist and graphic designer. She explores the boundaries of communication, and the intersections of diasporic memory, consumption & the human condition. 

Light is Magnetic - Tonya Hart

Light is Magnetic

Jan 17 – Jan 26 2020

“Light is energy. It encompasses a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation much of which exists beyond our visible experience. This is the light that can not be seen manifest in radio waves, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma rays. My art is inspired by the physics of light as I seek to find ways to portray energy. ‘Light is Magnetic’ is an exhibition that brings together my recent experiments in light sculpture. It will include sculptures that integrate light or reflective elements with other conceptual pieces that explore the connection between light and energy.” - Tonya Hart, Akin MOCA artist

Traverse waves of electric and magnetic fields are the dynamic forces that make up light. In this sculpture they are called loops or static light. The light that is incorporated into these works serves to illuminate energy and the dynamic pathways of electric and magnetic fields. Magnetic fields are, by their nature, invisible yet abound in our natural and artificial environment through the earth’s constant geomagnetic presence and barrage of technology, cell phones and personal devices that all emit magnetic fields. Recent advances in science have deepened our understanding of magnetism to embrace radical geometries and dynamism as the language of nature and technology.

Image source: DesignTO

‘Light is Magnetic’ exhibition will showcase works that animate magnetic fields and explore alternate geometries in a solid, static state. Sculptures in the exhibition will include variations of ‘Static Light’ that debut in the Venice Biennale of Architecture 2018.

This project is part of the King East Design District (KEDD). Several receptions, talks, and events will be happening for KEDD Night on Monday, January 20, 6-9pm.

Tonya Hart studied at York University in Toronto and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Arts degree in 1998. Her artwork draws inspiration from nature, science and light with a focus on portraying magnetism. Nature and magnetism have manifest in a vast array of articulations in her artwork and continues to facilitate the conceptual nature of her work.

Quiet Vignettes, Anahita Azrahimi Presented with DesginTO

“I feel like I am trying to gently nudge these fragments to come together - a reflection of my inner world at the moment.”

— Anahita Azrahimi on 'Quiet Vignettes'

quiet vignettes
Jan 17 – Jan 26 2020

A collaboration between a collage artist and a floral designer, ‘quiet vignettes’ combines both practices to create a subtle — almost evanescent — experience of a balance and poised marriage of two art forms. Both artists have responded to the other in a mirrored reaction to their work. The first, a series of understated folds and creases that evoke a sense of quiet energy. The second, a presentation of evocative foliage. Though different, the pieces mix and meld into a balanced and graceful dance. The result is an intimate spatial installation. One that nudges you to slow down and pay attention — and to reflect the unassuming authority of a unique and unexpected bond.

Anahita Azrahimi, an Akin Lansdowne alum, is a collage artist and cultural producer. In her role as the Executive & Creative Director of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Canada’s largest contemporary outdoor art fair since 1961, Azrahimi thrives in making joy of art and direct engagement with artists accessible to all public. Azrahimi is equally passionate about creating her own moments of art.

“The works that I have created for this show are subtle collages of folds and creases that evoke a quiet movement and energy. There is a simplicity and understated quality in these works that I find deeply gratifying and calming. Fine hand-sewn stitches have replaced my previous drawings. I feel like I am trying to gently nudge these fragments to come together - a reflection of my inner world at the moment.

I have invited Lauren Wilson of Timberlost Designs to mirror the works with evocative and poetic foliage vignettes. Lauren’s creations are soulful and deep. We will create a subtle — almost evanescent — experience of a balanced and poised marriage of our practices. With this intimate spatial installation, the vision is to create a moment that nudges you to slow down and pay attention — and to reflect the unassuming authority of a unique and unexpected bond.” - Anahita Azrahimi

Akin's Winter Art Crawl

Akin's Winter Art Crawl | January 18th, 1-4PM, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street | PWYC (suggested $10 donation): http://tiny.cc/tnq1gz

Akin Projects invites you to join us for special tours conversations during the 2019 edition of DesignTO in the Queen West area - an Akin Art Crawl focused on local design in alternative spaces!

Come along as artists, curators and staff provide special walkthroughs and tours of their special festival exhibits and projects.

Crawl Schedule
1:00PM - Visit Artscape Youngplace for ‘Can’t Say Nothing (Lorem Ipsum, Moving Patterns)’

1:30PM - Visit Artscape Youngplace for 'Dying.exhibits'

2:00PM - Visit 55 Ossington Avenue for ‘Daydream Under the Penny Vine’

2:30PM - Visit 1010 Queen Street West for ‘(AI) – Aesthete’s Items’

3:15PM - Visit Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND) 19 Brock Avenue for ‘Akwaaba | Welcome Home.’

4:00PM - End the crawl at the Gladstone Hotel for ‘Come Up to My Room’

PWYC (suggested $10 donation), but please register at: link coming soon!

All are welcome, open to the public. The more the merrier!

Any attendees who wish to explore ‘Come Up to My Room’ at the Gladstone Hotel at the end of the crawl must purchase a special discounted ticket here http://tiny.cc/g09vgz. Please be advised that not all areas of the building are open to the public.

Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can do our best to assist you. Please email janet@akincollective.com at least one week before the event and we will do our best to accommodate. Thank you!

Future Retrospectives featuring work by Jessica Thalmann

‘Future Retrospectives’ is a group exhibition featuring the work of eleven local and international artists and designers, unified by a shared methodology: using the past as a lens through which we imagine the future. It asks, “what will the future look like, and how did we get there?”

Creative acts are, by their nature, future-oriented. Creativity brings to fruition that which did not previously exist and, in doing so, builds the future. What is this future-world that we are building? What does it look like and how does it work? How do we prepare for it? ‘Future Retrospectives’ proposes that in order to have a meaningful understanding of relationships in the future and our role in them as creators of material culture, we have to look at how the past, present, and future are interconnected. By considering the past, we are able to holistically imagine the future.

The exhibition features the work of Graysha Audren, Mia Cinelli, Hannah Claus, Cassandra Ferguson, Tsēmā Igharas, Andreas Krätschmer, SHATTERED MOON ALLIANCE, Studio Björn Steinar, Adhavan Sundaramurthy, Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, and Akin Ossington member, Jessica Thalmann.

This exhibition is curated by DesignTO, and co-presented with Harbourfront Centre. It is generously supported by Lemay. Thank you to our external jurors Farah Yusuf and Melanie Egan.

Participants
Graysha Audren, Mia Cinelli, Hannah Claus, Cassandra Ferguson, Tsēmā Igharas, Andreas Krätschmer, SHATTERED MOON ALLIANCE (Christina Battle and Serena Lee), Studio Björn Steinar, Adhavan Sundaramurthy, Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Jessica Thalmann

Ideas Forum: Materializing the Future

‘Ideas Forum: Materializing the Future’ features seven fast-paced and fun presentations (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each) exploring the themes and questions from DesignTO’s exhibition ‘Future Retrospectives’ with a focus on materiality.

Discover the process behind educator David Correa’s (University of Waterloo) exploration on innovative material fabrication methods and Lauren Abrahams’ (Public Work) research on terrazzo. Educator Kazmy Chi (Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico) speaks about her research into biomimicry and how biomimetics can create sustainable materials for the future.

Founding partner of gh3* Pat Hanson speaks about her work on the Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton, while artist and curator Jessica Thalmann of Akin Ossington shares her process of reconfiguring iconic Brutalist buildings through folded sculptural forms. Quadrangle's Richard Witt discusses heavy timber construction through case studies of built work, and Chris Pommer speaks about material memory through the work of the interdisciplinary studio PLANT.

Akin's Winter Programming Announced!

Akin is gearing up for a winter season chock full of exciting programming within Toronto's vibrant arts scene. Rather than hibernating until April, we hope that you will bundle up, brave the cold and join us for these upcoming events.

Show & Tell: Handmade Gifts at Akin Ossington | December 4th, 6-8PM, 888 Dupont Street

This month Akin is hosting a relaxed and fun ‘Show and Tell for Artists’ at Akin's Ossington studios (888 Dupont Street). This month's Show and Tell will feature a holiday twist! Artists are encouraged but are not required to share works that they are planning on gifting this holiday season.

Feel free to bring art to share, bring a friend or two, bring snacks or drinks or just bring yourself! Come for the conversation or just to meet other artists and makers. This is a FREE public event - everyone is welcome!

The December edition of the Show and Tell is happening at Akin Ossington at 888 Dupont Street in unit 100.

Accessibility Information:

Akin Ossington is not currently wheelchair accessible. Akin regrets this barrier to access. There is a loading bay on the east side of the building. 

About Akin Projects

Akin Projects is an arts programming organization and registered nonprofit established for the purpose of providing both creative and professional development opportunities to members of Toronto’s artistic and cultural community. 

Akin's Holiday Card Making Party | December 6th, 6-8PM, 2970 Lakeshore Blvd W

Akin Projects is feeling festive and excited to present this casual crafting and card making party! Join us in the studio and make a card (holiday-themed or otherwise) for your best friend, neighbour, significant other, or a complete stranger! Some materials provided.

PWYC/Free, but please register at: http://tiny.cc/971ggz

BYOS- Bring your own supplies! Akin will have scissors, colored paper, pencil crayons, markers and pens ready but encourage everyone to bring extra!  Bring a friend, a snack or drink, and your creativity!

Accessibility

Akin Lakeshore is located on the third floor of the building and there is no elevator. Akin regrets this barrier to access. There is a ramp entrance to the building and then 38 steps to access the studios on the third floor. There are 3 gender-neutral washrooms in the studio space. One of the bathrooms has grab bars, the other two do not, and the toilets are not raised. The doorway to the kitchen is narrow, measuring approximately 24 inches across

For additional accessibility information and directions, please visit https://www.akincollective.com/lakeshore

Akin's Annual Holiday Market + Party | December 14th, 10AM - 5PM, 158 Sterling Road

Akin invites you to join us on Saturday, December 14th at MOCA Toronto for a day of good cheer at the Akin Holiday Party and Artist Market.

Free / All Welcome! Kid friendly!

In 2019 Akin collaborated with some amazing partners, said goodbye to one of our most central locations, opened a new studio,  (Akin Lakeshore in South Etobicoke), turned 11 years old, and welcomed many more artists to the studio community. This event is a celebration for members from all 9 Akin studios, as well as our neighbours, community partners, friends and family.    

MOCA Toronto will be open from 10am to 5pm. Come and stay for a while. Mingle, enjoy the museum, offerings at Forno Cultura and browse the market featuring art and objects by members of Akin’s community!

Artist Market Vendors:

• Linds Miyo

• Heavy Flow

• Felicia Cirstea

• Purple Fig Pottery

• 83 Studio

• Studio Indent

• Mayli Makes

• SIX-REALMS

• Goodplace Studio

• Sadia Fakih

• Erin Candela

• Jocelyn Hirtes

• The Otter Potter

• Foot-to-Face

• Sarah Moreau

• Tonya Hart

• Jenn Woodall

• Dalia Hassan

• Leesa Coleman

• Jill Smith

Dress festive, fun or fancy! Children of all ages welcome, but please no pets. This year we will also be collecting gently worn or new hats and mittens for Sistering. Gently worn items must be washed.

Accessibility:

MOCA Toronto aims to be a barrier-free and accessible museum for all. Each floor has elevator access. There are two wheelchairs that are available to borrow. Service animals are welcome.

Akin's Winter Art Crawl | January 18th, 1-4PM, Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street

Akin Projects invites you to join us for special tours conversations during the 2019 edition of DesignTO in the Queen West area - an Akin Art Crawl focused on local design in alternative spaces!

Come along as artists, curators and staff provide special walkthroughs and tours of their special festival exhibits and projects.

Crawl Schedule

1:00PM - Visit Artscape Youngplace for ‘Can’t Say Nothing (Lorem Ipsum, Moving Patterns)’

1:30PM - Visit 55 Ossington Avenue for ‘Daydream Under the Penny Vine’

2:00PM - Visit 1010 Queen Street West for ‘(AI) – Aesthete’s Items’

2:45PM - Visit Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue (BAND) 19 Brock Avenue for ‘Akwaaba | Welcome Home.’

3:30PM - End the crawl at the Gladstone Hotel for ‘Come Up to My Room’
 

PWYC (suggested $10 donation), but please register at: 

All are welcome, open to the public. The more the merrier!

Any attendees who wish to explore ‘Come Up to My Room’ at the Gladstone Hotel at the end of the crawl must purchase a special discounted ticket here http://tiny.cc/g09vgz. Please be advised that not all areas of the building are open to the public.

Accessibility Information:

TBA

Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can do our best to assist you. Please email janet@akincollective.com at least one week before the event and we will do our best to accommodate. Thank you!

Show & Tell at Akin Sunrise | January 26th, 12-2PM, 100 Sunrise Avenue

Kick off the new year and your new projects with Akin for our next Show & Tell session at our Sunrise studios (100 Sunrise Avenue). This is a time for Akin members and other Toronto artists to show completed works or works in progress and get friendly feedback and answers from their peers in a casual studio setting.

Feel free to bring art to share, bring a friend or two, bring snacks or drinks or just bring yourself! Come for the conversation or just to meet other artists and makers. This is FREE public event - everyone is welcome!

The January edition of the Show and Tell is happening at Akin Sunrise at 100 Sunrise Avenue, Unit 106.

Accessibility Information:

There is step free access to the main entrance located at the side of the building parallel to the parking lot. The first door on the right hand side, once in the main entrance, is access to the studio. The studio entrance requires a key and there is no button to open the door, so someone may require assistance. There are narrow aisles and sharp turns to get into the gender-neutral washroom within the space. There are no grab bars in the bathroom and the toilet is not raised. There is a small lip on the floor upon entering the bathroom. Akin does have access to a wheelchair accessible gender-neutral washroom in the hall across from the Akin studio within the building. The space is not ideal for people with sensory processing issues, due to the white noise in the building.

Save the date!

Akin Lansdowne Farewell Party, 87 Wade Avenue | January 31st 2020 | 8PM til late

Details TBA

Valentine's Card Making Party | February 12th, 6-8PM, Akin St. clair, 1747 St. Clair Avenue West

Akin Projects is excited to present this casual, drop-in crafting party! Join us at Akin St. Clair (1747 St. Clair Avenue West) and make a card for your best friend, neighbour, significant other, worst enemy or a complete stranger! All materials are provided. Please note this is a 19+ event.

Participants will be provided with one card per PWYC donation (donations go to Akin Projects, registered not-for-profit arts organization). The cards are made of heavy-duty hemp card stock, cut and scored to make a 4”x6” card. Each card comes with a 4”x6” envelope. You can decorate the card and envelope however you wish!

Decorating supplies will be provided including:

• a variety of coloured and patterned paper

• pencil crayons, markers and pens

• paints and brushes

• stamps and ink

• stickers

• stencils

• scissors

• glue

• magazines for collage and more!

Feel free to bring additional supplies!

Accessibility Information:

This building is all on a single ground floor. Akin St. Clair Studios regrets any barrier to access. If you require more information or are concerned about accessibility barriers please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Akin at the Artist Project | February 20-23, Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place

Akin Projects invites you to join us at the 2020 edition of Artist Project Toronto. Akin is excited to join this year's Artist Project as the non profit partner. In our booth, visitors are invited to view new work by a handful of our current members, learn more about our services and the many ways we offer support for artists.

Show Hours:

OPENING NIGHT - Thursday, February 20, 7-11pm

Friday, February 21, 11am - 10pm

Saturday, February 22, 11am - 8pm

Sunday, February 23, 11am-6pm

This year, the Artist Project turns 13 with its most exciting show yet and we can't wait to be a part of it! From collectors and curators, to gallerists and designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 300 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad.

This year, visitors you can view and interact with new works by members of Akin's community in Akin's non profit partner booth. Artists will be on site throughout the show to discuss their work and answer your questions.

Exhibiting Artists:

• Antonio Pendones

• Dalia Hassan

• David Fredrik Moussallem

• Foot-to-Face

• Janet Hinkle

• Jill Smith

• Kim Kermode

• Laura Kay Keeling

Accessibility Information:

The Artist Project is committed to excellence in serving all customers including persons with disabilities.The Better Living Centre is an accessible venue. It has a step free access to the building and is level throughout. A limited number of assisted devices are available onsite at the information desk for those who need them. Service animals are allowed into all areas of the event that are open to the public. Artist Project is happy to offer a complimentary admission pass for the support person of a person with a disability.

DesignTO: Exhibitor Registration for Independent Projects

2020 Exhibitor Registration

Independently-produced events, exhibitions, and window installations are integral to the Festival’s structure. We welcome all who want to present, discuss, demonstrate, or exhibit design in any field and/or related disciplines. Exhibitors include artists, designers, design firms, local businesses, academic and cultural institutions, and students. Exhibitors are responsible for arranging their own venue in the city of Toronto, including spaces such as galleries, studios, workshops, cafés, schools, lobbies, and businesses.

The 10th annual DesignTO Festival runs January 17-26, 2020, for 10 days. Window installations must run for the entire week, events must take place during the week, and exhibitions must run during some part of the week. Window installations and exhibitions can start before and/or end after Festival Week.

Deadlines:

• Early Bird Registration Deadline: Saturday, August 31, 2019 by 11:59pm EST.

• Final Registration Deadline: Friday, October 4, 2019 by 11:59pm EST.

• Content Deadline: Friday, October 18, 2019 (for all listings)

DesignTO Symposium: A Future without Work - Call for Submissions

What is a future without work as we know it?

For most of us, it is impossible to imagine society without it, because work dominates and permeates every aspect of our lives.

Whether you consider work as a source of subsistence or purpose, the sacredness of work runs deep through both past and present social interactions, economy, and politics. An obsession with work lies at the core of our education system. The labour force drives our national economies. Working to earn a living is often a necessity and expectation. It can offer individuals a sense of purpose, providing opportunities for learning, growth, and prosperity. It gives status, and thereby access to many benefits and networks. Work shapes our lives and identity.

This year DesignTO investigates the theme of ‘A Future without Work’. We seek designers and thinkers exploring new forms of work. Whether you reflect on the past, design pathways into the future, experiment with new forms of work, or design alternative work environments, we want to hear from you.

Deadline: all submissions are due Friday, September 20, 2019 by 11:59pm EST.

DesignTO's Designer Drinks with MUKË

Join DesignTO and MUKË Objects for the May edition of Designer Drinks, taking place on May 7, 2019 from 6 PM – 9 PM at Shamone.

Designer Drinks is an informal networking event taking place every first Tuesday of the month. Come have a drink and get to know the team behind MUKË, Michael Vickers and Michael Dellios, along with other members of Toronto’s art and design community.

ABOUT MUKË

MUKË (pronounced muck-ee) is a collaboration between Akin Co-director Michael Vickers and Akin co-founder Michael Dellios grounded in shared aesthetic sensibilities, form-forward creation and an exploration of materials and creative modes of production. Pressing the limits and potentials of marble, glass and a variety of metals, the pair create collections of contemporary design objects that are both sculptural and functional, but prioritize form and shape over use.

Dellios and Vickers share a combined vision of nearly two decades of experience looking at objects, shaping them and presenting them locally and internationally.