Akin in the Country: Salmon River Studios Artist Residencies

Akin Dupont member Shayla Bond (@byshaylabond)

We’re excited to announce that Akin Dupont member Shayla Bond has been selected as the recipient of the inaugural Salmon River Studios Community Impact Residency (Akin Founding Artist Special). This special residency, taking place in the summer of 2026, offers dedicated time and space for an Akin member to devote time to artistic research and creation in a rural studio setting at Salmon River Studios in the countryside of Tamworth, Ontario.

Shayla’s proposed residency project explores natural dyeing, memory, grief, and place through textile-based research. During the residency, she will work with responsibly sourced plant materials from the surrounding landscape to create a journal of colour, process, and observation rooted in the environment itself. Shayla will also facilitate a guided “colour walk”, open to the Tamworth community, introducing natural dye materials, exploring the relationship between landscape and textile.

Congratulations Shayla, and we’re thrilled to see this opportunity support the continued development of her practice!

About Salmon River Studios

Located in Tamworth, Ontario, Salmon River Studios is a new rural arts residency and eco-art initiative centered around creative research, environmental connection, and community engagement. The site includes a 2000+ sqft heritage barn studio, glamping accommodations, trails, river access, and shared gathering spaces designed to support focused artistic work in a restorative natural setting.

We’re grateful to be partnering with Salmon River Studios during their inaugural season to help create residency opportunities for artists within the Akin community.

Exclusive Seasonal Studio Residency Opportunity for the Akin community

In addition to the Community Impact Residency, Salmon River Studios is also offering the Akin community (you!) exclusive early access to book Seasonal Studio Residencies for Summer and Fall 2026. This includes 30% off residency bookings, and exclusive access to reserve residency dates before bookings open to the general public. 

These residencies are designed for artists seeking dedicated studio time in a quiet rural environment and are available for independent creative retreats, research periods, collaborative projects, and family-inclusive stays. We encourage artists  interested in focused time away for their practice to explore the opportunity.

The full residency call and booking details are included here: www.salmonriverstudios.com/akin-artist-residency

SEAMLIGHT, New Exhibition by artist Shayla Bond at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

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Image Description: Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight installed inside the Akin Vitrine Gallery, a white box with two thin fluorescent tube lights on the ceiling. Light boxes are mounted on the three walls of the vitrine gallery, symmetrically aligned, each with woven textiles inside, one gray, one yellow, one navy blue.

Here at Akin, we’ve known about Shayla Bond’s incredible craftsmanship and eye for intricate detail for a long time, which is why we’re so excited that her newest exhibition, Seamlight, is up now at The Akin Vitrine Gallery until April 11th! This exhibition is not to be missed.  

The gallery is viewable 24/7 from the sidewalk at 1747 St Clair Ave W, just east of Keele.

We reached out to Shayla to learn more about her process, muses and inspirations. Read the interview below. 

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Shayla Bond is a Canadian process artist who integrates design principles into fibre works to preserve heritage craft techniques within a contemporary framework. Her work explores themes of perfectionism, control, and obsession through aesthetic strategies such as colour, precision, and repetition.

Her exhibit, Seamlight, runs from March 11th to April 11th and features three 12" x 12" sewn textile works elegantly framed and installed, offering a captivating blend of minimalist aesthetics and innovative functionality. 

At first glance, these works appear as solid-coloured textiles. However, they possess a hidden surprise – they can be turned on to emit a soft, mesmerizing glow. This subtle illumination serves a dual purpose: it not only enhances the visual appeal of the pieces but also unveils the concealed craftsmanship typically found on the reverse side of sewn garments and linens. By casting light on the intricate seams and stitches, this installation invites viewers to appreciate the meticulous artistry that goes into creating textile works prompting viewers to reconsider the beauty and artistry inherent in everyday objects.

Image Description: An image of artist Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight. Three light boxes are mounted to a white wall in a vertical line. Inside the frames are woven textiles with a lightsource behind them. The textiles are dark blue, yellow and gray respectively. A cord hangs from the bottom of each lightbox. 

What are you curious about right now? What do you do to stimulate curiosity and inspiration? 

Currently, I'm curious about the ways that pliable materials can be manipulated into solid or 3 dimensional structures.  Continually, I am curious about how I can drive deeper into the art of heritage craft techniques while still creating works that feel visually relevant in today’s aesthetic obsessed world. Simultaneously moving backward and forward in time.

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What was your first medium?

The first medium I can remember using was cheap acrylic paint. My craftsmen mother always had them laying around as she used them in her primitive woodworking. She would cut out shapes from wood and allow me to paint them.

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Do you have a studio routine?

I am in my studio most days from 9-5pm. When I arrive at 7am, I am most prosperous and productive in creating as I am a morning bird. I try to segment the commercial side of my business, creating, and admin work by days, and avoid using those parts of my brain all in one day. One day a week I try to work on grants and exhibition proposals.

Image Description: An image of artist Shayla Bond’s piece Seamlight. Three light boxes are mounted to a white wall in a vertical line. Inside the frames are woven textiles with a lightsource behind them. The fabric is illuminated by the light, revealing the seams and accentuating the honeycomb-like shapes of the stitching. A cord hangs from the bottom of each lightbox. 

Do you have creative prompts or habits to help you get started? Any self-care tips to share?

I begin my day as soon as my eyes open by rolling over in bed and doing ’morning pages’, which is something I took away from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Morning pages are 3 written stream-of-thought pages of journaling that can be a huge guiding force for my day. It helps me focus on priorities top 'wants' before any other thoughts, or worries adulterate my brain. As someone with ADD, it helps me set my intention for the day and when reviewing what I wrote the following day, helps keep me on track with goals.

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Is there an artist you'd like to go back in time to meet? Or someone you'd love to invite to dinner right now? Who is it and what would you ask them about?

This is a hard one. So many talented people who paved the way for craft-based artisans today, blurring the line between fine art and craft. I would love to go back in time and meet Alexander Girard, renowned architect, interior designer, furniture designer, industrial designer, and a textile designer. As someone who feels quite disciplinary in my approach to textiles, I'd like to ask about his design process and cross pollination of mediums, along with some of his values/beliefs. He's known to have had a manifesto that guided his practice.

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What are some of the benefits of being in the studio for you? 

Being in the studio has multiplied my growth as an artist. Having a space that is dedicated to your practice can be hugely beneficial to your production. There are little distractions that there would be at home, when you arrive, you simply pick back up where you left off the previous day, and you are also offered that sense of validation and confidence so many artists crave and need when claiming, "I am an artist".  It is a tiny world in which your creativity can live in full force.

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What are you NOT very good at? What do you WANT to be good at? 

I am not good at saying no, and prioritization. I take on too many projects which splits my ability to get better in individual areas and can stunt growth. As someone who tries too hard to be good at everything, I think my answer to this would be that I am actively trying to reframe and be happy with NOT be good at everything - because it's unattainable! 🙃

You can find more of Shayla’s work on her website www.shaylabond.com and on her instagram @bushclass