Grant Writing 101 Workshop - reference document now available

Big thanks to everyone who joined us last night for the Grant Writing 101 Workshop with the Ontario Arts Council. Due to the popularity of this workshop we are now able to provide the PDF slideshow from the event to the public.  We hope to have more public workshops on Grant Writing in the future. More information will be announced on our calendar, blog, and Facebook page when available. Our thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for their support of this event and for providing the PDF file for the public. 

Embroidery 101 Workshop with Claire Davis of Akin Lansdowne - January 18

The Centre for Women & Trans People Collective at Ryerson University presents Embroidery 101, a workshop facilitated by Claire Davis of Akin Lansdowne. This even is a part of Resistance Through Community Building, an Art & Self-Care Night happening on January 18 at the Ryerson Student Centre. It will be an evening of events focusing on centering self-care and love, reclaiming our agency, and community love. Arts & Self-Care Night aims to create a space that prioritizes women and trans people’s experiences. Light snacks will be provided!

About Claire Davis
Claire is an embroider and textile artist. She is constantly taking in images from her environment and dreaming up ways to translate them into stitching. Claire draws a lot of inspiration from other femmes in her community and their interpretation of the world – Claire’s work commonly explores what it means to take up space as a queer woman, survivor and activist. 

About The Centre for Women and Trans People
The Centre for Women and Trans People is an Equity Service Centre of the Ryerson Students' Union and the Continuing Education Students' Association of Ryerson (CESAR). Their services include an extensive resource centre with books, pamphlets, videos, workshops, campaigns, events, free condoms, pads and tampons, a microwave, and above all a safe space for self-identified women to sit down and relax! Men are allowed to use our resources and take part in what we do, but must knock before entering the Centre due to the sensitivity of issues that are being discussed. 

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne present Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎

Kwentong Bayan Collective of Akin Lansdowne presents Balikbayan at the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre‎ (WAHC) from January 24 - April 21, 2018. The exhibition Balikbayan features a visual timeline of the 150+ year history of caregiving in Canada by racialized women, and Balikbayan boxes that contain migration and labour stories. Opens to the public on January 24th, 2017. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, February 9th, 7 – 9 pm; artists will be in attendance. 

Learn more about the work of Kwentong Bayan with a slide talk and exhibition walkthrough conducted by Althea and Jo on Saturday February 10. Click here for more information. 

About the Exhibition:
In the Filipino language, “balik” means “to return” and “bayan” can mean “country, place, home, or town”.

Since the 70’s, the labour export policy of the Philippine government has forced Overseas Filipino Workers to work abroad to provide for their families. An average of 6,000 workers leave the Philippines each day. One way they maintain a connection with their loved ones is to send home balikbayan boxes home packed with items that symbolize their labour and care.

BALIKBAYAN will transform WAHC into a gathering place to listen to migrant worker stories. In a series of gatherings, workers from Hamilton and Toronto will participate in a healing soup circle, create storytelling wearables, and plant native seeds. At each gathering, folks can create their own pasalubong (gifts) to take home and share with others.

This exhibition will be accompanied by an exhibition essay by Zenee Maceda, Labour Activist and National Representative of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada.

The Workers Arts and Heritage Centre will also offer additional programming alongside BALIKBAYAN over the winter season, including two PA Day camps, a comic jam for ages 12 and up and much more. Click here for more information.

About the Kwentong Bayan Collective:
Kwentong Bayan is a collective of two Toronto-based artists, Althea Balmes of Akin Lansdowne and Jo SiMalaya Alcampo. Their artistic mandate is to explore a critical and intersectional approach to community-based art, labour, and education.

Althea Balmes is an artist-educator rooted in community work. She uses her strong connection to her culture and her place as a diasporic Canadian woman of colour to inspire her work and as a way to connect to others. Althea is pursuing a Master of Information degree in User Experience Design at the University of Toronto.

Jo SiMalaya Alcampo is an interdisciplinary artist whose art practice includes community storytelling, interactive installations, and electroacoustic soundscapes. Jo volunteers with Caregiver Connections, Education and Support Organization (CCESO) – an organization that support migrant caregivers and is a member of the Kapwa Collective – a mutual support group of Filipinx Canadian artists, critical thinkers, and healers bridging narratives between the Indigenous and the Diasporic.

About the Workers Art and Heritage Centre:
Founded in 1991, the Workers Arts & Heritage Centre is a national museum dedicated to celebrating the historic and contemporary cultural contributions of Canada's working people through both the arts and a wide range of interpretive exhibitions. wahc-museum.ca

Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship Program - Two Info Sessions Coming Up

The Toronto Arts Council, North York Arts and UrbanArtsTO will be hosting two info sessions for the Toronto Arts Council’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship Program. They will be talking about who is eligible to apply, how to find the right mentor for you, and how to get started on your application. Here are the session details: 

January 24 / 1 – 3 pm / Toronto Centre for the Arts, Lower Gallery (5040 Yonge Street) 

February 15 / 6-8pm / UrbanArtsTO Community Arts Council (5 Bartonville Ave East)

The program was created to provide support for newcomer and refugee artists to develop their artistic practice and support the integration and inclusion of newcomer and refugee artists to Toronto. It provides funding for newcomer and refugee professional artists to be mentored in their chosen artistic discipline. Deadline to apply is May 1st, 2018. To apply visit: www.torontoartscouncil.org/grant-programs/tac-grants/newcomers-and-refugees

Please e-mail rupal@torontoartscouncil.org to reserve your spot in either session. Include your full name, which session you would like to attend, as well as any translation services or accessibility services you require. Both venues are wheelchair accessible.

The Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship program is open only to professional artists who arrived in Canada after January 1, 2011 and who live in the City of Toronto.

Come Up to my Room at the Gladstone featuring artists An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont

Come Up to My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual 4-day alternative design exhibition happening this year on January 18-21. There will be art, design, installations and events happening in all areas of the hotel curated by Jana Macalik and Christophe Jivraj with Lukus Toane featuring dozens of artists including An Dy and Kendra Yee of Akin Dupont.

Each year CUTMR provides artists and designers the opportunity to take risks, to push their ideas, to evoke meaning not just function. The event was conceived in 2004 as a vehicle for experimentation and interaction within the fields of art and design. Acting as counterpoint to the Interior Design Show and giving rise to the more recent Toronto Design Offsite Festival, CUTMR has since become a cornerstone of the Toronto alternative design scene.

This year, CUTMR 2018 explores how people interact with art and design. Is it a shared experience mediated by an artist or designer? Or is it an individual response triggered by personal experience? Or is it all of the above? We hope you decide to check out the event and investigate for yourself! Don't forget to to visit the second floor where Akin artist's An Dy and Kendra Yee will be showing work in the north corridor, and in room 214. 

AN DY | 2ND FLOOR NORTH CORRIDOR: 

'These Pixels are TOO sweet' by An Dy

An Dy is putting Pixels on trial, calling on a variety of media to challenge and affirm the way we consume art and media. Imagery will include motifs taken from virtual interfaces such as the adobe suite programs, and contrast them with traditional forms such as the human figure. Allowing for a slower way to interpret these spaces, An Dy's work postures as stand in’s for the stimulation we receive through our screens at a time where we are both consumed by social media and alienated from it. 

An Dy is a Toronto born artist, graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in April 2017 with a BFA. These Pixels are Too Sweet explores the language of painting as a way to reflect the oversaturated experience he had growing up navigating the structures of the digital world.

SISTER CO-RESISTER | ROOM 214:

Sister Co-Resister is Pamila Matharu, Karen Azoulay, Nedda Baba, Yan Wen Chang, Marianne Ibrahim, Zahra Komeylian, Maanii Oakes, Kalpna Patel, and Akin Dupont artist Kendra Yee.

This project is a marker for the absence of intersectional feminisms’ in contemporary visual culture. It sets out to examine the labour around making and holding space - an often-repeated evocation in contemporary artistic and social discourse. In the art historical canon, the feminine has been relegated to interior, domestic spaces for the past two centuries. The social parallel has been to isolate feminist discourse within biological, ethnic, and class-bound markers. While the experiences of institutionalized misogyny and erasure, the women, femmes, two-spirit, and gender non-conforming artists in this installation intersect- profound discontinuities and contentious disagreements abound. The language of solidarity between these intersections is very much a work in progress- with approximate markers holding space for terms that can encompass the vastness of a marginalized existence. The result is a space in permanent flux- containing the messy shards and jagged edges of solidarity in a state of continual evolution. Shattered nerves, furtive pride, salvaged homelands, nostalgia and itinerant spaces of care populate this room. Its inhabitants are late-invited guests, squatters even, at a conversation whose terms have been pre-defined. They speak in languages that have been misappropriated and distorted, vulnerable to misinterpretation and co-optation. Their loud din echoes in passages and labyrinthine hallways, leading to a protected space where their incitements can breathe. 

KENDRA YEE is a Toronto-based artist and designer. She focuses on recreating the speculative world that exists within her head, combining these landscapes with cultural elements discovered throughout local neighbourhoods. 

EXHIBITION HOURS:
THURS, JAN 18: 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19: 11AM - 10PM
SAT, JAN 20: 11AM - 10PM + Opening Reception 7-10PM
(after 6pm, entry is dependent on capacity - online ticket holders who arrive after this time may not get in if venue is already full)
SUN, JAN 21: 11AM - 5PM

SPECIAL EVENTS:
THURS, JAN 18 | EXHIBITION PREVIEW | 7-10PM
FRI, JAN 19 | STUDENT DAY - $5 STUDENT TICKETS WITH VALID STUDENT ID ONLY
SAT, JAN 20 | OPENING RECEPTION | 7-10PM
SAT, JAN 20 | LOVE DESIGN PARTY | 10PM - LATE
SUN, JAN 21 | TSA IDEAS FORUM | 1-3PM

'Pretty Bird' by Chris Harms at the Akin Vitrine Galleries

Akin Collective + Akin Projects are excited to present our 2018 programming in two Vitrine Galleries, one a recent addition to our St. Clair studios and our original location at our Dupont studios. These miniature galleries will feature the diverse talent of our members with travelling installations rotating each month. Each artist will be featured for the first month at Dupont and second month at St. Clair. For more information about our artists and our programming, join us on Instagram @akinvitrine.

We are excited to welcome the new year by featuring new work by returning artist, Chris Harms! 

Chris is a self taught artist living and working in Toronto. He is an Akin Dupont member whose artwork explores the relationship between our city’s constant state of construction and its citizens. Chris creates vibrant sculptures with plexiglass, objects seen and unseen, that shape our world and envision the future.

Venturing into the bizarre and humorous, this installation, ‘Pretty Bird’ combines two mundane objects, made with a minimal aesthetic, to create a playful, laughable environment. 

‘Pretty Bird' 
Plexiglass, found materials
Variable Dimensions

Exhibition runs for the month of January in our Dupont Akin Vitrine Gallery, located in the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner. The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday.

‘Pretty Bird’ will then travel to the Akin St. Clair Vitrine Gallery and be on view for the month of February at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Gallery is street level and can be viewed at any time.

To contact the artist: chrshrms@me.com
www.chris-harms.com
Instagram: @chrshrms

Akin & Queers for Dinner Potluck Party on January 26 at Akin Lansdowne

January 26 / 6:30-8:30pm/ Akin Lansdowne, 87 Wade Avenue
PWYC (Suggested Donation $5 to help defray costs) / Please RSVP to let us know you're coming at www.queersfordinner.com/january-26-2018.html

Bring your appetite, creative side, and a tasty vegetarian dish to share and join Akin and Queers for Dinner for an evening of comfort food, great conversation and a special art-making collage activity. All are welcome - bring friends and some tasty treats! Vegetarian soup, bread and some yummy mac and cheese will be provided.

For accessibility information about the event location and photos of the space, please visit www.akincollective.com/lansdowne

Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can assist you. Email michael@akincollective.com with advance notice and we will do our best to accommodate you! Thank you. 

About Queers for Dinner
Queers For Dinner - Foodie Events for LGBTQ people and Allies is a social community which aims to bring LGBTQ people and their allies together to enjoy great food and meet new friends in a small group setting. Queers for Dinner organizes the meals and invites guests to sign-up and write a little bit about themselves to share with other diners. Each event will have a host to help guests break the ice, and keep the space welcoming.
For more information please visit www.QueersforDinner.com

About Akin
Akin is an arts organization that provides affordable studio and shared workspace to nearly 300 artists and creatives in 16 studios across 7 locations as well as free and low cost creative and professional development opportunities to Toronto’s cultural community and the general public.
For more information please visit www.akin.art

Storefront Gallery on the Danforth: Rebekah Andrade

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. 

Artwork by Akin Ossington Artist Amy McNeill at Volta Espresso until December 31

Amy McNeill is a Toronto-based artist who just recently went full-time when she joined Akin Ossington in August with her company Little Potje Ceramics. Amy is a ceramic artist but writes and creates paintings as well. Limited edition signed prints, original paintings and a limited selection of Little Potje Ceramics are now available for sale at Volta Espresso until Dec. 31, 2017. 

Volta Espresso
Open everyday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
866 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G3

Amy is motivated strongly by her personal experience of losing loved ones who made their livings as makers. Every pot, bowl and vessel she throws is dedicated to her family who raised her to have a strong work ethic and dedication to quality craftsmanship. 

In her fine art, Amy meditates on issues of fertility and reproduction. Trying to decipher what it means to be human rather than female, she's found that it's an identity mixture hard to separate and isolate at the best of times. 

Amy also enjoys writing arts and life pieces for news outlets, and working with small businesses as a copywriter and content strategist. She spends her spare time sailing, skiing and making terrible jokes at which her friends and family rarely laugh.

Grant Writing 101 Workshop with the Ontario Arts Council

January 11 / 6:30-8:30pm / Committee Room 2, Second Floor East Side, Toronto City Hall - 100 Queen Street West

PWYC (Suggested Donation $5 to help defray Akin’s costs) / Please RSVP at www.universe.com/grantwriting

Join Akin and the Ontario Arts Council to learn how to learn more about how to get grants from the people that give them! Tickets are selling out fast so reserve your seat online today! 

Writing grants is a significant part of many artist's careers- so let's learn how to do it properly! This interactive workshop will explore the process of planning, writing and submitting grant proposals to different governing bodies. As a major funder themselves, the Ontario Arts Council provides clear examples of the grant writing process and the various the dos and don'ts of everything from creating your budget to organizing your support material and work plan. Following this, there will be an extensive Q&A period.

Toronto City Hall is fully wheelchair accessible. Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can assist you. Email michael@akincollective.com by January 3, 2018 and we will do our best to accommodate you! Thank you. 

About the Presenter:
Maya Bedward is a filmmaker, arts educator and community-engaged artist from Toronto, ON. She is also the Information Services Coordinator at the Ontario Arts Council, where she helps artists and arts professionals navigate OAC’s many funding programs.

"All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member Bernadette Peets in the Akin Vitrine Gallery

Introducing our Akin Vitrine Gallery December exhibition, “All Are Welcome” by Akin Dupont member, Bernadette Peets.

“I have been thinking a lot about how recent immigrants and in particular refugees who come to Canada feel about us, this country and in particular what their experience is of our landscapes. 

Is Canadian society the open, warm and friendly culture that we like to think it is for these newcomers? Is our pristine landscape available to them? Does it represent a refuge or is it viewed as threatening due to its vastness and unknown dangers?

I often use wild animals in my shadow boxes to represent the vulnerability of the human characters in the narrative. In this case, the deer with the bullseye carries the symbol of the 'hunted' while at the same time acting as a warning to these individuals. The orange screen across the front is meant to slightly obscure the scene so that the viewer must look even closer to be able to see it completely. The screen says "All Are Welcome" but also acts as a barrier or an enclosure reminiscent of a refugee camp. The scenes on the side walls remind us of the origins of the travellers and the reflective surface creates a way for all of the scenes and characters to merge.

I think that we still need to go some distance in our understanding of how these newcomers may be feeling in their new reality and how we might bridge the gap between viewing them as 'other' and more as part of our communities.” 

Bernadette was born in Toronto where she currently lives and works. Her studio is in the Akin Collective at 1485 Dupont Street. She graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996 where she majored in Drawing, Painting and Art History. She lived in Florence Italy for two years (1987–88 & 1994–95) where she continued to study Art History and develop her craft as a painter.

She has explored many themes over the past 20 years of her art practice and while she has mainly used painting as her medium she has also included three dimensional installation work as well as other pictorial devices that include shadow boxes, photographs, drawing and printmaking.

Her subjects of interest have been rooted in her political, social and aesthetic ideals. Whether she is using her work as a platform for a discussion on topics as diverse as the female body image to issues relating to the Indigenous Nations in Canada, her approach is always connected to her strong sense of design, colour and technical precision.

Craft is important to her as an effective means of communication. She believes that having a high quality of execution in her work facilitates a more effective communication of her intent.

‘All Are Welcome' 
Mixed Media
Variable Dimensions

The Akin Vitrine Gallery is located at the Clock Factory Building at 1485 Dupont Street (entrance on Campbell Avenue). Find Akin Studio 215 on the second floor and follow the sign into the hallway around the corner.

The building is open from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, or to arrange a viewing outside of those hours please contact the artist: bernadettepeets1@gmail.com

www.bernadettepeets.com
Instagram: @b_peets
#AkinVitrine

You're Invited to the Akin Holiday Party & Open House!

Akin invites you to join us on Saturday December 16 at Akin Lansdowne for an afternoon of good cheer at the Akin Holiday Party! We want to celebrate with you! Everyone is welcome!

In 2017 Akin collaborated with some amazing partners, and opened four new studio locations and welcomed many more artists to the studios. This party is a celebration for members from all seven Akin studios, as well as our neighbors, community partners, friends and family and anyone interested in celebrating with us! 

Studio 101 will be open from 12-5pm. Come and stay for a while. Mingle, enjoy the pot luck and browse the market featuring art and objects by Akin members! 

Dress festive, fun or fancy! Children of all ages welcome, but please no pets. Non-alcoholic drinks will be provided but feel free to BYOB. Food and snacks for the pot luck are welcome! Please provide labels for any common allergens. 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Getting there:
By TTC:
Akin Lansdowne is walking distance from Lansdowne Subway Station and is accessible by the Bloor­/Danforth subway line (Line 2) and the 47 Lansdowne Bus.

By car:
There is no reserved onsite parking but there is street parking on Wade Ave, Paton Road, and Lansdowne Ave - please check the street signs for hours. For after hours parking there is a Green P lot located at 695 Lansdowne Ave.

Accessibility:
Akin Lansdowne is not currently wheelchair accessible. Akin regrets this barrier to access.

When you arrive at Akin Lansdowne's entrance at the north side of the building, there are 6 steps into the building to access studio 101. There are two steps into the main floor gender-neutral washroom. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilets are not raised. The washroom on the second floor is level.

Ceramics Show & Tell at the Gardiner Museum

Akin Projects is excited to present special ceramics edition of the ‘Show & Tell’ for artists at The Gardiner Museum led by artist and Akin Studio Manager, Erin Candela.

Informative, supportive and fun—this is a time for artists to show completed works or works in progress and get friendly feedback and answers from their peers in a casual (this time a museum!) setting. Feel free to bring art to share, bring a friend or two or just bring yourself. Come for the conversation about art, or just to meet other artists and makers.

Attendance is free, but please register to attend: 

This is a free program part of Ceramic Change: How to Make It, a one day workshop intensive for emerging artists and makers in the expanded field of ceramics in conjunction with the exhibition Steven Heinemann: Culture & Nature, This one-day workshop intensive will focus on the nuts and bolts of professional survival and enabling skilled connections. From building your own DIY wooden kiln to local clay harvesting, these presentations, workshops, and conversations will dig deep into what it means to pursue a sustainable maker practice in Toronto today.

About the Gardiner Museum:
The Gardiner Museum is Canada's national ceramics museum. It was founded by George and Helen Gardiner in 1984 to house their collection of ceramic art. Its permanent collection of over 2,900 pieces, includes works from the Ancient Americas, Italian Renaissance, English Delftware, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, European porcelain, and a contemporary gallery. In addition to the permanent collections, the museum mounts three temporary exhibitions per year as well as a variety of community programming. For more information visit www.gardinermuseum.on.ca

Getting There:
Subway/Bus: From Bloor-Danforth Line — St. George Station is the closest fully accessible stop to the Gardiner’s main entrance. Take elevators to street level at the Bloor Street and Bedford Road entrance. Go south on Bedford to Bloor. Then east along Bloor to Queen's Park. The Gardiner is just south of Bloor on the east side of Queen's Park. From Yonge-University Subway Line — Museum Station is the closest subway stop to the Gardiner's main entrance. This stop is not wheelchair accessible.

Accessibility: 
The Gardiner Museum is fully wheelchair accessible. The wheelchair ramp is located on the south side of the entrance. Click here for more accessibility information.  Please let us know of any other accessibility needs so that we can assist you. Email michael@akincollective.comat least one week before the event and we will do our best to accommodate you. Thank you.

Contemporary Art Bus Tour on November 19

CONTEMPORARY ART BUS TOUR
Sunday, November 19, 2017 | 12–5 PM | FREE

The tour picks up at Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) then departs for Blackwood Gallery, Oakville Galleries, and Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.

To RSVP: email blackwood.gallery@utoronto.ca or call 905-828-3789 by Friday, November 17 at 5pm.

The City of Toronto StreetARToronto 2018 Information Session on November 16

StreetARToronto (StART) is a proactive program that aims to support and increase awareness of street art throughout the city. StART's mission is to see Toronto as a 'living work of art’ by creating partnerships (between the City, residents, businesses, and the creative community), reducing graffiti vandalism, encouraging civic discussion about public art, using art to foster place making, and providing funds, materials, and mentorship opportunities.

StART will be holding an Information Session, Photo Exhibit and Workshop Series beginning November 16. If you would like to know more about StART programs including how and when to apply in 2018, please RSVP here: http://bit.ly/2yMOimQ and attend one or more of the following events:

INFO SESSION
November 16, 2017
4pm - 5:30 pm
Pia Bouman School, 6 Noble Street
RSVP (requested but not required): http://bit.ly/2yMOimQ

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT & NETWORKING
November 16, 2017
6pm -8 pm
Northern Contemporary Gallery, 1266 Queen St W (Across the street from the Info Session – enter off of Noble Street)
Photo exhibit runs from Nov 16 - Nov 24.
RSVP (requested but not required): http://bit.ly/2yMOimQ

WORKSHOPS
All workshops will be held at Northern Contemporary Gallery
1266 Queen St W (entrance is on Noble Street)
Workshop space is limited, RSVP required: http://bit.ly/2yMOimQ

NOV 20
2pm-4pm
Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being: Interpretation of Land and People
With Philip Cote

NOV 21
2pm-4pm
Outside the Box: What Makes a Good Application? Hands on Workshop
With Bareket Kezwer

NOV 22
2pm-4pm
Indigenous Cultural Competency Training
With Michael Etherington

NOV 23
10am – 12 Noon
Working with Communities Through an Equity Lens
With Neighbourhood Arts Network

NOV 24
2pm-4pm
The Art of Persuasion: Working with Property Owners and Scaling Up Your Portfolio
With Artist Jerry Rugg (of Akin Dufferin)

In the Round opening reception this Thursday

Graven Feather presents In the Round V opening this Thursday from 7-10pm at 906 Queen St West. Featuring hundreds of new original works by local and international artists including Rebekah Andrade, ClayGirl Ceramics and Erin Candela of Akin Dufferin. Laura Elliot, Julianne Ess, and Jen Pilles of Akin Lansdowne. Bernadette Peets of Akin Dupont and Renee Castonguay of Akin Sunrise. 

In The Round is an open call art exhibition that encourages artists to work in any medium yet on the same platform. Each artist is given three 6" rounds on which to create their work. The result is a collection of work which is varied and each piece is spectacular in it's uniqueness. The rounds will be sold directly off the wall so for the best view of the show be sure to arrive early!

Exhibition Runs Thursday, November 16th - Sunday November 26th

About Graven Feather:
Established in 2011, Graven Feather is an arts space committed to working with emerging artists. Starting 2017 we made a big change from our West Queen West location.  We have started a nomadic year and will be leading events and workshops throughout the city.  We have also launched residencies and classes from our new cozy studio in the Junction Triangle.  

Last Show & Tell of the year - Nov 29 at Akin Dufferin

Wednesday November 29 / 7-9pm / Akin Dufferin - 444 Dufferin St, Unit E / FREE

On the last Wednesday of every month Akin host’s a relaxed and fun ‘Show and Tell for Artists’ at one of the Akin Collective studios. 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. 

Please note: There will not be a Show and Tell in December, but we will resume in the new year! 

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!

This month we are meeting at Akin Dufferin in Unit E at 444 Dufferin St. See you there! 

Accessibility:
Unit E is on the ground floor. It has step free access through main entrance, though there is a small lip at the entrance and there are two doors to pass through. The doors are not automated. There is a ground level accessible gender-neutral washroom. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilet is not raised. The floor is at ground level throughout the studio and there is a loading dock that allows for vehicle access.

Walnut's 10th Anniversary party next Saturday!

Walnut Studios is celebrating their 10 year Anniversary and opening its doors to the public for their annual Holiday Art Exhibition and celebration! 

Walnut Studios is a collective art studio in the King West Village, housing 55 artists working in a variety of disciplines including painting, jewellery, fashion design, sculpture, photography, graphic design, and installation.

Established in 2007, Walnut is a hub of creativity, inspiration, and collaboration.

On November 18th, Walnut will open the doors of the warehouse studio to allow the public to come in for a holiday celebration of art and share in the creative process.

Saturday, November 18th, 7-11pm
PWYC at the door
Reception • Cash bar • DJ

Please join us and support local artists in the community!

PUBLIC ART: Why should we care? A Conversation - This Wednesday!

Partners in Art in partnership with The Power Plant presents a free public event this Wednesday November 15, 6:30 pm

PUBLIC ART: Why should we care? A Conversation

Bring your curiosity. Bring friends. Bring your questions.
Public art is a powerful vehicle that stimulates conversation, changes perspectives, and can delight or provoke us. Join leading Toronto-based thinkers in an inspirational conversation about the possibilities of excellence in public art.

1 compelling idea + 4 unique thinkers = A Great Conversation

Rebecca Carbin, Public Art Program Manager, Waterfront Toronto
Elle Flanders, Filmmaker and Artist, Public Studio
An Te Liu, Artist
Marianne McKenna, Architect and Founding Partner, KPMB
Moderated by Gail Lord, President and Co-Founder, Lord Cultural Resources

Each speaker will present their personal views on the power of excellent public art. We will then have an open conversation on the myriad possibilities. RSVP REQUIRED! Please email events@partnersinart.ca to RSVP

6:30-7:15 - Reception
7:15-8:15 - Conversation
8:15-9:00 - Post-Talk Reception

Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre
207 Queens Quay West
3rd Floor, Queen's Quay Terminal
Venue is accessible

Akin Creative: Card Making Party at Farside Studio

Wednesday December 6 / 6-9pm drop-in / Ages 19+ / Farside Studio (enter through Farside) 600 Gerrard St East / Pay-What-You-Can (suggested $5 per card)

Akin Projects and Farside Studio are excited to present this casual, drop-in crafting party! Join us in the studio and make a card for your best friend, neighbour, significant other, worst enemy or a complete stranger! All materials are provided. 

You 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 brightly-colored 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
- watercolour paints and brushes
- spirograph
- stamps and ink
- stickers
- stencils
- scissors
- glue
- glitter, beads, ribbon and more!

Feel free to bring additional supplies!

After you make your card, you are invited to write a letter in it at Farside’s monthly letter-writing event: ‘Post Box’ taking place in the main space. Supplies are provided by donation and include stamps, stickers, inks, scissors, glue,and embellishments.

Feel free to drop in anytime between 6-9pm and enjoy both events!

Accessibility
Farside is on the ground floor. It has step free access through main entrance. The walkway through the bar is narrow and can be crowded. The doors are not automated. There are two ground level accessible gender-neutral washroom. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilets are not raised. The floor is at ground level throughout the bar and studio. 

Getting There
Farside is located at 600 Gerrard St E. There are 3 streetcar routes that have stops at the closest major intersection. The 505 the 504 and the 506, at Broadview Ave and Gerrard St E. There are bike lanes on some of the major roads in the area. However cycling on Gerrard St. E. can be unpleasant due to narrow lanes. We ask that you exercise caution and do not drink and drive. Please walk, take the TTC or take a taxi/uber if you plan to drink.

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 Creative is an initiative of Akin Projects that offers creative workshops and events for everyone to enjoy regardless of their artistic experience or abilities. Programming includes a monthly Show & Tell event for artist, free gallery and museum tours, hands-on workshops and educational experiences.

www.akinprojects.org

About Farside and Farside Studio
Farside is a cozy living-room style bar in East Chinatown that makes space for creativity, engages community and encourage communication between neighbours. 

Farside Studio is an art studio and shared workspace that hosts workshops and community events. The Farside Artist in Residence program is a self-directed program which provides free short-term studio space for artists and creative types who want to focus on their work, or explore new ideas with a focus on community engagement. 

www.farsideto.com