From Here to Wear community events with Akin alumni Norwin Anne on March 18 & 25

This month you can join Akin Studio alumni Norwin Anne at two free community drop-in events entitled 'From Here to Wear'. Each event offers an inclusive community space where curious, like-minded people can swap and repair clothing while also learning more about "textile waste".

This initiative aims to raise more awareness on the problems surrounding the management of “textile waste” and to help prevent them from being disposed of improperly. These events create a circular closed loop system for clothing that people no longer want, while promoting a reuse and “waste not, want not” mentality. It’s a fun alternative to shopping and an engaging way to upgrade your wardrobe — a conscious practice on how to be more intentional with the clothes you wear.

Click here to learn more about From Here to Wear.

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March 18

12pm-5pm at St Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Avenue, Toronto.

Click here for full event details or to register.

Presented in partnership with East End Arts

March 25

12pm-5pm at stackt Market - STUDIO 28, Bathurst Street Toronto.

Click here for full event details or to register.

Presented in partnership with stackt Market.

Images above: Black and white event posters with text that describes the event details that are in this blog post. The first poster has a white background, the centre is a black and white circular drawing of people, animals, landscapes, and various symbols. The second poster has a dark background and the image on the poster features a repeated image of a planet that creates a curving shape across the image. 

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About Norwin Anne

Norwin Anne is a Filipinx multidisciplinary artist / designer, (re)maker and eco-culture communicator. They studied Fashion Techniques and Design at George Brown College with a waste conscious approach and slow fashion mentality. Primarily working with secondhand materials, they started focusing on textile waste as a research study during school which evolved into learning more about waste generally to understand its environmental impacts and beyond. They want to continue developing their ideas and merge their knowledge of fashion with other subjects by creating wearable art and installations to visually translate complex topics through culture jamming. They always prioritize working with used objects and discarded materials. They’re dedicated to creating conceptual and functional things from what’s seen as useless. It initiates this challenge of exploring different alternatives and they try their best to avoid using new items as much as possible.

Norwin is an Akin Studio alumni from Akin Lansdowne and Akin King.

Making a Living Making Art: Taxes for Artists - a free virtual workshop on March 28

Tax season can be a stressful and confusing time for artists. Join us on March 28th at 5:30 pm for a free virtual workshop that will help you get prepared!

Do you have questions about tax preparation, deductions, tax deadlines, HST, how to report grants, or file T4s? Shantae Cunningham, Founder & Senior Associate of Cobella Financial, will discuss some of the most important tax topics for artists. The session is suitable for artists who are new to filing taxes or those who are looking for a refresher. The presentation will show real life examples, and a Q+A will follow. Participants are encouraged to send along questions in advance for review, to erin@akincollective.com

This webinar is free and open to the public. Closed captioning and ASL Interpretation will be provided. The event will not be recorded, but slides may be shared with registered attendees following the event, by request.

Update March 14: This workshop is now sold out - you can sign up on the registration page to be added to a waiting list.

Click the button below to register:

About the facilitator:

Shantae Cunningham is a Seneca College graduate and is an Accounting and Bookkeeping expert with 7 years in the industry. She has worked within many industries to help them scale and grow their company from Marketing and PR to E-Commerce and service-based industries. She works with individuals and companies from freelancers to small and medium sized businesses. With uncompromising attention to detail, Shantae uses her passion for both personal and professional finance to support these businesses. Since 2018, Shantae has worked as an Independent Bookkeeper at her own boutique firm, Cobella Financial. She is analytical, experienced and known as a savvy Accountant. Her personality and business acumen sets her apart. She has volunteered with organizations such as Woodgreen Community Centre to provide tax prep services helping those in all tax situations.

This workshop is presented in collaboration between Toronto Arts Foundation’s Neighborhood Arts Network and Akin, and is in partnership with Neighborhood Arts Network’s Newcomer Spotlight program supported by RBC.

Artist Faisal Karadsheh featured this Saturday at the Deep Wireless Festival of Radio & Transmission Art

This Saturday, March 4th, artist (and Akin Member) Faisal Karadsheh will be presenting his work ‘to be heard (soundwalk’in_2021)’ as part of New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA)’s annual Deep Wireless festival.

This work includes all three audio pieces from Faisal’s soundwalk project which were produced in 2021 using personal recordings of street protests in Toronto, each responding to national and/or international events. By visiting each of the three locations in the sound walk, the listener may consider how bodies connect, congregate and organize themselves together.

In the soundwalk project the process of concentrating or suppressing “voices of protest”, as suggested by Hito Steyerl, is being explored formally. The site is composed of three distinct locations within a very specific region in Toronto. The three protests transpired at varying times during 2021, yet seem to align across a section of the city. The abstracted sound works examine the process of documenting and formally articulating protests, in connection to its position within the urban fabric and sonic landscape of the city.

Image Description: The Deep Wireless logo which includes a cartoon drawing of a radio and the words ‘DEEP Wireless”

Deep Wireless Festival of Radio and Transmission Art

The 22nd annual edition of the Deep Wireless Festival of Radio & Transmission Art is presented on the theme Remote Connections with and exhibitions, performances, artist talks, an online compilation and radio programs being transmitted from and hosted at the NAISA North Media Arts Centre in South River.

Three works from the Deep Wireless 17 Radio Art Compilation Album will be included in this in-person and online hybrid event on the theme Remote Connections. Join in person for multichannel listening or connect online with your headphones.

What: Remote Connections Concert
When: Saturday March 4, 2023, 7:00 pm
Where: Online, and/or in-person at NAISA North Media Arts Centre in South River, Ontario
To register: click here the cost is $12 per person

“Radio over its history has built societal connections across multiple and remote locations. Radio Art evolved by way of artists and writers across many disciplines adding their diverse approaches to the way time, space and content could be re-imagined over the airwaves and later over digital streaming formats. The content in this year’s festival adds to that tradition with stories told through digital interactivity, round table discussions, documentaries, interactive art, poetry and sound art on the theme Remote Connections.”

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About the artist

Faisal Karadsheh is an Akin staff member and an Akin Studio member. He is an emerging Jordanian-Palestinian multidisciplinary artist, who has exhibited work in Jordan, Lebanon and Canada. Although his work does not necessarily depict a personal narrative, lived experiences emerge as thematic starting points throughout the art-making process. Once completed, these individualized fragments in time may instigate a wider dialogue within disparate communities about tradition, the body, ecologies, and how we define ourselves as moving beings. His oeuvre continually explores in-between spaces, where interior and exterior modalities can exist as one. By attempting to search for this mode of hybridized representation, different mediums unravel interrelated narratives, or imagined histories, revolving around the self and its ties to the body. As a result, these formal investigations into spatial possibilities always seem to be contingent on a somatic subject's perceptions, as the producer or constructor of reality. Choosing a medium to express these sentiments requires openness, which leads to a myriad of forms. Learn more about Faisal and his work at faisalkaradsheh.myportfolio.com

The Mindful Artist: Virtual workshop with Erica Gittens - Feb 22 at 6pm

Calling all artists... this workshop is for you!

Hosted by Erica Gittens from AURA BODY+HOME, this two-hour workshop will feature a series of short lectures followed by mindful activities to integrate into your everyday life as an artist. Themes include grounding through meditation, unlocking creativity, practices to help relieve stress and tension, creating personal affirmations, and more to support your creative and personal journey. Dedicate space and time for reflection (bring a pen and notebook) and movement (standing or seated).

Erica (she/her) is a Toronto-based mindfulness artist and founder of AURA BODY+HOME for Mindfulness, Meditation, and Yoga. Through movement and stillness, Erica creates imaginative, mindful experiences to support the connection of mind and body as an act of self-love.

This event is hosted online and is free for Akin members, with a pay-what-you-can option for non-members. All are welcome! Participants must register through the ticket selections on this site, and links to join the workshop will be sent the day of the event.

Accessibility: This online workshop includes guided physical movements that are optional for all participants. Please note that a waiver is sent to all ticket-holders through the sign-up process. For any questions please send a message to Erin at erin@akincollective.com. There will not be an ASL interpreter at this event, but Closed Captioning is possible. Please send a note regarding any accessibility concerns in advance and we'll do our best to make things work!

You can follow Erica online at @aurabodyandhome or check out her website at www.aurabodyandhome.com. This is an Akin x AURA collaboration.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Tonight! Artist Q&A with Wandy Cheng, Theresa Hopkins & Jennie Town!

Our Scarborough Highlights artist Art Talk is tonight (Feb 6) at 6pm on Instagram Live.

Learn more about the three artists below, and join them online this evening for the conversation! Questions and thoughts are welcome during the event through the live "chat" option, and by messaging erin@akincollective.com in advance. This event will take place through Akin's @akinprojects Instagram Feed. To join, please follow @akinprojects and be on Instagram at 6pm!


Jennie Town is a Scarborough-based Canadian multi media artist and Indigenous Knowledge Keeper living and working in the Guildwood community for over 56 years and counting. Drawing from her experience and learnings as an Afro-Indigenous creator and teacher, Jennie's practice has covered a wealth of mediums from ceramics, jewelry and painting to beading, leatherwork, drum-making, and a variety of craft techniques that frequently use gathered and naturally-sourced materials. A great believer in sharing the creative process and nourishing the experiences of others Jennie's role as an artist extends into community engagement through workshops, guided walks and local events. Follow Jennie on Instagram at @foreverjenniedesigns


Wandy Cheng (she/her) is a multidisciplinary illustrator from Hong Kong whose work embodies contrasting textures and repeated patterns through various creative outputs, including ceramics, paper-cut and public art. She helps local businesses create a memorable presence in their communities by simplifying conceptual ideas into vibrant visuals — an illustrator illustrating illustrations. Her work is inspired by memories of lived experiences, architectures, and environments. In recent years, her illustration can be seen both on the streets of the city and within the pages of international publications. Follow Wandy on Instagram @wandy_cheng


Theresa Hopkins is a black multidisciplinary artist and arts organizer living and working in Toronto. Her work focuses on themes surrounding identity, emotion and her interactions with the world as a black woman. Using colourful, tactile materials and subject matter, her work draws on nostalgia juxtaposed with heavy, mature themes. She has shown her work at 8-11 gallery, The Whitehouse Studio Project, Whippersnapper, The Plumb gallery and most recently a solo exhibition at The Remote Gallery. Follow Theresa on Instagram @thopkinsart



Image Descriptions: 1. Beaded earrings made by Jennie Town are hanging on the edge of a clear glass jar in front of a purple background. The earrings feature many beads with angular patterns with beaded tassels hanging from the ends. 2. A mural painted by Wandy Cheng using blue, green, white and pink colors depicting an environment centered around a waterfall leading to a lake, with plants and animals in the surroundings. 3. A painting by Theresa Hopkins hanging on a wall and brightly lit. In the painting the artist sits at a poker table in a luxury casino. She is surrounded by cartoon characters. In front of her are a stack of chips and 3 tarot cards.

Artist Talk! Theresa Hopkins, Wandy Cheng and Jennie Town - Feb 6 at 6pm

Artist Talk and Q&A: FREE

February 6th at 6pm: ONLINE through Instagram 'Live'

Please join us online on Monday February 6th for a special Artist Q&A with Scarborough Highlights artists Theresa Hopkins, Wandy Cheng and Jennie Town, who were featured participants in Akin's recent Winter Exhibition and Market at the Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough. Among other things, we'll be asking what it means to be an artist from Scarborough? What kinds of experiences do artists face when practicing outside the downtown core? How can cities and organizations better support artists facing different barriers of access and opportunity?

This event will take place through Akin's @akinprojects Instagram Feed. To join, please follow @akinprojects and be on Instagram at 6pm on February 6th 2023! Questions and thoughts are welcome during and before the event through the live "chat" option, and by messaging erin@akincollective.com in advance.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Investing on a Budget: Free online workshop! Jan 24, 5-6pm

For the last of our 3-part series on Financial Literacy and Learning, Akin invites artists and the public to join us for Investing On A Budget, hosted in collaboration with facilitators from our partners at Wealthsimple. This month's session will be focussing on Investing: What is involved and how can it work for you? 

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE.

Artists may be seen as free-lance or independent workers, perhaps coming to the “business” of art without a great deal of financial literacy. As such, information and resources around investing, saving money and planning for retirement may be something many folks in our community are lacking.  

We're inviting artists to submit their questions and queries to erin@akincollective.com. Your questions will support the presentation and may be used during the Q&A period following. 

Thanks to our community facilitators Wealthsimple!  “Personal finance is the art of managing your money. How much to save, where to invest and how to budget. None of us are born knowing how to put together a smart, simple financial plan.”  Please feel free to check out their website at wealthsimple.com for more information on learning and resources towards greater financial literacy.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Over 70 artists featured at Akin winter art event!

Written by Charlotte Van Ryn

Image above: A view of the Clark Centre from the outside. The night sky is dark blue and black, and the Clark Centre is brightly lit inside. A person on the street walks towards the building.

This December, Akin is host to a Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre in Scarborough, nestled in the beautiful, historic Guildwood Park. It’s the perfect place to pick up one-of-a-kind gifts for your loved ones this holiday season, and view three floors of artwork on display by participating artists!

The event is highlighting Akin artists among artists from Scarborough and the surrounding area. Theresa Hopkins’ self reflective, whimsical portrait and Wandy Cheng’s floral, playful paintings were selected as featured Scarborough Artists. 

Image description: Jennie Town sits at her booth at the Winter and Arts Market. Her hair is in braids and she’s wearing a black hat and glasses. Jennie is sewing into a piece of birch bark. On her table is a large display of jewelry, dreamcatchers and handmade crafts. 

The event kicked off last weekend; upstairs, the market was in full swing. Prints, ceramics, even holiday decorations were on full display. Jennie Town, pictured above, had a beautiful selection of birch bark earrings, dream catchers, handmade deer hide drums and willowwork.  A multidisciplinary indigenous artist, and a Scarboroughlocal, Jennie is passionate about Guildwood park and the Clarke Centre, for which she attended the local planning meetings before it was built. 

Image Description: A long white wall inside the Clark Centre displays a series of hanged paintings. Two people stand in front of a large painting at the end of the hal

Paintings and sculpture cover the walls on all three floors of the Clark Centre. Notably, the exhibition Through A Hundred Windows features work from artists who were given the same base material, a wooden “window”,  but styled their own way.  Hung side by side, they create a unified, yet singularly unique look. Through a Hundred Windows will be up all month - all works are for sale directly through the artist and 100% of the proceeds from every sale go direct to the artist. Interested in purchasing work from the exhibition? Click here to see a list of participating artists. 

If you missed last weekend’s market, fear not! There’s another weekend market coming up, December 10 and 11 from 11-6 to pick up holiday gifts for friends and family. The exhibition will be up until December 18th, and can be visited any day of the week. Click here to find out more about the event and the participating artists. 

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition - Opening Reception on Saturday December 3!

Image above: a slideshow of images showing work by participants of the Akin Winter Arts Market

Akin invites you to join us on Saturday December 3 from 1-3pm for the opening reception of the Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough.  

Drop in for live music and shop for a variety of beautiful gifts at the Arts Market for our opening day! You can also enjoy browsing the exhibition ‘Through 100 Windows’ featuring members of Akin’s studios as well as local creatives from Scarborough and surrounding neighborhoods.

In conjunction with this event, a selection of art work by studio members belonging to the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG will be featured on the 3rd floor of the Clark galleries, as well as work by Special Highlights Scarborough artists Wandy Cheng and Theresa Hopkins.

From paintings and prints, to ceramics and textiles, we hope to present a gorgeous and colorfully integrated expression of artistic talent to warm hearts as we head into the winter months.

The Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition is happening from December 3-18. Click here for full details including a list of partcipating artists.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
@CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

The Akin Winter Arts Market and Exhibition at the Clark Centre For the Arts! December 3-18

Akin is very pleased to invite art-lovers, artists, and the public at large to an exciting new initiative and collaboration with the Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough!

• When; December 3-18, 2022

• Opening Reception: December 3, 2022 from 1-3pm

• Where: Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy, Scarborough

• What: Arts Market (December 3, 4, 10 and 11) and Group Exhibition (December 3-18)

• Hours, Exhibition: ‘Through 100 Windows’ December 3-18th from 9am-4pm

• Hours, Market Days: December 3 and 4 & 10 and 11 from 11am-6pm

• Admission: FREE!

Akin will be hosting a public arts event at the Clark Centre for the Arts in Scarborough, featuring art by local artists around the GTA. Artists of all levels of experience and expression will be exhibiting and selling work through the Winter Arts Market and Group Exhibition. We hope that you will join us in celebrating their achievement!

Featuring members of Akin’s studios as well as local creatives from Scarborough and surrounding neighborhoods, artists and creatives of all mediums will be participating in an interdisciplinary wall installation of art panel hangings on the walls of a professional gallery, and at the market offering handmade crafts, art and objects to the public over 2 weekends. From paintings and prints, to ceramics and textiles, we hope to present a gorgeous and colorfully integrated expression of artistic talent to warm hearts as we head into the winter months.

‘Through 100 Windows’ is a collaborative art project, aimed to highlight the harmony, beauty and hope of a community of artists who continue to share and exchange their ideas; collectively resilient and active. Taken on their own, each work is a window into an individual experience. Seen together, we are a vision of combined colour, strength and power. 

In conjunction with this event, a selection of art work by  studio members belonging to the Akin Studio Program at Auto BLDG will be featured on the 3rd floor of the Clark galleries, as well as work by Special Highlights Scarborough artists Wandy Cheng and Theresa Hopkins  

Join us for the opening reception on December 3rd 2022 1-3pm, and drop in for live music and a variety of beautiful gifts at the Arts Market on the weekends of December 3/4th and 10/11th, from 11-6pm! The exhibition will be open during regular Clark Centre hours (9am-4pm) during the week as well as weekends (11am-6pm).

Accessibility & Site Address: 
The Clarke Centre has elevators to all three floors, barrier free washrooms on each floor and automatic doors on the bathrooms and the front entrance. Located at 191 Guildwood Pkwy, The Clark Centre for the arts has free but limited parking. By TTC: from Kennedy Station, take the 116 bus to Guildwood Pkwy at the Guild Inn stop.

Thank You:
Thank you to all of our community partners and the many artists and supporters who’ve come together to share this beautiful event, including local musicians Rudy Ray’s Duo and Aaron Ridge, and participating vendors.  Particularly, we are grateful to the talented and friendly staff at the Clark Centre for the Arts, who have contributed a great deal and offer a wealth of experience and grace.

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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. @CanadaCouncil  #BringingTheArtsToLife

Akin Open Studio Day!

In conjunction with the many arts and culture festivals that are hosted every fall (from the @queenwestartcrawll to @nuitblancheto and @culturedays to name a few), Akin would like to invite the public and its community to visit the place where art and culture is made - the studios! 

This October we'll be opening the doors of two west-end locations: Akin Stockyards (at 2231 St.Clair West) and the Akin Studio Program at the AUTO BLG (158 Sterling Rd. 4th floor). For those of you who are not artists yourself, or for a creative individual who is thinking about getting a studio of their own, this is an excellent opportunity to see what a collective art space looks like, as well as to browse the many artistic creations and meet the artists who make them in person. 

So pop the date in your Calendar and come say hello. We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Let's Have a Summer Party!

🎉LET'S HAVE A SUMMER PARTY 🎉

Summer is here in all of its glory and we want to celebrate the opening of Akin Stockyards with you in this FREE community and family event! Come meet the Akin members in an open studio along with food, live music from Astrosurf, and a community paint wall for you to participate in.

We will also be having a special visit from Councillor Frances Nunziata, and will be hearing from them, our event sponsors from Marlin Spring and some familiar Akin faces.

When: Wednesday July 13th 2022

Time: 4:00PM - 7:00PM

Address: 2231 St. Clair Ave West

We're so excited to celebrate with you 🥳🎊🎈

Invite your friends on social media through our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter posts!

AACT & Asian Heritage Month!

We’re so excited to be in partnership with AACT and their month long programming to celebrate Asian Heritage Month!

To celebrate the 20th Asian Heritage Month in Canada, in May 2022, AACT has an exciting lineup of upcoming exhibitions, workshops, and events. Mark your calendars for a month of free public programming this May for the following dates:

• May 7: Community Care Art Workshop at Tam Cafe

• May 7-30: Gentle Care Exhibition at the Akin Vitrine Gallery

• May 13-22 Travelling Through: Conversation with Elders Exhibition at TIFF Bell Lightbox

• May 14 as Community Mosaic Art Workshop

• May 27-29 as Nostalgia: In Search of Familiarity at Akin Remote Gallery

Stay tuned for the more details on our social media or learn more at their website link.

Love Letter to your Art Practice

Do you hold love for your art practice? How do you recognize it? How do you show it? A Love Letter to your Practice facilitated by Yasmeen Nematt Alla, invites artists, makers, and creatives to join us for a writing and meditation workshop to celebrate the love we hold for our art practices. For most of us, our practices have supported our passions, our livelihoods, and our mental health. We hope to spend time together gathering as we discuss ways to show care to the very things that push us forward.

This event will take place online on March 9th at 6PM to 7:30PM.

Please join the event with a writing or drawing utensil and some paper.

You can sign up in our link: http://ow.ly/eERM50I3TwH

Yasmeen Nematt Alla(she/her) is an Egyptian immigrant and settler living in Tkaronto, Turtle Island (colonially known as Toronto, Ontario). Her practice centres alienated collectivist narratives from an immigrant’s and an interpreter’s perspective. As someone who lives between cultures, she deciphers language barriers attached to togetherness through textiles, performance, and reactive sculptures that are often situated in social practice. She wonders how translation, experiences, and visuals intertwine with care, grief, and community building.

Akin Taxes for Artists Workshop

Tax season can be a particularly stressful and confusing time for artists, performers and other creatives. This workshop will help you get prepared! With decades of experience in accounting and taxation, Kelly Ross will spend an hour discussing some of the most important tax topics for artists including: tax preparation, deductions, tax deadlines, HST, how to handle grants, T4s and more. The session is suitable for artists who are new to filing taxes or those who are looking for a refresher. Please come prepared with your questions, or email them in advance to erin@akincollective.com . This session will be recorded, and Closed Captions available. An ASL Interpreter will be in attendance.

Date: January 25th

Time: 6PM-8PM

Place: Online

Accessibility: This session will be recorded, and Closed Captions available. An ASL Interpreter will be in attendance.

Facilitator: Kelly Ross is the Managing Director and CEO of Ross Professional Corporation. She is a member of CPA Canada leading with strength, knowledge and passion, having over 20 years of experience in accounting and taxation. Through her career she worked in a multi-national CPA firm, then moved on to be a subject matter expert for development of an accounting program at a college. Kelly’s interest and passion for accounting came from her mother whose career was in the accounting realm. Kelly has a love for the arts and entertainment industry, which stemmed from having a father who had talent and love for music. Kelly herself played the piano, trumpet and was a dancer through her early years. Now in her downtime, Kelly can be found around the hockey rinks supporting her daughter’s hockey team and following her nephews in their live band performances. She is truly a people person and has a special skill making everyone she meets feel special.

🪁Banafsheh Erfanian, Fly Your Burning Kite🪁

🪁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!

TOAF - Toronto Outdoor Art Fair - begins this weekend! (July 2-11)

Akin is thrilled to see so many current and alumni Akin Members participating in the 2021 Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. This year, the fair will have a digital component as well as a small showcase of artworks in person at stackt market.

List of current & alumni Akin Members participating:

Carrie Chisholm 
Corynn Kokolakis 
David Chinyama 
Dorota Dziong 
Jamileh Salek 
Joanna Strong 
Lindsay Chambers 
Loren Kaplan 
Melika Saeeda 
Miles Ingrassia 
Nicole Crozier 
Soroush Dabiri 
Zach Atticus 
Zoey Zoric 

For a full list of participating artists, please click here.
To learn more about stackt market please click here.

Upcoming Events & New Initiatives

Here are some great opportunities for artists & community members this spring :)

Learn the basics of applying for an Ontario Arts Council Grant: Applying for a grant can be confusing and overwhelming. This spring, the Ontario Arts Council is offering a series of webinars for Ontario-based artists and arts groups to learn the basics of applying for OAC funding. Click here for more details.


Rhythm and Movement Dance Program (FREE): May 10th - 14th & May 24-28th / Rhythm and Movement Dance Program is a creative, innovative and hands on program for Black youth that will provide a safe space for young people to voice their concerns, share their opinions, acquire knowledge about healthy living through rhythm and movements. Black students ages 14-18 will gain physical education, social skill development and they will learn about the different forms of creating rhythms and movement. This program is a series of 4 sessions via zoom. Click here to register.


Ismailova Theatre of Dance is holding auditions for Contemporary dancers: Auditions for a physical theatre production in Toronto. Seeking female and male dancers for its new site-specific dance/physical theatre production to be presented over the weekends and some weeknights in July outdoors in Toronto. Auditions are May 1st 2021 9am-2pm. Auditions will be via Zoom. Herearsals and shows will be outdoors near Dufferin and Steeles with strict social distancing in place. More details here.


St. Joseph Hospital is looking for artwork: Throughout the pandemic, St. Joseph's Health Centre has received messages of support, hope, and gratitude from our community which have done wonders to lift the spirits of the staff, physicians, and learners who have been coming to work each day to support the west-end community. We would like to continue to offer images and words of encouragement to those making the important step in the fight against this terrible disease. We invite our schools across the west-end to get involved! Simply scan or photograph your artwork and inspirational messages, and send them to gillian.brunning@unityhealth.to to be proudly displayed in St. Joe’s vaccination clinic for all to see as they line up to receive their doses!

BBPA’s Community Space Financial Literacy Program: Saturdays at 10am. The ultimate financial literacy program for Black youth. This is an online and in class financial literacy / personal development program integrated into the SAY IT LOUD initiative, a national campaign for Black youth aged 14-29 that promotes Black prode and positive cultural identity. Click here to learn more and register.


Building a Black Archive Call-Out for Emerging Black Writers: A communitu initiative dedicated to unearthing of lost and forgotten Black Histories in Canada with a focus in Ontario. Click here to learn more and sign up.


Laidlaw Foundation’s Indigenous Youth and Community Futures Fund: Applications due by May 20th, receive funding for an Indigenous Youth lead project. Click here to learn more.


Labour Arts Catalyst: The Labour Arts Catalyst is a new initiative that pairs four artists from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to work with four local labour organizations in a collaborative art-making process that is in line with Mayworks’ vision to incite the creation and production of art that engages diverse artists adn workers in the advancement of cultural, exonomic and social justica. Click here for more details.


Girls with Grit Scholarship 2021: Girls with Grit has partnered with Armstrong Acting Studios to offer the Girls with Grit Scholarship. This opportunity will allow emerging female artists to have access to training and an introduction to Toronto’s TV and film industry. This scholarship is for anyone who has faced barriers entering into this industry, particularily those disproportionately impacted by systemic discrimination. Find out more here.


STEPS has launched their CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency: A national program designed in consultation with advisors from coast to coast, to provide Black, Indigenous and Racialized artists with the skills, relationships and practical experience needed to take their public art practice to the next level.

Meet the 2021 CreateSpace artists-in-residence:
Yasmeen Nematt Alla
Bruno Canadien
Laara Cerman
Shelby Gagnon
Jieun June Kim
Arjun Lal
Amanda Lederle
Charmaine Lurch
Anna Jane McIntyre
Nuff
For residency updates and programming events for the public, follow @STEPSpublicart and #CreateSpaceResidency on Instagram and Facebook or visit publicartresidency.ca.


Selling your work online an Artist Project workshop: Artist Project is pleased to present a workshop series focused on skill-building for artists and the art-curious. Wednesday April 28, 5:30-7PM (ET) Click Here to Register
Fee: $20


Creating Opportunities Beyond the Gallery (International Exhibitions, Commissions, Artist Residencies and more): Join artists Kal Mansur and Nathan Eugene Carson on Zoom for a workshop focused on creating career opportunities as an independent artist. Kal and Nathan will share their unique perspectives and paths to success, from soliciting art commissions, navigating exhibition opportunities, living/working internationally and more. The session will be interactive, and will include time for questions. Wednesday May 12, 5:30-7PM (ET) Click Here to Register
Fee: $20


The 2021 Emerging Digital Artists Award (EDAA) has a Call for Applications: Applications are now open for the Emerging Digital Artists Award. Five artists will be awarded a $5000 prize and their award winning works will be featured in a group exhibition at Trinity Square Video as well as online September 10 - October 2 2021. To learn more and to apply click here.