Introducing the 2021 Artist Cohort of the Akin Studio Program

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Akin is thrilled to announce the 2021 cohort of the Akin Studio Program a unique initiative that provides studio space to 20 local visual artists and cultural practitioners in partnership with the Auto BLDG - Castlepoint Numa. Selected by an independent jury of local artists, curators and arts professionals, the 2021 artist cohort have begun to move into in the building they will call their creative home for the duration of the year. They will share their practices with visitors through programs such as open studio events when it is safe to do so. Similar to Akin’s other locations, the space will foster a community atmosphere and the exchange of ideas.

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Last Chance To Apply: Calls for submissions!

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Get your Summer work deadlines sorted and start booking new projects and residencies before the nice weather arrives. Apply now! 

Outside The Box (City Of Toronto) - April 30 2018

World Of Threads Festival - April 30 2018

Career Launcher Prize 2018 – MAY 11 2018

OUTSIDE THE BOX - Traffic Box Proposal City Of Toronto - APRIL 30 2018

The Outside the Box program provides an opportunity for local artists to create works of art on traffic signal boxes across Toronto. Since 2013, over 350 boxes have been hand-painted by local artists, or wrapped featuring designs by local graphic artists, and transformed into extraordinary works of art. Artists and graphic designers applying to this program are encouraged to consider the context of the local area and the city as a whole. Art calls for hand-painted boxes, and graphic designs for wrapped boxes, are issued separately.

Eligibility & How to Apply

  • Applicants must reside in the City of Toronto.
  • Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
  • City of Toronto employees are not eligible to apply.

Finished works will be on functioning City of Toronto equipment that will need repair or replacing at some point in time. The City therefore cannot guarantee the duration of use of each traffic signal box. Artists and graphic designers should also be aware that traffic signal boxes are often targets for vandalism. Although the City will protect the artwork with a vandal-resistant clear coat or wrap, it cannot guarantee that vandalized traffic signal boxes will be repaired and the artwork restored to its original state. Artists must accept the risk that their artwork may be damaged, altered, or removed at any time after completion.

See here for Application Form and Traffic Box Dimensions.

WORLD OF THREADS FESTIVAL - OAKVILLE - Due APRIL 30 2018

Festival Dates: October 13, 2018 – November 25, 2018

Opening Reception: October 20, 2018

Artists from around the world are invited to submit bodies of work, installations or individual pieces to the festival. The curators will draw from the pool of submissions to create different thematic group exhibitions. We also mount dozens of solo shows.

Something that’s different about World of Threads Festival is that we let the art guide us. We don’t have predetermined curatorial ideas or impose our concepts on the artists. Each festival is a blank slate. Shows develop entirely out of the submissions received. Your work might inspire an entire exhibition! For Festivals 2016, 2014 and 2012 we curated using this process and it worked very successfully. Don’t assume what kind of exhibitions we will mount based on our past shows. Remember that they’re based on what the artists submit. So Festival 2018 could look very different. We’re also open to work that is not made of fibre materials but instead uses techniques of fibre like sewing and weaving or evokes fibre processes or aesthetics.

Festival 2018 will be focused around Queen Elisabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. In addition to the beautiful gallery, we will also be using the Display Area Gallery, the Corridor Galleries, lobby and open public spaces of the entire facility.

Your work may be for sale and we will try to sell it. There will be a 40% commission on any sales.

Fibre Artist Interviews: Some artists who are accepted will be invited to participate in our interview series.

Three Options for Submitting

Body of Work – Maximum 10 pieces + details.

Individual Pieces – Maximum 10 pieces + details.

Installations – Maximum 10 images + details and renderings.

Festival Background

The World of Threads Festival is a leading international showcase of contemporary fibre and textile art. We are a not-for-profit initiative with charitable status run by a couple of dedicated volunteers. The Festival is ambitious and constantly expanding into new territory. We believe that some of the most exciting and compelling artwork being made today is happening in the field of fibre arts. Through our initiatives we have discovered some remarkable artists and brought them to the attention of Canadian and international audiences.

We began in Oakville, Ontario in 1994 as a single exhibition, expanding to a full festival in 1998 and becoming international in 2009. Festival 2016 had 315 artworks by 134 artists from 23 countries. The festival draws visitors from across the region and internationally and has featured work submitted by hundreds of artists from around the world. Festival 2016 attracted more than 60,000 visitors. In 2015 Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate won the Oakville Arts Council 2015 Community Impact Arts Award, for bringing global attention to Oakville and elevating the fibre/textile art form around the world.

Our website has become a central hub for lovers of fibre art with our Fibre Artist Interviews series. We currently have a following in 95 countries. To date we have conducted over 135 interviews with Canadian and international artists. We encourage you to spend some time on our website to see what we have done in the past. For some examples of previous artists and exhibitions look under Artwork or check out our Artist Interviews and Curator Interviews.We are working on getting the albums up from the last festival.

CAREER LAUNCHER PRIZE - 401 RICHMOND - Due MAY 11 2018 5pm

Each year, 401 Richmond Street West welcomes an emerging artist into its community through the 401 Richmond Career Launcher Prize. The Career Launcher Prize provides an exceptional opportunity to occupy a coveted 500 ft2 studio for one year at 401 Richmond Street West, one of Canada’s most dynamic arts facilities. The award recipient will become part of a unique community of artists, cultural producers, creative pioneers, passionate activists and social entrepreneurs. The recipient is chosen from a Toronto-wide competition by a panel of visual arts professionals. The Career Launcher Prize has been presented annually since 2000 as a way of providing space and support for research and experimentation at a critical time in an emerging artist’s career.

Who is eligible?

  • Priority will be given to recent graduates of Toronto post-secondary fine arts programs (or equivalent), although all early career artists (less than 3 years as a professional artist) will be considered.
  • Applicants must have participated in at least one formal exhibition (school-based exhibitions are acceptable).
  • The juried selection process is based on the quality of the candidate’s work but will favour those who are strongly self-motivated, who show originality, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to developing their practice for the duration of the residency.
  • There is no age restriction for this award.

Duration

  • 12 months (September – August)

How to apply

Candidates must provide:

  • Full contact details
  • An artist’s statement
  • A résumé or curriculum vitae
  • A Letter of Intent (1-page maximum) including an overview of expected professional outcomes of the residency
  • Documentation of recent work. These should be audio/visual items on a USB.(please note that all support material will be discarded after the selection process)

Applications and supporting documents should be submitted to:

Career Launcher Prize
c/o Urbanspace Property Group
Studio 111, 401 Richmond Street West
Toronto ON
M5V 3A8

Deadline for applications is 5pm May 11 2018. No applications will be accepted after this date. Prize recipient will be notified by end of June 2018.

Assessment Process

A panel of Toronto arts professionals drawn from the rich pool of expertise at 401 Richmond and beyond, including visual and media artists, arts presenters, curators and critics, will review all applications. Final decisions are made based on the quality of the applicant’s demonstrated practice and the expected value a residency at 401 Richmond would bring to the candidate’s career trajectory. Consideration is given to how effectively the candidate would integrate into the 401 Richmond community. The assessment panel will also be available as advisors and mentors for the recipient during their year-long tenure in the studio, to discuss developments in the work and to share professional insights.

Conditions and Considerations

  • The prize recipient will be asked to sign a lease agreement which clarifies the rules and regulations of tenancy at 401 Richmond Street West.
  • Use of the studio is intended for the recipient only, and is non-transferable. The studio will be available 24 hours a day for one year, at which point it will be turned over to the next recipient. It is expected that the recipient will occupy the space for the full year.
  • Studio space is for working only; it is not to be lived in. Activities that require special ventilation or that make excessive noise are not permitted in the building. The recipient must be respectful of the building and its other occupants.
  • 401 Richmond will commission or select a work from the recipient for the 401 Richmond Permanent Collection (up to $1000). Recipients are asked to host an entrance and an exit exhibition of their work in the space, as a way of connecting with the 401 Richmond community. The successful candidate will receive exposure for their work through the 401 Richmond Update Newsletter.

Past Recipients

Sarah Blagg (2000), Angie Nishikihama (2001), Sarah Lowry (2002), Emma Shankland (2003), Kristine Moran (2004), Emmy Skensved (2005), Adam Brandejs (2006), Gareth Bate (2007), Nikki Woolsey (2008), Angela Noussis (2009), Winnie Truong (2010), Chelsea Jamieson (2011), Graham Curry (2012), Kerry Zentner (2013), Erin MacKeen (2014), Kelly Uyeda (2016), and Ellen Bleiwas (2017)

About 401 Richmond

401 Richmond is an early 20th century industrial building that was transformed in 1994 into a vibrant home for artists’, galleries, film festivals, charities, not-for-profits, magazines, architects, theatre groups and design firms. The building’s renewal, over 20 years ago, was inspired by author Jane Jacobs’ observation that “new ideas need old buildings” and the importance of diversity and mixed-uses in the city.

For more information please contact Careerlauncherprize@urbanspace.org

Calls for Artists! Exhibitions, Residencies, Grant Programs and Professional Development Opportunities for you to apply to!

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The John Willard Fibre Arts Residency at the Art Gallery of Burlington - Deadline December 15

John Willard (1939-2014) in front of one of his quilts, 2014

To celebrate the remarkable life of quilt maker, fibre artist, and community leader John Willard and to continue his legacy as a fibre art teacher, the John Willard Fibre Arts Residency Fund will enable artists access to one of the AGB resident fibre studios to develop a body of work for a solo exhibition. This exhibition will benefit from a small brochure including curatorial text, and will be presented in the RBC Gallery at the Art Gallery of Burlington.

The residency will provide a $2000 honorarium, a solo curated exhibition with publication, 10 days in one of the fibre studios (dates to be confirmed), as well as curatorial mentoring in person to the successful candidate from the beginning of the residency to the opening of the exhibition and potential invitation to teach in our hands-on program or a specific workshop.

Trinity Square Video call for video art - Deadline December 15, 2017

Trinity Square Video is proud to announce the sixth annual juried student video screening event, Video Fever.

If you are or have been an undergraduate student at a Toronto or surrounding area post-secondary institution (as far out as London and Kingston) in 2018 and you make videos, you qualify. Submissions must be single channel videos under 10 minutes in length and will be selected for screening by the Video Fever jury. Videos will be judged solely according to their artistic merit: we are looking for works that offer conceptual and formal innovations in their investigation into video as a critical medium. This is a professional, juried screening and all chosen artists will receive a screening fee and a free one-year membership to Trinity Square Video.

Toronto Employment & Social Services 'Art Connections' Professional Development Program - Deadline ASAP

Beginning January 2018, attend professional development workshops, connect with industry experts within the arts sector and participate in art exhibitions Learn about funding sources, The program includes information on grant writing, professional associations, creating online portfolios and more.

Art Connections candidates must:
• be foreign-trained professional visual artists
• wish to pursue a creative career in Canada
• be able to communicate in English, and
• commit to a series of group meetings/workshops over a period of two months

Call Aleksandra Molnar: 416-392-2869 for further information.

Fogo Island Arts Residency Program - Deadline December 21, 2017

Fogo Island Arts residencies provide opportunities for artists to live and work on Fogo Island for one to two months. Artists-in-residence are provided with a studio, accommodation in a traditional Newfoundland home, a vehicle for on-island use, and a weekly stipend to offset the costs of materials and day-to-day living expenses. Most travel expenses are covered. Artists-in-residence must give one public presentation, performance, workshop, or similar event during their residency.

Glenfiddich Call to Canadian Artists for the Coveted 2018 Glenfiddich Artists in Residence Prize - Deadline January 25, 2018

This is an Open Call to Artists currently living and working in Canada to enter the internationally renowned competition for the prestigious 2018 Glenfiddich® Artists in Residence Prize. The three-month summer residency is valued at over $20,000 CDN per artist. Now in its 17th year, the program covers the cost of travel, living expenses and materials throughout the residency.

The Canadian winner will be one of eight artists worldwide to be awarded the coveted prize to live and work at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Scotland. While living in crofts (traditional small Scottish farm houses), artists are encouraged to take inspiration from the unique setting in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. The experience provides an opportunity unlike any other for artists to work in an international community, share in a dialogue with other artists and foster cross-disciplinary ideas.

ArtReach 2018 Granting Program for Youth Art Projects in Toronto - Deadline February 1, 2018

ArtReach is a funding program designed to support youth arts initiatives in Toronto that foster youth engagement and provide high quality arts opportunities. $300,000 in grants are available to support youth arts projects, thanks to our amazing partnership with the Toronto Arts Council.

ArtReach aims to support meaningful engagement of Toronto youth (13-29), who have experienced and/or are experiencing exclusion from active participation in quality arts opportunities.

Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition - Deadline March 6, 2018

Visual artists and makers in craft & design are invited to apply for the 57th Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Nathan Phillip’s Square on July 6 - 8, 2018! A perfect chance to showcase your work to over 115,000 art lovers and buyers at Canada’s largest contemporary outdoor art fair.

Xpace Cultural Centre annual fall programming launch and back-to-school party

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Xpace Cultural Centre invites you to join them for their annual FREE fall programming launch and back-to-school party on September 8 from 7-11pm, featuring new work created this summer at Akin Lansdowne by our summer artists-in-residence Emily Norry and Kendra Lee, with accompanying essay by Sam Roberts. Emily, Kendra and Sam were winners of the Xpace Summer Residency Program for OCAD U graduates.

September 8 – October 14, 2017
Opening Reception: Friday, September 8, 7-11pm

Poster by Wil Brask

Emily Norry, Queeries into History: The Love of Loring and Wyle (Project Space)

With accompanying essay by Sam Roberts.

This series by Emily Norry explores the lives of Toronto artists Frances Loring and Florence Wyle and their lifetime spent together. Through this show, Norry looks to expand upon her series Queeries into History with a more in depth exploration of these two artists. Where Queeries into History was meant to outline an entire ancestry of queer women through time, The Love of Loring and Wyle is a biography of two beloved but often forgotten artists that helped shape Toronto’s art world, while never wavering in their commitment to one another.

Using watercolour printmaking, Norry takes historical photos of Loring and Wyle’s careers and personal lives, paints them in colour and transfers them onto fabric. These leave images cracked, faded, and sometimes warped from the originals; this is reflective of the way history is often forgotten and overwritten in modern view. These images are then embellished, with embroidery, patterning and dried flowers as a way to describe intimacy, relationships and the way the past is reframed and added to in the present. The works will explore their sculptures, time as students, associations with arts societies, and their more then 50 year relationship. 

www.emilynorry.com

Kendra Yee, Pantry Shelf (Window Space)

With accompanying essay by Sam Roberts.

The attempts to trace back family lineage are swallowed by the movements of time. Documents discarded, photographs burned, tombstones never carved and names changed to survive systems. Mimicking the setup of Kendra Yee’s Yeh-Yeh’s corner store in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, this installation honours family-run businesses. The items displayed replace the culture that has been lost, reclaiming broken narratives and forming new stories.

www.kendrayee.com

Save the date! Akin will be visiting these exhibitions as a part of our Fall Gallery Crawl on Saturday September 16. Stay tuned for more info!