There are only a few hours left ‘til 2020 and we can’t wait to ring in the new year! This past decade, Akin’s first, has brought endless joy and creative challenges and our community has embraced them all with ease. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the next decade and see what opportunities it brings.

2019 has been an exciting year for Akin, with many changes, new initiatives and partnerships. Over the course of the last 12 months we have welcomed many changes with open arms…

We expanded Akin Ossington twice with huge thanks to our friends at TAS Design Build, making it our largest location as of June 2019 and home to over 40 artists, from ceramicists and prop makers to painters and photographers.

We said goodbye to our King Street location at 511 King Street West and expanded one of our east end locations, Akin River, with thanks again to our friends at TAS Design Build, now home to over 25 artists, from sculptors and textile artists to designers and print makers.

We opened a new studio location just around the corner from our old King Street location, Akin Richmond, with thanks to our friends at the Toronto Arts Council now home to a small community of mixed media artists and digital creators.

We also celebrated the opening of Akin’s first event rental space, REMOTE Gallery (located next door to Akin’s Richmond studios at 568 Richmond Street West) dedicated primarily to local programming initiatives and creative exhibitions, among other projects. Our inaugural group show at REMOTE, ‘Movement’ opened in March 2019 and featured new works from 7 Akin artists. You can expect a full calendar of events at REMOTE Gallery in 2020 including exhibitions, pop-up shops, workshops and more!

*Akin staff and studio members presenting at Art Chats, 2019*

We were over the moon to participate in the 2019 edition of the Artist Project as the non profit partner for this year. This unique opportunity provided 10 selected Akin artists with the opportunity to present new works to the public, 3 of which also joined us in a thought provoking discussion on the role of studio spaces in the artistic community. You can catch us again in the new year at the Artist Project 2020.

We began raising money for Akin’s Rent Relief Fund in collaboration with our friend Rania El Mugammar and a number of generous individuals. This unique fund has been launched as part of our ongoing Equity and Inclusion work at Akin, including our recent demographics survey report - which highlighted the needs and experiences of our community. We intend for the Akin Studio Rent Relief Fund to reduce barriers for Akin studio members and create opportunities for marginalized communities. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing, as needed, basis when funds are available. The fund will officially launch once we have raised $3,000.

*Guests busy crafting at the Akin Turns 10 Party & Fundraiser, 2019*

We had a wonderful time providing our community and members with free and low-cost programming throughout the year including but not limited to: our Winter Art Crawl at 401 Richmond, Life Drawing at Allen Gardens and Earth Hour Show & Tell at Akin St. Clair.

The Akin team expanded in May of 2019 to help serve our community better. We welcomed new staff, Ozge Aytekin, Laura Kay Keeling, Soroush Dabiri, and Hana Elmasry as other roles changed and developed within the organization.

We celebrated the opening of our first Etobicoke location, Akin Lakeshore, in August 2019, now home to a number of artists and designers from the community. There are still a few studios available at this location - get in touch with us if you are interested in a tour!

We continued working with our community partners and also welcomed new partnerships with collaborators including our friends at the Gardiner Museum and MOCA Toronto to the Ontario Arts Council, OCAD and Art Books and more!

Akin celebrated our 11th birthday in November 2019, jump starting our second decade ahead of the new year.

We watched and cheered as artists from our community championed their practices, creating programming and exhibiting works for local, national and international institutions from public libraries and schools to art galleries and museums, including but not limited to: the Toronto Public Library, MOCA Toronto, the MacLaren Art Centre, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ontario Science Centre, Dutch Design Week, SCI-Arc and more! Many members of our community also created works and programming for local events like the Gladstone Hotel’s annual event Grow Op, CONTACT, and the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Click here to see what the Akin members have been up to lately.

We welcomed the 2nd cohort of our Studio Program at MOCA Toronto. The studios at MOCA are now home to over 25 practicing artists working in a multitude of medias. We also celebrated the end of the 1st cohort’s residency during their group show ‘An Index’ on MOCA Toronto’s 4th floor.

*Akin is thrilled to welcome Wyandot multimedia artist and Tradition Keeper* *Catherine Tammaro* *(Taǫmęˀšreˀ) to our organization as our inaugural Indigenous Elder Artist in Residence, 2019*

We sought out new training opportunities for our staff, working with local experts and organizations like the Dandelion Initiative, Rania El Mugammar, Tanya Neumeyer, Catherine Tammaro and more! This cumulative training has provided Akin and it’s staff with the opportunity to develop new protocols and processes for embracing our community and it’s ever changing needs.

We launched the call for our new Studio Residency at Collision Gallery - Commerce Court. The call for applications is open until January 10th 2020, with the studio space planned to launch in March 2020.

And finally, we rang in the holidays with our annual holiday market + party, this year at MOCA Toronto with over 20 current Akin artists and our friends at Art Metropole and Forno Cultura.

*10 of the 11 Akin staff, members, 2019*

From our family to yours, happy new year! May the next decade bring you many exciting opportunities and inspiration for new projects.

To inquire about studio space at any of our 10 locations please visit us here or email us at info@akincollective.com.

To inquire about REMOTE Gallery rentals please visit us here for more information or email us at gallery@akincollective.com.

Interested in supporting Akin’s Rent Relief Fund? Click here to donate.

Put that 2020 agenda to good use and don’t forget to apply to Akin’s Studio Residency at Collision Gallery (Commerce Court). Learn more about this opportunity here.