Just around the corner from Trinity Bellwoods Park, Akin Niagara is a small but mighty studio in the heart of the Queen West neighbourhood. With an outdoor patio, big, bright windows, and intimate studio rooms, Akin Niagara has become a beloved home base to many different artists and creatives -
Read More
Image Description: A photograph of the Akin Queen East Studio's two-story red brick facade, featuring multiple windows and a large bush in front. The background is pink, decorated with a blue checkerboard graphic and two yellow hearts with a smiling faces. The text reads, "Akin Queen East is Almost at Capacity!"
Newly opened in the Spring of 2024, Akin Queen East is a vibrant example of the spirit and talent that Toronto’s East-End artists have to offer. Now, just over half a year later, Akin Queen East is almost at full capacity for dedicated memberships. Our studio members include painters, fashion designers, sculptors, installation artists, writers, and more. There are only a few studio memberships remaining - read more below and email info@akincollective.com to inquire about membership!
@kriscartist/
@the_illust/
Akin Queen East consists of the whole building at 429 Queen Street East, close to the intersection of Queen and Parliament. The studio has three floors: a lower level with large private studios, a ground floor that includes a sunny shared membership area, and a second floor with a long skylight which shines light on all three floors of this open-concept space.
Members at Akin Queen East enjoy community-building events and programming like the Akin Queen East Open Studio event that we hosted last autumn, and the Akin Crit Night which happened in the studio on February 5th. Members working with ceramics have kiln access and a 20% discount on kiln firing services through Lost and Found Project Space which is just down the street from the studio.
All memberships include 24/7 access, wifi, utilities, insurance, restroom and kitchen access, communal workspaces and common area cleaning. Prices include HST.
QUE 18 - 2nd Floor: 77sqft for $415/month
This studio has two 6’ high plywood partition walls and one structural wall. It is located in a row of dedicated studios on the west side of the ground level. All of the studios receive natural light through the skylight above in the center of the space. It is close to the shared workspace, which has multiple tables that can be used for working on larger projects when available.
Image Description: Akin Queen East’s 2nd floor studios. Built in wooden shelving runs along the railing in the centre of the room. A skylight runs along the ceiling, and at the back of the room are private studios behind an orange-red wall. The background is pink, decorated with a blue checkerboard graphic and a yellow heart with a smiling face.
QUE 36 - 2nd Floor: 75sqft for $406/month
This studio has two 6’ high plywood partition walls and one structural wall. It is located in a row of dedicated studios on the west side of the second floor. In addition to the natural light from the skylight above in the center of the space, this studio has an additional small skylight directly above.
QUE 18 - Ground Floor: 77sqft for $415/month
This studio has two 6’ high plywood partition walls and one structural wall. It is located in a row of dedicated studios on the west side of the ground level. All of the studios receive natural light through the skylight above in the center of the space. It is close to the shared workspace, which has multiple tables that can be used for working on larger projects when available.
QUE 10 - Ground Floor: 39sqft for $252/month
This studio has two 6’ high plywood partition walls, plywood divider walls and one structural wall. It is located in a row of dedicated studios on the east side of the ground level. All studios receive natural light through the skylight above on the ceiling in the center of the space. It is close to the shared workspace, which has multiple tables that can be used for working on larger projects when available.
Image Description: A view of Akin Queen East’s ground floor, including the shared membership area and available studio QUE 10. A long white worktable in the middle of the room sits under overhead sunlight. Behind the tables are studios divided by plywood partition walls. The background is pink, decorated with a blue checkerboard graphic and a yellow heart with a smiling face.
QUE 10 - Ground Floor: 39sqft for $252/month
This studio has two 6’ high plywood partition walls, plywood divider walls and one structural wall. It is located in a row of dedicated studios on the east side of the ground level. All studios receive natural light through the skylight above on the ceiling in the center of the space. It is close to the shared workspace, which has multiple tables that can be used for working on larger projects when available.
QUE 4 - Lower Floor: 455sqft for $1276/month
This private office is on the lower level of the building. It has bright overhead lighting, generous built-in shelving along one wall, and is completely private. It does not have windows. It is located on the same floor as 2 other private studios, a communal kitchen, washrooms, and a utility sink for washing up.
Shared Membership: $80/month
We also have shared memberships available! Shared memberships allow you to work in two bright, spacious designated shared workspaces in the building. One is located right under the skylight with great natural light, large and medium-sized tables, and has a more open-concept feeling. The second shared workspace is more private and incorporates a large built-in desk and shelves for shared storage.
Our studios can accommodate a wide range of creative practices. If you are interested in a space at Akin Queen East, now’s the time! Please contact info@akincollective.com to book your tour.
Hello artists, makers, inventors, and creators! Here’s a snapshot of some of the move-in ready studios that Akin has available across the city.
If you see anything you like please reach out to info@akincollective.com and we’ll connect you with the Studio Manager for a tour of the space. Please share this post if you know anyone in need of a space to work!
With a prime, central west-end location (and its own private outdoor patio!), Akin Niagara is just steps away from Queen Street West and Trinity Bellwoods Park. While there is no kiln on site, Akin Niagara members have the benefit of a ceramics firing pick-up and drop off service hosted by the kiln operator at Akin St Clair. You can have your ceramics picked up in your studio, fired at Akin St Clair, and delivered back to you. Akin Niagara is one of Akin’s more intimate studio locations with a supportive, tightly knit community of artists.
Your east-end creative space! Between Parliament St and River St, Akin Queen East is an entire three floor building of bustling artistic energy and a growing community of artists. The building itself is beautiful; an old, architecturally intriguing building with skylights that shine light all the way down to the lower level, due to its open concept design. Ceramicist members can fire their creations across the street at the Lost and Found Project Space with a 20% discount.
Unique for its many private studio spaces, views of the cityscape and convenient mid-town location, Akin Yonge-St Clair is filling quickly! This studio is loaded with big windows, tons of natural light and a mix of open spaces and small, intimate rooms within a larger office building. With 5 units throughout the building (each with their own kitchen) there is a wide array of studio styles to choose from. Located right at the corner of Yonge and St Clair, this mid-town location is as central as it gets.
At Akin Davisville, the artists have the whole three-storey building to themselves. With two large kitchens, six gender-neutral bathrooms, a big comfy common room, an elevator, parking, and huge windows, Akin Davisville is home to dozens of artists in the Mount Pleasant and Yonge-Eglinton area.
Shared Memberships at Akin Davisville provide access to two bright studio areas, one on the first floor and one on the second, providing space to work privately or alongside your studio mates. Members can leave their art supplies in the storage areas so no need to bring supplies back and forth from home. Plus, the Akin Davisville shared area boasts the biggest easel at Akin!
Shared Memberships are available at all of these locations for $80/month.
All prices include HST and all memberships include:
24/7 access
wifi
utilities
insurance
shared storage facilities
restroom and kitchen access
communal workspaces
common area cleaning
If you don’t see the size or style of studio that you’re looking for listed above there are more studios available at Akin's 8 locations ranging from 25 square feet ($191/month) to 382 square feet ($1,255).
Email info@akincollective.com for more information, or to book your tour today!
We took some time to chat with Akin Member Chris Gardiner about our newest West-End location, Akin Niagara. Continue reading below to find out Chris’ three fabourite things about being a member:
Image Description: Outdoor patio with table and umbrella in the center, bbq in the back left and benches and window to the right.
Image Description: Image of the facade of the building that Akin Niagara resides in. It is a 5-storey building red brick on the right side and covered in white concrete on the left side. The photos os taken in spring so there are many green trees. a teal blue graphic border surrounds the photo with graphic pops if pink. The Akin logo live atop the image and the words “Akin Niagara!” sit below.
Image Description: Chris’s studio at Akin Niagara features a grey chair positioned against the left wall, beneath a thin shelf. The walls to the left and back are adorned with several paintings.
Chris Gardiner’s two-dimensional work combines elements of Geometric Abstraction, Neo-Dada, and Art Informel. Whether he focuses on a process of drawing that emphasizes spontaneous/gestural qualities of the artistic process; collage that creates unexpected juxtapositions, a sense of irony, or a disruption of the viewers' expectations; or in painting where precise shapes and forms are arranged in deliberate and structured ways. Gardiner’s work challenges viewers to question their assumptions about the nature of art, and invites them to engage with the work in unexpected and thought-provoking ways. In metaphorical terms it’s Free Jazz meets Professional Wrestling.
See more of Chris’s work at www.chrisgardinerart.net and @gardinerartdotnet
Image Description: Several paintings hanging in Chris’s studio made of black, white or red lines.
Image Description: Painting with multiple vertical black and white bars, one small red horizontal bar in the lower right hand corner and several red strokes in the top left hand corner.
Akin Niagara is located at 289 Niagara Street just south of Queen Street West and in close proximity to Trinity Bellwoods Park. Akin Niagara features rooms with large windows which get ambient daylight and an outdoor patio space exclusively for Akin Niagara members’ use.
All memberships include taxes, 24/7 access, wifi, utilities, insurance, shared storage facilities, restroom and kitchen access, communal workspaces, common area cleaning, connection to a community of artists and more!
Shared Memberships: $78/month
• Access to shared working areas and storage
Dedicated Memberships (your own studio):
• Private and semi-private options
• Sizes range from 40 sqft at $252 per month to 117 sqft for $551 per month.
Visit www.akin.art for more info.
Link in Bio to view all currently available studios.
Contact us at info@akincollective.com to book a studio tour!
The Akin logo and the words "Introducing... Akin Richmond-Bathurst" appear on an image of a large window surrounded by a brick wall and a desk with chairs on both ends.
Akin is thrilled to announce our newest studio, Akin Richmond-Bathurst! Located at 579 Richmond Street West, Akin Richmond-Bathurst is on the fourth floor of a beautiful old office building, with an open-concept layout, plenty of natural light, exposed brick walls and beautiful hardwood floors throughout the space. This new studio location has room for 10 Shared Memberships starting at $73/month, as well as 46 Dedicated studios ranging from 25sf for $174/month to 155sf for $597/month. Monthly membership fees include taxes, insurance, wifi, utilities, 24/7 access as well as use of shared shelving units, washroom, communal working areas, and kitchen.
579 Richmond St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1Y6
Akin Richmond-Bathurst was set up as a replacement studio for Akin Stockyards members whose studio closed at the end of June. When a studio closes we always try our best to give the artists a space to relocate to and we are so glad to have had this exciting new space lined up for them! We are also giving priority to Akin Bloor-Yonge Members and Akin Waterfront members, as both of those studios have also closed over the last couple months.
Once our current members have been relocated, we’ll still have room for new members! If you’re interested in a space at Akin Richmond-Bathurst, email info@akincollective.com to be added to the waitlist. We will be offering any available studios to folks on the Akin Richmond waiting list, which is right across the street. Priority will be given to people who are on the waiting list, as well as those who have self-identified as belonging to our priority equity-deserving groups (Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+)
We would like to thank our workspace partner, Allied, for this beautiful space.
We couldn’t have done this without them.
The Akin logo and the words "Akin Young-St Clair is here!" appear on an image of a brick and concrete wall with yellow flowers below.
Located at 1 St Clair Ave W, right at the corner of Yonge Street, Akin Yonge-St Clair has room for 50 members in our 4 units in this large office building. Our team has been hard at work to get it ready! Akin Yonge-St Clair opened on May 15th to the first group of members who have relocated from Akin Bloor-Yonge. We are looking forward to opening the doors over the coming weeks and welcoming more members from our Akin Stockyards location to this bustling midtown location!
Beautiful light on the 11th floor!
Wide Hallways!
New Kitchenettes!
There are Shared Memberships available for $73/month, which includes access to shared working areas, shared storage, kitchen, a communal gathering area and bathrooms. There are 39 Dedicated Memberships in the building (i.e., your own studio), including private and semi-private options ranging from 35 square feet at $212/month to 243 square feet at $829/month. Both membership types include HST, 24/7 access, WiFi, contents insurance, as well as use of shared shelving units, washrooms, a kitchen and communal area.
Akin Yonge-St Clair is located on the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 11th floor of the building. There are no steps to enter the building and no steps throughout the building. All of the floors are accessible by elevator. There are men’s and women’s, and wheelchair accessible gender-neutral bathrooms on each floor. There is no free onsite parking for this building, but there is paid parking located down the street.
Priority for this studio has been given to Akin Bloor-Yonge Members, whose studio is closing permanently this month, and Akin Stockyards Members whose studio will be closing in June. Priority for any remaining studio memberships will be given to folks who have been on an Akin studio waitlist for 6 months or more, as well as those who identify as a member of one or more of the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups (Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIAP). That being said, we will do our best to provide studio space to anyone who is interested so we encourage you to join the waiting list as we hope to expand in this building as more space becomes available.
We would like to acknowledge the support of our partner Slate Asset Management for making this space available to Akin and our artists. We’re excited to welcome you into this studio and we can’t wait for you to be a part of this new community.