Andrea Bailey at the Riverdale Art Walk and the Rosedale Art Fair

Andrea Bailey will be showing her latest work in June at the Riverdale Art Walk and the Rosedale Art Fair. Andrea is an emerging abstract artist and Akin Lansdowne studio member. Andrea’s works have been shown in numerous galleries and art shows in Toronto and Baltimore among many other cities. Andrea has a dedicated studio practice and has produced some new and exciting images and methods for 2019 which will be on display at the shows.

The Riverdale Art Walk is a two day event on June 1 and 2 in Jimmie Simpson Park on Queen Street East. The show will be open from 11 am to 6 pm on both days. www.riverdaleartwalk.ca

The Rosedale Art Fair is the following weekend on June 8 and 9, Andrea will show again in the park space across from the LCBO at Summerhill Station on Yonge Street.  Hours are 11-6 on Saturday and 12-5 on Sunday. www.rosedalemainstreet.ca/event/art-fair

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Call for Artists

Visual artists working in all mediums and makers in craft & design from across Canada and beyond are invited to submit applications to Canada’s largest and longest-running juried outdoor art fair. The 58th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair takes place at Nathan Phillips Square, July 12-14, 2019 and attracts over 115,000 art enthusiasts and collectors locally and internationally.

Early Bird Deadline: February 28th 2019 at 11:59PM

Final Deadline: March 6th 2019 at 12:00AM

Application Fee: $50 Regular, $30 Students.
Late fees apply beginning March 1, 2019 12:00 AM

Why should you apply?

1. Keep 100% of your profits! Our visitors spend over $2 million on buying art.

2. Showcase your work at Canada’s best-attended not-for-profit art fair without breaking the bank. Affordable booth packages to fit your budget.

3. Win one of the TOAF prestigious awards. Last year $40,000 cash and in-kind was awarded.

4. Benefit from the TOAF’s multi-platform marketing and media campaign on subways, newspapers, radio stations, social media and more.

5. Build your network by meeting exceptionally talented artists, art professionals and prospective clients.

The venue at Nathan Phillips Square is fully accessible. Artists who require accessibility support can be eligible for additional assistance through our Art Encounters program. Please contact the TOAF directly for more information.

Questions?
Contact us at info@torontooutdoor.art We can't thank you enough for your help in spreading the message about the Call for Artists for the 58th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair this July 12-14, 2019.

Call for Akin Artists: Queen West Art Crawl →

Are you a practicing artist who is also currently a member of one of Akin's 8 studio locations? Then this might be the perfect opportunity for you to show your work at a public outdoor art exhibition for free!

The 2018 edition of Queen West Art Crawl occurs on September 22-23rd. QWAC is a community-based arts and culture organization that is dedicated to supporting the arts community in Queen West and across Toronto. The cornerstone of the organization is our annual outdoor art exhibition that takes place in Trinity Bellwoods Park, the outdoor art festival brings in thousands of visitors each year.

At Queen West Art Crawl culture and art are celebrated through the 3 day juried outdoor exhibition.  Queen West Art Crawl has been supporting artists in many diverse mediums from painting and ceramics to sculpture and jewelry. Active Akin members are invited to apply for a free exhibition spot at this year's event.

Queen West Art Crawl

Dates: September 22-23rd 2018.

Hours: 11AM - 6PM

Location: Trinity Bellwoods Park, 790 Queen Street West, Toronto

Deadline to apply: Friday, September 14th 2018.

To qualify artists must be active Akin members, currently working out of one or more of Akin's 8 studio locations (including the soon to launch Akin x MOCA space). Artists or artist's representatives must be onsite for the entire duration of the event. All mediums are acceptable.

To apply please send the following, in a single PDF, to janet@akincollective.com:

-A brief biography;

-An artist's statement;

-A brief description of how you would use this opportunity;

-3 to 5 images of your most recent work.

---

Deadline to apply is Friday, September 14th at 5PM.

Participating artists will be chosen by QWAC representatives. Up to 3 Akin artists will be awarded free space (shared booth) at this year's Queen West Art Crawl.

If you have any questions please direct them to janet@akincollective.com.

Akin at the 57th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair →

The 57th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Canada's largest and longest running contemporary outdoor art fair kicks off this Friday, July 6th and is an incredible summer experience you won’t want to miss! Over 360 artists, along with live performances, delicious food, and a Henderson Brewing Co. Beer Garden will grace Nathan Phillips Square at this free event. 

Dates: July 6-8, 2018

Location: Nathan Philips Square, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON.

FREE Admission

Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Hours:

Friday, July 6th 10AM-7PM

Saturday, July 7th 10AM-7PM

Sunday July 8th 10AM-5PM

Photo of Loren Kaplan's recent botanical inspired work. 

This year Akin will be onsite with our friends CARFAC Ontario, drop by booth #D271 this weekend to learn more about Akin and to discover the many ways both Akin and CARFAC Ontario help artists of all professional levels.

You can also find a number of Akin members at this year's TOAF, including: Stephanie Avery and Raquel da Silva of Akin MOCA, Natalie Waddell of Akin King, Katrina Jurjans of Akin Lansdowne, Kristy Blackwell of Akin Sunrise and Loren Kaplan of Akin Dupont. You can find their work and more at the following locations:

Stephanie Avery - Booth #: E348 - Photography and Digital Media

Raquel da Silva - Booth #: A8 - Painting

Natalie Waddell - Booth #: D269 - Toronto Potter's

Katrina Jurjans - Booth #: AA4 - Painting

Kristy Blackwell - Booth #: A72 - 2D Works

Loren Kaplan - Booth #: E366 - Craft & Design, Ceramics

We would also like to congratulate Anahita Azrahimi of Akin Lansdowne for organizing and overseeing everything that makes the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair possible for 57 years and counting!

Akin Announces BIG on Bloor BIG Xplorations Mural Project!

Akin is proud to announce the launch of three new outdoor murals by our talented studio artists Althea Balmes, Atanas Bozdarov & Sarvenaz Rayati of Akin Lansdowne, and Billy Franklin of Akin Dupont. 

The murals will be created as a part of BIG on Bloor Festival’s offsite pop-up series ‘BIG Xplorations’ on July 22 and 23 and remain in place for the duration of the summer for the public to enjoy. The works will be created on-site at 1319 Bloor St W in the Value Village parking lot, and along the West Toronto Railpath. These murals will represent the diversity of Akin Collective studio artists and our neighbourhood and community.

About the murals and the artists: 

‘What’s in Your Fridge?’ by Althea Balmes & Atanas Bozdarov

What’s in your fridge? Althea and Atanas will answer the question by transforming their BIG on Bloor mural structure into a fridge—exposing its inside and revealing the yummy contents through fun and colourful illustrations.

Althea and Atanas will collaborate with the community to illustrate the food and drink ideas that they provide. They will be collecting this information prior to the event, and during the live painting, taking suggestions on site. This work is intended to create a conversation about food and culture, and also engage the community allowing them to become active participants.

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.  She teaches visual storytelling workshops throughout the city. She has won the 2012 Women in Film and Television-Toronto (WIFT-T) Award for her film, “Suman Ladies”. She received The Min Sook Lee Award for her on-going community based comic book project about the real lives of Filipino live-in Caregivers, “Kwentong Bayan: Labour of Love” in 2014. Althea is currently doing her Master of Information in User Experience Design at University of Toronto. www.altheabalmes.com

Atanas Bozdarov is an interdisciplinary artist and designer who focuses on deconstructing the ways in which we read and interpret systems and structures. From quoting fragments of architectural blueprints or game sequences, to generating musical motifs from non-musical sources, he constructs incomplete and surprising structures in order to question our understanding of the working systems around us.  www.atanasbozdarov.com

‘An Artist at Work’ by Sarvenaz Rayati

An artist at work. A woman who has done a painting in a nature setting seems restless and is still looking for something. Featuring a persian poem on love.

Sarvenaz is an Iranian visual artist now based in Toronto. She received her BA in Painting and Visual Communication from Art University in Tehran. She has exhibited her work internationally and has recently participated in group exhibitions at Urban Space and Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Since moving to the city, she has focused on her drawing and painting practice and has immersed herself in the community arts world. She visits schools, leads painting workshops, and participates in community arts and mural projects, including the Coxwell Laneway Mosaic Mural. This summer, Sarvenaz is leading People & Trees, a community art project that will culminate with an installation in East York's Dentonia Park as part of City of Toronto Cultural Hotspot’s SPARK Projects.

“Storytelling has always been my main motivation to create art. Heritage, the self, paths, nature, the act of seeking—these are all recurrent themes in my work. I’m inspired by Persian miniatures, comics, found photographs and life around me.”
www.sarvenaz-rayati.com
Instagram: @sarvenaz_ray

‘Bloordale Freestyle’ by Billy Franklin

After many years of keeping design and graffiti separate, artist Billy Franklin has combined the better parts of both worlds by staying true to the DIY ethos. Franklin works in mostly analog techniques, but also has formal training in graphic design. He quickly developed an awareness for a brush and can using self-taught techniques. With a great respect for both methods of practice, his work is carefully thought out with keen attention to detail. Focusing on hard lines, bold colours and clean typography, Billy’s work is easily recognizable. He is influenced by late 90’s skateboard graphics and cartoons from his childhood. Franklin’s work is humorous and witty, sure to draw in his audience with his clever perspective.

Working from his head, Billy will create a freestyle mural that will represent Bloordale and the Akin Community. Things that may be included in the final production: pineapples, cool shoes, coffee cups, bikes, fun patterns, bright colours, puppers, other cool fruits; maybe a classic Billy F portrait partying with a pupper while eating a pineapple and riding a bike in cool shoes thinking about coffee! No matter the final design, you can count on a super fun piece! 
www.eaturpie.com
Instagram: @eaturpie


About the festival:
The BIG on Bloor Festival is a car-free street festival along Bloor Street from Dufferin to Lansdowne. It attracts 100,000 visitors and this year is celebrating 10 years of community building, culturally significant events, activities, displays and exhibitions. This year, greater focus will be given to defining areas for exhibiting artists and spaces to showcase contemporary performances to the general public.

BIG Xplorations is a special pop-up series of live painting, sculpture installations, spot garden releases and events in various venues from West of Lansdowne to the Toronto Railpath. This portion of the street will not be car-free, instead locations will be promoted in a crawl style for visitors to explore. BIG Xplorations will feature over 20 local artists, showcasing works in sculpture, art exhibitions in shipping containers, live painting on mural structures, contemporary performances and other activities which can engage guests. These locations will be featured during the festival and will also survive after the festival dates allowing for guests to visit sites for months after.
www.bigonbloorfestival.com

About Akin:
Akin is a Toronto-based arts organization that provides affordable studio space as well as arts-based programming through it's sister non-profit organization, Akin Projects. Our studios provide a working environment that maintains a friendly and inspiring atmosphere where people can work on creative endeavors and entrepreneurial undertakings of all kinds. Akin builds community through monthly art critiques, workshops, open studio events, gallery tours, exhibitions, as well as various other art projects. www.akincollective.com
 

Interested in supporting Akin and our community programs? Learn more here or get in touch! Email michael@akincollective.com