To our studio members and friends,

At Akin we are always saddened to hear that a studio will be closing. This year two of our studios, Akin Bloor-Yonge, and Akin Stockyards will be closing permanently. Both of these studio locations have been exciting and important studios for Akin. Akin Bloor-Yonge has a quiet atmosphere, and is inhabited by so many incredible artists. Built originally as an office space, it’s host to many private studios that artists were itching to get into. We were grateful for the opportunity to provide private workspaces to folks once again. Akin Stockyards is a big, bright, gorgeous community of artists working together in what was once a halloween store, and before that a pharmacy.

Although a studio closure is always sad, in both of these cases it was expected, as we knew we only had a limited time in each building before the redevelopment plans for the sites were ready to move forward. This method of occupying space on an interim basis in the city is intentional and allows Akin to host artist workspaces in key areas of the city that would otherwise be unaffordable to so many of us.

At Akin we value transparency, and today we thought we’d take this opportunity to take you behind the curtain and let you know what Akin does once we find out a studio will be closing.

When Akin staff receives official notice from the property owner to vacate a studio, the first thing we do is inform our staff and our members. Usually we are able to inform everyone within 24 hours of receiving the notice.

Meanwhile, we have normally already begun the search to find another studio space as close by as possible for those members to move into. We like to refer to this as a relocation and not a closure, because we aim to move the community of artists to a new space to keep the connections folks have made in the studio intact. Closing a studio and opening a new one is an all hands on deck situation. We care about our members and we do everything we can to make this transition as smooth and simple as possible.

When we're signing a lease for a new space we always negotiate with the property owners to receive as much notice as possible when it is time to vacate - this is usually a minimum of 3 months. Sometime we are granted an extension as well to give everyone more time and minimize stress for everyone involved.

What’s next is a crucial and busy time for the Akin Staff. We’ve done many relocations before and are not strangers to the process. We launch a survey to our members at the closing studio, asking if they’d like to move to a new location. We place a hold on all available studios at other Akin locations to accommodate the relocating members. Our aim is to leave no member without a studio who wants one. There are always logistical roadblocks, but we do everything in our power to make that happen. It’s always our first priority to accommodate our current members, to find them a new studio as quickly and easily as possible.

Then, we celebrate! We want to hold space for all the connections, all the energy that was shared in a studio for the time we were in it. It’s always bittersweet to leave a studio and move to new ones, but it’s also a chance for new connections, new experiences. In our fifteen years of operation, Akin has said goodbye to eight studios from 2008-2022. Is it sad to move studios? Yes! Does it destroy our community? No! In fact, the opposite, our community is the strongest it’s ever been. We can, at once, mourn the loss of a closed studio and be excited about what’s to come. At the closing party, with any luck, it's not goodbye, it’s see you soon

A huge thank you to Akin’s Real Estate Advisory (AREA), an initiative set up to help ensure Akin evolves in a healthy and sustainable way while continuing to support our growing community long term. We’d also like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our real estate partners; without whom, none of this would be possible. In the cases of the studios we're moving out of soon, Akin Stockyards is in partnership with Marlin Spring and Akin Bloor-Yonge is in partnership with Capital Developments.

Thanks also to our fantastic, hard working staff and lovely studio members. Please feel free to direct further questions to info@akincollective.com. We welcome your feedback anytime!