Have you ever been curious about where to find art and emerging practices in your community? While many public access points to art exist through museums and art fairs, this type of environment often shows art within a historical framework, or positions art as a commodity, and artists as competitors. Outside of these larger institutional and commercial spaces, networks of smaller organizations also exist to introduce and exhibit contemporary art practices. Public galleries and artist-run initiatives are spaces that operate as a kind of third place within the art world, enabling artists to come together on a equal footing to work, collaborate, and exhibit. Below, we’ll break down how they work, what resources they provide, and why and how you can get involved with an initiative or centre.
What is an artist-run initiative?
When artists collectivize to develop programming, share production resources, and create opportunities for artistic activity outside of mainstream gallery spaces, it’s called an artist-run initiative.
Usually, they start with that need first: for resources, studio and production spaces, and are a response to the drive to create. Artist-run initiatives can vary wildly in their size and scope of programming or resources offered, and often evolve in the face of institutional climates where opportunities may favour more established artists, or, down to budgetary cuts, resources for the creation of new work may be hard to come by. A lot of artist-run initiatives can serve as the first entry-point to professional opportunities for emerging artists, and often also have, built-in to their programming, a mission to serve their communities.
Artist-run centres or initiatives may also differ from more conventional art world spaces for providing exhibition opportunities outside of the ‘white cube’. Which means sometimes exhibitions and events take place in unusual spaces ie. swap pristine gallery spaces for retail in transition between occupants, basements, garages, and backyards.
Some artist-run centres, like Art Metropole in Toronto and Printed Matter in NYC, exist to support artists working in multiples, book format and other physical publications. Art Metropole was famously started by the collective General Idea in 1974, and Printed Matter was founded in NYC in 1976 by artists and writers including Sol Lewitt and Lucy Lippard. Both Art Metropole and Printed Matter support the sale of artist books and printed media through collaboration in production or consignment agreements with the artists. Allowing work to circulate outside of a traditional gallery system, while making art objects and publications more accessible to the public.
How do artist-run initiatives operate?
In line with their DIY spirit, artist-run initiatives may have lateral structures, where organizational power is distributed more equitably between staff or volunteer members. This different approach to traditional institutional hierarchies creates a culture of distributed responsibilities, opportunities and shared decision-making. More established artist-run initiatives tend to evolve into non-profit organizations, where there may be a leadership and staffing structure that includes a board of directors, an executive director, staff, and contributing members.
Why join an artist-run initiative
If you have the chance to join an artist-run initiative or center as a member, you may receive access to production equipment, low-cost facility rentals, and gain entry to member-focused programming opportunities. It’s also an excellent way to connect with your community, make friends and share resources.
Resources
Below you’ll find a list of different artist-run initiatives from the US, Canada, and those found internationally.
There are different terms and structures for artist-run initiatives internationally, although there are many core features across these projects. In Canada, artist-run initiatives are more commonly known as artist-run centres, which proliferated in the 1960s and 1970s. Many artist-run centres began as regional art centres founded by local artists under a collective model. These centres then developed a unique infrastructure in partnership with grant councils where artist-run centres could apply to receive operating funding from the Canada Council as well as provincial and municipal art councils. Not all artist-run initiatives in Canada receive this type of funding, and some remain closer to an artist-collective model of operations.
Canadian Artist-Run Centres
DAÏMÔN
Gatineau, Quebec
About: DAÏMÔN is an artist-run centre in the Outaouais region. Established in 1986, DAÏMÔN is especially known for providing photography and media resources for research and creation, and hosts regular production residencies which provide artists access to the centre’s studios and equipment. DAÏMÔN is a media artist’s mecca – their facilities include an electronics and robotics lab, an ambisonic studio, and photo and image labs which can support both digital and analog photo practices with darkroom, scanning and print resources.
DAÏMÔN’s programming accepts artists in two streams: the 4-week artist residency program, and the 2-week ‘first work’ program where artists new to media arts may apply to receive production support on a first work in media and/or digital arts. All residencies at DAÏMÔN are funded, and artists receive a fee in addition to technical and artistic support. Recent residents hosted by DAÏMÔN include Philippe Caron, Eva Kolcze, and Mai ach-Ngoc Nguyen.
Gallery 44
Toronto, ON
About: Located in the 401 Richmond building, a historic arts hub in downtown Toronto, Gallery 44 is an artist-run centre dedicated to photographic and image-based practices. Gallery 44 supports artists through programming and production space available through residencies and membership – members can access equipment rentals, a black and white darkroom, barrel scanning, and low-cost archival printing services.
Look out for Proof, Gallery 44’s annual group exhibition, which focuses on emerging artists working in contemporary photography and lens-based media. Proof has a storied history of past exhibitors; past editions of Proof have featured artists including Luther Konadu, Meryl McMaster, and Elise Rasmussen. Learn more about Proof’s most recent iteration, Proof 31, here.
Western Front
Vancouver, BC
About: Founded in 1973 by artists Kate Craig, Glenn Lewis, Eric Metcalfe, Michael Morris, Vincent Trasov, composer Martin Bartlett, writer Henry Greenhow, and architect Mo can Nostrand, Western Front in Vancouver is one of Canada’s longest standing artist-run centres It supports emerging artists and curators through exhibition and residency opportunities, all within the original building purchased by its founders in 1972.
One notable project supported by Western Front was the famous Mr. Peanut mayoral campaign in 1974, in which Vincent Trasov assumed the identity of the Planters logo, Mr. Peanut, in a life size costume for a 20-day mayoral run. Mr. Peanut’s political ambitions were covered by the Vancouver Sun, appeared in televised debates, and even amassed 3.4% of the vote. You can learn more about this project (and watch a short documentary on Mr. Peanut directed by Andrew Muir) on Western Front’s website.
Eyelevel Gallery
Halifax, Nova Scotia
About: Initially established as Inventions Gallery in 1972. Eyelevel primarily supported visual arts projects, while also showcasing interdisciplinary practices, including music and dance performances.
In its current programming, Eyelevel supports projects that operate outside of a traditional gallery space, and prioritizes socially engaged artistic practices and artists from marginalized communities.
A recurring program hosted by Eyelevel is its ‘HEAT WAVES’ emerging artist residency. HEAT WAVES is unique in that it accepts artists who have limited or no experience in the arts – the residency takes place at Eyelevel’s studios during the summer months, and artists are encouraged to pursue research and experimentation without the expectation to have produced a finished body of work at the conclusion of the program. To learn more about this self-directed opportunity, and to read about past participants, visit Eyelevel’s website here.
US Artist-Run Initiatives
Western Pole
Chicago, Illinois
About: Self-described through wordplay as a “[p]illar of the con/temporary art community in Chicago and beyond”, Western Pole is an artist project organized by Jesse Malmed. An irreverent example of an artist-run initiative, Western Pole operates (literally) outside of institutional structures – each week, the project installs a single 8.5”x11” artwork on a telephone pole on Western Street, Chicago.
Embodying the concept that it’s constraint that drives innovation, Western Pole has hosted a multitude of poster-based exhibitions in its unique public exhibition space. A scroll through its tumblr archive shows collaborations dating back to 2015, including takes on DIY advertising, op art, and poetry. You can browse the archives of this unique curatorial initiative here.
The Front
New Orleans, Louisiana
About: An artist-led nonprofit exhibition space in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 2008 and located in a residential neighbourhood, the gallery occupies a house whose rooms (and backyard) are each treated as distinct gallery spaces. The Front supports emerging and professional artists, prioritizing exhibitions from underrepresented groups (BIPOC, LGBTQIA, women) in its programming.
The gallery’s activities are organised by its collective members, and down to the multi-space structure, its schedule hosts up to 60 exhibitions per year. Recent projects include the exhibition Overtones of Extraction: Art in the Wake of Change curated by Elliot Stokes. The group show’s ecological focus offers overlapping perspectives on climate change and extreme weather.
Wave Pool
Cincinnati, Ohio
About: Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wave Pool is a Community-driven, artist-led gallery originally founded in 2014. Self-described as a socially engaged art centre, Wave Pool supports programming that includes exhibitions, residencies, workshops. Partnering with local organizations to promote “problem-solving as artistic practice.” In addition to its gallery, Wave Pool’s facilities include studio space and community gathering space, their work and collaborations emphasizing social practice.
One of Wave Pool’s recent projects “The Welcome Project”, a multifaceted initiative that “empowers Cincinnati’s refugee and immigrant population while connecting, assisting, and inspiring all through art and food.” The Welcome Project encompasses several different programs hosted by the centre, including an Immersive Art/Food Residency program which ran between 2022-23, an Editions program, and an ongoing series of themed community dinners held at neighborhood community centers, fostering connections to Cincinnati’s immigrant communities. Read more about this expansive series of projects here.
International Artist-Run Initiatives
Ormston House
Limerick city, Ireland
About: Per its website, “Ormston House is a meeting place for the arts in the heart of Limerick city.” Ormston House serves artists and citizens through its support of experimental practices and cultural events, seeking to connect curatorial practice with local knowledge and activism. Originally founded in 2011 as a Cultural Resource Center, it’s situated within a storied building whose history and occupancy date back to the late 18th century.
Recent projects at Ormston House include exhibitions, performances, and texts by contemporary artists and curators responding to its context within the community. One project, The Sky is Falling! took up the corncrake, a small migratory bird known for their distinctive call, as its subject. Emerging from a partnership with the conservation project Corncrake LIFE, the exhibition showcased artistic research that probed the environmental and agricultural conditions leading to the corncrake’s decline in Ireland and the UK. Read more about this project here.
DUPLEX
Lisbon, Portugal
About: Originally founded in 2019 by artist Susana Rocha, DUPLEX is an artist-run space whose programming includes an ongoing artist residency and exhibition projects. DUPLEX’s space also houses long-term artist studios, fostering community among professional artists by providing production spaces.
DUPLEX’s exhibition space hosts regular shows focusing on contemporary artists, and presented with curatorial support. A recent group exhibition Taking the Light out of the Prism, marked the initiative’s 4th anniversary by inviting 52 artists who had previously worked with DUPLEX to participate in a group show spread across 3 different sites. Celebrating independent space and interdependent thinking, this exhibition showcased a diverse array of emergent art practices. You can read more about this project and its unique art space here.
Gallery VER
Bangkok, Thailand
About: A gallery space in Bangkok, Thailand, originally established as an artist-run initiative in 2006 Gallery Ver focuses on experimental practices.Hosting exhibitions, events, one-off activities, and institutional events, while supporting artists and curators in realising their artistic, conceptual, and theoretical projects. Representing a roster of artists, they also publish VER magazine, featuring stories from everyday life explored through text, image, and sound.
A recent exhibition hosted by VER showcased a mini-retrospective of artist Som Supaparinya’s work, titled Collapsing Clouds Form Stars. The exhibition showed major works in Supaparinya’s oeuvre which had never before been seen in Thailand, some of which critically examined the 2014 coup d’état and ensuing period of military rule in Thailand. You can learn more about this body of work here.
Find Artist-Run Initiatives Near You
Online networks dedicated to artist-run initiatives, include The Artist Run Alliance, the Artist-run Centres and Collectives Conference (ARCA), the alternative art guide, and Artist-Run Network Europe. You’ll find a range of new and established centres within these resources, and get the chance to introduce yourself to new art spaces and artists.
Artist-run initiatives embody the creativity of artists at an organizing level and counterbalance the framing of art as solely an industry by prioritizing engagement with art at the level of community. Whether you’re a casual viewer, a cultural worker, or an artist yourself, it’s worth supporting the artist run initiatives in your area – If you do you’ll likely be rewarded with a glimpse of scrappy working methods and emergent practices that may inspire you in your own.
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