Hamilton Artists Inc.

See You Next Year!

Hamilton Artists Inc will be closed to the public until Wednesday, January 10, 2024.

We wish everyone a peaceful and reflective holiday season.

Please check out our open James Gallery Calls, Programming Coordinator Job Posting, and OAC Exhibition Assistance programs on our website and at our linktree.

Attention all artists and curators!

Our call for submissions for the James Gallery are now OPEN! We currently have two (2) themed calls and two open calls for self-curated exhibitions in 2024. Full details for each call, including theme breakdowns and deadlines, please check out the Open Calls page of our website: https://theinc.ca/open-calls

Calls end Feb. 1, 2024

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Attention Art Lovers!

Our annual members exhibition, Swarm, is going strong! Not only is Swarm a great opportunity to witness the talent in our community, but also for that same talent to be supported. If you or a loved one are an art lover and you want to support local creatives, consider purchasing a piece now on exhibition at our show!

All artists receive 100% of the profit from their work, so you can be assured that your support will go directly to the artists whose work you purchase.

We will be open this week from Wednesday, December 20th to Saturday December 23rd from 12-5pm (12-6pm on Friday).

Works Shown:

Nikola Wojewoda
Dime Store Demon, 2023.
Mixed Media.
NFS

Chris Erskine
Tarot Reading, 2023.
Acrylic and marker on canvas.
$950

Cheryl Hoffman
Rice Paper Collage, 2023.
Collaged inkjet print on rice paper.
$250

Anastasia Velincvic
At Last I Stand Here, 2022.
Oil on masonite in refurbished frame.
NFS

Janice Kovar
Evoke, 2023.
Mixed media on wood.
$300

Tara Bursey
Mistakes/Politics, 2023.
Letterpress on Stonehenge.
$150

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Have you held off on your winter gift shopping?

Hamilton Artists Inc. has plenty of merchandise available on-site for your Art Gift needs.

Available merchandise includes our mystery postcard package and our brand new tote bag!

So if you’re looking to support the arts, consider supporting your local artist-run centre.

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: (No) Body

Sure, the exhibition (No)Body only left the James Gallery in October, but perhaps it’s worthwhile to throw back to slightly cooler times. This exhibition, featuring the work of Par Nair, Alana Morouney, and Laura Honsberger, was an exploration of bodies as the complex but integral subjects in contemporary art.

We’re pleased to announce that a new piece of writing has been posted on the (No) Body exhibition page. Written by Bianca Isabel Garcia, this piece is called “to feel at home in my clothed body.” It’s an exploration of the many themes of the many beautiful works that were part of the exhibition.

We encourage you to take a look at this wonderful piece and reflect on the bodies in your life that you hold dear or hold complex relationships with. Drop a comment with your favourite quote, if you find one!

You can read the writing at the (No) Body exhibition page: https://theinc.ca/exhibitions/nobody

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💻New Website Launch!

The Inc is SO happy to announce the launch of our new website design! Same old address, brand new look. We’d like to thank our friends at Co & Co Design, former staff Kristina Durka, as well as past and present members of our Communications Committee.

We invite everyone to visit our website for all updates on our exhibitions, publications, programs, events, and opportunities–including our OAC Exhibition Assistance program and our Job Posting for the Programming Coordinator!

Thank you for your support as we continue to grow and develop new tools to bring quality arts programming.

You can find us at https://www.theinc.ca

P.S - If you would like to join our communications committee, please send a DM or email to [email protected]

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Now Hiring: Programming Coordinator

Application deadline: January 1, 2024

⁣Programming Coordinator: $22/hour at 22.5 hours/week⁣
⁣
Please visit the link to our website to read the full job descriptions and to apply!:
https://theinc.ca/news/now-hiring-programming-coordinator
⁣
Hamilton Artists Inc. is looking for passionate folks to apply for the position of Programming Coordinator. This is a permanent part-time position where folks will bring their arts programming, facilitation, and contemporary arts knowledge to our space and help us deliver exciting programming to the Hamilton arts community.

The Inc. is dedicated to social and cultural diversity in our operations and programming. We encourage applications from folks of diverse communities and backgrounds.

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New Exhibition!
SWARM

December 1, 2023 - January 13, 2024
Opening Reception: December 1. 7-9pm EST.

For the second year in a row, SWARM returns in-person! Our annual members exhibition each year is an opportunity to survey the wealth of talent within our membership and therefore the local arts scene.

This year, we host over 90 pieces of original art of many different mediums and sizes from artists across their careers.

We invite you to join us for our opening reception on Friday, December 1 from 7pm - 9pm! Come in from the cold, grab a mask, and have a chance to check out the amazing work and meet some of the artists who are exhibiting!

We look forward to your visit.

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❤️It's !✉️

Hamilton Artists Inc. has been a constant in Hamilton since 1975. While we ramp up for , our annual members exhibition, we are taking today to reflect on the folks who make our programming possible; our members, our volunteers, our staff, our board, and our funders.

This year, the Inc. celebrates 48 years as an artist-run centre providing services, space, and solidarity in the Hamilton Arts Community. If you see value in supporting us, we invite you to participate this Giving Tuesday by:

❤️Donating directly to our Canada Helps page
https://canadahelps.org/en/charities/hamilton-artists-inc/

🤝Becoming a member
https://www.theinc.ca/membership/

🎁Buying items from our store
https://www.theinc.ca/products/

We would love to reach 48 individual donations by the end of December 2023.

We acknowledge that during these times many causes both personal, regional, and global call for our attention and support. Therefore we encourage folks to participate in any way that works for them. If you would like to give us a share, like, or follow and help us reach new eyes, we would be forever grateful.

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Attention Artists!

We are extending the artwork drop-off period for SWARM, our annual members exhibition, to Monday, November 27th from 12-5pm.

We are beyond excited to bring SWARM back in-person for the second year in a row. We've been so excited to see so much amazing art come through the door already.

If you have an artwork ready to display, and if you're interested in becoming a member or renewing your membership, we'd love to see you on Monday!

For any questions or concerns, drop a comment or send us a DM.

We hope to hear from you!

💸OAC Exhibition Assistance Deadline 🖼
January 16th at 1pm ET

The Hamilton Artists Inc is a recommender for the OAC Exhibition Assistance program. This program helps artists with confirmed exhibitions with costs related to their exhibition.

Exhibition assistance applications are through OAC’s online granting portal, Nova. We no longer accept emailed or mailed applications. If you live in Zone 3 and would like to apply to the Inc., create an account in OAC’s Nova portal and submit your application to us through the portal directly.

For full program details, please check our OAC Exhibition Assistance Page: https://www.theinc.ca/exhibition/oac-exhibition-assistance/

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“take care”

Our Cannon Project Wall has been home to many installations. From July 2021 to June 2022, the installation “take care” stood for 11 months as a declaration, instruction, and reminder. The conversation started around Karice Mitchell’s work is still relevant. The publication for this installation, which features an essay by writer and curator Nya Lewis, is now available.

This publication features writing by Nya Lewis and was edited and designed by Sally McKay and Kristina Durka. We’re happy to reflect on this work and continue the conversation!

Copies of the publication can be found on our “take care” exhibition page: https://www.theinc.ca/exhibitions/karice-mitchell-take-care 💅🏾

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📀Groove Night💿
Hamilton Artists Inc x Places

Presented by the Hamilton Artists Inc. and Places — Groove Night is a monthly dance events celebrating dance, music, dance music, and the people who love those things. Join us on Saturday November 25, 2023 from 7pm to 10pm for some groovy selections picked by Kfeelz, Plejboj, and Dunaway.

We'll also have Open Deck Practice from 5-7pm!

Free Admission/PWYC. Advance tickets can be purchased at our Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/groove-night-hamilton-artists-inc-x-places-registration-736852083417?aff=oddtdtcreator

50% of bar sales and 100% of PWYC ticket sales go towards the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF)
Indoors @ James Gallery (mask mandate in place) + Outdoors @ Courtyard
Accepting cash, debit, and credit to purchase beverage tickets.

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: “she makes all things good” Billboard Exchange

Over the summer, Hamilton Artists Inc, PAVED Arts, and AKA Artist-Run partnered together to curate a billboard exchange. From July 1-August 1, PAVED Arts hosted “she makes all things good” by Maria-Margaretta, curated by Abedar Kamgari.

From PAVED Arts:

“How do we care for objects and the stories they hold? Artist Maria-Margaretta explores generational relations by considering the ways in which objects are created, kept, and passed down. Her photographic billboard, she makes all things good, reflects on her homelands and ancestral lineage through the transformative power of objects.”

For more information, you can check out the page on PAVED Arts Website, pavedarts.ca.

You can learn more about Maria-Margaretta at instagram.com/mariamargaretta

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🤔SWARM FAQ🎨

"What is SWARM?"

SWARM is our annual members exhibition. After a triumphant return to in-person SWARM last year, we are excited to bring it back December 1st.

"How can I participate?"

If you're a member, you can fill out a submissions form (available on our website) and drop-off one artwork.

"What if I'm not a member?"

Becoming a member is easy! You can sign up to be a member anytime. If you'd like to become a member and submit artwork, you just need to bring your membership form, fee, and submission form to the Inc along with your artwork during our SWARM drop-off period.

"When is the SWARM drop-off period?"

Artwork can be brought or sent to the Inc between November 20-November 25. The Inc will be open from 12-5pm on each day.

"What kind of work is accepted?"

We accept all kinds of work. If you have specific concerns, feel free to get in touch via DM or email [email protected]. All artwork that is to be hanged must be prepared to do so. The Inc. does not offer mounting fixtures, wires, or hardware.

"Can I sell my artwork during SWARM?"

Yes! The submissions form for each entrant contains a section on sales. Members retain 100% of the profit from their sales. We connect artists and buyers. Artists may set a percentage of profits that they would like to donate to The Inc.

You can learn more about SWARM at our announcement page: https://www.theinc.ca/swarm-2023/

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New Staff!

The Inc. is pleased to welcome Paige Paton to the staff as our newest Project Archivist/Gallery Assistant. Until the end of March 2024, Paige will be assisting us facilitate programs, realize projects, and be a friendly face on-site. Welcome to the team, Paige!

Paige Paton is an emerging self-taught artist whose practice encompasses film, video, sound, collage, and mixed media. Fusing analog lens-based processes and manipulation techniques with digital finessing and obfuscation, her visual practice ranges from concert photography to landscapes, documentary to abstraction, and experimental processes to multi-media. Paige is interested in exploring themes such as the human connection to nature, memory, reality, and nostalgia.

You can find Paige at paigepaton.com and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/paige.paton/

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: If this is the party I want, then you may not be a part of it

Long before the Wormshop took over the Cannon Gallery, the lights were turned down and the music was turned up for Henry Heng Lu’s exhibition “If this is the party I want, then you may not be a part of it”. The exhibition, featuring works by Jennifer Chan, Fang Di, Will Kwan, Alvin Luong, Midi Onodera, Rah, and Karen Tam, was an exploration of the concept of party; political parties, gatherings, and assemblages across time and space.

This publication features a lovely written tour of the works exhibited by the curator Henry Heng Lu. Featuring documentation by Abedar Kamgari and design by Kristina Durka and Eli Nolet, this publication serves as a catalogue for a beloved exhibition.

Copies of this publication can be found at Hamilton Artists Inc or are available for download on the Exhibition Page: https://theinc.ca/exhibitions/henry_heng_lu_party/

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🎨Calling all young Indigenous artists!

IHM is hosting a 6-week art show at Hamilton Artists Inc. The purpose of this show is to create a space for Indigenous youth artists to showcase their artwork surrounding the topic of Indigenous Health and Wellbeing.

The deadline for applications is November 12, 2023. Check out the application form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AkcMep_Bj2wB4tgSgX-9tETF4_vpinExfIB2NVu2R9c/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&edit_requested=true

If you have any questions email the curators at [email protected]

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🖼SWARM 2023🖼
Artwork Drop-off: November 20-25
Opening: Friday, December 1

Hamilton Artists Inc. is pleased to announce that SWARM is on the horizon! SWARM is our annual exhibition where old and new members assemble together in a mass celebration of our community. Inc Members OR artists who wish to become members and participate are invited to bring a single artwork to the Inc between Monday, November 20 and Saturday November 25.

If you would like to learn more about SWARM or to become a member, please check out our announcement page on our website: https://www.theinc.ca/swarm-2023/

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: Table, Manors: Kareem-Anthony Ferreira

We’re once again highlighting a newly available publication from a previous exhibition. Kareem-Anthony Ferreira’s exhibition “Table, Manors”. This exhibition brought viewers and observers into the kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms, and homes of the past. The subjects of Ferreira’s paintings were intimate, but rendered in a reverential style. The artefacts of photography; flash, contrast, performance and candidness in the subjects are rendered in large format.

This publication features writing by Racquel Rowe, editing by Sally McKay and documentation and design by Abedar Kamgari. The central essay “Family Relations; Sites of Resistance” brings forth the themes and concepts at play during the exhibition into clear view.

You can find physical copies of the “Table, Manors” Publication at the Hamilton Artists Inc. or you can download a digital copy from our linktree!

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Hamilton Artists Inc. in conjunction with Art Gallery of Burlington, Workers Arts and Heritage Centre, and Tangled Art + Disability offer you a free bus tour of their fall exhibitions on Saturday, October 21, 2023!

GENERAL TOUR INFORMATION: This tour is aimed at adults, ages 18 and over.

FOOD: You may wish to bring snacks and a water bottle with you for the tour, as this is not a catered event.

MASKING: This is a mask-mandatory event. Please bring your own mask to wear on the bus. Free disposable masks are available at some locations on the tour, such as at Tangled Art + Disability, WAHC and AGB, where masks are free at the front door for those that need them.

CARE ATTENDANT: One care attendant will be present on the tour to assist registered guests with their accessibility needs.

SUPPORT ANIMAL: If you require the presence of a support animal on tour, please indicate this on the ticket check-out.

BUSSING: Two buses will be provided by Attridge Transportation. One bus is a 46 passenger full size school bus. The second bus is a mini bus that will fit 3 wheelchairs and 4 walk-on passengers. Download access descriptions including photographs of both buses here.

SCHEDULE:

11:30 AM Pickup: Tangled Art + Disability, 401 Richmond Toronto, ON

12 PM-1 PM In transit from Toronto to Hamilton

1 PM – 1:45 PM – Hamilton Artists Inc., 155 James St N, Hamilton, ON

2 PM – 2:45 PM- Workers Art & Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St, Hamilton, ON

3:30 – 4:15 PM – Art Gallery of Burlington, 1333 Lakeshore Rd., Burlington, ON

4:30 PM – 5:30 PM In transit from Hamilton to Toronto

5:30 PM – Disembark at Tangled Disability Centre, 401 Richmond Toronto, ON

Registration is free and is managed through Eventbrite. You can find the link to register and full details including venue information and exhibition information on bus tour stops at the event page on our website: https://www.theinc.ca/contemporary-art-bus-tour-2023/

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Su***de Intervention for Weirdos, Freaks, and Qu**rs: Q&A Session
Hosted as part of the Wormshop, a solo exhibition by Birdie Gerhl, curated by Abedar Kamgari
October 26, 2023 from 7:00-8:30pm in-person at Hamilton Artists Inc.
Free session but space is limited. Please register in advance.

This is an invitation into conversation about the pre-recorded webinar and "helping your friends who sometimes wanna die maybe not die" zine about anti-carceral su***de intervention made by me — Carly Boyce. Those materials are an invitation to build and consider skills around supporting people who are suicidal (including ourselves, if relevant!). They seek to expose commonly held myths around su***de and su***de support, as well as naming and describing some skills that might be helpful in witnessing, supporting, or otherwise allying with people who sometimes want to die (or don’t know how to keep living).

In this Q&A, you will be invited to ask questions that came up for you while engaging with either the zine or webinar (or both if you’re ambitious). They can be theoretical or practical in nature. I am not an expert, and may not have decisive answers to your questions, but can share my own knowledge as well as skills, tools, ideas, and experiences that I have the honour to be a steward of, since holding circles around su***de support for many years with many skilled and wise humans. Folks in the room will also be invited to participate in answering the questions, as I know there is always a great deal of wisdom and experience in a group that gathers to deal with this fraught topic. You’re also welcome to attend and just listen; no specific forms of participation are required.

Accessibility:
This is an in-person session at Hamilton Artists Inc. which is a physically accessible space. There are automatic doors and a ramp, and gender-neutral bathrooms. Masks are required within the space and provided at the door. A range of seating options will be available.

About the Facilitator
Carly Boyce is a genderqueer fat femme and an old millennial. They are a facilitator, therapist, and community organizer, whose work lives at the intersection of personal healing and collective liberation. Their lineages come through Jewish witches, leatherdykes and politicized healing workers. Carly has been doing decarceral su***de prevention work informally for 20 years, and teaching about it since 2016. Their zine "helping your friends who sometimes want to die maybe not die" (and more about their work) can be found at tinylantern.net and you can follow their outfits and craft projects on instagram .lantern

We’ve reached our penultimate Artist Spotlight with the Inc’s Fall 2023 exhibitions. Today we’ll be highlighting the third and final artist in the James Gallery exhibition “(No)Body”; Par Nair. Par Nair’s work is two entries in her ongoing body of work entitled “Letters of Haunting. The two pieces stand affixed to the north side wall of the James Gallery and extend onto the floor. These two pieces manage to make declarative statements with their presence and their content, making them popular among our patrons.

Par Nair is an Indian born interdisciplinary artist and researcher who lives and makes in the GTA. Her practice which centers oil paintings, embroidery, installation, performative work and creative writing focus on dual identities, hybrid cultures and fragmented realities of migrants. Par has recently acquired her Master’s in Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design from OCAD University. Par’s work celebrates the often invisible, misrepresented, and stereotyped voices and stories of Indian women.

The two pieces are silk sarees owned by the artist’s mother, with the aforementioned “letters” embroidered on by hand. These letters are addressed to the mother though she may never read them. Nair referred to these letters as “letters of impossibility.” These letters reflect the yearning and frustration and complex emotions which are attached to bodies far away that are common within the diaspora.

“(No)Body” is on view until October 28.

You can learn more about Par Nair at https://parnair.format.com/

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Some lovely documentation came in recently for the Cheyenne Rain LeGrande ᑭᒥᐘᐣ installation “Mullyanne Nîmito amiskwaciy-wâskahikan”. We are so pleased with this Billboard Exchange Program with PAVED ARTS and AKA Artist Run.

Documentation photos taken by Kristina Durka and edited by Eli Nolet.

“Mullyanne Nimito amiskwaciy-waskahikan” photo taken by Dusty LeGrande.

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Hamilton Artists Inc. will be closed tomorrow, Saturday, September 30, 2023 for a private event. We would like to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As an artist-run centre operating on stolen Indigenous land, we acknowledge the work that needs to be done by all institutions to honour the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples of this region in the service of truth and reconciliation.

We encourage everyone to reflect on and educate themselves on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action.

We’d like to encourage the patronage of the Woodland Cultural Centre, who manage the former Mohawk Institute Residential School and offer virtual tours by donation. Please go to woodlandculturalcentre.ca to learn more about their work and projects.

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: Yan Wen Chang: “same problem my father had and what he dreamed”

This past spring, we said goodbye to Yan Wen Chang’s amazing billboard installation “same problem my father had and what he dreamed”. In plain black and white, the billboard was a critique of the so-called American Dream. The American Dream which burrows deep within the subconscious of people all over the world, which lies when it promises a better life for everyone.

Chang used a black Sharpie marker and pieces of blank printing paper as materials to hand write the poem. She then digitally scanned the sheets of printing paper with her original handwriting of the poem to create the design for the billboard. By including her original handwriting and materials, the translation of a personal poem to a public text work retains its urgency, intensity, and authenticity.

The publication for this installation features beautiful documentation by Abedar Kamgari and Kristina Durka, and writing by Philip Leonard Ocampo with copyediting and design by Sanaa Humayun. This publication is now available at the Inc (while supplies last), and available as a digital download from the exhibition page: https://www.theinc.ca/exhibitions/yan-wen-chang-same-problem-my-father-had-and-what-he-dreamed/

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We’re continuing our artist spotlight series with another artist featured in the exhibition “(No)Body”, now on view in our James Gallery until October 28. Today we’ll be featuring the wonderful Laura Honsberger.

Laura Honsberger is a visual artist who works with textiles, photography, and assemblage. Honsberger’s practice works as a method to process memories and to communicate their impressions that remain in the mind and body. She recreates memories with materials, stages scenes, and uses photography to document the recreations.

Laura’s use of fabric, specifically ripstop, for the inflated figure at the center of “Apo-Naproxen” helps the viewer understand the tension between soft and malleable and reliable materials. While the inflated object struggles against the solid stone and wood and metal of the frame of the window it emerges from, it does not break. How bodies adapt to pain and stress is the question at the core of Honsberger’s work, the photos acting as our own window into that experience.

You can learn more about Laura Honsberger at her website: laurahonsberger.com

You can learn more about the exhibition (No)Body at our exhibition page: https://www.theinc.ca/exhibitions/nobody/

(No)Body is on view until October 28th, 2023.

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New Indigenous Curatorial Resident, Survey, and More! - Inc. News September 2023 https://mailchi.mp/theinc/new-indigenous-curatorial-resident-survey-and-more

: Who’s Your Dadi?

It was this time last year from August to October 2022 that Meera Sethi’s amazing show “Who’s Your Dadi?” was on view in our James Gallery. Sethi’s homage to South Asian grandmothers featured a wealth of amazing paintings and patterns that invigorated the James Gallery with a sense of place and time which was a testament to Sethi’s ability as a visual artist.

Featuring writing by Laila Malik, Copy Editing by Sally McKay, Documentation by Abedar Kamgari, and design by Eli Nolet, this publication is a short but evocative distillation of the exhibition in print form.

You can find copies of this publication in physical form at the Hamilton Artists Inc. or a digital copy can be downloaded from the "Who's Your Dadi?" Exhibition Page: https://www.theinc.ca/exhibitions/meera-sethi-whos-your-dadi/

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