From 2006 until 2017, The Artel was an artistic hub and artist residence initially located at 205 Sydenham Road in Kingston before moving to Queen Street. With a lack collaborative working spaces in Kingston and few opportunities for emerging artists to gain arts administration experience, The Artel materialized from ongoing conversations in the arts community, at Modern Fuel, and among students. The process of naming the space is an early example of the way decisions were made by the members of the collective – conversational and consensus based.
Jenn Snider, a founding member of The Artel, recalls, “we were thorough… there were short lists that turned back into long lists and then went back to shortlists and a lot of really impassioned speeches.” Ultimately, the members found the word ‘artel’ in the dictionary.
Jenn Snider, a founding member of The Artel, recalls, “we were thorough… there were short lists that turned back into long lists and then went back to shortlists and a lot of really impassioned speeches.” Ultimately, the members found the word ‘artel’ in the dictionary.
Artel: a cooperative association of craftsmen living and working together.
Upon hearing ‘artel’ and its definition, the members agreed unanimously. Through The Artel’s consensus based decision-making processes and dedication to non-hierarchal arts administration, it became both a reflection of and model for the art community’s transformations, aspirations, and goals.
