ArtsBuild Ontario

The rehearsal space at 44 Gaukel is open to the public and available for short-term rentals, whether you're an individual artist, performer, or creative group.

Need a space for your next rehearsal?

Learn more and book through www.artsbuildontario.ca/spaces/44gaukel/rehearsal-space-short-term-rental/

✨ What’s next for Social Purpose Real Estate this Fall? ✨
Following today’s session, we’re excited to share the remaining lineup for our SPRE Learning Modules! Join sector leaders, advocates, and practitioners as we explore critical themes shaping the future of creative infrastructure:

SPRE 108: Accessibility as a Core Design and Governance Principle
🗓️ October 6, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT (Online)
💡 Exploring how accessibility goes beyond physical infrastructure to become a foundational practice in design, leadership, and governance.
​
Facilitator: Sean Lee
​Panelists: Luke Anderson, Eliza Chandler, Yvonne Felix

🏛️ SPRE 109: Government and Advocacy within Social Purpose Real Estate
🗓️ November 3, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT (Online)
💡 Navigating municipal policies, public funding, and systemic advocacy to secure community-driven creative spaces.

​Facilitator: Kendra Fry
​Panelists: David Maggs, Janis Bomberry, Patti Pon

🔮 SPRE 110: The Future of SPRE: What’s Next?
🗓️ December 2, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EST (In-Person)
📍 Location: 163 Queen Street East, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON
💡 A forward-looking conversation on scaling social finance, sustainable models, and the evolution of social purpose real estate in Ontario.

​Facilitator: Kendra Fry
​Panelists: Denise Bolduc, Tonya Surman, Matti Siemiatycki

👉 Register for upcoming modules in our 🔗 in bio

We’ve added three new webinars from the City of Toronto, Economic Development and Culture to our online resource library, offering practical insights for organizations developing and managing creative and cultural spaces.

📁 Capital Projects Panel Discussion
Explore key considerations for planning, budgeting, project management, and fundraising for capital construction projects.

📁 Creative & Cultural Hub Operating and Governance Models
Learn about collaborative operating and governance models from organizations across Canada, including Progress Lab, 221A, CSPACE, and PHI.

📁Property Management for Arts Spaces
Hear insights from Olga Schellenberg, Director of Community Services at ArtHubs Toronto, on property management for arts spaces.

These sessions offer practical insights and examples to help organizations navigate the challenges and opportunities of developing sustainable creative and cultural spaces. Find them on ABO’s website www.artsbuildontario.ca/learning/webinars/ and explore our other resources!

Less than two weeks to go!

In collaboration with The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University, we are excited to launch the SPRE Arts Space Lab on September 18.

The SPRE Arts Space Lab is an 8-week hybrid Certificate program for arts leaders across Ontario navigating the challenges of creating and sustaining creative spaces. Participants will explore real estate, funding, sustainability, equity and advocacy while developing a Space Vision Plan and Pitch Deck for their organization.

And there’s still time to join us! 80% bursary funding is now available, reducing the $500 program fee by $400.

Learn more, register and apply for bursary funding through https://learn.artsbuildontario.ca/.

This project is made possible with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Meet the panelists for SPRE 107: Indigenous Relationships to Land and Cultural Spaces.
Join facilitator Christine Friday alongside panelists Bonnie Couchie, Don Kavanaugh and David R. Maracle for a conversation exploring Indigenous relationships to land, cultural spaces, community wellbeing and social purpose real estate

📅 September 15, 2026

🕐 1:00–2:30 p.m.

💻 Online

Register now to join the conversation through https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigenous-relationships-to-land-and-cultural-spaces-tickets-1995078857569.

🎨 Artist studio space available in downtown Kitchener!

Studios at 99 King Street West are available through ArtsBuild Ontario’s Meanwhile Spaces Pilot — now $249/month, almost 25% off the original $330/month rate.

Located in the heart of downtown Kitchener, this shared studio offers artists a dedicated place to create, connect, and work alongside other creatives.

📏 14’ × 14’ dedicated workspaces💧 On-site paint sink + A/C 🔑 Secure 24/7 FOB access 💰 $249/month, all-in

🚨 Only 3 of 5 spots left!

Questions? Contact [email protected]

📸 Photo courtesy of Alexander Jacobi

Meanwhile Spaces is supported by the Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, held at Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF).

Ready to make some space for your practice? 🎨 Learn more and apply through www.artsbuildontario.ca/spaces/meanwhilespaces/99king/

Stop reacting to commercial rent hikes and start building permanent security for your creative organization 🗝️🎨.

Full syllabus details and faculty rosters are officially LIVE for the SPRE Arts Space Lab (Sept 18 – Nov 6, 2026)!

This isn’t a passive webinar series. Over 8 weeks, you will build a complete, professionally vetted Space Vision Plan and pitch it LIVE to top sector champions.

✨ Faculty Spotlight: Work with industry leaders Kendra Fry, Tim Kennedy, Kyle Shantz, Suzanne Haines, Carly Connor, Terri-Lynn Brennan, Rachel Marks, and Franco Boni! Plus, present to capstone panelists Margie Zeidler, Claire Hopkinson, and Erika Hennebury.

📍 Kickoff: Sept 18 in person at TMU (80 Gould St, Toronto).

💰 Bursary Announcement: Thanks to our funders, bursaries covering up to 80% of tuition are available for Ontario non-profit arts leaders!

Capped at 50 participants to ensure dedicated feedback.

🔗 Tap the link in our bio to download the syllabus and claim your bursary spot!

✨ The Capstone Showcase: Launching Your Space Vision Plan ✨

How do you turn an arts space vision into an investor-ready reality? You pitch it to the people who build, fund, and shape our cities. 🎨🏢

Module 8 marks the culmination of the SPRE Arts Space Lab, where participants present their complete Space Vision Plans in person to an active panel of real estate, municipal, and institutional leaders!

Key Highlights:
🔹 Spatial storytelling and pitch ex*****on
🔹 Navigating live critiques from developers and funders
🔹 Activating local partnerships post-program
🔹 Hands-on outcome: Live pitch and portfolio submission of your investor-ready Space Vision Plan & Pitch Deck.

Featuring Guest Panellists:
🌟 Claire Hopkinson (Co-Director, Canada’s Theatre Museum; former CEO, Toronto Arts Council)
🌟 Margie Zeidler (Founder & President, Urbanspace Property Group / 401 Richmond)
🌟 Erika Hennebury (Senior Cultural Affairs Officer, City of Toronto Office for Cultural Space)
🌟 Bruce Pitkin (Executive Director, ArtsBuild Ontario)

🔗 Take your seat at the table. Tap the link in our bio to register for the SPRE Arts Space Lab!

How can Indigenous understandings of land transform the future of social purpose real estate? 🌿✨

Join us for SPRE 107: Indigenous Relationships to Land and Cultural Spaces, an online panel discussion exploring land stewardship, reciprocity, and community wellbeing beyond traditional property ownership.

Led by facilitator Christine Friday (Christine Friday ) alongside panelists Bonnie Couchie, Don Kavanaugh, and David Maracle, this session dives into how Indigenous perspectives offer alternative ways to create spaces that honor culture, connection, and sovereignty - while addressing the displacement caused by Western property frameworks.

Key Topics:
​Moving beyond property ownership toward land stewardship and reciprocity
​Building belonging in both isolated and urban creative spaces
​Integrating traditional protocols and territory understandings beyond basic policy

📅 Date: September 15, 2026
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
📍 Location: Online Panel Discussion
🔗 Register: https://indigenousrelationshipstoculturalspaces.eventbrite.ca

Visit our website to view the other 3 panels in the fall series and secure your spot today!

We acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

✨ Centering Land & Access: Foundational Equity in Property Development ✨
How do we design creative spaces that truly honor Indigenous self-determination and disability justice? 🎨🌾
Join co-instructors Dr. Terri-Lynn Brennan (LodgePole Arts Alliance) and Rachel Marks (Réseau SPARC Network) for Module 6 of the SPRE Arts Space Lab!

Together, they’ll guide participants through embedding cultural “heart work,” expanding accessibility beyond physical mobility, and building respectful Treaty partner relationships.

Key Highlights:
🔹 Actioning respectful Indigenous & Treaty relationships
🔹 Expanding accessibility beyond mobility
🔹 Shifting from individual space design to community wellness
🔹 Hands-on outcome: Learn to design a community audit rooted in reciprocity, not extraction.

🔗 Transform how you plan and build arts spaces. Tap the link in our bio to register for the SPRE Arts Space
Lab!