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Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization located in Toronto, Ontario. Its stated goal is to unlock the creative potential of people and places to build vibrant, resilient and inclusive communities.

History
Artscape was created by the Toronto Arts Council in 1986 in response to the space crisis within Toronto’s arts community brought on by the 1980’s real estate market boom. The organization entered the property development business in the early 1990’s when it began developing multi-tenant arts complexes. These buildings served an important need in the arts community and began to demonstrate the power of the arts in revitalizing neighbourhoods.

Places and spaces
Artscape is an international leader in multi-tenant space development for the arts and culture sector, and has transformed a portfolio of underutilized buildings into dynamic community assets. Artscape’s real estate development projects are focused in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. These projects provide live/workspaces for hundreds of artists and designers, and workspaces for galleries, theatres and not-for-profit organizations.

Current
In the heart of Toronto’s Art and Design district on Queen Street West, Artscape West Queen West was the first legal artist live/work building in Toronto. The building hosts both live/work and work studios in addition to an art gallery, a print studio and the Toronto Blues Society.

In a former police station in the Parkdale neighbourhood is the Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre. This space combines artist live/work studios with business associations, social service organizations and an art gallery.



Artscape Gibraltar Point is located on the Toronto Islands. It was converted from the historic former Toronto Islands Public and Natural Science School in 1999. The multi-use facility houses short and long-term artist live/workspaces, a recording studio and a retreat centre.

Artscape Liberty Studios houses 52 work studios for individuals and organizations in Liberty Village, a neighbourhood known for its concentration of Toronto’s creative industries.

Located in the Historic Distillery District, Artscape Distillery Studios is home to 63 work and retail studios, offices, and rehearsal and performance spaces for artists and creative entrepreneurs.

Artscape Wychwood Barns was developed in partnership with the City of Toronto and The Stop Community Food Centre. Transformed from historic Toronto Transit Commission streetcar repair barns in the Wychwood neighbourhood, the critically acclaimed  barns are home to 26 artists and their families, 17 individual artists and 11 non-profit arts and environment organizations.

In Development
Artscape Triangle Lofts is an innovative partnership between the City of Toronto, Landmark Development/Urbancorp and Active 18. Artscape will manage a pioneering self-funding below market artist live/work development within the Westside Gallery Lofts. This project is located in the area known as the Queen West Triangle, located in the Dufferin and Queen Street West area, one of the most intense development battlegrounds in Toronto’s recent history.

The Idea Project is being developed in collaboration with the Toronto Economic Development Corporation. It is a plan to create a 180,000 sq.ft. multi-tenant centre in the heart of Liberty Village. The project will provide employment and work spaces for artists, designers, architects and other entrepreneurs, as well as commercial and entertainment facilities for creative enterprises.

Knowledge
Artscape is a learning organization and is actively engaged in the global dialogue on the relationship between creativity and place through conferences, workshops, speaking engagements and a consulting practice.

Artscape hosts a forum on creativity entitled Creative Places + Spaces. The third installment of this conference, under the theme of ‘The Collaborative City’, will be held in Toronto on October 28 - 30, 2009.