Queen West Artscape project won’t ‘gentrify’ neighbourhood

Dennis Hanagan –

There’s a notion that once artists move into a neighbourhood for its cheap rents they gentrify the place and then new developments—like condos—move in, forcing up rents and forcing out artists as they search for other cheap-rent neighbourhoods.

But that’s not how artist Gillian Iles sees it evolving on West Queen West despite the highrise boom. “It’s an interesting area. It seems to be holding its own. It seems to be maintaining the artist presence.”

In November she and other artists and arts organizations are moving into what’s being billed as the largest arts centre west of Spadina. It’s in the 99-year-old former Shaw Street Public School at 180 Shaw St., a brief walk north of Queen.

It’s called Artscape Youngplace and at 75,000 square feet it’s the largest project Artscape has undertaken in its 27 years. The old three-storey school sat vacant for more than a decade until Artscape bought it from the Toronto District Public School board in 2010 with a lead gift from the Michael Young Family Foundation. It’s undergone a $17 million renovation to create art studios, art galleries, and make it a place open to the community. A special ceremony on Nov. 19 will inaugurate it. It opens to the public Nov. 20.

Iles has been connected with West Queen West galleries for about 15 years. She’s a visual artist who has exhibited in cities such as New York, Chicago, Miami, Montreal and Toronto.

She’s a founding member of two Toronto co-operative artist-run galleries and teaches at OCADU, Sheridan College and the Toronto School of Art.

Iles has noticed a big transformation in the WQW art scene since moving there. “When we were looking for a new space we were looking along Queen West. There was significantly a lot less (in terms of art) happening back then along there in 1999 or 2000 than there is now,” she said in an interview.

She’s looking forward to her new Youngplace digs with its variety of artists and arts groups. “I’m excited to have artists who work in totally different fields than I do.”

Maybe she can learn a few things from them. That would be helpful because she wants to diversify her work. “Up until recently I was mainly known as a painter. I’m diversifying into more installation, sculpture and also looking into video work.”

Youngplace will be a place where the community can get involved, says its managing director Natasha Mytnowych. Over the course of a year tenants will offer events, programs, classes and workshops. More about those opportunities, as they become available, can be found at artscapeyoungplace.ca.

Among the 30 tenants will be SKETCH Working Arts, Koffler Gallery, College-Montrose Children’s Place, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Small World Music Centre, and Luminato’s administrative offices.

“One of the most exciting features for the public is the space we’re calling the Urban Living Lounge,” says Mytnowych. “Its 4,000 square feet, including a café, is a fantastic space for people to hang out and to work.”

WQW is unique in the way it maintains its artists presence, says Mytnowych. “Over the last five years what’s been really incredible and I think really unique in the world is that at the same time that there’s a condo boom … there’s also an increase in cultural spaces happening.”

Iles says Youngplace will serve as an anchor for the arts community in WQW. “You can develop deep roots in this building because it has been dedicated to be in perpetuity an arts building. There is that sense we (artists) won’t have to move until we decide we want to.”