Photo courtesy of Manifesto

CARFAC welcomes artists to Toronto for this year’s annual national conference, which is all about change and evolving practices in the field of visual arts. How are artists changing ways of doing business? What new tools are successful artists using? How do we make sure that artists are paid fairly in this shifting landscape?

Conference events will include a film screening with Q&A, two panel presentations, an open forum discussion, an interactive art crawl of Toronto, an award presentation, live performances, and other social networking opportunities. All artists are welcome!

This year’s event is presented in collaboration with the Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture – Canada’s largest urban arts festival. Check out Manifesto’s website for details on arts and culture events presented throughout the weekend!

Please Note: We do not currently have a budget for simultaneous translation of conference events. All conference materials will be available in French and bilingual staff and board members will be on hand to field questions and provide assistance in your language of choice.

Conference Schedule

Thursday, September 18th

Manifesto Exhibition Opening for TRANSCENSION, at Steam Whistle Brewery
The Roundhouse – 255 Bremner Blvd. 6:00 pm to 1:00 am

* Please note that Manifesto is charging admission for this event, which is separate from our conference registration. All CARFAC conference delegates will receive a discounted admission of $5.00, which includes a drink ticket from the bar. Non-delegate price: $15.

Manifesto celebrates its 8th Annual Art Exhibition, ‘TRANSCENSION,’ with international headline graffiti artist and tattoo legend MISTER CARTOON from Los Angeles. Alongside Mister Cartoon, this event features live art collaborations with SKAM from Toronto and KNO DELIX from Coloumbia. Inside the Steam Whistle Gallery, this exhibition will feature works from: ELICSER, Carl & Ann Beam, EGR, Totem Resolve, Francis Pratt, Mark ‘Kurupt’ Stoddart, JAVID, Ekow Nimako, Danilo M. McCallum, Hans Poppe, Sara Golish, Jah Grey, Komi Olaf, Heather Fulton, Wylie Styles, Nathalie Long, FlipsBSC + More.

PLUS! Come check the live tattoo exhibit and a get free airbrushed body art by FYInk Tattoos. Food on-site provided by Fidel Gastro’s. Giveaways by Aboveground Arts Supplies all night!

Friday, September 19th

401 Richmond Studio Tour
401 Richmond Street West. 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Spend the afternoon checking out this cultural hub, as it celebrates its 20^th anniversary! Over 140 artists, galleries, festivals, and more call this space home, and we invite you to take a tour of the building, stopping in at FADO Performing Arts Centre, Gallery 44, Gareth Bate Art Projects, Kristen Fahrig, Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film and Video Festival, Contemporary Textile Studio Co-op, Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, Red Head Gallery, YYZ Artists’ Outlet and Gallery, A Space Gallery, and Open Studio + many more!

Craft Sesh + Artists’ Jam
Studio 408 – 401 Richmond St West. 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Art, music, and tasty treats!? What’s not to love about a good ol’ craft party? This social event is meant to connect and introduce delegates with one another. It will be a fun, light-hearted intro to the weekend. Presented in partnership with The Printing House and Above Ground Art Supplies.

All materials will be supplied.

Screening of Portrait of Resistance: The Art and Activism of Carole Condé & Karl Beveridge
– 100 McCaul Street, OCAD University auditorium (room 190), 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Directed by Roz Owen, the film explores how artists/activists Karl Beveridge and Carole Condé have addressed issues around the labour movement, the rights of migrant workers, the global financial crisis, and the state of the environment, through their collaborations which span over 35 years.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A about the film, and the role of artists as activists, with participation from Karl Beveridge, Shannon Litzenberger, Devon Ostrom and Roz Owen.

Saturday, September 20th

All Saturday events will take place at Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw Street.

Karl Beveridge representing CARFAC in court

Registration, 9:00 am

Opening remarks, 9:45 am

CARFAC National Annual General Meeting, 10:00 – 11:30 am
All current members of CARFAC are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you’re not a member yet, take this opportunity to join and find out more about what we have been up to in the last year.

Visual Arts Open Forum, 11:30 am- 12:00 pm
You’re invited to participate in an open exchange of ideas and information among your fellow artists. If you know about a project or idea that you think other artists will be excited about, tell us about it! But keep it short and sweet – in order to keep the dialogue lively, presenters will only have 5 minutes to spread the word.

Performance Art in Canada, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
This panel discussion will focus on the current status of performance art, within and beyond the genre of visual arts. How does it fit into the programming of such diverse presenters as festivals, artist-run centres, and public museums? What is its potential relationship to community arts practice? Do CARFAC’s performance art fees reflect current performance art practice? Panelists include: Lori Blondeau, Shannon Cochrane, Ruth Howard, Tanya Mars, and Camille Turner.

Emerging Arts Practices, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
This presentation considers what can be learned from emerging artists who are finding innovative ways to earn a living, and share their art. Panelists will talk about how new technology and social enterprise have helped them to develop networks and opportunities for career development, and how all artists need to become savvy at finding ways to make, show, and share their work. What can artists at any stage of their career learn from successful emerging arts professionals, who bring new skills, approaches, and perspectives to the field? Panelists include: Ella Cooper, Jessica Karuhanga, Kirsten McCrea, and Johnson Ngo.

Delegates at our 2013 conference

CARFAC Supreme Celebration, 8:00 pm onwards
The big news of the year was our victory at the Supreme Court. CARFAC and RAAV have tried to negotiate a collective agreement with the National Gallery of Canada since 2002. After years of negotiation meetings and court battles, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that we have the right to include binding minimum artist fees in a negotiated agreement with the gallery. We invite you to celebrate this victory with us, as our conference comes to a close. We also take the opportunity to present the CARFAC National Visual Arts Advocate Award, which honors a professional artist who has made a significant contribution as an advocate for the Canadian visual arts community.

Sunday, September 21st

Art Crawl : Performance Space in the City
On Sunday, we spend the day exploring different parts of Toronto’s
Entertainment District. Everyone likes to experience art at their own pace,
but here are some suggested itineraries:

Graffiti Alley walking tour, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

This tour starts beside the “HUG Tree” at the corner of Queen St W and Soho St, across from the Black Bull Tavern. It ends near the intersection of Queen St W and Spadina Ave, one block from where it begins.

On this 2-hour tour, you’ll stroll the back alleys and laneways of downtown Toronto with an expert local tour guide and learn about the history of graffiti, its different forms and styles, and its place in Toronto’s urban landscape. This tour encourages debate and discussion.

Camille Turner performance, HUSH HARBOUR, 1:30 pm
Victoria Memorial Park (at Portland Street, between Niagara and Wellington St W)

The Sonic Walk is a hybrid art-form that evolved from adapting museum/tourist walking tours as a medium of artistic expression. HUSH HARBOUR transforms the space that currently hides the Black presence and enables participants to travel back in time. Artist Camille Turner, creator of HUSH HARBOUR, will be on-site to answer your questions about the Sonic Walk.

Download the sound file

Animateurs in the Craft & Design Studio at Harbourfront Centre, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
235 Queens Quay West. Open 10 – 6 on Sundays.

Stop in at the Harbourfront Centre and check out their various visual arts exhibitions. If you pop in between 2 and 4pm, volunteers will be on hand to guide you through the craft and design studio.

Guided tour at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, 3:30 pm
231 Queens Quay West. Open 10 – 5 on Sundays.

Join us at The Power Plant for a guided tour of three exhibitions – all opening on September 20th!
*Julia Dault: Color me Badd
*Shelagh Keeley: Notes on Obsolescence
*Pedro Cabrita Reis: fourteen paintings, the preacher and a broken line

CARFAC Ontario Annual General Meeting & Community Art Workshop, 3:00 – 7:00 pm
Jumblies Theatre, The Ground Floor, 132 Fort York Blvd

All CARFAC Ontario members are encouraged to attend the AGM from 3pm to 4:30. Following the AGM, Ruth Howard and other Jumblies Theatre artists will offer a participatory interdisciplinary workshop, Touching Ground. This workshop provides a taste of their community-engaged practice in downtown Toronto, and their recent preoccupation with miniature worlds and invisible landscapes. Space for this workshop is limited, so be sure to sign up in advance!

Registration Fees

$50 for CARFAC members
$60 for non-members
$30 for students

*We have recently changed our email processor to Click and Pledge. View details of their security certificate.

To register by mail with a cheque, download the print registration form.

Please note: Participants will be responsible for arranging their own travel, accommodations and food. Information is included below on some of the options available. Volunteer and get in for free! Volunteers who are able to commit to two 4 hour shifts are welcome to attend all conference events for free. Volunteer positions are limited and will be scheduled on a first come first served basis. Contact us to sign up.

Accommodations

The Holiday Inn Express at 111 Lombard Street is offering a room rate for conference participants of $144 for single/double occupancy. To book a room, call the hotel directly at (416) 367-5555 and state the group name and dates (CARFAC National, Sept. 18-22) or email whg4104sc@whg.com and include the following in the subject line: “CARFAC National – Sept. 18-22, 2014”. This must be done in order to receive the rate.

If you are looking for budget options, there are at multiple hostels that offer shared and private rooms at reasonable rates within walking distance of the conference, as well as larger dorm style rooms if you are able to coordinate with other conference attendees, or do not mind sharing accommodations with other travellers.

Canadiana Backpackers Inn (42 Widmer Street) – prices range from 29-87$/night, or weekly rates of 170-480$. This hostel is in the heart of the Fashion District and only one block from King Street, which is commonly known as Restaurant Row.
Hi-Toronto (76 Church Street) – prices average 30$/night for dorm rooms, or 110$/night for private rooms.
The Clarence Park (7 Clarence Square) – prices average 25-30$/night for shared rooms, or 70-90$/night for private rooms.
Airbnb connects travellers with locals who have spare rooms or entire homes to rent. Options are available in various neighbourhoods at a variety of price points. Be sure to read their safety tips before booking.

Transportation

VIA Rail

VIA Rail has offered a 10% discount for conference participants using confirmation number 12896. This offer is valid from September 17 to September 23, 2014 from all stations throughout the VIA system to Toronto, Otnario and return. Fare applies to a maximum of two passengers per booking. One complimentary stopover is allowed at no additional charge. For travel on all fare plans in Busi-ness class, the first stopover is allowed at no additional charge, provided that this stopover takes place in Toronto, Montréal or Ottawa only. Discount is off the best available fare in Economy, Economy Plus, Business, Business Plus, Sleeper, or Sleeper Plus class (subject to the conditions and restrictions of the fare plan to which the additional discount is being applied Discount does not apply in any Escape Class fares. Visit http://www.viarail.ca/en for more information and booking.

Transportation to and from Pearson Airport – YYZ

Other than taxis or rental cars Toronto’s public transit system, the TTC, offers a direct bus route beginning at Kipling Station: the 192 Airport Rocket. The 192 bus leaves every 10 minutes with a travel time of 25 minutes from door-to-door. TTC bus fare is 3.00$ and can be paid directly on the bus – please remember to request a transfer slip. Another reliable option is Airport Express coach bus. Departures are scheduled every 40 minutes and has a travel time of 25-30 minutes. Arrival locations downtown include: the Intercontinental Hotel (across from Union Station), and steps from the Canadian Backpackers Inn at King St. & Peter St. Tickets may be purchased online prior to departure, or from a ticket kiosk located in Terminals 1 and 3. One ride tickets are 27.95$, or 42$ for two. Transportation to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport – YTZ (located on Toronto Island) The ferry ride to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is one of the shortest in the world at just 121 metres. The ferry departs from the foot of Bathurst Street. The ferry is free for pedestrians and $11 for vehicles (return trip). There’s a ferry approximately every 15 minutes. The first ferry to the airport leaves the ferry terminal at 5:15 a.m. and the last ferry from the airport to the mainland departs at about 12:07 a.m. A complimentary express shuttle bus runs between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Downtown Toronto. The shuttle is open to anyone going to the airport, whether or not they are travelling. Regular shuttle service (approximately every 15 minutes) to and from the airport is available on weekdays, weekends and holidays. The trip to and from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport takes approximately 15 minutes depending on traffic. You can hop on just outside the airport’s mainland ferry terminal building or across the street from Union Station. The downtown shuttle stop is located on south side of Front Street, just past the southwest corner of York and Front Streets. The designated stop is located near Starbucks.

Public Transit

Toronto’s public transit is the Toronto Transit Commission, or TTC. Fare is 3.00$ per ride, or you can purchase groups of tokens at a reduced fee. Tokens are transferable between the subway, street cars, and buses.