Sunlight refracts off tactile surfaces and pages rustle as administrative director Alana Traficante and programming director Caitlin Sutherland walk past the publications wall outside their office at Hamilton Artists Inc. Originally founded in 1975 as a co-op with 12 members, The Inc. is a membership-driven art organization borne out of a desire for a space in which to exhibit the work of local artists and to explore the meaning of art in Hamilton. This "grassroots approach to void in representation," as Caitlin explains, gave rise to a national network of artist-run centres that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
With an artist-run board, The Inc.'s mandate has always been to facilitate dialogue about contemporary art and, as Alana emphasizes, to be a "collaborative and accessible space." The Inc. frequently partners with organizations and hosts a robust publications program and exhibition schedule, artists talks, grant and CV-writing workshops, residencies, and community and member-specific events. Their affordable membership includes reciprocal admission to participating galleries throughout Ontario.
Header image: Chun Hua Catherine Dong, Installation view of Visual Poetics of Embodied Shame, Hamilton Artists Inc., 2015. Photo courtesy of Chun Hua Catherine Dong.
