Dear Members, Artists, Partner Organizations & Friends of Gallery 1313:
You may have heard recently about the Parkdale Community Hub Project (https://parkdalehub.ca/). Currently, the Project is in a feasibility phase, and appears to be learning toward the design and implementation of Option 3. This configuration would see the Parkdale Library at 1303 Queen St. West moving to 1313 Queen St. West, while the live/work studios and community tenants (including the Gallery) would be moved to 1303 Queen St. West. (In other words, the Library and the Gallery would switch places). Under Option 3, the Gallery’s current building would be demolished and become an open square, with the new Parkdale Library surrounding it with a newly constructed wing. Meanwhile, a new building at 1303 would contain affordable housing and community service organizations, including (we assume) our Gallery.
Although we do not expect this development to happen for several more years, we believe that many of our stakeholders could be negatively affected by the Plan. The Gallery’s operations would likely be disrupted by construction, and those who are already living in Artscape’s affordable housing (live/work studios) might be displaced. Member Artists, various art schools, and other partners would be without a Gallery for about 1-2 years while construction is completed.
As you know, Gallery 1313 plays an important role in the Toronto arts community. It is one of the few remaining affordable venues for solo and group exhibitions in the city. The Gallery offers local artists a wide range of exhibition opportunities and does a large amount community outreach despite its limited resources. While we are happy that the Plan intends to provide more community access space and more affordable housing, we believe this can and should be accomplished without disrupting our current operations.
We hope that you will support us in our efforts to ensure continuity of operations as the Plan works its way through the machinery of the City’s various approvals process. You can help us by writing to your local representatives, and telling them about why you support the Gallery. In particular, we encourage you to write directly to City Councillor Gord Perks, City Planning, and Mayor John Tory. Here are their contact details:
Mayor John Tory – mayor_tory@toronto.ca
Gord Perks – councillor_perks@toronto.ca – Tel: (416) 392-7919
Sarah Corey – sarah.corey@toronto.ca
Tim Parks – tim.parks@toronto.ca
To assist you in your communications, below please find some information regarding the Gallery that you can use. Please send us a copy of any correspondence that you send to the City.
With thanks for your continued support,
Gallery 1313
Executive Director & Board of Directors
Gallery 1313 has been serving the Parkdale Community for 23 years. It presents over 70 exhibitions per year, and benefits from an international reputation as a result of past exhibitions from South Korea, Denmark, Holland, and Iceland, among others. It serves over 60 member artists from across the GTA who also regularly exhibit in the space.
The Gallery is a located in an Art-Deco-style Heritage building that originally served as a Police Station when it was constructed in 1931. Today, it is a fully accessible 1600 square foot exhibition venue that offers artists 14ft. ceilings, a courtyard entrance, and concrete floors. There are four unique exhibition spaces, which are used throughout the year by a wide range of partners, including professionals, schools, and students. We host local and international interns seeking workplace experience, and are open to the public without admission fees. We are a regular participant in annual cultural events such as Doors Open Toronto, Nuit Blanche, Contact Photography Festival, and many others.
Gallery 1313 is an incorporated not-for-profit organization with charitable status. It is a member of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) and the Artist Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO).