Assembly: A holding space for culture

What You’ll See:

1. A Collective Exhibition: paintings by Natalie Laura King & Izzy Paez, the Monolith by Daem Arthouse, paintings by Izzy Paez, weavings by Sharon Santiago Quijano, sculptural pieces by Erica Whyte, Alycia Shanika, Sofia Munera Mora and more
2. Mixed-media Installation: Suspended collages & large-format photography from Lore & Collective Futures, and digital installation from Book Club Toronto documenting cultural spaces & community heritage
3. Magazine & Zine Library: A collective table of archives, references and final publications
4. A Drop-in Space: Reconfigurable seating designed for dialogue & hanging out
5. Interactive stations: Note-hanging exercises & hands-on workshop tables
6. Live programming: Artist performances during celebratory events

‘Assembly’ brings together community, artmaking, co-learning, and spatial design in one place. It’s designed as a space to collaborate, share knowledge, develop tools for cultural production, and map ideas for future community-led spaces in Toronto.

What to Explore at Assembly’s Events & Workshops
Assembly features a series of hands-on workshops, discussions, and gatherings running alongside the exhibition. Please save the dates below—registration links will be released shortly.

1. Opening Reception! An open gathering to launch Assembly, meet participating artists, and explore the exhibition together. Saturday Jan 24 from 1:00-4:00PM.
2. Alebrije Mask-Making Workshop (Two-Part Series): How to create little fantastical masks (Alebrije figures) as guardians for our spaces and bring positive energy into a room
   1. → Part 1: Sunday, Jan 25, 11:00AM–1:00PM
   2. → Part 2: Wednesday, Jan 28, 4:00–6:00PM
3. Community Co-Design & Mapping Workshop: A collective mapping of the networks, relationships, needs, and gaps that sustain artist- and community-led spaces in Toronto & practical tools for co-designing, shaping, and prototyping future cultural spaces with community. → Monday, Jan 26, 5:30–7:00 PM
4. Geopolitical Literacy Workshop: How design, global connections, and policy influence who gets to gather, create, and belong in a city. → Tuesday, Jan 27, 5:00–6:30 PM
5. Creative Publishing Basics: Hands-on skills for zines, magazines, and art books, including layout, sequencing, and image integration. → Tuesday, Jan 27, 6:30–8:30 PM
6. Third Space Dialogue & Closing Celebration: An evening of celebration focused on cultural gathering, celebratory performance by Sylvan Factory, and shared futures. More DJs TBC → Saturday, Jan 31, 7:00–11:00 PM

Workshops take place alongside the Open Gallery period (Jan 24–Feb 1, daily 12–7 PM), with drop-in activities available throughout.