221A is a non-profit organization with a mandate to present projects by contemporary artists whose work examines and challenges the application and implementation of design: graphics, products, architecture, or more broadly social codes and conventions.
The organization has identified the following goals in its operations:
- to be accessible to a wide range of publics;
- to encourage a diversity of approaches to curation;
- to be self-critical of our organizational structure, workplace conditions and to foreground artistic integrity in all areas;
- to recognize and be sensitive to our place within the community, the history of our location and relationship to heritage preservation and neighbourhood gentrification; and
- to pay at or above CARFAC rates to contemporary artists and to pay livable wages to staff, curatorial residents and contractors.
The organization’s artistic vision comes principally from the Curatorial Residencies Committee. Made up of three to five curatorial residents annually, committee residents may include emerging or professional curators, or curatorial collectives, and are selected by the Executive Director through project proposals on an annual basis. Selected proposals must discuss a viewpoint, theory or approach to address the mandate of 221A. Projects take on the form of, but are not limited to, exhibitions, talks, workshops or publications.
| Board of Directors 2011-12 Allison Collins, President Laura Kozak, Vice-President Marianne Bos, Treasurer Sarah Todd, Secretary Jeff Werner Hamza Vora Chris Robson |
| Staff & Curatorial Residents Brian McBay, Executive Director Jaz Halloran, Art Worker Anna Gukov, Art Worker Joji Fukushima, Contract Technician Tracy Stefanucci, Contract Copyeditor Mathew Arthur, Contract Designer Mandy Ginson Min Yoon Vanessa Kwan & Kimberly Phillips Dan Starling Brady Cranfield & Jamie Hilder Dennis Ha Amy Fung | Past Curatorial Residents Francisco-Fernando Granados Cayley Malo Jaz Halloran & Tracy Stefanucci Alex Buss & Ali Kenyon Laura Kozak Kevin Hubbard Jonathan Tiong Dennis Rosenfeld Debra Zhou |
| Internships Amy Wang, 2012 Daniel Choi, 2011 Jane Kim, 2011 Hailey Whitt, 2011 Choo-Kien Kua, 2010 Denise Cymbalist, 2010 |
History:
Numerous students from Emily Carr University of Art and Design who desired a wider critical context and participatory learning space first started the organization in 2005 (then called NOART Artist Collective). Over the first two years, the student-led organization ran one-night, non-juried exhibitions called ‘Pacts’ that provided artists public space to exhibit, talk, and learn. Holding 12 Pacts between 2005 and 2007, the organization gave home to a diversity of artists, designers, and critics. The introduction of a dedicated space in Chinatown (2008) altered the activities of 221A to the new opportunities it presented. The space has provided the organization with the agency to execute more complex projects as well as present a wider array of programming.
Above: In the beginning, Feb 2008 (Photo Credit: Dan Kim)
Above: Construction, Apr 2008
Above: Exhibition photo, Halving by Joji Fukushima, Apr 2009 (Photo Credit: Oliver Li)
Above: Looking outwards, Feb 2010 (Photo Credit: Lydia Fu)
