Where to Begin?

Last September, we playfully announced that this year was 303’s Saturn return – a time to reflect, prioritize, realign. What an understatement that turned out to be.

Studio 303 is no stranger to uncertainty, but of course this pandemic brings it to a whole new level. We must find ways to support one another, honouring our diverse contexts and coping strategies. In May, we hosted a Town Hall with resident artists and studio users. Our biggest take-away was a collective need to slow down, to listen and to observe; an imperative to re-evaluate our relationship to systems and to time.

Today we find ourselves in a historic moment of deep mourning and powerful protest following the brutal murder of George Floyd – a tipping point for collective awakening, racial justice and police reform. We are moved by the brave wave of momentum generated by those on the front lines and are determined to amplify marginalized voices and fight white supremacy as individuals, as a team, as part of a community, and as an institution.

We need to work more deeply and thoughtfully. We are cutting back “productivity” next season: reduced programming will better support artists at their rhythm, and allow for ideas which have yet to take shape. We will take 12 months to nurture an inclusion project we had initially planned to do in three. We envision a paperless year, and gentle, incremental and minimalist communications, allowing us to channel funds and energy elsewhere while better embodying our environmental aspirations. We look forward to trying to think and do things differently.

We are very fortunate: governmental emergency aid is ensuring our short-term survival, and core funding means we can protect staff, teacher and artist wages. However, the rental and workshop losses we anticipate threaten our ability to hold onto our beloved studio – our creative home for the past 30 years. We are counting on your support to help us navigate the rough waters ahead, and thrive as a physical space where thinking can be embodied.

We know many of you are exhausted and facing financial hardships of your own. And we don’t want to add noise to your inbox and social media feed unnecessarily.

Thus, this fundraising campaign will be brief and discrete.

This is it.

For those who are able to help out this year, thank you in advance!

You can donate from now until June 30th 2020 via Simplyk or by cheque.

Take very good care of yourselves, in solidarity,

Team 303

– Kim-Sanh, Miriam, Noël, Ola, Ornella et Victoria