About

Hamilton Artists Inc. (The Inc.) is a charitable, not-for-profit artist-run centre. It was founded in 1975, incorporated in 1979, and received charitable status in 1981.

Since its inception, The Inc. has been committed to the values of artist-run culture, offering an alternative to commercial spaces and established public galleries and museums by providing artists with opportunities for critical engagement, exploration, and risk-taking. We serve members of our community at all stages in their careers by presenting local, national, and international exhibitions, workshops, artist talks, and professional development services. As a member-driven organization, we provide our more than 300 members with an accessible and inclusive forum to address the social and professional needs of artists through workshops, lectures, and our dedicated Members’ Gallery.

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission

As an artist-run centre, Hamilton Artists Inc. empowers artists of all career levels to take risks with their contemporary visual arts practices and present their work in a critical context. Our exhibitions, publications, and special projects offer education and mentorship, facilitate regional and national dialogue, and encourage collaboration, conversation, and critical inquiry. Our programs are free and open to everyone.

Vision

Hamilton Artists Inc. aspires to connect with our changing communities by taking an intersectional approach, identifying and removing systemic barriers, and supporting artists and art practices that reflect the people of our region. We aim to be a destination for critical, unconventional, and challenging contemporary art practices that contribute to regional and national discourses.

Values

Our communities are local, regional, and national in scope. The following values speak to our commitment to these communities in the broadest sense.

Criticality, Creativity, and Art: We value art that is creative, challenging, and responsive to critical discourses, providing fruitful connections between local, regional, and national artists and art audiences.

Dismantling Structural Barriers: We are aware of systemic barriers within the art world, and strive to implement equitable models that provide true access and engagement with our programs. We are proactively taking actions so that our Board, Staff, and artistic platforms will reflect our diverse and changing communities.

Responsive to Change: We are aware of our responsibility to be responsive and informed and we are taking actions to ensure that our operations and programming can meet the emerging needs of our communities on an ongoing basis.

Mentorship & Education: We are committed to providing resources that offer all artists the professional development they need.

Collaboration: We believe in collaboration with community partners as a core principle that allows us to serve our shared communities through reciprocal fostering of creativity, criticality, inclusivity, mentorship, and responsiveness to changing needs.

Strategic Plan

Download a PDF of our current Strategic Plan.

Staff

Derek Jenkins, Executive Director

executive@theinc.ca

Derek Jenkins (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist. His practice tends toward the handmade and the documentary, with an interest in labour, ecology, and technology. His films have screened widely, and he also makes work for the gallery setting. Derek was previously general manager and lab technician at Niagara Custom Lab, and he currently serves as Chair on the board of directors of the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre. He is from Arkansas and has lived in central Hamilton for over a decade.

Sanaa Humayun, Artistic Director

programming@theinc.ca

Sanaa Humayun (she/her) is an artist, writer, & curator, living and working in Hamilton, ON. Her practice thinks about non-narrative story telling, secret keeping, and play and joy as acts of resistance. She is the Artistic Director at Hamilton Artists Inc. Along with Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet, Sanaa co-organizes Making Space - a peer mentorship group for early-career BIPOC artists. You can usually find her laughing a little too loudly with her friends in public places.

The image is a photo of Sonali Menezes. Sonali is a brown femme with dark hair. She is wearing a purple N95 mask and seated at a table with a lecture microphone in front of her. In front of her, on the table, is a number of materials for making zines; paper, pencils, scissors, etc. Behind her is a dark purple wall and green plants.

Sonali Menezes, Programming Coordinator

programmingcoordinator@theinc.ca

Sonali Menezes (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and artist-educator. She has been most recently focused in zines, video and printmaking. Sonali makes art as a way to find meaning under the weight of capitalism and the unending anxiety of the climate crisis. Her zines live in personal and public zine libraries worldwide. https://sonali-menezes.com/

Board

The Hamilton Artists Inc. is seeking engaged, committed and enthusiastic volunteers to submit applications to the Board of Directors. The Board consists of Inc. members who possess a variety of skills, knowledge, perspectives and talents. The Board strives to reflect the diverse community of Hamilton and to be a welcoming, inclusive environment. We encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Apply to join the board

Jordyn Stewart, Secretary

Jordyn Stewart (she/her) is an artist, educator and arts administrator. She received her MFA from the University of Waterloo and her BA from the University of Toronto, joint program with Sheridan College in Art & Art History. Her work has been programmed in spaces such as Art Museum, Hamilton Artists Inc., Trinity Square Video, Idea Exchange, and Gallery Stratford. She teaches in the Department of Visual Studies at The University of Toronto Mississauga and is living in Onguiaahra/Niagara. visit: www.jordynstewart.ca

Dianne Twombly, Treasurer

Dianne Twombly (she/her) is a Hamilton based artist currently completing a BFA at York University. A former social worker and post-secondary administrator, she has extensive experience in educational, non-profit and community-based programming. Dianne’s surreal mixed media and digital works explore themes of decay, transformation, and cycles of life, death and rebirth in both natural and constructed environments. She holds degrees (BA, MSW) from the University of Toronto, as well as a certificate in Dynamic Media from the Center for Electronic Art in San Francisco. Visit: diannetwombly.com

The photo is of Alexandria Holm, a woman with long brown hair, wearing a white shirt, and sitting on a blue couch.

Alexandria Holm, Programming Chair

Alexandria Holm (she/her) is a Toronto based art historian and art advisor specializing in contemporary Canadian art. Previously, she has sat on the Special Events Committee at Hamilton Artist Inc. In her role as Programming Chair on the Board, she brings a decade of experience working in the arts and has held various roles in museums, artist-run centres, and commercial art galleries. Alexandria holds a BA in Art History with minors in Philosophy and Russian Studies from McGill University, and an MA in Art History and a diploma in Curatorial Practice from York University where her area of research focused on contemporary Canadian art and galleries, and Inuit art. Visit: alexandriaadvisory.com and follow ig: alexholm_

The image is a photo of Saud Badri. Saud is an African woman with dark brown skin and grey hair which is framed by a scarf. She has dark brown eyes and looks off camera while standing in front of a painting.

Suad Badri, Board Member

Suad Badri was born in Sudan, moved to Canada in 2014, as a refugee. She is active in Environmental Governance, with a focus on Sustainable Energy research. Since arriving in Hamilton, she works in community services; currently instructing SACHA’s sewing circle. Suad's heart is in social justice/ community development; and she finds peace in exploring African Folk Art.

The image is a photo of Olga Kolotylo. Olga is a white woman with shoulder length dark blonde hair. She is standing outside and is smiling pleasantly while looking at the camera.

Olga Kolotylo, Board Member

Olga Kolotylo (she/her) is a cultural worker and arts educator with experience in museums, universities, and non-profit arts organizations. Born in Ukraine, she works at the intersection of art and education and values collaboration, generosity and community engagement. Olga received her Bachelor’s Degree in Art History and a Master’s Degree in Art History with a Diploma in Curatorial Practice from York University. Currently, she works at the McMaster Museum of Art and volunteers for the Hamilton Literacy Council and the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. Olga previously worked in the Education Department at Woodland Cultural Centre, as a writer for the Art Canada Institute, and collaborated with Mammalian Diving Reflex on socially-engaged art projects.

Annual Reports

Each year Hamilton Artists Inc. prepares an Annual Report which documents what our organization has accomplished in the past year, and plans for the future. The document includes reports from the Chair of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, Programming Director, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Treasurer and Committees including Development, and Special Events and Fundraising, Programming, Facilities, and the NEW Commitee.

The Annual Report is presented to our membership and community during the Annual General Meeting scheduled each winter.