Spun Studio

10/13/2017

Here another member shares her experience of Inspirations Studio.

And a MASSIVE thanks to all who have contributed to our campaign. We're delighted to share that we've now cracked $10,000!

Please help us keep this awesome momentum by sharing and giving! https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/save-inspirations-studio/

10/11/2017

Inspirations Studio has become a healing force in so many lives.



Help save this incredible program via: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/save-inspirations-studio/

10/05/2017

We are asking for the public’s support in our crowdfunding campaign https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/save-inspirations-studio/ and for leads on potential partner agencies and funding opportunities. Our campaign will raise funds for rent and studio supplies so the members can continue to access a creative space, generate income and maintain a sense of meaning and purpose.

As one member told us, “Inspirations saved my life.”

Inspirations Studio helps low-income women learn to craft ceramic goods and develop business skills, so they can earn supplemental income. Through the process, the Studio works to facilitate the recovery of self-esteem, respect, and dignity, and create a community of entrepreneurs. Inspirations was first established in 1994 as a craft collective for under-housed women in a converted church at 761 Queen West. When the 761 Community Development Corporation closed in 2001, Inspirations was taken on by Sistering, which secured funding through the Toronto Enterprise Fund. In 2016, the program lost its status as a social enterprise. In short, the enterprise model demanded a more production-oriented approach and ultimately conflicted with the women’s individual creative expression, the program’s focus on entrepreneurial skill building, and the challenges of securing full-time employment as a craftsperson. Bridge funding provided by the United Way will run out at the end of 2017.

Friends of Inspirations Studio is an informal group dedicated to promoting the work and goals of Inspirations Studio. We are members of the Toronto arts, financial, and business communities, who believe in social enterprise as a means of lifting women out of poverty, and artistic expression as a means of nourishing well-being.

Inspirations Studio is a one-of-a-kind program and has provided scores of women with a lifeline for 23 years. It would be a tragedy to let it come to an end in such a short time. Thank you for your support and for spreading the word.

For more information, please contact:

Friends of Inspirations, [email protected]

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/save-inspirations-studio/

https://www.facebook.com/friendsofinspirationsstudio/

10/03/2017

We have officially launched our fundraising campaign and just received our first donation! These Inspirations Studio mugs pretty much sum it up, but because you're craving more, here is a link to our press release: http://bit.ly/2xVrsad

And here is our Canada Helps page: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/save-inspirations-studio/

Thank you for your support!

08/02/2017

The date of our Annual General Meeting has been changed to Wednesday September 13, 2017! See you all then!

04/25/2017

Inspirations Studio Spring Studio Sale

03/08/2017

Drop-in provides shelter, food and a safe place to rest or sleep for women who otherwise have nowhere else to go.

02/08/2017

These are close up images of just two of our works in the Community Voices Exhibition Textile Museum of Canada

02/01/2017

01/26/2017

Spun Studio members are participating in Community Voices: Toronto Artists Inspired by Shelia Hicks which is presently on at Textile Museum of Canada until March 15, 2017

05/06/2016

We have started another rug hooking project! This project has grown out of the series that the Textile Museum held for us in February of this year.

05/04/2016

We have released a RFP for a consultant to complete a feasibility study and write a new business plan for the Social Enterprises of Sistering. For further information visit https://inspirationsstudio.org/rfp-may-2016/