Art Circuit returns for a fourth tour

Four galleries will take part in the Oct. 2 event that brings together artists and audiences in creative spaces across Hamilton.

Hamilton’s independent art scene is offering a one-night tour once again and this year features two new creative spaces, along with a founding location now in new hands.

Art Circuit, the annual gallery tour that connects artists, studios, and art lovers by bus, returns Oct. 2 for its fourth year, with four venues opening their doors to hundreds of visitors and more than 100 artists.

What began as a collaboration between artists Mary Flynn and Paul Elia, who moved away from the city last year, has grown into one of the city’s most anticipated grassroots art events. Last year, more than 600 people passed through Flynn’s Back Alley Gallery on Herkimer Street, where more than 40 artists were featured.

She had more than 200 artists apply to be included this year.

This year’s event again includes the gallery space on Cannon Street near Ottawa Street that was founded by streetscape painter Elia. It is now home to Revival, an arts supply store and café, owned by photographer Marta Hewson and her husband Jerrold.

The other two venues this year are the new gallery Good Nerd, a James North venture by veteran restaurateur Erin Dunham and art curator Rafal Tomczuk, and the Corner Studio, a new space on York Boulevard. 

Each location will host its own opening, with buses circulating between the venues throughout the evening. Bus hosts decorate the vehicles, bring on DJs, create themes, and bring plenty of energy to the journey between stops, says Flynn.

This year, artists will have their work on display for about two weeks, giving visitors time to return and purchase pieces they discovered during the circuit.

For Flynn, however, the goal is bigger than selling art. She wants Art Circuit to showcase the independent, unconventional spaces that make Hamilton’s creative community distinctive.

“There’s no pretension or anything like that,” she says of her own studio. “I want that whole feel for Art Circuit. I want people to … feel community.”

The event has become a meeting place not only for art lovers but for artists themselves. First-time participants have found mentors, collaborators, and new opportunities through connections made during the circuit.

That balance, between solitary creativity and collective celebration, is at the heart of Art Circuit, says Flynn.

“[Artists] need community, and you need the other people, and you need to spend time on your own to actually do the creative process.”

Each venue had a call for submissions and those hosts formed a jury to make artist selections. 

Past venues include the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Crown & Press, The Cotton Factory, Wink Glass Studio, Westinghouse, and You Me Gallery.

“They’ve all been great, and the partners this year are great, too,” says Flynn. “So I'm really excited that people want to be part of it, and there's a buzz about it.”