INCITE FOUNDATION: Making art accessible to all

By HCMDec 2, 2025

The incite Foundation for the Arts supports the work of the Dundas Valley School of Art.

The incite Foundation for the Arts has contributed more than $9 million to 50 Hamilton-area organizations, through grants from $2,500 to $300,000, since it was founded in 2011. It is the legacy of the late Carl and Kate Turkstra who believed the arts are key to quality of life and critical to the future of Hamilton. And they believed anyone, regardless of circumstance, should be able to enjoy and pursue music, theatre and visual art. HAMILTON CITY Magazine is showcasing the incredible, creative and talented recipients of incite grants. Here we share the work of the Dundas Valley School of Art.

As one of Canada’s largest independent art schools, Dundas Valley School of Art (DVSA) is a registered charity founded by two visionary women, Emily Dutton and Marion Farnan. Over its 60-year history, DVSA has supported and nurtured creativity in the visual arts for students of all ages and abilities.

DVSA’s annual programming runs across four terms (summer, fall, winter and spring), welcoming 8,500-plus registrants for part-time art classes and a full-time diploma program.

Part-time classes are offered at the Ogilvie Street location as well as in partnership with the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre. Classes and workshops extend from beginner through advanced in the mediums of drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, glass art, jewellery, art history and ceramics. A cornerstone of DVSA’s programming is its popular children’s art programming. Beginning over 30 years ago, offerings have expanded to include a rich selection of weekly classes and workshops as well as PA day, winter, March Break and summer art camps.

Launched in September 2023, DVSA’s accredited three-year Studio Art Theory and Practice diploma program specializes in small, mentorship-driven visual arts education – filling the need for specialized niche visual arts education that offers an alternative to the conventional training often found in a university/college setting.

In addition to its fee-based classes, DVSA has an extensive, multifaceted and impactful outreach program that removes financial, physical, intellectual and social barriers to participating in the visual arts. All outreach activities are funded solely through donations from our community and provide open visual arts experiences in the Hamilton area.

Read all about the legacy of Carl and Kate Turkstra here!

Experiencing and learning from the creative process is at the root of our free public artist talks and exhibitions. Both showcase the creative spirit of established and new up-and-coming artists from Hamilton and our region. Our gallery spaces, funded through support from the incite Foundation, provide places for faculty, students and local artists to exhibit their works.

The Dundas Valley School of Art offers classes and programs for people of all ages. Photos: DVSA

For 20-plus years, DVSA has been providing free hands-on art experiences through partnerships with community agencies, organizations and local school boards. Additionally, DVSA offers diverse programming to marginalized communities, most recently pottery and multi-media classes for local 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.

One of the most impactful outreach activities is the Community Art Experience Program (CAEP). Thanks to historical support from local and provincial donors and most recently through a generous pledge by the incite Foundation, DVSA offers free visual arts experiences in partnership with local community agencies and organizations.

CAEP touches the lives of more than 3,000 Hamiltonians through bursaries to attend DVSA classes, “Art in a Bag” kits, age-specific hands-on workshops, Family Art Days and Make-and-Take events at community events such as Pride, and Telling Tales.

As a charity, DVSA operates on very close margins, with 80 per cent of our operational costs met by programming revenue and fundraising events. These events include a popular annual art auction and Little Black Frame Mystery event. Both events showcase the works of artists from across Hamilton and the region.

The support provided to Hamilton by the incite Foundation has been groundbreaking. Its support for what is, at times, an underfunded and undervalued sector, has made the Hamilton arts scene stronger. For DVSA, as we look to the future, the incite Foundation partnership enables us to continue ensuring community participation in the visual arts remains accessible, allowing everyone to discover the artist within all of us.