Research Guides: Entrepreneurship: Creative Arts Entrepreneurship

Creative Arts Entrepreneurship

If you are an independent artist who is self-employed or working in the gig economy then this resource is for you!

Local Arts Service Organizations

Toronto has six Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs). LASOs are not-for-profit, professional arts service organizations with varying mandates.

Arts Etobicoke - Established in 1973 to provide a united voice for the local arts community, we are recognized as one of Canada’s finest community arts councils. We are proud to support established and aspiring artists of all ages and backgrounds with a broad variety of activities and services, including arts education, advocacy, community space and much more.
East End Arts - East End Arts is a non-profit community arts organization that serves the east end of Toronto. We provide inclusive arts programming and events to our local communities, including youth, newcomers, seniors and priority groups. We also provide professional development opportunities to both emerging and established artists and arts organizations.
Lakeshore Arts - As a registered charitable not for profit community arts organization, we are dedicated to engaging all peoples using multidisciplinary art forms as a way of enriching lives and strengthening Toronto’s communities.
North York Arts - North York Arts (NYA) is one of six Local Arts Service Organizations (LASOs) in Toronto whose purpose is to deliver on the City’s social, economic and cultural goals outside of the downtown core. NYA was created to specifically address the needs and interests of artists, arts organizations and residents based in North York.
Scarborough Arts - Scarborough Arts, a not-for-profit charitable organization, serves the Scarborough community by developing, delivering, and promoting innovative arts programming and cultural initiatives in collaboration and partnership with the community.
Urban Arts - UrbanArts is committed to the goal of building inclusive, engaged communities by enriching peoples’ lives through the arts, culture and heritage, with programs, services and resources delivered within the former City of York boundaries, with a focus on York South-Weston.

Accelerators/Incubators/Hubs

Artscape Centre Weston
Artscape Weston Common is Artscape’s newest community cultural hub, located in the heart of the Weston-Mount Dennis community. It hub builds on the community’s existing creativity and rich culture, histories and traditions, offering a vibrant, inviting gathering place for people to come together to create, learn, experience local art, performance and cultural programs and events and celebrate community. It leverages art and culture as a catalyst for urban and community development, and has a artist resident program with artists, artist-led families that live and work in units next to the hub. The hub offers event spaces to book, the ability to showcase your work and an art gallery.
Centre for Social Innovation
Social innovation puts people and the planet first by catalyzing, inspiring and supporting people to create, develop, adopt and integrate new and renewed concepts and practices. Consider this innovation hub, community working space, lab for how your creative arts business can make a social impact. They offer workshops, work space, networking, community, and a job board.
The Creative Innovation Studio
The Creative Innovation Studio at Ryerson University has four Zones (creative incubators) to bring together emerging and established makers, artists, technologists, entrepreneurs, researchers and academics. Zones include: Design Fabrication Zone, Fashion Zone Music Den, Transmedia Zone. Their goal is to help make the future in a collaborative community with creative exploration, cross-disciplinary innovation, and creative excellence. Explore events and apply as a startup for cutting edge business coaching and mentorship.
Generator
Generator is a mentoring, teaching, and innovation incubator that expands the skills, tools, and competencies of independent artists, producers and leaders.
iCUBE (UTM)
iCUBE incubator at the University of Toronto Mississauga that focuses on social entrepreneurship and has a specific program for Indigenous entrepreneurs. Explore their pitch competitions, and workshops that focus on equity deserving communities and explore their iCUBE Studio that serve entrepreneurs needs.
Native Women in the Arts (NWIA)
Native Women in the Arts (NWIA) is Canada’s leading arts organization for Indigenous women and other gender marginalized artists working at the intersection of traditional and contemporary practices. NWIA supports multi-disciplinary artistic expression by connecting, training and presenting emerging, mid-career and established artists whose work reflects a commitment to art, culture, community, and the advancement of Indigenous people (from website).
OCAD Design Jam
Design Jam works is an incubator that provides hands-on experience to build a creative business that works with in coordination with OCAD University's Imagination Catalyst, a Campus-Linked Accelerator, and in partnership with MaRS.
Go here to find out about their events and explore their toolkit for adding creativity to a business or building creative businesses.
OCAD Imagination Catalyst
The Imagination Catalyst is OCAD University’s entrepreneurship and commercialization hub that supports OCAD U students, alumni, researchers and faculty as well as creative people across the Greater Toronto Area. As a creative, you can find advice, and learning opportunities to develop your business skills as creative professionals through their continuing studies program as well.
sLab - Strategic Innovation Lab (OCAD)
Interested in contributing to what drives the innovation process? The sLab at OCADU is the center for design thinking, strategic foresight & social innovation research and development in Toronto that works with local partners and clients to develop & apply interdisciplinary methodologies that clarify and drive the front end of the innovation process. Explore their events to learn more!
Artifex - Critical Digital Methods Institute
Artifex was created through a partnership between Mass Culture and the Creative Hubs and Networks Mapping Initiative (CHNMI) at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) with support from the Critical Digital Methods Institute (CDMI) in 2020-2021. Artifex reflects commitments shared between Mass Culture and CHNMI/CDMI (UTSC) to ensure all communities have the ability to mobilize and benefit from arts and culture research. Consequently, Artifex is publicly accessible. The exchange and dissemination of knowledge and research links that this database provides will be important to the following organizations and individuals: policy makers, creative workers and artists, researchers and academics, media, funders and general interest audiences. The resource database presents information in a way that is both digestible and in-depth, making it a key information resource for anyone working in or interested in the arts and cultural sector in Canada.
Creative Hubs and Network Mapping Initiative
The Creative Hubs and Networks Mapping Initiative (CHNMI) is part of the Critical Digital Methods Institute (CDMI) at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). Led by Mary Elizabeth Luka, the CHNMI supports the CDMI’s overarching interdisciplinary focus on seeking to build bridges across the gaps that exist between disciplines, media, systems and people. The exchange and dissemination of knowledge that this database provides will be important to the following organizations and individuals: creative hubs funders and leaders, policy makers, community users, creative workers and artists, researchers, and specific publics.