Open Space

What Open Space does

Open Space is a registered Canadian non-profit artist-run centre (legally Open Space Arts Society, a BC Society and registered charity #11906 8815 RR 0001) founded in 1972 on the unceded territories of the Lekwungen peoples in Victoria, British Columbia. The organization presents contemporary visual arts, music, writing, media arts, and performance through exhibitions, artist residencies, workshops, publications, and community programs. It explicitly commits to paying professional artist fees and to decolonial practices, maintaining formal relationships with local Indigenous nations (Songhees, Esquimalt, WSÁNEĆ) and prioritizing Indigenous, Black, and people of colour artists.

The organization operates with a small core team of six (Executive Director, Operations Manager, Curator of Indigenous & Contemporary Art, IEAP Program Coordinator, Technician, and a contracted Communications Coordinator) and is governed by a five-member volunteer Board of Directors. Its primary facility is at 510 Fort Street, Victoria, which is undergoing access renovations including elevator installation (2023-2025); during this period programming has shifted to a temporary site at 750 Fairfield Road and to online channels such as Instagram livestreams. Technology footprint is limited to a Squarespace website, Mailerlite newsletter, and a Shopify-based online store for merchandise and artist publications.

Open Space's revenue model is a typical Canadian artist-run centre mix: government and foundation grants (Victoria Foundation, City of Victoria), individual charitable donations processed via Canada Helps, optional tiered memberships ($0/$25/$50/$100) that confer voting rights at the AGM, modest merchandise and publication sales, and program-specific sponsorships. Admission is free/by donation. The organization reaches audiences through its website, Instagram, newsletter, community partnerships (Primary Colours, Van Vogue Jam, Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, grunt gallery), and co-publishing arrangements such as the CENTO risograph book with Moniker Press. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on volunteer networks, word-of-mouth, and direct programming rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Open Space

Legal name

Open Space Arts Society

Website

https://openspacearts.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts and Culture Programming

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Artist-run centre
• Artist residencies
• Community arts programming
• Decolonial art practice

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Open Space generates revenue through charitable donations processed via Canada Helps, government arts grants, and foundation support such as the Victoria Foundation Community Grant. The organization holds charitable status (#11906 8815 RR 0001).
2. Membership Fees: Optional membership with tiered pricing ($0, $25, $50, $100 custom amounts) offering benefits including newsletter subscription, voting rights, discounts on merchandise, and eligibility for board nomination. Membership model shifted to zero-fee option in 2020 to reduce barriers.
3. Merchandise and Publications: Sales of merchandise and artist publications through the Open Space online store, including artist books like CENTO, prints, and promotional items.
4. Program Sponsorships: Funding support from sponsors such as City of Victoria for specific programming through grants like the My Great Neighbourhood Grant and Everyday Creativity Grant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Open Space is a non-profit artist-run centre that presents and produces contemporary visual arts, music, writing, media arts, and performance programming for professional artists and the broader public. Its core offerings include gallery exhibitions, artist residencies, workshops and artist talks, printed publications (artist books, broadsheets), podcasts, a tiered membership program, and minor merchandise and facility rental services. Programming is delivered free or by donation at a physical Victoria, BC gallery and through online/virtual channels.

Product overview

Open Space is a non-profit artist-run centre that provides programming and services across multiple artistic disciplines. Its offerings include gallery exhibitions, artist residencies, publications, workshops, and community programs. The organization does not operate as a traditional product company with packaged software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gallery Exhibitions Program Free or by-donation gallery exhibitions of contemporary visual, sound, literary, media, and performance arts presented at the 510 Fort Street, Victoria, BC gallery (with temporary off-site programming during renovations). Targeted at the general public and the professional arts community.
• Artist Residencies (Guest House Residency) Artist residency program offering hosted residency opportunities to professional artists at the Open Space facility. Targeted at professional contemporary artists seeking supported time and space to develop work.
• CENTO Artist Book Risograph-printed limited-edition artist book (edition of 150) featuring contributions from five artists, co-published with Moniker Press and available for purchase. Targeted at collectors, arts audiences, and supporters of contemporary art publishing.
• Open Word Broadsheet Free printed broadsheet publishing literary and visual arts collaborations between writers and visual artists. Targeted at arts audiences and the general public.
• Membership Program Optional membership program offered at $0, $25, $50, $100, or custom amounts on an annual basis, providing benefits including newsletter subscription, voting rights at AGM, merchandise discounts, and eligibility for board nomination. Targeted at community members wishing to support and participate in Open Space's governance.
• Facility Rentals Rental of the Open Space gallery/facility at 510 Fort Street to external users for events and programming. Targeted at community groups, artists, and local organizations.
• Workshops and Artist Talks Educational workshops and artist talks (including Coffee Chats as part of the Out & About series and vogue workshops in partnership with Van Vogue Jam). Targeted at arts audiences, community members, and aspiring practitioners.
• In Relation Limited Series Podcast Limited-series podcast about art, hospitality, and guest-host relations within Open Space and its broader community. Distributed online via the Open Space website. Targeted at arts audiences and contemporary art practitioners.
• Open Space Online Store (Merchandise) E-commerce storefront selling merchandise, prints, artist publications, and promotional items including books such as CENTO. Targeted at arts audiences, members, and supporters of Open Space.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Moniker PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2024Co-published the CENTO artist book featuring editions by Vida Beyer, Nour Bishouty, Hazel Meyer, Philip Leonard Ocampo, and Dana Qaddah. Risograph printed, edition of 150.
• Primary Colours/Couleurs primairescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2023Co-presented the Crossing Paths: Blazing Trails series of five virtual roundtable discussions in 2023, exploring decolonial approaches to art-making with IBPoC artists. Facilitated by Chris Creighton-Kelly and France Trépanier.
• Pangea World TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2023Partnership enabling the launch of Crossing Paths series with a presentation in Minneapolis for the May 13 roundtable on 'the Gesture'.
• Van Vogue JamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for VOGUE series bringing vogue workshops, performance, and arts programming to Victoria. Founder Ralph Escamillan leads monthly workshops and the collaboration prioritizes QTBIPoC participants.
• RISO CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Small Press Showcase presenting local independent print publishing projects at Ministry of Casual Living's Odeon Window Gallery.
• Art Gallery of Greater VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Family Sunday events and distribution of Tah'lum Indigenous Artist Collective Colouring Book Volume II.
• grunt galleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnection through Whess Harman, curator at grunt gallery, who participated in Guest House Residency at Open Space.
• Indigenous Communities (Lekwungen, WSÁNEĆ, and surrounding nations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnership and relationship-building with local Indigenous communities including Songhees Nation, Esquimalt Nation, and WSÁNEĆ Leadership Council. Organization operates on unceded Lekwungen territory and is committed to decolonial practices.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stride Gallery: Calgary-based artist-run centre founded in 1979 that presents contemporary visual, sound, and performance art. Comparable to Open Space as a peer-sized, non-profit, multi-disciplinary artist-run centre in Western Canada.
• VIVO Media Arts Centre: Vancouver-based artist-run centre dedicated to media arts, including sound, video, and performance — overlapping with Open Space's media arts and music programming. Comparable in scale, non-profit structure, and community-education focus.
• Truck Contemporary Art: Calgary artist-run centre presenting contemporary art, residencies, and public programming. Comparable to Open Space in operating model, programming mix, and reliance on grants and membership revenue.
• AKA Artist Run Centre: Saskatoon-based artist-run centre supporting contemporary art through exhibitions, residencies, and publications. Comparable to Open Space as a small-staff, non-profit, multi-disciplinary artist-run centre in a smaller Canadian market.
• Gallery 101: Ottawa-based bilingual artist-run centre founded in 1979 presenting contemporary visual and media arts. Comparable to Open Space in operating model, programming mix, and community-led, non-profit structure.
• Western Front: Vancouver artist-run centre founded in 1973 that presents exhibitions, residencies, and new music across visual, sound, and literary arts. Closely comparable to Open Space in age, multi-disciplinary programming, and non-profit artist-run centre model.
• grunt gallery: Long-running Vancouver-based artist-run centre presenting contemporary visual, media, and performance art with an explicit focus on Indigenous and IBPoC artists. Directly comparable to Open Space in mission, programming model, and community-led operating structure.

Broad incumbents

• The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Large Canadian arts and creativity institution in Banff, Alberta offering residencies, exhibitions, and programming across disciplines. Comparable to Open Space in curatorial ambition and multi-disciplinary programming, but at substantially greater scale and budget.
• Artscape: Toronto-based non-profit that develops and manages creative spaces and artist-run facilities. A broader, larger incumbent in the Canadian non-profit arts space, comparable in mission to support artists and creative practice but operating at much greater scale.
• Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Public art museum in Victoria, BC that has partnered with Open Space on family programming and Indigenous artist initiatives. Comparable as a Victoria-based contemporary arts presenter, but larger and institutionally funded rather than artist-run.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/openspacevic
• Xx.com/openspacevic
• Facebookfacebook.com/openspacevic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-space-arts-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open Space