Terrarium is an 1100 sq. ft multidisciplinary studio located in the west end of Toronto founded by artists Eli Howey (Trans Queer Music Collective), Zanette Singh (Cue Art Projects) in partnership with Capsules. Terrarium is an intergenerational cooperative studio, offering affordable shared space and support to under-financed, racialized, trans* and queer artists, including a private healing space with sliding scale counselling.
Terrarium provides artist residencies, creative development opportunities, mentorship and gathering space for local queer artists. Terrarium continues the legacy of Cue Art Projects and seeks to sustain alternative pathways for artists to build community, share knowledge and develop their practices.
We see artist studios as an integral cultural space, one which often gets overlooked when discussing the loss of artist space in Toronto. Our studio provides opportunities to bring artists together and build vital pathways of support outside of colonial institutions. We preserve studio based practices and mentorship models rooted in intergenerational knowledge sharing. Collaborative affordable studio models allow artists to continue to make art and ensure interdependent queer/trans* communities can grow and sustain, despite a lack of resources and, growing economic uncertainty within the arts & culture sector sector.
Terrarium is led by trans* and queer artists who understand the unique challenges and barriers artists in our community face. We built this space to alleviate the burdens of sustaining creative practice alone, we have directly witnessed the powerful impact of shared space and the necessity of shared resources. In this time of immense scarcity preserving the cultural voice of queer and trans artists in the city is a collective effort. Your donation will directly support this artist-led space and community. All funds raised will go towards supporting our 2025 community-driven initiatives!
- Seasonal 4 month artist residency for trans artists with material stipends and mentorship
- Music recording residencies for independent trans and queer musicians
- Affordable membership program offering 2SQT artist low-cost artist workspaces
- Affordable therapy for trans and queer people by trans and queer mental health practitioners
- Free gathering space for likeminded LGBTQ2S+ groups and initiatives
- Skill-sharing amongst intergenerational artists to build the economic independence for queer artists and entrepreneurs
- Communal pantry to support under-resourced artists
Terrarium's official launch and fundraiser is happening this December 11th. This will include a group exhibition 'EARTH PUNK' at It's OK* Studio (468 Queen St W, Toronto, ON), featuring painting, sculpture, and music performances by queer, two spirit and trans* artists. The night will also be celebrated with performances by Little Window, Luby-Chou, Juanito and Kaspr. Exclusive merchandise will be added to this page after the exhibition!
We acknowledge this sacred land on which the Terrarium operates. It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
Today, the meeting place of Tkaronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
Additionally, we acknowledge that we continue to live on stolen land, and that reconciliation with Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island means working towards the return of unceded lands.
