In addition to our eight resident arts organizations, the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning hosts eight tenant Creativity Studio Artists in individual artist studios with a shared communal space on the second floor.
Our Creativity Studio Artists are a core component of the Tett community; in addition to their various roles in the Katarokwi/Kingston arts sector, they regularly offer public engagment opportunities to support Tett programming. Through their community engagement, our Creativity Studio Artists enable the Tett to expand our free, PWYC, and by-donation programming, simultaneously assisting the Tett in further developing financially accessible programming opportunities for the YGK community while also helping to raise funds for our charitable arts organization.
Any time you visit the Tett, you are most welcome to pop by the Creativity Studios (Suite 214, 2nd Floor, lakeside end of the hallway) and see what the Tett artists are up to! They regularly welcome visitors into their studios and are always happy to chat about all things art.
Studio A ~ Acrylic Painting
Alice Melo is a Visual Artist and Art Educator, specializing in realism. She primarily works in acrylics, yet has a strong interest in other mediums such as oils, charcoal, gouache, pastels, and watercolours. Alice's work is often born out of memories and inspired by nature and the beauty that surrounds us. She emphasizes themes of nostalgia in her work, using soft backgrounds to create warmth and depth in her paintings. Alice is an experienced instructor and enjoys teaching art workshops to help motivate and cultivate creativity and confidence in her students.
Instagram @AliceMeloFineArt
Studio B ~ Asbtract Painting + Expressive Arts
"I create from the inspiration I find in my natural surroundings. I love the simplistic elegance of the trees, the branches, the flora. In nature, I find renewal. I have long been interested in the way elements combine with each other, to produce something unique; a sum greater together than its’ parts. I am intrigued by the way human-made elements connect with the natural world, producing a myriad of enlivening colours and textures, both of which play a vital role in my creative process. I believe that unlikely pairings can be harmonious too, bringing a sense of delightful surprise to environments! It is my hope that this joy is shared with others through my art and that these pieces spark conversation, contemplation and inspiration for all who find their way to them. Thank you for being here and discovering my art."
Instagram @erin.anne.oneill
Studio C ~ Calligraphy + Painting
Peng Wang is a Chinese Canadian visual artist who works in oils, watercolour and calligraphy. He believes that art making is a way of finding stilllness and peace within the mind. Peng offers classes in calligraphy and Chinese watercolour painting.
Instagram @pengyuan529
Studio D ~ Fibre Arts
Bethany Garner is a textile and weaving focused arts professional, focused on sharing her 23 years of teaching experience as the newly retired Textile Arts Program Instructor at St. Lawrence College within our Community. She is keen to support those who have an interest in using Fibre and Stitch as their medium. Beth is a weaver and art quilt designer who has work traveling in Canada, and the US, as well as around the world with Studio Art Quilt Associates. Take a workshop today: https://www.bethanygarner.com/
Studio F ~ Painting
As a Resident Artist at the Tett Centre, Adele paints in a contemporary abstracted style focusing on gesture and colour. Her work is inspired by nature's landscapes, using a minimlist style she brings balance in an attempt to decipher the everyday chaos towards calm. She intends to create a mood or evoke a dream-like memory that one can escape into while enjoying the playfulness of the abstracted peaceful vista.
Adele's work builds many layers of acrylic washes over birch panels allowing the wood grain to show through. Then finishing with a high gloss resin that adds richness, depth, and makes the colours pop.
Instagram @AdeleWebster_Art
Studio G ~ Oil Painting
Although born in Québec, Michelle was raised in Kingston Ontario. Her pride in the downtown core – as well as the beautiful areas that surround this town.
Michelle seeks balance of light and shadow in her artwork. Whether her subject be deep forest or urban landscape, her goal is the same. How the sunset wraps around the trunk of a tree or lights up the windows of a building can transform shapes into magic. Light and shadow symbolize the balance of society and solitude. Michelle finds energy in the city to fuel her inspiration and is drawn to the woods to decompress and reflect.
Instagram @MichelleReidArtist
Studio H ~ Visual art & Movement
Sasha French was born and raised in the Florida Keys, to a family who left much behind in Cuba but was rich with musicians and artists. Spending her formative years performing in local and regional theatre programs and studying classical piano laid the groundwork for her diverse creative life. Whil pursuing a BFA in dance at the University of Florida, she worked in arts in medicine and founded a touring company, Hemisphere DANCE.
After university, French toured with Moving Current Dance Collective, performed with professional theatre companies, worked as faculty at loal collages, and as a guest artist in museums and schools. Continuing to create and perform work, French went to work for the American Dance Festival at Duke Universtiy and finally returned to the University of Florida as an Artist-in-Resiedence. French has spent the last twelve years creating physically demanding work layered with cultural, historical, and personal narratives. Her work has been hailed as "gratifying to watch" and has been showcased in Florida, New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada.
An international move brought her to Ontario in 2014, where she worked as a teaching artist and in dance therapy for long term care. In 2015, after the birth of her first child, her daily practice shifted. Creating in all the stolen moments of motherhood, furthering her visual art and movement practice alongside caring for an infant, and cotinuing to fight for space of self.
The Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning offers eight individual artist studios for rent. When a Creativity Studio Artist terminates their lease, we publish a call for applications and accept proposals from artists interested in renting the available studio. Applications are reviewed and juried by a selection group.
If you're interested in renting a Creativity Studio, follow us on social media (@TettCentre on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) or sign up for our newsletter. You can also contact Nicole Daniels at arts@tettcentre.org to be placed on the email list. Note: the email list is not a wait list, we simply inform those on the email list when a studio becomes available.