The Artist Material Fund (AMF) is opening its doors, transforming Industrial Arts in Markham into a vibrant public hub where artists, educators, makers, and community members can access free creative materials, participate in workshops, and help build a more sustainable future for the arts.
Presented by the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB) in partnership with Industrial Arts’ programming arm, Steelcase Art Projects (SAP) and the City of Markham Public Art Program, the Artist Material Fund reimagines what happens to the materials left behind after exhibitions, installations, and creative projects. Rather than sending them to landfill, AMF redistributes these resources free of charge to artists and the public, extending their life through new creative work and reducing environmental impact.
Over more than a decade, the AMF has diverted tonnes of reusable materials from waste while supporting artists through free access to production resources. This expanded initiative establishes the first dedicated public space for this work, creating a living depot for material reuse, ecological thinking, and collaborative making.
Beyond free materials, the AMF is a place for learning, collaboration, and experimentation. Throughout the season, artists will lead workshops, panel discussions, and community conversations exploring ecological art practices, sustainable production, and creative reuse. The initiative strengthens connections between artists, cultural institutions, industry, and municipalities while reducing barriers to artistic production through shared resources.
Location: Industrial Arts – 7441 Victoria Park Ave, Unit 8, Markham – Access is at the back of the building via the receiving doors.
Regular Public Access
The Artist Material Fund is free and open to everyone.
Open Access Days
Second and Last Fridays of the Month
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Visitors are invited to browse, collect, and redistribute materials during our twice-monthly Open Access Days:
- September 11 & 25
- October 9 & 30
- November 13 & 27
- December 4 (Final Open Access Day)
Whether you’re an artist, educator, student, community organization, home renovator, or maker, you’ll find an ever-changing selection of exhibition materials, lumber, hardware, display components, textiles, plastics, packaging, and unexpected creative resources waiting for a second life.
Building a Circular Arts Community. The AMF demonstrates how artists, cultural institutions, municipalities, and industry can work together to build a more sustainable creative ecosystem. By redistributing materials that would otherwise become waste, AMF creates new opportunities for artistic production while reducing environmental impact and encouraging collaborative approaches to making.
Special Saturday Events
On select Saturdays, the Artist Material Fund combines free public material pick-up with artist-led workshops. The depot is open from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for visitors to browse and collect reclaimed materials, while featured artists lead hands-on sessions from 1:00 – 3:00 pm (space is limited, registration required), demonstrating creative techniques using the very materials available in the space. Participants are invited to learn new skills, connect with local artists, gather free materials, and leave inspired to transform reclaimed resources into their own creative projects.
AMF Community Open House & Artist-Led Workshop
Saturday, October 31, 2026
AMF Open House: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Portrait Photography Workshop with Anthony Gebrehiwot: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Join celebrated photographer Anthony Gebrehiwot for a hands-on portrait photography workshop exploring how reclaimed materials and everyday resources can be transformed into compelling photographic sets and visual stories. Participants will experiment with creative lighting, staging, composition, and resourceful approaches to portrait-making, while gaining insight into Anthony’s creative process.
With a model and stylist on hand, the workshop will explore creative direction and the collaborative relationships between photographers, stylists, and models in developing a cohesive visual concept. Participants will have the opportunity to put these ideas into practice during a live portrait session. Bring your camera and come ready to experiment, collaborate, and rethink the creative possibilities of materials already around us.
AMF Community Open House & Artist-Led Workshop
Saturday, November 28, 2026
AMF Open House: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Weaving Workshop with Norwin Anne: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Artist, designer, remaker, and eco-culture communicator Norwin Anne leads a hands-on workshop exploring weaving with reclaimed and discarded materials. Drawing from their slow fashion practice and community initiative From Here to Wear, participants will transform surplus textiles and unconventional materials into woven forms while learning about textile waste, circular design, and creative reuse. This workshop celebrates the possibilities of making while challenging our relationship to consumption and waste.
AMF Community Open House: EVERYTHING MUST GO!
Saturday, December 5, 2026
AMF Open House: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
The AMF wraps up its inaugural season with its biggest public redistribution event yet.
Everything remaining in the depot is free. Artists, schools, community groups, makers, educators, and visitors are encouraged to bring a vehicle, gather materials, and help us achieve our goal of an empty room, the ultimate measure of success and a symbol of a truly circular system.
Throughout the afternoon, enjoy demonstrations, giveaways, refreshments, and one final opportunity to discover unexpected materials ready for their next creative life.