Enabling Arts is a multidisciplinary arts space focused on wellness through the arts. We host community events and workshops for sustainable creative practices in addition to selling books, local/ curated art, natural products, and more.

What are we fundraising for?

As we figure out how this space can continue, and what a possible sustainable future looks like, we need to secure capital for upcoming expenses so we don't have to close.

We aim to keep our arts space accessible for the community with sliding scale pricing and flexable rental rates for grassroots organizers. We want to break down barriers for emerging creatives. We want to create space for people to connect offline, make genuine connections, and learn to handle emotions through creative play.

Thank you for all the support and for helping keep our space for art to thrive and artists to heal through creative practices.

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Our goal is to create a community art hub by curating a unique selection of artistic offerings and events. Our space is open to rent for community art events, creative projects and book launches. We’re dedicated to providing a cozy atmosphere and quality products while working with marginalized and emerging artists to showcase their work. We host small community events with the intent to bring the creative community and supporters closer together and to provide a third space for connection centred around artistic expression.

A few words from Enabling Arts Founder Franz:

Is it giving up, or is knowing when to end something practical? A question that has been circling my mind for the last couple of weeks as I try to figure out how to keep Enabling Arts alive.

I made a lot of mistakes the first year, a business built on inexperience and hope. I learned what we needed, tested ideas to keep us going, and adjusted when they didn’t work. I’ll admit I’m not a numbers person, and that may not be the best fit for a company, but Enabling Arts is so much more than a business.

I have been told the space has good energy, that it’s grounding and warm. It invites. We deserve a space to dream together– to hope for futures. Visitors have noted a calm in entering the space; it’s open, and it holds enough comfort that people can mirror that openness in exploring their creative sides.

I have been told of the value in the space and have been shown gratitude for opening the doors. Our arts community is not close to having a sufficient number of spaces for emerging artists, for small-mid sized events, and for hosting workshops and gatherings.

Enabling Arts is an invitation to be, to explore, to create, to gather, to play.

There’s a loneliness epidemic in our city. We want to make connections, but don’t know how. We may know how, but there’s no space to meet. We need more reasons to leave our houses. We need more third spaces. It’s hard to balance capital needs with making things community-based and accessible.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep the space open if we don’t find financial security. I know some are prone to note that “that’s just the way some small businesses, especially art spaces, go,” and though that has been the trend, it’s not good enough for me to accept an ending quite yet. I need to try all I can.

I have been trying to write a reflection, an inventory of all the joy and magic I experienced over the last year, our first year at Enabling Arts– but my mind has been swirls of catastrophizing. I’m under all the uncertainty, weighed down by debt and financial responsibility. It’s hard not knowing, being a kid with a dream and a stubbornness to keep going, to try, and then see.

What I do know is that people need other people, and community keeps us alive. This fact ignites, it keeps sparking the fire of passion for creating space for the community to grow. Enabling Arts aims to remind people of the power of gathering.

By forming connections, holding grace, learning to express feelings, and committing to the work of holding threads of togetherness, we keep each other safe.

Since we took possession of this space last January, there have been a lot of migraines. There has also been laughter, music, and spells cast. There have been connections.

I often say “we” when speaking about Enabling Arts, and some people think that means I have partners in this, but it’s just me. We don't have funding. I couldn’t have made it this far without a lot of support from lovely humans. Everyone is just trying to get by. I’m wary of the amount of free labour I ask from people, even when they offer, but I know I need more help.

This space is a dream for the collective. We need art. It’s a catalyst for connection, a bridge to understanding, a beacon for hope, a voice for truth, and resistance in this ever-oppressing system.

Through Enabling Arts, I’ve seen artists find their voices. I’ve seen connections spark as newly non-strangers share an umbrella, as they walk to find drinks to sip while continuing the conversations from the workshop they met at. I’ve seen online bonds cement in love while meeting for the first time in person.

Enabling Arts helps people come back to creation, to break down walls, to be vulnerable. I’ve seen friends and strangers pull up to support first-time artists' showcases, new books and music videos, and small makers selling wares for the first time. I’ve seen people who are new to the city find company and community. I’ve seen word dumps blossom into poems, emotions being released into the air, a remembrance that we’re all in this together.

As of the end of 2025 (our first 10 months) what we have been able to do!

*We’ve hosted 14 open mics

*Sold 17 original art pieces by local artists

*Rehomed 110 pre-loved books

*Sold more than 655 tickets to events

*Launched about 25 projects and shows

*Hosted over 24 workshops, and made countless connections.

It’s hard to ask for help. It’s even harder to ask for help when I’ve done so, and we continue needing help. I’m spooned out and fighting burnout. I can’t do this alone.