news

March 10, 2025

Renovation and Fundraising Update

As we work toward reopening Artcite Inc. in our new Ford City location, we want to share an update on our progress. While we expected some challenges, renovations have been more complex and costly than anticipated. One major hurdle has been bringing the ceiling up to code for fire safety, which added a significant and unexpected expense.

Because of these delays, we are pushing our reopening from April to mid-May. We’re also holding off on launching our membership program until we reopen to make sure members get full value. If you’ve signed up for a membership or donated $25 or more since July 15, you’ll receive a physical membership card in the mail. More details on memberships will be announced soon.

Fundraising Progress & Next Steps

So far, we’ve raised $35,000 through website donations, GoFundMe, and our naming rights sponsorship campaign. To complete renovations while keeping our programming budget intact, we need to raise at least $50,000 more.

Now is a crucial time to donate. Every contribution helps and comes with donor benefits. Donations of $25 or more include a complimentary membership, and $100 or more includes name recognition on our donor wall. A full list of donor rewards can be found here.

GoFundMe Update

Our GoFundMe goal is $20,000, and we’re more than halfway there. If you’d like to help us reach that target, you can donate here.

Naming Rights Sponsorships

Naming rights for our community gallery and reception area are still available for terms ranging from three to ten years. If you're interested in making a lasting contribution, details are available here.

This process has taken longer than we hoped, but we’re so grateful for everyone who has supported us along the way. We’ll be sharing renovation updates and photos soon, and we cannot wait to open our doors again.

Thank you for believing in us—we love you and can’t wait to welcome you back!

February 27, 2025

Announcing the Sylvie Bélanger Gallery at Artcite Inc.

Artcite Inc. is honoured to announce the naming of our main gallery as the Sylvie Bélanger Gallery, in recognition of a significant financial contribution from Sylvie Bélanger’s Estate. This dedication is a tribute to Sylvie’s artistic legacy and her lasting contributions to contemporary art in Windsor and beyond.

A visionary artist and dedicated educator, Sylvie Bélanger was known for her compelling work in sound, video, photography, and installation.

She was a passionate teacher who shaped generations of artists through her years at the University of Windsor’s School of Visual Arts in the 1980s and 90s. She also taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, University of Toronto/Sheridan College, Concordia University, and the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she remained until her retirement.

Her rigorous approach to art-making, combined with her deep generosity of spirit, made her an influential mentor. Former students remember her as an incisive thinker, an advocate for experimentation, and a relentless seeker of meaning in visual culture.

Through her teaching, she not only fostered technical and conceptual growth but also encouraged students to challenge conventions and see art as a means of critical inquiry.

Bélanger’s 1997 work, Le regard du silence, which was featured in her solo exhibition De la séduction à la résistance, was later acquired by the Art Gallery of Windsor, where it remains part of their collection. More information about the piece can be found here.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Estate of Sylvie Bélanger for this extraordinary support. As we move forward in our new space, we are honoured to carry Sylvie’s name into the future.

View Nadine Valcin's National Film Board of Canada documentary about Sylvie Bélanger, here.

December 18, 2024

Honouring Christine Burchnall’s Legacy

At our 2022 Annual General Meeting, we promised to dedicate a space in our gallery to Christine Burchnall, Artcite Inc.’s long-time Executive Director, to honour her significant and tireless contributions to Artcite’s history and the Windsor-Essex arts community. Today, we are proud to announce that this promise will be fulfilled when we reopen in May 2025.

Christine served as Artcite’s Program Coordinator from 1984 to 1990 before stepping into the role of Executive Director from 1994 until her retirement in 2017. She was widely known for her passion for the arts, her dedication to raising the profile of local contemporary artists, and her many years of leadership that helped shape Artcite’s identity and cultural impact.

To celebrate her legacy, we are transforming Artcite’s library and archive, moving it from its former basement storage into a prominent new space within our reception area. The newly accessible reference library will provide public access to 42 years of local art history, and include a dedicated workstation equipped with a desktop computer, scanner, and professional copier. Our long-term goal is to digitize the entire archive, creating a database that will be accessible both online and in person.

The Christine Burchnall Reference Library and Archive will stand as a permanent tribute to Christine’s leadership and vision, ensuring that her contributions to Artcite and the Windsor-Essex arts community remain a meaningful part of our collective history and continue to influence and support the arts for years to come.

Christine’s dedication to championing local artists, elevating contemporary art within our region, and fostering creativity and collaboration will forever remain at the heart of Artcite’s mission. Thank you, Christine, for everything you gave to this community.

July 15, 2024

We're moving our gallery to Ford City!

Our doors will officially close to the public on October 5, and our last day at the downtown location will be November 30. We’ll reopen at 998 Drouillard Road in April 2025!

This was a complicated and difficult decision for us—one we did not make lightly—but we believe it’s a necessary and positive step to take if we want to continue to grow as an organization.

We aim to make Artcite a fully accessible and welcoming space for everyone in our community. However, our current location presents some challenges beyond our control. We currently lack accessible washroom facilities, and each year we must vacate our space for a month to allow Windsor International Film Festival operations.

Our Ford City location will be fully wheelchair accessible and we’ll be able to offer consistent year-round programming. A new reception area and front office will enable us to offer public access to our physical archives as a reference library, and we’ll have two gallery spaces: one for major juried exhibitions and related programming; and one for local exhibitions, residencies, workshops, and community events.

Phase II will include a complete digitization of our archives, affordable studio rentals, and more!

Artcite was founded in 1982 by a group of hard-working dreamers who weren’t afraid to take risks and who prized experimentation and out-of-the-box thinking. In 2024, we’re summoning the spirit of our inception and reasserting our role as an alternative, progressive space built for taking chances and challenging norms. We know we’ll fit right in in Ford City, and we’ve received nothing but enthusiastic support from the neighbourhood folks we’ve met so far!

Stay tuned for info on the many ways you can participate in what we’re up to, whether it be as a donor or naming sponsor; through in-kind donations of skills, materials, or services; as a new member of our Board of Directors; or simply by following along with our progress online. We’re looking forward to collaborating with you as we begin writing Artcite’s exciting next chapter!