How Canadians Are Using .ART Domains
The pandemic has made us learn the hard way just how significant our online presence is. Creating your online presence might be time-consuming, but if you are an artist, choosing a .ART domain name will save time on marketing as your audience will immediately know that you belong to the creative community. Whether you are a creator or someone who disseminates the culture, the .ART community is ready to welcome you, empower you, and support you.
Since Rebel is a Canadian company, we wanted to highlight some Canadian artists and galleries making the most of .ART domains.
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
Since 1961, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair has been a leader in fostering connections between the creative community and its public. Each year in Nathan Phillips Square, they welcome more than 130,00 guests who are attracted to this free contemporary outdoor art fair. It has nurtured artistic excellent and artist’s entrepreneurial spirits for almost six decades by giving a platform to painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramists and more.
Moving our website from torontooutdoorart.org to torontooutdoor.art was a no-brainer. The fact that 'Art' is part of our name made the transition very fitting and efficient. Our legacy is very much tied to our outdoor location in the heart of downtown Toronto, so it was important to retain those three words: Toronto, outdoor, and art. It just made sense to switch to .art, and it also shortened our domain name.
- Anahita Azrahimi, Creative & Executive Director, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair
Krista Bell Stewart
A member of the Syilx Nation, multidisciplinary artist Krista Belle Stewart is currently based in Berlin. Her work draws out personal and political narratives that are inherent to archival materials. Questioning the articulation of such material in institutional histories, her work is composed of video, land, performance, photography, textiles and sound. She has exhibited in Canada and internationally, including in Germany, Sweden, and the United States. Her work has been shown in galleries, museums and on public building such as her piece Earthbound Mnemonic (2019) that was the feature of the Dal Grauer Building in Vancouver for the Capture Photography Festival.
Enjoy her work by visiting her website: kristabellestew.art
David Spriggs
Another adopter of the .ART domain is UK-born Vancouver-based artist David Spriggs. The mesmerizing works of Spriggs have been internationally showcased for two decades and he is known for his ephemeral-like installations created by a technique he pioneered in 1999 which layers transparent images. Neither 2D nor 3D, they explore phenomena, space, time, movement, visual systems, surveillance, the strategies and symbols of power, and the thresholds of form and perception.
I chose .ART in order to bring context to my website name davidspriggs.art. I prefer that my artwork be seen for itself rather than as a commercial product for which .com signifies.
-David Spriggs, artist
Take a deeper dive into his creative universe by visiting his website davidspriggs.art.
Dazibao
Dazibao, a contemporary art centre and non-profit organization, has been at the forefront of the dissemination and mediation of contemporary image practices. Its approach focuses on artistic experimentation, enquiry and reflection related to current social issues. Dedicated to the development and presentation of Canadian artists, they are “providing the public an opportunity to create links between local and global discourses. Such works are presented alongside works by international artists, thus contextualizing their relevance within a broader art ecology.”
Learn more about their mission & programming at dazibao.art.
MacKenzie Art Gallery
In 1936, the MacKenzie Art Gallery was founded in Saskatchewan with a bequeathal by Regina private collector Norman MacKenzie, who believed art should be accessible to all. The MacKenzie serves a senior leadership role as the only provincial organization with the mandate and facilities to address an encyclopedic range of visual art and culture.
We chose .ART because it instantly communicates our mission and identity. Rather than identifying ourselves as a commercial entity (.com) or situating us within the borders of our country (.ca), the .ART signifier identifies us within a community of artists and institutions, each operating in their own context, but also as part of a global community.
– John Hampton, Interim Executive Director & CEO, MacKenzie Art Gallery
To visit them virtually head to mackenzie.art.