[URBAN NOTE] "Artists to take over Chester station newsstand"

[rfmcdonald]

Spacing Toronto's Prajakta Dhopade reports about an unusual initiative to make an abandoned newspaper kiosk at the TTC's Chester station into an art gallery.

A shuttered Gateway Newstand kiosk in Chester station will be opening up for business — and it’ll be showcasing more than just candy bars.

A group of artists is repurposing this unused space, hoping to enhance the commuting experience and create dialogue about transit issues and news dissemination.

Jess Dobkin, who is heading the Artists Newsstand group, signed a one-year lease with Gateway and will sell the usual soda and newspapers but part of the kiosk will be dedicated to a changing roster of local artists who will put on performances and present their work.

Dobkin first had the idea years ago after walking by the Gateway Newstand kiosk, which has been sitting vacant for around six years at her local subway station.

“I saw it as an opportunity to do something, thinking that that commercial space could have a potential new life as an art hub,” she says.

The project is receiving a positive response. The Kickstarter campaign reached its goal of $4,000 in just a week. Dobkin will use the money to renovate the kiosk.