Art and commerce mix at a revived Chester Station kiosk
Collective has turned the vacant newsstand into a space that embraces creativity and culture
To most people, a store is a store, a gallery a gallery, a kiosk a kiosk.
But artists such as Jess Dobkin rethink public space. For her, a run-of-the-mill subway newsstand can be transformed into an art venue.
Dobkin is a long-time east ender who always noticed the empty kiosk at Chester Station. She recalls when it was open, but it has been about eight years the space — a roomier-than-normal kiosk at ground level — has been vacant.
“I’ve had my eye on it for a few years, my imagination on it,” she says.
Two years ago, she approached Gateway Newstands about using the space for artistic purposes. That began a gradually evolving relationship with Gateway and eventually, the TTC. Both organizations are now on board: Gateway is offering Dobkin and her collective an affordable rent for a year while the TTC is working with the group over using more space on occasion for events (such as the recent grand opening, which saw 100 people mingling at the station).
Open since May 8, the newsstand sells some usual fare: chocolate bars, drinks and mainstream magazines. Unexpected items include local indie magazines, Commuter Caramels and Frostitution cookies in the shape of TTC logos. There are wares from the Spacing Store (TTC buttons and toques) and goodies from Trader Joe’s.
There’s also a lending library run entirely on the honour system. (Good books, too: they have The Hobbit.)
The kiosk has been scrubbed and polished to reveal its stylish steel frame. “It’s just such a lovely space,” says Dobkin. They’ve dolled it up further with burgundy velvet curtains, spotlights and a rotating disco ball.
The kiosk is staffed by artists involved in the collective and they, along with others, will create site-specific installations and performances on a regular basis.
For instance, on Monday, the kiosk will be home to a pirate radio broadcast.
“I’m a lover of the TTC. I really appreciate the look of it, the tiles,” says Dobkin, who expects newsstand projects to embrace this esthetic and deal with issues of public space, community and transit.
She doesn’t quite know what that means yet. The space also has no formal name (Artist-Run Newsstand gets tossed around, but it’s not a set name) and the collective that runs it has no name or formal structure (Chester Newsies comes up sometimes as a title; the group is formal enough to lease the kiosk from Gateway, collect sales tax and pay staff ).
This is as it should be for a project questioning where art can and should reside. “This is an ongoing creative project. The space is going to evolve and change all the time.”