Khyber Arts Society is a not-for profit charitable organization that operates the Khyber Centre for the Arts, an

artist-run centre An artist-run space or artist-run centre (Canada) is a gallery or other facility operated or directed by artists, frequently circumventing the structures of public art centers, museums, or commercial galleries and allowing for a more experimental ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. The name “Khyber” commemorates the café owned and operated by the Nasr family in the old "

The Khyber The Khyber Building is a registered Historical Property owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality on Barrington Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Until 2014, it was operated as an artist-run centre, public art gallery and social space by Khyber A ...

Building" at 1588 Barrington St., named for the Khyber Pass, a mountain pass that connects Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Mandate

The Khyber's mandate is to present contemporary visual art, which exists in a wide variety of disciplines. We challenge traditional gallery conventions, encourage public understanding and appreciation of contemporary art through responsive and relevant programming. The Khyber works to prioritize, centre and promote the presentation of work by emerging local, national and/or international artists. Additionally, we aim to recognize and disrupt systemic forms of oppression, which include but are not limited to: racism, white supremacy, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism/transmisogyny, tokenism, ableism, ageism, sizeism, sexualized and all acts of violence and harassment. This will be implemented through anti-oppressive policy and practices through Khyber programming, operating and in relation to staff, Board members and artists presented. The Khyber provides a physical and flexible space for the support of socially-engaged Primary and Membership programming, as well as cultivating relationships with a variety of arts communities that engage in artistic research, experimentation, production, education and distribution.

History

In 1994,

Building was operated as an arts facility by a group of artists previously known as the No Money Down Cultural Society. They led a widespread and collaborative community campaign to ensure continued public access to "

Building" which was at risk of closer. In March 1995, the Khyber Arts Society was established to operate The Khyber Centre for the Arts, a Canadian artist-run centre. In 1997, the Society signed a lease to occupy the Khyber Building. In 1998, the Khyber Club opened as a meeting place for visual artists and as an important venue for Halifax's emerging music scene including acts by now well established Canadian recording artists

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres ...

Jenn Grant Jenn Grant (born August 20, 1980) is a Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Career ''Jenn Grant and Goodbye Twentieth Century'' She performed as a musician for a time in her early teens, but stopped due to a bo ...

Old Man Luedecke Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and banjo player Chris Luedecke of Chester, Nova Scotia. He is most noted as a two-time Juno Award winner for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year ...

and

Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop artist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, ...

Sobey Art Award The Sobey Art Award is Canada's largest prize for young Canadian artists. It is named after Canadian businessperson and art collector Frank H. Sobey, who established The Sobey Art Foundation. It is an annual prize given to an artist 40 and under wh ...

nominee,

Emily Vey Duke Emily Vey Duke (born 1972, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) is a Canadian-born visual artist who has worked collaboratively with Cooper Battersby since 1994. She is an associate professor in the Department of Transmedia at the College of Visual and ...

, was artistic director for the Society in 2004. The Khyber Arts Society based its contemporary art programming out of "

Building" until 2014, when the city required all tenants to leave. In April 2014, the organization was temporarily relocated to 5521 Cornwallis St. In November 2015, the organization moved to 1880 Hollis St. where it currently operates The Khyber Centre for the Arts and has continued to serve many artists and communities, offering an increasingly rigorous public program.

Mandate

History

Charitable Status

References

External links