Reclaiming the city: How a Black-led arts space is fostering a new generation of independent artists and curators

A sweaty dance party in a car wash. A tribute to Chicago house music hosted inside an auto body garage. A boxing ring transformed into a stage for a raucous hip-hop show. 
For over a decade, Said Yassin has been throwing concerts and parties in strange and unconventional spaces across Toronto. 
“I think it’s better for the city when there’s a ton of cool, independent things happening, versus everything being tied to these big organizations,” said Yassin, the founder and artistic director of It’s Ok* Studios, a Black-led, multidisciplinary arts space on Queen Street West. “And like, no shade to Embrace or Live Nation, but it’s more interesting when things are put on by the community.”
That DIY spirit is the animating force behind It’s Ok* World, a music festival taking over Trillium Park for a second year on Aug. 24 and 25. Curated by Yassin as part of Trillium’s SummerSeries, the free festival will feature performances from international acts like Yaya Bey and Rayana Jay, alongside a long list of homegrown talent. 
“Honestly, there aren’t a lot of music festivals in the city that cater to the R&B scene or the Black community,” said Zenesoul, a Juno-nominated singer-songwriter from Toronto who will perform on the first day of the festival.
“These events are really important because they shine a light on artists who don’t usually get these kinds of festival opportunities alongside international acts … They allow other people to see us, and they help us to build our community and network.”
Founded in 2018 by Yassin and Alicia Bee, It’s Ok* started out as a small, multi-genre concert series that roved around the city. In 2019, the series took over Sully’s Boxing Gym, Toronto’s oldest, for a sold-out show featuring Chicago hip-hop star Valee and local rapper Sydanie.
“As a Black person who likes a lot of different genres of music, I didn’t always feel comfortable in certain places where these genres were presented,” Yassin said. “I felt like if I could host these events in a space where no one community had a claim, then we could all just be there and enjoy a night of music without feeling like we didn’t belong.”
With live music coming to a halt with the arrival of the pandemic, It’s Ok* sought out different ways to bring people together, including a digital concert series modelled after the ColorsxStudios.
In 2022, Yassin struck a deal with the city to turn an empty building at 468 Queen St. W. — a building that will one day be turned into a park — into a temporary art space that would come to be known as It’s Ok* Studios.
Since its launch, the sprawling, 10,000-square-foot space has transformed into a vital hub for Toronto’s Black artistic community. Spanning three floors, the building amenities include a gallery space, a photo studio, and a flexible venue for projects such as art installations, listening parties, interactive works and other events. Between Monday and Thursday, It’s Ok* also offers a free co-working space.
“We want to be a support system for Black artists and Black arts workers,” Yassin said, emphasizing that the studio offers mentorship and support not only for artists who can rap or sing, but also curators, gallerists and academics.
“We want to create a nurturing space for them to be able to take risks, to make mistakes and not feel like the stakes are so high.”
Bisharo Farah, 21, is a poet and multidisciplinary arts curator in Toronto. Since March, she’s curated a number of events at It’s Ok* Studios, including the recent “Dhaqan Somali Exhibit,” an event dedicated to the preservation of culture within the Somali diaspora. The exhibit included a panel, poetry reading and a gallery installation.
“I never thought I would become a curator,” said Farah, who is currently studying business administration and marketing. “If you’re a student, it’s not always possible to pay for a space that also has all the utilities you need, like audio, lighting, speakers — that’s all extra stuff that you have to get yourself.
“But It’s Ok* is accessible to everyone,” she added. “And they want people to really use this space and to create whether you have a big budget or you have no budget. They’re very open and transparent with you.
“It’s very versatile and you’re able to just transform whatever project you want to do into the space.”
“It was really special for that community to have a space like that downtown,” Yassin said of Farah’s exhibit. “People came from Scarborough, from Mississauga, all over the city to be here and be together.”
“I don’t think that could have happened anywhere else,” he added. “And we were there every step of the way to support her with whatever she needed.”
Growing up in Toronto, Yassin reflected, you could barely walk a block in the summertime without running into some sort of free concert. Today, seeing live music is prohibitively expensive for most fans — a problem exacerbated by the fact that most mid-size and large venues in the city are owned by Live Nation Canada.
“It’s getting crazy,” he said. “A ticket will be $50 and then the service charge will be another $50. It’s wild and it’s rough out here, man.”
Yassin hopes events like It’s Ok* World, along with the other free events offered by the Trillium SummerSeries, will inspire more arts programmers to take risks and to think outside the box.
“I really want to be able to show people that they can figure this stuff out on their own,” Yassin said, listing off some of the recent concerts he’s pulled together: from singer and rapper Mereba, who performed at last year’s festival, to jazz trumpeter Theo Croker, who performed at Canada’s National Ballet School on Jarvis Street.
“You don’t necessarily need to align yourself with one of these bigger organizations and be able to float your boat,” said Yassin.