RECONNECTING WITH
Rowen Dinsmore
Rowen was the only artist I didn't personally know in our first show – DONDA, September 2021. Ten artists, and she was the only one I'd never met. She showed up the most punctual, the most organized, the most eager. She brought out the most friends. She was the most excited about what we were trying to do.
What I didn't know then was that DONDA was her first exhibition. She'd spent her BFA studying through COVID, and the realities of that — the missed opportunities, the lost momentum, the absence of community — weren't visible to those of us who'd already been making things in real rooms with real people. She showed up anyway. She made her own opportunity instead of waiting for one.
From that moment, Rowen became central to what The 525 became. In the months after DONDA, she joined Isabel and I as a co-founder of The 525, and over the next five years she curated 14 exhibitions, worked with more than 75 artists, and most recently, she brought The 525 into a registered gallery for the first time at Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
This spring, Rowen is stepping back from her role as Curatorial Director to refocus on her own studio and curatorial practice. She's staying on as our Curatorial Advisor, but she's making room for a new Curatorial Director to step in.
We're publishing this because transitions inside small arts organizations usually happen quietly — someone leaves, a job posting goes up, the work continues. We want to do this differently, and we're going to do it more often. We're working to be better at naming and recognizing the people who've built The 525 alongside us. Starting with Rowen, and continuing with the people who came before and the people stewarding the work now, we want our team's contributions on the record. Five years from now, when someone asks how The 525 became what it is, we want their names in that answer.
We sat down with Rowen to talk about how The 525 has changed since DONDA, what she's most proud of, what she's making space for now, and what she'd want the next Curatorial Director to know.
Kehan Fu
Cofounder - Principal Director
How has The 525 transformed since your first pop-up show back in 2021?
RD: ‘DONDA’ [September Group Show, 2021] is something I look back on often. It was, for me at the time, my first “serious” art show, which is funny to think about now. It was in Isabel's very tiny apartment jammed with people and by no means was it a serious art show. But there was an overwhelming feeling of excitement and possibility. I was finishing my BFA and I didn’t have a clue as to what to do next. What I did know is that there wasn’t a lot of opportunity out there for emerging artists. I joined forces with Kehan and Isabel, and for a while it was just the three of us putting together progressively more ambitious and “serious” exhibitions. We graduated to hosting a show in a house instead of an apartment, and then within the walls of local businesses like Stumbletown, Alt Haus, and Shelter. Eventually we started outgrowing these venues and seeking out larger unutilized and unleased spaces to host our pop up exhibitions.
As we grew, we also started taking artwork curation more seriously, which is where I fell in love. By 2023, I knew I wanted to be a curator. Now, we have a community of supporters and a full on team of hardworking people with diverse skillsets and the same passion to create opportunities as Kehan, Isabel, and I did back in 2021.
Since DONDA, we’ve presented 14 exhibitions and in the last 6 months, we’ve presented our first out-of-province exhibition in Vancouver, BC, and opened our first exhibition partnered with a registered gallery at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Reflecting on how far we’ve come with so little to start with, I am not only filled with pride but with the same feeling of excitement and possibility I had back in 2021 in that apartment.
In your eyes, what has been the most rewarding thing you’ve observed across The 525’s exhibitions over the years?
RD: I’ve had the opportunity to work with over 75 artists, curating visual displays and stories with their work and have witnessed our exhibitions inspire so many people. Working with so many artists over the years and bringing their work to new audiences within the context of spaces that have been transformed by a team of people who care deeply – that has been the greatest point of pride in my career so far.
A moment I think back to often was at Unbecoming, a group show of 10 women artists in November of 2024. We presented an artist panel at the reception, where most of the women artists said a few words about their work and what this opportunity to share it in a gallery setting meant to them. The room was packed from wall to wall and everyone listened to each word so intently. People were moved to tears, myself included, and it was truly a special moment to share as a community. I really felt we had made an impact that night, at least for those artists.
In your experience, what attracts people to The 525?
RD: The 525 could be considered pretty unconventional. We’re an organization motivated by relentless individuals who love art and have a deep yearning to see more of it made accessible to communities. At Brody Burns’ ‘Shapeshifter’ exhibition, we projected a note of his on the wall that said “don’t wait for opportunities! Create your own!” This resonated with myself and the entire team so deeply. The 525 is made up of people that won’t sit still waiting for opportunities, because there honestly aren’t that many. We all came together with the revelation to create opportunities, not only for ourselves, but for underrepresented and emerging artists – who I like to think share the same mindset. The people who support us and our artists are people who also want to see the arts succeed at every level.
What are you making space for now as you step into a less hands-on role with The 525?
RD: I’ve been so inspired by the artists we’ve worked with and have been itching for the space to dive deeper into my own studio practice again. I know that my best work comes from slower seasons when I have the freedom and space to reflect inwards and see what bubbles to the surface. I’m curious to see what will translate onto my canvases in the coming months.
What can the next Curatorial Director expect from this role that may not be in the job description?
RD: Like The 525, the job is also unconventional. Roll with the punches and be open minded to every road The 525 may take you on. We are built on the blind confidence that if we just kept going, we would create something special out of what was once nothing. Expect to work hard, and expect to be inspired by a world of possibilities. This is truly what you make of it.
