An artist-run initiative is any project run by visual artists to present their and others' projects. They might approximate a traditional art gallery space in appearance or function, or they may take a markedly different approach, limited only by the artist's understanding of the term. "Artist-run initiatives" is an umbrella name for many types of artist generated activity.

One such group, the Belfast-based Catalyst Arts

Catalyst Arts

Catalyst Arts is Belfast's primary non-profit artist led organisation.Catalyst Arts was formed in 1993 in response to what was seen as a cultural vacuum...

, wrote that:

"Artist-run means initiating exchange; emphasizing cross and inter-disciplinary approaches to making art; developing networks; through curation, putting creative ideas and
arguments into action"

Important historical artist-run initiatives include The Wrong Gallery (using a disused doorway to display work) in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in the 2000s, and City Racing (an old betting shop) in London in the 1990s. Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst

Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...

's one-off exhibition Freeze in a London warehouse in the 1990s could also be said to be a temporary, yet important, artist-run initiative. Artist-run initiatives have used cars, briefcases, and other unusual exhibition venues where traditional spaces were too expensive or limited. Cuckoo is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

-based artist-run initiative where its members use other people's spaces to present their program, like a cuckoo bird does by placing its own eggs discreetly into the nests of other birds.

Artist-run initiatives also play a role in hosting international artists: they may also include guest studios or even international Artist in residence

Artist in residence

Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....

 programs.

Artist-run initiatives by country

• American artist-run spaces
• Australian artist-run initiatives
  Australian artist-run initiatives
  Australian artist-run initiatives and galleries are found throughout the country. A few key spaces include Firstdraft, MOP , KINGS ARI, TCB , Clubs Project inc, West Space, Seventh Gallery, Platform artists group , Blindside, , Breadbox ARI and FELTspace...
  
  
• British artist-run initiatives
• Canadian artist-run centres
  Canadian artist-run centres
  Canadian artist-run centres are a series of galleries and art spaces developed by artists in Canada since the 1960s. "Artist-run centre" is the common term of use for artist-initiated and managed organizations in Canada...
  
  
• Irish artist-run initiatives
• New Zealand artist-run initiatives
• Norwegian artist-run initiatives

See also

• Artist-run space
  Artist-run space
  An artist-run space is a gallery space run by artists, thus circumventing the structures of public and private galleries.Artist-run spaces have become realised as an important factor in urban regeneration...
  
  
• Artist cooperative
  Artist cooperative
  An artist cooperative is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly-owned and democratically-controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital stock corporations, non-profit organizations, or unincorporated associations...
  
  
• Not-for-profit arts organization
  Not-for-profit arts organization
  A not-for-profit arts organization is usually in the form of a not-for-profit corporation, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the work of artists in various visual and performing art forms such as film, sculpture, dance, painting,...
  
  
• Trans Artists Foundation
  Trans Artists Foundation
  Trans Artists Foundation informs world wide objectively about international Artist in residence programs. The information is intended for artists of any discipline: visual arts, literature, music, performing arts, architecture, design, dance....
  
  
• Salon des Tree
  Salon des Tree
  Salon des Tree was a series of three renegade art exhibits that took place in 1995 and 1996 in New York City's Central Park. The events were organized by artists Austin Ackles and Mary Jones, and were held in the heavily wooded rambles section of the park without permits or approval from park...