Magic Pony
A Source for Creative Inspiration

Magic Pony was created by Steve Cober & Kristin Weckworth to share our passion for global art & design culture.

From 2003 to 2014, Magic Pony on Queen St West thrived as a cultural hub and creative incubator. In this bricks and mortar iteration, we achieved a unique balance between a curated retail shop, studio, and gallery. As producers of events, exhibitions, installations, workshops, artist talks and product launches, Magic Pony was the pioneering influence on Toronto’s creative community to discover leading-edge artists and their work in an unconventional gallery model.

Magic Pony opened our first brick and mortar establishment in 2003 and we were initially celebrated as the premiere Canadian retailer to offer designer art toys from Japan, Hong Kong, UK, USA and Canada. For over a decade we continued to pioneer cultural movements through a broad range of programming that presented creativity from all artistic spheres.

Connecting through a shared enthusiasm for the rare and magical, we sought to redefine what an art space should be: combining the commercial gallery paradigm with the contemporary attitude of an alternative exhibition space and the informality of a storefront. This mandate enabled the professional and personal development of artists, encouraging risk-taking and allowing creative freedom. We provided the community with an inviting and accessible art space showcasing inspiring environments and diverse artistic products that fostered creativity.

In 2009, Magic Pony opened Narwhal to further extend the outreach of our programming. Narwhal was a dedicated gallery space that focused on the long-term career development of the artists we represented, placing their works in collections, acting as a liaison with other galleries and institutions, and publishing exhibition catalogues, artist multiples, and monographs on gallery artists.

In 2014 we partnered with the Design Exchange (Canada's Design Museum) to conceptualize This Is Not a Toy - an immersive retrospective of designer toy culture with Pharrell Williams - and supported the exhibition with a curated Magic Pony Pop-Up Shop, installations and event programming. Since moving to an online-only retail approach we have concentrated on personal creative research projects, including developing our own Magic Pony product lines and hosting emerging businesses in our gallery space.

Products/Publications
We develop and design limited edition creative products from art books to designer toys, tote bags, lapel pins, art prints and even chocolate bars! Our products aim to build cultural awareness, express our love of art, and give our audience joy. We have collaborated directly with artists such as FriendsWithYou, Kozyndan, Nathan Jurevicius, Gary Taxali, Team Macho, Souther Salazar, Gemma Correll, Junko Mizuno and Toshio Saeki. 

Clients & Collaborations

We have had the privilege of working with companies such as The Drake, Gladstone Hotel, Nuit Blanche, Luminato, AGO, Harbourfront Centre, ArtSpin, in/Future, Toronto Arts Council, Toronto Tourism, Design Exchange, IDS, The Starlight Foundation, Red Bull, Nintendo, Greenpeace, FITC, The Japan Foundation, TCAF, Koyama Press, Lunch, City of Craft, SpaceTV, Kidrobot, Drawn & Quarterly, Chump Inc, FriendsWithYou and many others. 

Lectures and Talks
We take part in conferences and events, as well as giving lectures and workshops at design schools and universities. We love to share our experiences and offer insights into our universe and creative process.

More information
For more information on Magic Pony partnerships, collaborations, exhibitions and projects please and visit our Press section. For the latset news, join our Mailing List (in the page footer), and follow us on social media - the Magic Pony Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

NARWHAL 
Contemporary Art Gallery

In 2009, Magic Pony opened Narwhal to further extend the outreach of our programming. Narwhal is a dedicated gallery space that focuses on the long-term career development of the artists we represent, placing their works in collections, acting as a liaison with other galleries and institutions, and publishing exhibition catalogues, artist multiples, and monographs on gallery artists.

Gallery artists include Kozyndan, Souther Salazar, Junko Mizuno, Jacob Whibley, Carly Waito, Lauchie Reid, Julie Moon and Team Macho.

www.narwhalcontemporary.com

PRINTS & PUBLICATIONS

Magic Pony and Narwhal have been independent publishers of limited edition art books and prints since 2006. Our goal is to promote emerging contemporary art in a manner that is accessible to everyone. Magic Pony works closely with artists to create exceptional printed products and exclusive print editions.

Our titles include:

• My Mania : The Art of Derrick Hodgson (2006)
• Fancy Action Now : The Art of Team Macho (2007)
• Secrets of the Biodiverse by Nicholas DiGenova (2008)
• The Unknown Portraits by Kozyndan (2009)
• The Taxali 300 (Exhibition Catalogue, 2010)
• The Dazzle: A Cabinet Of Curiosity (Exhibition Catalogue, 2010)
• The Merlin Years : The Art of Team Macho II (2012)
• 8 Days No Contact (Exhibition Catalogue, 2013)

Our publications and prints are available for wholesale directly through us and select publications are also distributed by DAP (www.artbook.com) in North America.

For more information, wholesale and press inquiries: contact us