ArtBeat + Art With Heart: Craig D'Arville & Spencer Shevlen

ArtBeat’s special series with Art With Heart, in support of Casey House, continues with Spencer Shevlen, one of the curatorial committee’s co-chairs, and committee member Craig D’Arville. Spencer has been attending Art With Heart with his family for years, often bidding alongside his mom. Part of what keeps bringing him back is the possibility of discovering an artist he has never encountered before and getting behind the work early. Over seven years on the committee, listening to how other people see has also expanded his own instincts as a collector. Craig arrives from another side of the art world. After decades of working directly with artists, he is acutely aware of how much visibility can matter, particularly for accomplished practices that exist outside traditional gallery representation. Art With Heart can put that work in front of collectors and dealers who may otherwise never come across it, sometimes before the final collection has even been decided. Those perspectives meet around a table where people are expected to make a case for what they believe in. A committee member can arrive convinced about one piece and leave persuaded by another. The collection has to work as a whole, appeal to the people who will eventually bid and, above all, raise meaningful support for Casey House. Spencer and Craig also challenge the idea that collecting requires expertise or a particular kind of life. Art With Heart offers a way to encounter established names alongside artists who may be entirely new to you. Their advice is refreshingly uncomplicated: pay attention to what excites you, buy what you love and let your eye develop from there. Art With Heart takes place October 19, 2026, at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. The silent auction opens October 13. Purchase your tickets here.