Cluster began several years ago as a social group to allow a diverse group of female artists the chance to connect, educate and support one another. An early focus of our conversations was “what does it mean to be a collective?”. Many of us had belonged to artist-run gallery spaces. Our common experience was that most of the interactions in those groups were about the mechanics and economics of running the space, whereas what we had been seeking in the collective experience was community with other artists. Discussing art and artmaking; hashing out ideas; collaborating on work; feedback and critique; these were all largely missing from our experiences with artist-run spaces. So, driven by the idea that a collective is about the people rather than the physical space, we decided to prioritize the community over gallery operations; exhibiting in alternative spaces and through exchanges rather than maintaining a dedicated physical space.

Shift is a collaborative artists' studio which opened in December 2004 in the renovated Tashiro-Kaplan arts complex; an artist live/work building at 306 S. Washington in the Pioneer Square district of Seattle.

Shift was established as an artist-run space, with the primary goal of supporting Northwest area artists, working in a variety of media, who are dedicated to creating challenging and innovative work.  

Shift exists as a venue for its artists to exhibit, develop and advance their work.  Shift is committed to celebrating art of diverse media and rigorous content.

Shift's founders are Garth Amundson, Stephen Chalmers, Cara Jaye, Pierre Gour and Joni Papp.