Due to the lack of commercial and exhibition space for local artists and of opportunities to communicate with their fellow artists and the public, the Shoestring gallery was founded in 1971 by five Saskatoon women: Dorothy Boerma, Lorna Russell, Ann Newdigate, Jo Claire, and Betty Meyers. The five women pooled their money to rent two upper rooms above the Salvation Army on 2nd Avenue South. As a non-profit artist-run cooperative, the working members made the decisions with input from all members, and volunteers were responsible for everything from janitorial and curatorial to financial responsibilities. There was no staff hired until 1978, when Doris Wall Larson was hired as Technical Assistant and Honor Kever as Exhibitions Coordinator.

Records of the exhibition schedules reveal that the Shoestring Gallery was the first in Saskatchewan to organize exhibitions of Aboriginal Art and Ukrainian Folk Art and to show the early work of Joe Fafard. There were several exchange exhibitions with other galleries, and in keeping with national trends, there was a new emphasis on performance, multi-disciplinary, and installation works.

In 1982, the Shoestring Gallery was accepted as a member of the Association of National Non-profit Artists' Centres. With the increase in commercial galleries locally and persistent financial difficulties, the gallery had to re-visit its mandate and in doing so changed its name to the A.K.A. (Also Known As) Gallery.