Building a global movement around creative placemaking
Our city provided the stage for an important conversation between urban and cultural thinkers and practitioners from 25 global cities on the growing affordability crisis that threatens local arts and culture in cities worldwide.
Artscape, with support from the World Cities Culture Forum and Canada Council for the Arts, and in association with the City of Toronto, was pleased to host Innovations in Creative Space & Placemaking.From June 4 to 8, delegates were provided the opportunity to discuss the impacts of this crisis on cultural capital and communities, share ideas and successful approaches to building and sustaining space for culture in urban communities, as well as explore local examples of creative placemaking.
Topics explored in depth ranged from the gentrification of cities, to involving communities in urban development, to creative placekeeping and the future of creative spaces.
“This experience planted seeds of inspiration and know-how in the minds of leaders who will now travel back to cities around the globe and evolve how creative placemaking happens there.”
-Assaf Weisz, Managing Director of the Creative Placemaking Lab.
You can still listen to insightful interviews with Assaf Weisz on CBC’s Here and Now, and LoriAnn Girvan, Artscape COO, on CBC Radio-Canada’s Heure de pointe (minute 5:40).
We are grateful for the work of our partners, the City of Toronto and World Cities Culture Forum, our generous sponsors and tour venue hosts, as well as the participating delegates for making this inaugural study tour a resounding success.
Our special thanks go to the guest speakers, facilitators and performers who brought the tour to life (in order of appearance):
Mahlikah Aweri, Toronto City Councillor Ana Bailão, Marina Guo (World Cities Culture Forum), Jamie Bennett (ArtPlace America), Pat Tobin (City of Toronto), Mathew Rosenblatt (CityScape Developments), Michael McClelland (ERA Architects), Elaine Chan-Dow, Mitchell Cohen and the Daniels Corporation team, Ramzi Saad (Canadian Heritage), Jimmy Jones, Maylee Todd, Brenda MacIntyre, Jane Farrow, Michelle Gay (Active18), Gregg Lintern (City of Toronto), Jeff Hull (Hullmark), Christina Zeidler (The Gladstone Hotel), Jessa Agilo (ArtsPond), Stephen Bulger (Bulger Gallery) Franco Boni (The Theatre Centre), Rob Sysak (West Queen West BIA), Lori Spadorcia (CAMH), the TMAC team, Anthony Sargent (Luminato), Laura Alderson (Weston Steering Committee), Sean Gadon (City of Toronto), Michael Kelly (Shakespeare in Action), Marlene McKintosh (UrbanArts), Suri Weinberg-Linsky (Artscape Weston Common Steering Committee), Jack Winberg (Rockport Group), Cam Collyer (Evergreen Brick Works), Margie Zeidler (401 Richmond), Julie Nagam (University of Winnipeg), Jesse and Carrie of Sidewalk Labs, Martin Blake (Daniels Corp), Noorez Lalani (MOD Developments), Mazyar Mortazavi (TAS), Sheherazade Hirji, Eliza Chandler (Ryerson University), Leah Houston (MABELLEarts), Olivia Nuamah (Pride Toronto), Denise Bolduc, Aylan Couchie, Brian Porter (Two Row), Clayton Windatt, Pru Robey and Marc Norman (University of Michigan).
