In order to address the specific environmental challenges in public art, and in particular the presentation of temporary and durational works, The Bentway, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, seeded the Public Art and Sustainability Initiative. This collaborative partnership between a national network of fellow public art curators, organizations and public space operators led to the formation of a new national network, the inaugural Public Art x Sustainability Symposium, and opportunities for learning and knowledge-exchange.
A 2-day event hosted by The Bentway in March 2024, this program convened over 30 cultural organizations and artists dedicated to the exhibition of temporary public art, including: Vancouver Bienniale (Vancouver); Nocturne (Halifax); The Forks (Winnipeg); Ex Muro (Quebec City); Bonavista Biennale (Newfoundland); Evergreen (Toronto); Toronto Biennial of Art (Toronto); and the City of Toronto’s Nuit Blanche team (Toronto). Partners included Bespoke Collective and the Centre for Sustainable Cultural Practice.
Our symposium provided a platform for collaborative exploration, where diverse voices and perspectives converged with a common objective: to address the ethical considerations and long-term environmental impacts inherent in our work amidst the climate emergency.
Special guest speakers at the Symposium included:
- Queen Kukoyi and Nico Taylor, Co-founders of Oddside Arts (Ontario)
- Leeroy New, artist (Philippines)
- Mary Mattingly, artist (New York)
- Vigdís Jakobsdóttir, Artistic Director & CEO, ReykjavÃk Arts Festival (Iceland)
- Rebecca Carbin, Principal and Founder, ART+PUBLIC UnLtd (Ontario)
- Cameron Cartiere, Professor of Public Art and Social Practice at Emily Carr University (B.C.)
- Isaac Crosby, horticulturist (Ojibwe; Ontario)
- Paolo Granata, Associate Professor at U of T, and Chair of the Culture for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative sponsored by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (Ontario)
The Bentway and partner organizations are now working on the creation of “Commitments to Action” pledges for our new Public Art Sustainability Network, which includes customized follow-up actions and next steps. Specific actions will be determined by partner organizations and approved by the group’s governance committee. ractices such as venue analysis, energy efficiency, positive social impact and more. The audit is a vital early step in assessing where we are and creating benchmarks and goals for where we need to go.