In order to address the specific environmental challenges in public areas and in the presentation of public art works, in March 2024 The Bentway seeded the Public Art and Sustainability Initiative – a collaborative partnership between a national network of fellow public art curators, organizations and public space operators.
Over the last several years The Bentway has been working to better understand our role as public space developers and operators, as well as arts professionals working in the midst of a climate emergency. As commissioners, producers and strong advocates for temporary public art we are keenly aware of the ecological impact of our work, and we have been taking steps to develop more responsive and responsible modes of practice.
We also know that we were not alone in making these changes.
Public Art and Sustainability Symposium, Toronto, 2023. HZD/Hannah Davison.
Sustainability as only environmental is a misunderstanding of the word. There is so much more—a wider meaning—and many ways of fostering sustainability.
The Public Art and Sustainability Initiative marks the beginning of this critical exchange. The project has enabled the formation of a new national network and opportunities for knowledge-exchange for the future, which will no doubt lead to discoveries and efficiencies across the sector and make all of our work stronger as a result. Most importantly we are creating the necessary forums to ensure that this shift is not simply framed as a problem-solving exercise, but instead, a creative opportunity in its own right.
We look forward to continuing this important work alongside a growing arts community across Canada and beyond who share a desire to collaborate and learn from one another.
Anna Gallagher-Ross (she/her) is a curator and arts leader with 15 years of experience shaping transformative artistic experiences across public spaces, festivals, museums, and theatres in Toronto and internationally.
From 2017–2021, Anna served as Co-Artistic Director & Curator of the acclaimed Fusebox Festival, presenting interdisciplinary artists from Austin, across the U.S., and around the world. At Fusebox, she collaborated with artists to create ambitious, inclusive experiences that fostered meaningful connections between art and audiences.
Prior to Fusebox, Anna held roles at major museums, theatres, and art centers in Canada and the U.S., including Assistant Curator for the 2017 Live Arts Biennial at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and Curatorial Fellow for the 2016–17 exhibition Merce Cunningham: Common Time at the Walker Art Center. She also held curatorial and producing positions at Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, The Paprika Festival, Theatre Revolve, and Sister Writes.
Anna has independently curated and produced projects and exhibitions in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Australia, including as guest curator for Performance Space Sydney’s Liveworks Festival. Her writing and interviews have appeared in Art Papers, C Magazine, The Walker Reader, Theater, and major exhibition and festival catalogues. She is the co-editor of the Performance Curation issue of Imagined Theatres.
Recognized internationally, Anna has spoken on curation and arts management at leading festivals and conferences including the European Festival Academy, Luminato, OFFTA, SXSW, On the Boards, and Transform Festival, among others. She has served as advisor to UNESCO Creative Cities Austin, and panelist for organizations such as Waterfront Toronto, Nuit Blanche, Creative Capital, and the MAP Fund. In 2019–20, she was selected for the inaugural cohort of GENERATE, a British Council–Arts Council England program supporting exchange among U.S. and U.K. curators and producers. She is the recipient of the 2025 Jini Stolk Creative Fellowship. Anna is a graduate of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College.
Ilana Altman (she/her)
Ilana Altman is a cultural planner and designer who has a background in art and architecture. In her role as Co-Executive Director she works to unlock new public space opportunities, build strong civic partnerships and implement innovative and engaging programming, resulting in new inclusive experiences across the city.
Prior to joining The Bentway team, Ilana worked on a number of educational, residential and cultural projects for a series of notable architectural firms including Studio Daniel Libeskind and Diller Scofidio + Renfro in New York and KPMB Architects in Toronto. She has led the curation and design of exhibitions and installations at the SFMOMA, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Additionally, she has worked closely with artists to realize public art installations for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche.
In 2014 Ilana founded the Artful City, a Toronto collective that aims to advance public art research, policies, and imaginations. Additionally, Ilana founded and served as the Executive Director of the Pavilion Project from 2015-2017, an organization striving to advance the culture of architecture and activate local communities through construction of experimental temporary structures.
The Centre for the Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA)
The Centre for the Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA) aims to position the arts and culture sector as a driver of sustainable societies by providing tools, research, educational resources, training, and consultation services related to sustainable development. Their comprehensive consulting and training services include tailored guidance on sustainability strategies, climate adaptation and resilience, and resource use.
The CSPA views sustainability as the intersection of environmental balance, social equity, economic stability and a strong cultural infrastructure. They are a coalition of arts and environmental practitioners that believe artists are agents of cultural change, animators of public imagination, and experts in world-making.
Bespoke Collective
Bespoke Collective is a Toronto-based creative consultancy that is reimagining how culture and civic life brings people together. Our breadth of expertise runs across facilitation and community engagement, cultural and strategic planning, and communications and storytelling. Founded in 2011, we work with clients across North America who are looking to make lasting positive change through the arts and city building.
The Sustainability and Public Art Symposium was co-led and co-facilitated by Christina Bagatavicius and Sabrina Richard. Christina is the Co-founder and Principal at Bespoke, who brings over 20 years of facilitation experience, connecting communities in ways that amplify care, creativity and collective possibilities for the future. Sabrina is the Co-Founder and Director of Research and Planning at Bespoke, and a cultural planner, published author and strategist focused on building a more equitable, inclusive and resilient arts and culture ecosystem.
