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 writer working across performance, dance, and visual arts, with an emphasis on site-specific and socially-engaged practices. As a curator, Anna seeks to be an advocate for artists, providing resources and supportive platforms that enable them to create their most adventurous work, as well as forging inclusive and accessible encounters between art and audiences. Anna believes in the unique possibilities that can emerge from the live experience. She sees curating as an act of community building.
From 2017-2021, Anna was Co-Artistic Director & Curator of Fusebox Festival, the acclaimed international performance festival, which features interdisciplinary artists from Austin, the U.S., and around the world. In 2020, Anna was a guest curator at Performance Space Sydney’s Live Works Festival. She was also part of the inaugural cohort of GENERATE (2019-20), a joint program of the British Council and Arts Council England that promotes exchange between a select group of US and UK performance curators and producers.
Prior to Fusebox, Anna's work in the arts sector spanned community arts organizations and large-scale museums and theatres in Canada and the U.S. In addition to holding producing and administrative positions at Toronto’s Nightwood Theatre, The Paprika Festival, and Theatre Revolve, Anna was Curator and Managing Editor at Sister Writes, an arts and empowerment program for women affected by poverty, underhousing, trauma, mental health issues, and addictions in the Parkdale and Bloordale neighborhoods. She was also Assistant Curator for the 2017 Live Arts Biennial at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and Curatorial Fellow for the 2016-17 interdisciplinary exhibition Merce Cunningham: Common Timeat the Walker Art Center. Anna has independently curated and produced performances, public art projects, exhibitions, and programming in Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. Her writing and interviews have appeared in Art Papers, C Magazine, The Walker Reader, Theater, as well as numerous exhibition catalogues.
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 with the community to implement innovative and engaging programming, revealing new possibilities for public space and cultivates the best visitor experience possible.
Prior to joining The Bentway team, Ilana worked for a number of notable design 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.
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.
