Exploring the cultural forces that connect and shape the communities of Toronto
September 15, 2018
The New Museum is pleased to announce IdeasCity Toronto, presented in partnership with The Bentway, to take place on Saturday, September 15, 2018. The program is free and open to the public, and will take place at the newly opened Strachan Gate at The Bentway in Toronto.
IdeasCity, the New Museum’s civic platform that explores the future of cities with art and culture as a driving force, initiates a new cycle of programs with IdeasCity Toronto, centered on the theme of Toronto as a “City of Cities.” The daylong exploration of strategies, ideas, and propositions will feature panel discussions, keynote lectures, workshops, conversations, and performances. Participants will include Rick Lowe, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, Adrienne Clarkson, Simone Browne, Anne Michaels, RISE Edutainment, Vanessa Brazeau, former mayor David Crombie, and emerging artists and community leaders from Toronto, among others. A complete schedule will be announced soon.
IdeasCity Toronto will host conversations and interactive workshops on building access and equity within the Toronto arts community in collaboration with local and international partner organizations including the Chinatown Art Brigade (New York City), Myseum of Toronto, and Colloqate Design (New Orleans). The program will also include a pitch session to share bold ideas, designs, and strategies for shaping the future of Toronto. Successful applicants will present their projects to the public and will be awarded the opportunity to run a coached crowdfunding campaign through Patronicity, a grant platform dedicated to community initiatives. The Bentway and IdeasCity are currently accepting pitch ideas. For more information, please visit the website.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating the with New Museum’s IdeasCity initiative. IdeasCity Toronto provides the opportunity to address pressing urban issues through the lens of art and culture, creating a new model for public engagement in Toronto,” said Ilana Altman, Director of Programming, The Bentway.
IdeasCity cofounder Karen Wong noted, “We are excited to commence a new cycle of IdeasCity in Toronto, working with The Bentway on a tailored program that will bring together relevant individuals and groups to explore vital issues that impact Toronto’s communities.”
About IdeasCity
IdeasCity is a collaborative, civic, and creative platform that starts from the premise that art and culture are essential to the future vitality of cities. This international initiative provides a forum for designers, artists, technologists, and policymakers to exchange ideas, identify challenges, propose solutions, and engage the public’s participation. The initiative was cofounded at the New Museum by Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis Director, and Karen Wong, Deputy Director. Past IdeasCity programs have taken place in New York (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017), Istanbul (2012), São Paulo (2013), Detroit (2016), Athens (2016), and Arles (2017). For more information, visit ideas-city.org.
About New Museum
The New Museum is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to contemporary art. Founded in 1977, the New Museum is a center for exhibitions, information, and documentation about living artists from around the world. From its beginnings as a one-room once on Hudson Street to the inauguration of its first freestanding building on the Bowery designed by SANAA in 2007, the New Museum continues to be a place of experimentation and a hub of new art and new ideas.
About The Bentway
The Bentway is a unique and innovative public space that transforms one mile underneath Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway into a new gathering place for the city’s growing population. The Bentway offers year-round activities and events, including gardens, a skate trail, recreational amenities, public markets, public art, special exhibitions, festivals, theater and musical performances, and more. The initial phase of The Bentway opened to the public in January 2018. Stretching from Strachan Avenue in the west to just east of Bathurst Street underneath the Gardiner Expressway, this section of The Bentway is located on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, recognized by the Government of Canada as a site of national significance. The Bentway is a proud member of the High Line Network, an international network of projects that transform underutilized infrastructure into new urban landscapes.
Support
IdeasCity Toronto is presented by Vancity Community Investment Bank with media partners ideacity, Moses Znaimer’s Conference; Azure; Designlines; the Walrus; and Spacing. The Bentway is supported by the City of Toronto and the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, an agency of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport.
