The Power Plant

Securing a public art commission can seem like a daunting task: the application process often asks artists to list their experience in the field and yet it’s hard to gain experience if previous projects are a prerequisite. Developing a proposal can be complex, often involving large budgets, long timelines and technical support material. Art in the public realm can mean collaborating with engineers, architects, landscape architects and fabricators, and as such can seem light years away from studio practice.

This Town Hall invites artists at all stages in their careers who want to know more about the public art process. By answering any and all questions, a panel of artists with varying levels of experience in the field, as well as representatives from commissioning bodies, will aim to demystify the process and provide multiple perspectives on the nuts and bolts of public art.

Panelists include artists Georgia Dickie, Dean Drever and Hadley Howes; and Catherine Dean, Public Art Officer, City of Toronto. The moderator will be Chloë Catán, Public Art Program Manager, Waterfront Toronto. This is one of several Town Halls and Focus Groups organized by a collective of ten non-profit, non-collecting contemporary art/ film organizations in Toronto that received Open Door funding from Toronto Arts Council.

ABOUT HORIZON In Fall 2018, The Power Plant and YYZ Artists' Outlet teamed up with seven other contemporary visual art and film organizations in Toronto for a two-year initiative, called HORIZON, funded with an Open Door grant from the Toronto Arts Council. During the first phase, the nine partner organizations are conducting focus groups and town halls to gather information about the needs of emerging and established artists in and around Toronto. During the second phase, the organizations will develop and offer programs that address some of the artists’ needs.

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