Community Engagement Through Public Arts & Placemaking

As cities and neighbourhoods expand and welcome more citizens, placemaking and public art has become a way to engage people in community connection and transition. The Dept of Words & Deeds discusses their work in Downsview collaborating closely with local artists to create new works and installations that activate and energize a vast development site in the northwest quadrant of Toronto. The goals and objectives of art and placemaking combine seamlessly with responsible and thoughtful development when local culture is prioritized and facilitated equitably. Through this workshop we intend to provide tools and best practices to help people understand how to engage with the local community, to develop public and private partnerships, how to build a holistic strategy, how to implement research processes and in depth analysis to create meaningful public artworks.  Speakers include Mia Hunt and Jane Farrow, Department of Words and Deeds Inc.