Transforming the City Through Arts and Culture
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Culture Talks Summit Launches Community Discussion About the Arts
Arts and culture has become one of the driving forces in municipal planning with respect to quality of life and the development of distinct communities with a strong sense of place. To kick off the conversation about arts and culture, the City of Vaughan invited members of the business and arts communities to talk about how to it can be used in the City’s downtown – the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) – to create a place that will attract people, business and investment.
The Culture Talks Summit, held today at Vaughan City Hall, officially launched the Cultural Framework and Public Art Plan for the VMC and City-wide Public Art Study. The event brought together three experts who shared their experiences in leading public art and design initiatives – Renee Piechocki, founding director, Pittsburgh Office of Public Art; Tim Jones, CEO, Artscape; and architect Paul Raff. Victoria Dickenson, executive director and CEO of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, acted as the moderator for the Summit, leading a discussion on how arts and culture can enrich the Vaughan landscape.
QUOTE
“We celebrate the arts in Vaughan and all they contribute to our culture and diversity. It is through art that we tell the stories of our community and share them with the rest of the world. By starting the conversation about a cultural framework for the VMC, we are encouraging the community to become involved and give us their thoughts and ideas. This is a pivotal time in our history because we have a chance to shape our identity, to capture it and bring it to life for future generations, and for other people to experience and enjoy.”
-Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
QUICK FACTS
- In September 2014, the City retained The Planning Partnership, with Jane Perdue and Millier Dickinson Blais, to complete the Cultural Framework and Public Art Plan for the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) and a City-Wide Public Art Study.
- The study is expected to be completed in winter 2016.
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Art installation created by participants at the Culture Talks Summit.