FORUM
From the Ground Up: A biennial platform for
international contemporary art in Toronto

Organized by The Power Plant and the Museum of Contemporary
Canadian Art

Saturday, 17 April / 10:30 AM – 5 PM, followed by a reception / FREE
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, 952 Queen Street West

There has been much talk about the idea of a Toronto biennial or triennial in recent years, particularly as these events have proliferated both in Canada and around the globe. The Power Plant and the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, as local and international leaders in the presentation of contemporary art, recognize that this conversation is overdue and are therefore pleased to bring Toronto’s contemporary arts community to the table for a day of panels and discussion. This forum focuses the discussion to reflect on why and how Toronto might host such an international biennial/triennial platform for contemporary art practice and discourse.

Gregory Burke, Director of The Power Plant, briefly touches on the significance of this event:
“I am very pleased that MOCCA has worked with us to present this important forum. United by a shared interest in leading the discussion about the potential for a Toronto biennial or triennial, The Power Plant and MOCCA have collaborated in an effort to reach out to the numerous groups concerned to participate in an organized, focused discussion of such a potential event. This sort of leadership through collaboration is exactly what is needed to bring an internationally significant and highly credible biennial to the City of Toronto.”

The partners have invited several key members of the city’s arts community to participate, from directors of some of Toronto’s most influential arts organizations to artists within the community, university professors and curators, collectors, and local art professionals. Speakers will address such questions as: Given the plethora of large scale contemporary art exhibitions across the world, why would such an event be relevant in Toronto? What would define such a project and how could it make a critical contribution? What would its relationship be to local artists, audiences, and art dealers, as well as stakeholders interested in the growth of Toronto as an influential art centre? How would such an exhibition address local, national and global concerns? Who would fund, curate, participate in and attend such an event? And why should it happen in Toronto? What distinctive features could the city offer the international art world?


Please join us for this free event:

10:30 AM David Liss, Artistic Director and Curator of the Museum of Contemporary
Canadian Art
Welcoming remarks

10:35-11:00 AM Gregory Burke, Director of The Power Plant
Introduction: background on discussions, context of what has motivated biennials in the past, their contributions to cultural scenes

11:00 AM-12:30 PM Histories and Opportunities – Moderated by Peggy Gale,
Critic and Curator
Focusing on the specific Toronto context, this panel addresses how a Toronto Biennial could build on our past cultural legacies to further develop relationships to the rest of the world. Speakers include:

Jessica Bradley, Owner of Jessica Bradley Art + Projects
Barbara Fischer, Executive Director/Chief Curator of the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at the University of Toronto
Philip Monk, Director/ Curator of the Art Gallery at York University
Lisa Steele, Artist, co-founder of the media arts centre Vtape, and Professor and Associate Chair of Visual Studies at the University of Toronto

12:30-1:30 PM Lunch Break - provided on-site for $10 (choice of sandwich, salad and beverage)

1:30-3:00 PM Propositions
Panelists put forward their ideas for what an international platform for contemporary art in Toronto might look like, and how it could be executed. Speakers include:

Jim Drobnick and Jennifer Fisher, Founders of DisplayCult curatorial collaborative and Associate Professors at the Ontario College of Art and Design and York University respectively
Heather Haynes, Founder and Executive Director of the Toronto Free Gallery
Haema Sivanesen, Executive Director of SAVAC (South Asian Visual Arts Centre)
Janice Price, President and CEO of Luminato (TBC)

3:00-4:00 PM Open Forum - Moderated by Helena Reckitt, Senior Curator of Programs,
The Power Plant
Includes both invited guests and spontaneous public participation.

4:00-4:45 PM Where Do We Go from Here? Moderated by Peggy Gale
A discussion about next steps: assemble an organizing committee, realistic potential funders, presenting a path forward, next meeting. Speakers include:

Gregory Burke, Director of The Power Plant
David Liss, Artistic Director and Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art
Matthew Teitelbaum, Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO of the
Art Gallery of Ontario (TBC)
Sara Diamond, President of the Ontario College of Art & Design (TBC)

5.00-6.00 PM Complimentary Reception at MOCCA

For information on this event and the all of The Power Plant’s public programming this spring, visit our website.

For information on programming at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, visit www.mocca.ca.

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