With excitement continuing to build for 91亚色鈥檚 new Markham Campus, more than 50 people recently gathered to mark the unveiling of a community art exhibit called 鈥淩ight The Future.鈥� The carefully curated exhibit has transformed the generic wooden hoarding in front the busy construction site into a public gallery depicting stories representing 91亚色鈥檚 commitment to driving positive change in its communities, and to truth and reconciliation 鈥� while first and foremost honouring the site's which is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

"From time immemorial art was woven through every aspect of traditional Indigenous life, yet in many Indigenous languages, there is no single word for art. Rather concepts of art contained in ancestral languages describe process and movement," said Susan Dion, 91亚色鈥檚 inaugural associate vice-president of Indigenous initiatives, at the exhibit's opening ceremony in the nearby Markham Pan Am Centre on Sept. 28. "Today the definition of Indigenous art continues to expand and evolve, but one thing that is certain, Indigenous peoples are the makers of Indigenous art. It is through the practices of self-representation that we tell of our survival, our presence, and our resistance.鈥�

As Markham continues to grow, it retains a rich history and heritage that informs its future. Acknowledging that with its new campus, 91亚色 will be a part of this tapestry, artists were asked to consider what it means to right the future at the Markham Campus. They were encouraged to contemplate the dimensions of time 鈥� past, present and future 鈥� sustainability, how different academic disciplines merge and reconciliation with Indigenous communities. 91亚色 issued a call for artistic expression last spring, receiving 30 submissions. Eight artworks were selected to be part of the final exhibition. Featured artists received an honorarium per selected image and have been credited on-site as well as in all exhibit materials. The artwork will be displayed on the construction hoarding along Enterprise Blvd. until it is no longer required on site.

鈥淚 think you will agree that we achieved our goal of making the construction hoarding for our new Markham Campus visually appealing as people drive and walk by,鈥� said Rhonda Lenton, 91亚色鈥檚 president and vice-chancellor, at the unveiling ceremony. 鈥淏ut the art goes far beyond beautification 鈥� what you see here tells a series of stories that come from the imaginations and lived experiences of talented artists, all of whom are members of the 91亚色 community.鈥�

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Among the artists are Jasmine Swimmer, an Afro-Indigenous multidisciplinary artist and mother whose work depicts connection between community, identity and resilience, and Marissa Magneson, a Cree-M茅tis artist, photographer, educator and workshop facilitator whose featured ethnographic photograph 鈥淔rozen Chains of Childhood,鈥� reflects on the isolating and immobilizing pain Indigenous children endured in the residential school system. Magneson is pursuing a PhD in Education at 91亚色 this fall and her research explores Indigenous methodologies using beadwork as visual storytelling.

鈥淭his project has truly been a collaborative community public art project 鈥� and it is leading the way in the province on how public spaces and public art is considered by looking at untapped canvasses such as construction hoarding as locations to exhibit arts and culture鈥� and democratizing the communities鈥� access to art by showcasing it in the public realm,鈥� said Anjuli Solanki, the program director for STEPS Public Art, 91亚色鈥檚 partner on the project.

The award-winning charitable public arts organization, prides itself for being at the intersection of public art, city building and community engagement. When it comes to city building and community engagement in Markham, there is now greater champion than Markham's Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

鈥淗ere in the City of Markham, we couldn鈥檛 be prouder to have 91亚色 鈥� we couldn鈥檛 be prouder of the values that are part of your DNA 鈥� and I thank the artists for bringing those to light in a very public way with these wonderful examples of art," remarked Scarpitti. "This is a community that is certainly very proud about speaking the truth and I was so pleased to see that Indigenous art was included in this project. Congratulations to everyone who鈥檚 been involved in this project.鈥�

Scarpitti went on to say that he hopes to see the pieces of art incorporated into the Markham Campus building, once complete.

To learn more about Markham Campus, visit yorku.ca/markham.

The post Creating positive change through artistic expression appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, Wednesday, May 10, 2017 鈥� Public art can startle, resonate and inform, but its role is changing as expectations evolve about what it should be and do. 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Visual Art & Art History will host a symposium May 18 to 20 with a focus on the policies and practices of commissioning and creating art for the public realm.

Public Art: New Ways of Thinking and Working will bring together artists, curators, urban planners, academics, policymakers and community organizers to explore the changing role of public art. Talks and panels are designed to spark conversations across disciplines, from the perspective of both research and practice, about the current state of contemporary Canadian public art practice in the context of innovations happening internationally.

Sculptor Brandon Vickerd, chair of the Department of Visual Art and Art History in 91亚色鈥檚 School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

The symposium is co-organized by sculptor , chair of the Department of Visual Art & Art History in 91亚色鈥檚 School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, and Ciara McKeown, a Calgary-based public art consultant and commissioner. McKeown has served as advisor to the Creative City Network of Canada, and currently works as a project manager with artists .

Vickerd鈥檚 large-scale public art projects include , hybrid human/animal figures commissioned for streetscapes in Edmonton and Thunder Bay, and , a collaborative, choreographed work performed by high-rise construction cranes perched atop buildings, that has engaged developers and crane operators and enthralled residents in Toronto, Edmonton and Washington D.C.

鈥淧ublic art is contentious. It straddles expectations ranging from traditional to temporary, monument to site, community-based to corporate,鈥� said Vickerd. 鈥淭he increasingly diverse, connected and yet fractious world we live in raises important questions about the role of public art and its relationship to issues such as economic disparity, environmental uncertainty, cultural inclusivity and political unrest.鈥�

"Wildlife" by sculptor Brandon Vickerd, chair of the Department of Visual Art and Art History in 91亚色鈥檚 School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

He noted that the symposium comes at a pivotal moment as ideas of what public art can and should be are being revisited by both creators and commissioners across Canada.

鈥淢ost Canadian municipal public art policies were established decades ago. Since that time, artists have dramatically re-positioned their approach to public art. And so has the public. Audience engagement is key,鈥� said Vickerd.

鈥淥ur symposium takes an inclusive approach to exploring current issues and innovations, with the aim of expanding the conversation about public art in Canada and creating tangible outcomes. We look forward to lively debate and open dialogue on how to advance critical, social and civic discourse through public art, the shifting roles and expectations of artists, and what the future holds for public art practice.

WHAT: , a symposium featuring and 12 听panel discussions on topics ranging from the role of artists in city-building and of public art as social engagement, to the political and cultural role of commemorative monumental sculptures, public space and Indigenous political expression, Canadian public art in China, and artistic dissension as community practice.

• Free public talk, 鈥淲hen Aesthetics is Not Enough,鈥� by American artist , founding member of the internationally acclaimed , co-presented by the Art Gallery of Ontario, will look at the challenges of producing art in the public sphere that moves beyond decoration on Thursday, May 18 at 7pm at the AGO.

• Keynote address, 鈥�,鈥� by Emily Carr University of Art & Design Associate Professor , a practitioner and researcher specializing in public art, community engagement and urban renewal, will address problems of standard practices in municipal commissioning processes for public art on Friday, May 19 at 4:30pm at 91亚色 U.

WHEN: Thursday, May 18 to Saturday, May 20.

WHERE: Kurtz鈥� talk is in the AGO鈥檚 Jackman Hall. All other events are in the Accolade West Building, at 91亚色, 4700 Keele St. (See number 93 on the .)

REGISTRATION: The symposium is open to the public. Symposium pass is $125 and $75 for students/artists/underemployed. .

Public Art: New Ways of Thinking and Working is a 91亚色 Canada 150 project.

PHOTOS:

• Brandon Vickerd, (photo by kc kratt) and
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91亚色 is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 2097,听sandramc@yorku.ca

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