{"id":54023,"date":"2016-02-04T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T15:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=54023"},"modified":"2016-02-04T14:25:34","modified_gmt":"2016-02-04T19:25:34","slug":"the-artful-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2016\/02\/04\/the-artful-city\/","title":{"rendered":"The Artful City"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Artful City is a bi-weekly blog series exploring the evolution of public art and its role in the transformation of Toronto, both the city fabric and the community it houses.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By: Ilana Altman<\/strong><\/p>\n

On October 27th, 1966 amidst a crowd of 10,000 Mayor Philip Givens took to the loud speaker at City Hall and proclaimed that, \u201cPosterity will remember tonight\u2026 \u201cThe Philistines have retreated in disorder.\u201d [1] \u00a0This mass gathering and monumental address was organized to mark the unveiling of Henry Moore\u2019s sculpture entitled, Three Way Piece No. 2: The Archer<\/em>, originally selected for the plaza by Finnish architect Viljo Revell who was responsible for the design of the municipal complex.<\/p>\n

\"Archives...\"<\/p>\n

By today\u2019s standards this modestly sized, two and a half ton bronze sculpture would be considered aesthetically pleasing, perhaps even powerful, but largely benign.\u00a0 It was not the largest and certainly not the most provocative of Moore\u2019s creations but, nonetheless, The Archer<\/em> remains one of the most controversial public sculptures of its time and certainly the most polarizing piece in Toronto\u2019s history.\u00a0The Archer\u2019s<\/em> abstract\u00a0form, international author and $120,000 price tag placed the work at the centre of a heated debate about the value of art in the public realm, its accessibility to the broader community and its role in shaping the city\u2019s image.<\/p>\n

Politicians within City Hall fell on either side of the debate, but without question The Archer\u2019s<\/em> most adamant supporter was the Mayor himself.\u00a0 Givens understood that the battle over the bronze represented something much larger than the installation of a single sculpture.\u00a0 Moore\u2019s arrival in Toronto, in a similar fashion to his presence in other major metropolises, signified the city\u2019s coming of age and entry onto the world stage.\u00a0 Therefore, at the heart of the debate was a pressing question about Toronto\u2019s willingness to look forward, to embrace the culture and thinking that defined the time.\u00a0 In the months preceding the sculpture\u2019s arrival, Givens challenged the politicians and the public alike, posing the following questions, \u201cDo we have the curiosity and courage to face our own time?\u201d Can we learn to live with something new, something that is not a copy from the past?\u201d[2]<\/p>\n

Despite Givens\u2019 best efforts, council ultimately refused to support the commission with municipal tax dollars, and the Mayor was forced to launch a public campaign to secure the necessary funding.\u00a0 Though the drive was successful, and The Archer<\/em> eventually found its central place on the plaza, Givens\u2019 run for a second term was not met with favour.\u00a0 Many speculate that the Mayor\u2019s support for the sculpture ultimately cost him his job.<\/p>\n

Much has changed in the 50 years since The Archer\u2019s<\/em> erection. Representatives from both the public and private sphere have made significant investments in public art throughout the city, recognizing its vital role in the sustained health and imagination of Toronto. Working across various media including, sculpture, sound, photography, video and light, artists are actively contributing to the changing image of Toronto, inciting us to see our city and its global context anew. \u00a0Public art is now a widely accepted cultural, social and economic tool, considered central to the art of city building and place-making.<\/p>\n

Yet, despite these advancements and the proliferation of public art across the city, one must ask if the discourse around public art in Toronto has evolved since 1966? More often than not, we retreat to the same set of questions that plagued the Moore commission; who is public art for? what does it say about our city and our community? what is its value both now and in the future?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Over the next several months this bi-weekly blog series will address these questions while posing new ones.\u00a0 What role does public art play within Toronto\u2019s\u00a0privately and publically owned spaces? Can current policies be supplemented to support more diversified programming? Can artists rather than sites be recast as public art protagonists? How can public art best be used as a tool for social engagement and economic development while contributing to a discursive public realm? What forms\/modes of public art best define our time?<\/p>\n

Through a series of texts, interviews and imagery The Artful City<\/strong> will expose a diverse collection of perspectives, collectively representing the array of professional interests influencing Toronto\u2019s public art production. The blog will celebrate recent work and draw attention to best practices in other international cities. It is intended to advance critical discourse about public art and stimulate dialogue and debate between artists, architects, developers, public art consultants, city officials, educators and the public about how art can best contribute to Toronto\u2019s vital and evolving public realm.\u00a0 We invite you to join us as we explore This Artful City<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

[1]\u00a0http:\/\/torontoist.com\/2010\/07\/historicist_henry_moores_big_bronze_whatchamacallit\/<\/a>
\n[2] Toronto Daily Star, Saturday May 7, 1966<\/p>\n

Ilana Altman is a curator, designer and editor based in Toronto\u00a0and founder of The Artful City initiative. \u00a0For more information about The Artful City visit: www.theartfulcity.org<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Image credits:
\nTop: Photo by Matthew Monteith<\/em>
\n Archer: City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 374, File 816, Item 7
\nThe Archer 2015, Matthew Monteith
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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