Untitled (mountain), Anish Kapoor, 1995

Art Walk: Toronto's Outdoor Art Gallery

Quick Links

Asset Management
Cultural Projects
Policy and Research
Public Art
Toronto's Poet Laureate
Grants to Major Cultural Organizations

The Cultural Affairs portfolio is defined by the bricks and mortar of City-owned cultural facilities under its supervision, on the one hand, and by its initiatives directing the City's role in sustaining the vitality of the urban cultural scene, on the other hand. Efforts from this section have an impact on the three other areas within the Toronto Culture: Arts Services; Museums and Heritage Services; and Heritage Preservation Services.

Asset Management
With an annual capital budget of $4.5 million, this section is responsible for the state of repair of all cultural facilities owned and operated by the City of Toronto and all capital improvements. The municipal amalgamation resulted in a major consolidation effort to manage all properties located throughout the city. A detailed inventory of these venues is being developed within the framework of a Cultural Facilities Master Plan.

From Fort York, a national historic site, to Windfields, home of the Canadian Film Centre, the number of sites under the supervision of Asset Management totals 60. Included in this portfolio are all City-run museums (see Museums and Heritage Services for a complete list) as well as City-owned sites leased to other cultural organizations such as The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People and the Design Exchange.

Cultural Projects
Staff in this area are responsible for developing culturally significant and economically viable uses for major City-owned cultural properties in partnership with other City departments and the arts, heritage and business communities.

Three sites currently under development are:

• The Guild, situated on the Scarborough Bluffs

• The John Street Roundhouse, a national historic site in the heart of the downtown railway lands

• The Don Valley Brickworks, a significant geological and industrial site.

In addition, staff are working on a new operating and governance model for The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA), located in the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Policy and Research
This is the "big picture" area with a mandate to develop cultural policy for the City of Toronto. Cultural Affairs staff were active in developing Toronto's Culture Plan completed and approved by City Council on June 2003.

The Culture Plan is a "roadmap" that determines priorities and directions for the evolution of Toronto into one of the leading cultural capitals in the world -- a city where creativity is encouraged and inspiration is supported by policies of vision. Toronto has the potential to be a leader in the 21st century, a creative city to which ideas and investment will be attracted -- a cultural role model. To obtain a copy of the Culture plan click here.

The Cultural Affairs team is providing in-put into the City's Official Plan, the Economic Development Strategy and the Waterfront Plan. Ongoing research into such areas as economic and employment impact studies related to the cultural sector and cultural tourism provides staff with the tools to advise City Council on related matters. Information gathered by Cultural Affairs also provides valuable resource material for community stakeholders including professional arts, culture and heritage organizations and creative industries.

In addition, this area manages $3.2 million of City funding to sustain the work of a number of Toronto's major cultural organizations including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Canadian Opera Company, Caribana, the National Ballet of Canada, the National Ballet School of Canada and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Public Art
The City of Toronto encourages both the public and private development of public art throughout the city. The aim of the Public Art section of the Toronto Culture is to create a city in which great art is a community treasure. A rich and varied selection of public artworks throughout a city enhances the sense of place and belonging which defines a healthy urban environment. Currently there are more then 190 works in the City of Toronto on City-owned land, dating from 1870 to the present day. New works are continually being added to this 'outdoor museum'. The Culture Division develops and administers the selection, placement, maintenance and preservation of these works.

Spadina LRT Public Art

The Toronto Transit Commission's Spadina LRT Public Art Competition awarded eight public art commissions for Spadina Avenue to complement the transit line.

See: Spadina LRT

Public Art - Driving Tour (356 kb)

The Driving Tour Brochure offers you five distinct tours of outdoor public art in North York. The tours include a combination of walks and drives. Take some time to discover North York's outdoor public art.

For more information please see Public Art

Toronto's Poet Laureate

In 2001, under the auspices of Cultural Affairs, Toronto appointed its first Poet Laureate. The Poet Laureate serves as the City's literary ambassador. As an advocate for poetry, language and the arts, he or she attends events across the city to promote and attract people to the literary world. The Poet Laureate's mandate also includes the creation of a legacy project that will be unique to the individual. The term of the Poet Laureate is three years.

Meet Toronto's Poet Laureates - past and present

top