Art=Waterfront is a coalition of designers, artists, urbanists, and placemakers that identifies and supports ways of protecting Toronto’s existing cultural spaces and building new ones by advocating for the creation of a municipal Arts Corridor spanning the city’s entire Waterfront, from The Guild in Scarborough to Marie Curtis Park in Etobicoke.
According to research by the Martin Prosperity Institute, the greatest density of cultural locations—places where artists live and work as well as facilities accommodating cultural pursuits—in Toronto is along its Waterfront. Based on this massing, we have identified Toronto’s Waterfront as the ideal location to preserve and promote cultural spaces for generations of Torontonians.
In June 2023, Art=Waterfront submitted an open letter to Toronto’s mayoral election candidates urging them to support the creation of an official District across the city’s lakeshore that links cultural spaces. Ultimately, we envision this Corridor will be a legislative tool for providing funding that ensures the affordability of existing cultural spaces and stimulates the creation of new ones. We published an op-ed in the Toronto Star elaborating on our proposal.
To get involved with Art=Waterfront or find out more about our work, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.
Policy
Read our draft Policy Document outlining a vision and exploring tools to facilitate a Waterfront Cultural Corridor below.
Culture Sites
Explore existing art and culture sites across Toronto’s entire waterfront through the lens of virtual reality:
EVENTs
Toronto the Good 2024
In May 2024, Art=Waterfront was the theme of ERA’s annual Toronto the Good party. Held at The Bentway, hundreds of people came to celebrate the idea of making the waterfront Toronto’s art and culture corridor. Mayor Olivia Chow and Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik both gave remarks supporting our initiative.
Art=waterfront at the Power plant
In November 2024, Art=Waterfront hosted a city-building event at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, a cornerstone art and cultural institution on Toronto’s waterfront. We brought together artists, policy makers, and cultural thinkers — including City Councillor Chris Moise, Waterfront Toronto Chief of Staff Joe Cressy, Toronto Economic Development & Culture General Manager Pat Tobin, Lassonde Art Trail Executive Director Chloë Catán, and Art Spin co-curator Layne Hinton — to discuss solutions to Toronto’s current cultural spaces crisis.
