Client

Overview

STEPS believes public art has the ability to challenge the systemic inequities that exist in public space, but Canada’s public art collection does not currently reflect its diversity. This is the inspiration that led STEPS to launch the CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency, a national program designed in consultation with advisors from coast to coast, to provide emerging Black, Indigenous and racialized artists with the skills, relationships and practical experience needed to take their public art practice to the next level.

Throughout this nine (9) month program, ten (10) emerging or mid-career public artists will convene, connect and create socially-engaged public artwork across Canada. The mission of this program is multifaceted, and is intended to benefit both artists-in-residence and the greater public.

Goals

The CreateSpace Public Art Residency program aims to support individual artists in their pursuit of public art practices. CreateSpace strengthens solidarity amongst artists working in diverse contexts and builds connections between these artists and their communities. This residency also encourages conversations of social equity in city-building, design and placemaking. The

This program include skill-building and mentorship opportunities to develop and grow public art practices and discourse. The skills learned and experience gained throughout CreateSpace leaves a lasting impact within the arts sector, enabling a new generation of creatives to share the value and power of public art programming with others furthering collective knowledge and creativity.

Process

The pandemic further exposed the inequalities that exist in our cities, particularly in public spaces. The CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency continues to amplify the work of under-represented artists by fostering socially engaged public art practices that directly affect communities. These new public artwork activations by CreateSpace artists elevate not only their work but also activate and engage each community across Canada in which the artists are working.

Community members across Canada are given the opportunity to engage in the CreateSpace artist’s work in all stages; during the research and development process, the creation and the unveiling. As these artists develop conversations with various communities about their artworks, meaningful engagement occurs. Each community learns more about their neighbourhoods, the histories behind them, the people within them and find new ways to navigate and celebrate them. These moments of engagement between artist and community build strong and lasting connections to cultivate important dialogue around social equity in city-building and design. Each of these unique public artworks further activated and strengthened community connections and demonstrated public art's ability to reimagine and foster equitably designed communities.

Additional Information

Artists have a critical role to play in shaping cities, and our Artist Capacity Building Programs are designed to amplify the work of Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, female, LGBTTQQIAAP and newcomer artists in public spaces. In support of this important work, CreateSpace is a portfolio of STEPS programming that: foster inclusive public art practices; build the capacity of artists who are underrepresented in Canadian public art; and demonstrate the power of art to reimagine equitably designed cities. The CreateSpace Public Art Residency began in 2021 with nearly 100 calls for artist submissions across the country.