City Council Leadership and Action on Key Issues

Culture

Toronto as Cultural Capital

Toronto…truly reflects cultural creativity and showcases the work of professional and local artists of all ages and from diverse cultures, who blend traditional art forms with the newest technologies. The celebrations include activities such as Telling Toronto's Diverse Story, 80 vignettes in 40 locations along Spadina Avenue; Music Makers, bringing music to children and youth; Songs from Above the Treeline, sharing history and song with northern and urban Aboriginals. Toronto--Cultural Capital reflects a vision of a cultural capital!

2005 Recipient Summary
Cultural Capitals of Canada
Designating Committee

Dateline June 2004 - Funding Arts and Culture - The City distributed almost $5 million through seven funding programs including to community festivals and special events; major cultural organizations; local arts service organizations; economic development sector initiatives program; economic sponsorships initiatives; commercial research; and graffiti transformation. Much of the arts and culture funding went to the following seven major cultural organizations: the Art Gallery of Ontario; the Canadian Opera Company; the Caribbean Cultural Committee (Caribana); the George Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Arts; the National Ballet of Canada; the National Ballet School; and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
More

Dateline Sept 2004 – Naming a City Poet Laureate - City Council appointed Pier Giorgio Di Cicco as Toronto's new Poet Laureate for the next three years. He succeeded Dennis Lee in the honourary position, which involves representing and championing the literary arts on behalf of the City of Toronto.
More

Dateline February 2005 Toronto Named Cultural Capital – The Minister of Canadian Heritage, on behalf of the government of Canada designated Toronto as a cultural capital for 2005. The Cultural Capitals of Canada is an award program open to Canadian municipalities that have demonstrated creativity and innovation in the development and delivery of artistic, cultural, and heritage activities.
More

People who are not in love are irresponsible. A town that is not in love with itself is irresponsible, and civically apt for mistakes. Responsibility is a cold duty; and it inspires no one. A citizenry is incited to action by the eros of mutual care, by having a common object of love—their city. A town that is not in love will cut corners, lose sight of the common good. It loses sight of the common good because it has lost sight of what is commonly beautiful, and the beautiful is not landscape, or cityscape or architectonic; the beautiful is what people have built in the spaces between each other--a reciprocity, an exchange of ideals, a shared vision.

Monograph: Civic Valentines
Pier Giorgio Di Cicco
City of Toronto Poet Laureate

Dateline April 2005 - Poetry in the Street - The City of Toronto introduced a Poetry in the Street program as a tribute to Toronto's poets and the broader literary community. City Council approved plans for a program that involves inscribing poems written by accomplished Toronto poets into sidewalks at various locations across the city.
More

Dateline September 2005 - TO Live With Culture - The year 2006 was selected as Toronto’s Live With Culture campaign, which kicked off in September 2005 with the 40th anniversary celebration of City Hall. This 16 month creativity celebration will set the stage for an unprecedented city-wide creative experience that recognizes the very best elements in our city. Events initiated by the City of Toronto and the community are united under one umbrella campaign to raise awareness of Toronto’s thriving cultural scene. Live With Culture will showcase all the arts in Toronto in a marketing and promotions campaign designed to raise awareness of the vast scope of Toronto’s cultural activities for audiences both within the city and beyond.
More