Turning the city into art

This past weekend, Toronto artists finally got their due.
For one night every year, cities across the globe get taken over by the artists and become massive works of art. Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, a project that began in Paris in 2002, took place this past weekend in Toronto and ran from 6:52 p.m. on Saturday until dawn Sunday morning. It afforded the chance for many Toronto artists to present their work alongside world-renowned artists.
Art was on display all across the city, from galleries and museums to tunnels, parks, bridges and street corners. For 2008, there were 155 destinations divided into three zones from Dupont St. down to Lakeshore Blvd. Each zone featured a mixture of Exhibition Projects and Independent Projects.
Exhibition Projects were public art projects by local, national and international artists that were commissioned within four outdoor exhibitions. All of these projects were selected by four curators and were chosen among the hundreds of open-call applicants.
The Independent Projects were projects by Toronto museums, galleries, cultural and educational institutions and local neighbourhoods, all opening their doors for artists to display their work.
"Toronto's wealth of creative talent has sparked an extraordinary renaissance of our city's artistic and cultural life over the past few years," said Toronto Mayor David Miller of the event. "We have a great deal to offer as a global cultural centre and the tremendous success of events like Scotiabank Nuit Blanche have proven that we are a city that celebrates and embraces arts and culture."
The event has grown considerably since its inception. In its second year, the event grew from 450,000 people to a groundbreaking 800,000. Though the numbers have yet to be released for this year, it is imagined to have surpassed both those numbers.
Since its conception, the goal of the event has been to provide contemporary art to a larger population than is usually afforded. Though often seen as "high art", this contemporary art is brought to the public in public spaces, making it both a high art and general public event that encourages celebration and community engagement.
Another goal of this year's event, according to Scotiabank President and CEO Rick Waugh, was "to honour the significant role that arts and culture play in our community, and to showcase the eclectic variety of contemporary talent that enriches our lives".
"By working collaboratively and bringing together a broad range of sectors and hundreds of talented artists and facilitators, we set new benchmarks in city-building every year," said Miller. "The real magic is on the street, though, where hundreds of thousands of people discover, interact with and respond to the art. [It is an] incredible celebration of creativity, culture and contemporary art.