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The Vancouver Biennale invites the public and media to participate in the artwork unveiling, followed by a panel discussion on the role of public art and its potential to act as a catalyst for social change. Is public art a commodity used to promote gentrification, or does it have the capacity to transform, change and heal what divides us?
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“let’s heal the divide” by Vancouver artist Toni Latour, a site-specific neon work hung on the façade of the Vancouver Community College building at 250 West Pender Street, marks a physical division between the Downtown East Side and the commercial and financial districts that border it. The location highlights the glaring economic disparity between neighborhoods and addresses the socio-economic, political and cultural points of disconnect. In the spirit of hope, the piece calls for action, collective healing, connectivity, and inclusion.
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FREE PUBLIC EVENT: ARTWORK UNVEILING + PANEL DISCUSSION
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Wednesday, March 11
Vancouver Community College (VCC) 250 West Pender Street
6 pm – Artwork unveiling outside of VCC facing Victory Square
6:30 – 9:00 pm – Panel discussion, VCC Room 420
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GORDON PRICE – MODERATOR Director City Program, Simon Fraser University
TONI LATOUR Artist, Faculty Kwantlen University + University of the Fraser Valley
MICHAEL GELLER Architect, Planner, Real Estate Developer
ROMI CHANDRA HERBERT Co-Executive Director PeerNetBC
SANDRA SEEKINS Faculty Art History, Women’s & Gender Studies, Capilano University
TONI LATOUR Artist, Faculty Kwantlen University + University of the Fraser Valley
MICHAEL GELLER Architect, Planner, Real Estate Developer
ROMI CHANDRA HERBERT Co-Executive Director PeerNetBC
SANDRA SEEKINS Faculty Art History, Women’s & Gender Studies, Capilano University
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This event will be filmed.
