Creative Placemaking Workshops
Workshop Dates: June 20 – 22, 2017
Toronto-based artist Jennie Suddick and urban planner Sara Udow investigated how communities can engage with city planning to meet the needs of citizens through a hands-on series called Creative Placemaking Workshops at Open Space.
This series features four workshops with a three day period. On June 20, Suddick and Udow held the Tree House Workshop. Participants recalled unrealized childhood plans for tree houses and other forts. Through interactive discussion and hands-on collaboration with participants, Suddick will help participants recapture those dormant tree house plans and turn them into clay architectural models and detailed drawings. Participants’ creations will inspire Suddick to create her own paper sculptural models, which will be shown as a part of The Tree House Project exhibition that will be held at Open Space in the summer of 2018.
A second public workshop, the Placemaking Workshop, was held on June 22. Participants worked with both Suddick and Udow to question the role of the arts in building a city. The artists encouraged the participants to explore creativity to re-envision a space in the city, bringing together architects, developers, city staff, and community members who will be on-site to input ideas.
On June 21, I curated two private Placemaking Workshops with the Victoria non-profits Our Place Society and Artemis Place Secondary. These workshops introduced participants to the role of the arts in city planning. By asking for input from these students and from clients of Our Place, this project brings to the table different communities, voices, and points of view to advocate for appropriate,
accessible urban spaces for all.
“This is a unique opportunity for participants to share their opinions, to be creative, to engage with people outside of their daily experience and to be a part of something that values their contribution as central to the overall purpose of the project,” -Tracey Campbell, Community Relations Coordinator at Our Place Society.
