Nuit Blanche, Toronto

The City of Toronto is presenting a free, city-wide, all-night event to celebrate contemporary art. From sunset on Saturday, September 30 to sunrise on Sunday, October 1, 2006 the public will be invited to rediscover Toronto through public art commissions, all night exhibitions, performances, installations and unique programs. Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is a Live With Culture signature event and is part of the 16-month Live With Culture campaign.

For one sleepless night, hundreds of museums, galleries and institutions across Toronto will open their doors to present free art programs. Residents and tourists will also be invited to explore unusual spaces not normally open after dark and not normally tied to an art event. Everything from swimming pools and car washes to churches and libraries will be transformed by contemporary art projects.

In addition, three temporary exhibition sites overseen by five renowned Canadian curators will be established. These three sites will feature 30 commissioned public art installations assembled exclusively for this event. With a unified goal to highlight creative works that will inspire wonder and encourage dialogue, the Scotiabank Nuit Blanche curators and their exhibition sites include:

- West Queen West from Dufferin St. to Trinity Bellwoods Park
Curator: Clara Hargittay
- McCaul St. / University Avenue from Queen St. to College St.
Curator: Kim Simon
- Bloor St. W. /Yorkville.

Curators: Fern Bayer, Peggy Gale and Chrysanne Stathacos

The literal translation of Nuit Blanche is "white night" a term used to describe a natural phenomenon that occurs at high latitudes where the dusk meets the dawn for a night without darkness. Colloquially, Nuit Blanche refers to a "sleepless night." While Toronto embraces this celebration of art planned to run from sunset to sunrise, a sleepless night is exactly what we have to look forward to this fall.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche will be a uniquely Toronto adaptation of the highly successful Paris event created by the City of Paris in 2002. This annual event is at once a "high" art event (past commissions in Paris included works by Bill Viola, Sophie Calle, and James Turell) and a free populous event accessible to everyone. Nuit Blanche is such an enormous success in Paris, that similar celebrations are now held in Rome, Brussels, Madrid, Montreal and Riga, among others. Toronto is the newest addition to this international list.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is a Live With Culture initiative developed to demonstrate the City of Toronto's commitment to the arts. Live With Culture is a 16-month celebration of Toronto's extraordinary arts and cultural communities. From September 2005 to December 2006, Live With Culture showcases the vibrant and diverse cultural activities happening in the city each and every day. 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.

For more information about Scotiabank Nuit Blanche and other Live With Culture signature events, the public can visit www.livewithculture.ca or call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338.