In the spring of 2018, the Art Bank partnered with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on an exhibition tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Sustainability is a particular focus for Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, who encouraged the exhibition’s viewers to be global citizens and to take action.
The exhibition of 21 artworks from the Canada Council Art Bank collection, entitled Awakening, was curated by Canadian Bruce Mau, co-founder of Massive Change Network. Artists featured in the exhibition included Edward Burtynsky, Kim Ondaatje, Michael Snow, Norval Morrisseau and Germaine Arnaktauyok. Through the collective lens of the artworks, viewers confronted the urgency of sustaining life on Earth for generations to come.
A comprehensive publication featuring a series of essays from international public thinkers on each of the 17 SDGs accompanied the exhibition and is available online.
An international tour of Awakening brought these thought-provoking pieces to places where significant debates about the health and sustainability of our world were taking place, providing new perspectives and keeping these issues top of mind.
In 2019, the exhibition travelled to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City (in March), to the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva (in May) and will be on display at the World Conference Centre in Bonn throughout the United Nations Global Climate Conference (in June).
Awakening exhibition at the United Nations Global Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell speaking at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
Awakening exhibition at the UN Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
This successful partnership exemplifies the Canada Council’s steadfast commitment to connecting people, ideas and issues through the power of the arts with a view to provoking discussion and inciting reactions. It celebrates the work of Canadian and Indigenous artists and contributes to the global conversation regarding the environment.
The exhibition highlights how relevant issues can be made tangible and publicly engaging through the visual arts. The exhibition begs the question of each of us: Now that I can do anything, what will I do?
About the Author: Amy Jenkins
Amy Jenkins is the Head of the Canada Council Art Bank. She is responsible for the management of the Art Bank’s operations and delivery of its programs including: art rental, loans, exhibitions and outreach activities.