Annual Report 2019
DesignTO is where art and design meet. In January 2020, we will celebrate our 10th anniversary. Over the last 9 years we welcomed over 600,000 visitors, worked with 3,000 participating artists and designers, and reached 15 million users through print and digital media.
10 Years DesignTO Launch Party. Photo by SVPhotography.ca
At the 2019 DesignTO Festival, we presented 100+ exhibitions, talks, tours, and other events across Toronto. DesignTO takes art and design out of the studio and into the urban sphere, bringing people together to celebrate, discuss, and be inspired. We engage visitors with exceptional and accessible programming. DesignTO is multidisciplinary, welcoming the broadest definitions of design. We encourage collaboration, the creation of exceptional work, and the expression of personal values and identities through the creative process. DesignTO’s mission is to advance design culture in Canada.
100+
Diverse
free events and exhibitions
53% of visitors identify as either a visible minority, person of colour, LGBTX, person with a disability, youth, or indigenous
600 artists and designers
150K+
Creative
visitors
53% of visitors are from design, arts and culture
23K+
Youthful
Facebook followers
21K+ Instagram followers
14K+ newsletter subscribers
57% of visitors are 34 or under
Educated 87% of visitors have a college or university degree
“There is no other festival quite like DesignTO – a showcase for talent of every stripe, including startups and new grads. It’s the ultimate platform to cultivate relationships and to engage with an audience.” Catherine Osborne, architecture and design expert, former Editor of Azure Magazine
The Aberrant, Cat Lamora. Photo by S. Amine
Festival Map 20
Yonge + St. Clair
St. Clair Ave. W. Christie St.
Queen St. W.
37
Richmond St. W.
8, 20, 21
Adelaide St. W.
10 King St. W.
Liberty St.
17 14
13
Liberty Village
Queen West
8
66 4
Richmond St. W.
25
Adelaide St. W.
58
Harbourfront Centre
King East Design District
32 15
Union Station
7
39
Mill St.
Gardiner Expressway
15
Pape Ave.
Leslie St.
Broadview Ave.
Don Valley Pkwy.
21
11, 18 Queens Quay W.
10
Adelaide St. E.
14
46, 55 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
King East Design District Eastern Ave.
. E. Front St
28
59 3
67
36 Front St. W.
Queen St. E.
Carlaw Ave.
Yonge St. Line 1 Subway Queen St. W.
King St. W.
King West
Yonge St
Mount Pleasant Rd.
Avenue Rd. University Ave. Line 1 Subway
7
Dundas St. E.
Parliament St.
2
7 24 70
20
28 18
Parliament St.
4
64
4
Regent Park
Ryerson University
25
Gerrard St. E.
Sherbourne St.
West Queen West
Chinatown
Dundas St. W.
3
9
Jarvis St.
Gladstone Hotel
6, 25
29
Bayview Ave.
14
5, 16, 25,
Dundas St. W.
2, 11, 18, 23, 61,
30 44 6
OCAD University
Cabbagetown Gerrard St. E.
Jarvis St.
1
27
50
Church St.
11
Carlton St.
Sherbourne St.
Christie Pits
9 42
41
34
Artscape Youngplace
12
Yonge St. Line 1 Subway
Ossington Ave.
26
Riverdale
College St.
56
Danforth Ave. Line 2 Subway
Wellesley Ave. E.
McCaul St.
22 33
68
Parkdale
Harbord St.
Kensington Market
16
17 60
Bloor St. E. Line 2 Subway
Bay St.
Jameson Ave.
W.
19
Bloor St.W. Line 2 Subway
Spadina Ave.
Little Portugal
5 41
Gardiner Expressway
as St.
35
53
32
John St.
43
Dund
51
University of Toronto Bathurst St.
Roncesvalles Ave.
Roncesvalles Village
38
26 23 42
The Annex
Bloor St. W. Line 2 Subway
Little Italy
46 39 19
2
23
48 17 44
St. Clair Ave. W.
.
Harbord St.
College St.
Delisle Ave.
Davenport Rd
24
Koreatown
Grace St
33
Yorkville
26
29
Strachan Ave.
Sterling Rd
Brockton Village 40
Parkside Dr.
High Park
3
19
13
Dupont St.
57 45
Bloor St. W. Line 2 Subway
38
34
Dupont St.
24
Shaw St.
13
Dovercourt Rd.
Bloordale Village
8
52
Dupont St.
St. Clair Ave. E.
43
36 Davenport Rd.
Niagara St.
37
W.
1
Gladstone Ave.
as St.
Wallace Emerson
49
Dufferin St.
Dund
Keele St.
Quebec Ave.
54
6
Dufferin St.
45
Lansdowne Ave.
69
Dundas St. W.
30
Junction
1
Yonge + St. Clair
Queens Quay E.
15 5
9
21
King St. E.
10 16 31 65 9 12
27 12
Funders + Partners Funders
Media Partners
20
YEARS ´ ANNEES
Gold
Founding Partner Association Partners
after modern.lab visual communcation
Silver Cultural Partners
Bronze
Catering
Wine
Beer
“DesignTO is the platform where we get to tell the story of what design in Canada was, is, and can be. It opens up what has historically been a space/discipline for some, and has made it a discipline for all.� Zahra Ebrahim, human-centred designer and urbanist, community leader and advisor
DesignTO Launch Party. Photo by N. Hermann
Launch Party This must-attend bash kicked off the new 10-day Festival, hosting 1,700+ artists, designers, architects, and design-lovers in the historic St. Lawrence Hall in Old Town Toronto. The party featured an inflatable installation by studio rat.
DesignTO Launch Party. Photo by N. Hermann
Surface Tension Surface Tension showcased the work of a dozen local and international artists and designers. Exploring the theme of water from material, aesthetic, cultural, political, poetic, and ecological perspectives, the exhibition engaged a range of topics integral to thinking about water in its broadest senses. Surface Tension featured the work of Karen Miranda Abel, Atelier Mey, Douglas Coupland, Julie Gladstone, Robert Hengeveld, Colin Hill, Lisa Hirmer, Eva Kolcze, Lisa Myers, Polymetis, Eli Schwanz, and Unit Lab. The exhibition was curated by DesignTO.
Surface Tension. Photo by C. Shang
Design Unseen Design Unseen showcased the work of six creatives working in the field of graphic design, exposing the often unseen creative process. The exhibition was an opportunity to go behind the curtain and explore the journey that precedes the end result. Is process is as critical—if not more so—than a design in its final form? Design Unseen featured the work of local and international designers Estefani Campana, Department of Unusual Certainties, Chris Lange, Christopher Lee, Gilbert Li, and Jay Wilson. The exhibition was curated by DesignTO in collaboration with Lauren Wickware.
Design Unseen. Photo by C. Lim
Work/Life Responding a significant issue of contemporary urban life: “Spaces are getting smaller, but what we need them to do for us is only growing larger,� Work/Life showcased new prototypes from nine Canadian designers Work/Life featured the work of Allstudio, Andrew Ferrier, Rachelle Bugeaud, Dear Human, Claire Hamilton Studio, Half-day, mpgmb, Sisley Leung, and Studio Knowhow. The exhibition was organized by DesignTO in partnership with Umbra.
Work/Life. Photo by M. Madjus
DesignTO Guided Bus Tours On Saturday and Sunday afternoons of Festival Week local experts led four Guided Bus Tours: arts entertainer Kaleb Robertson , OCAD U’s Dean of Design Dori Tunstall, journalist Alex Bozikovic, and innovation designer Heather Daam-Rossi. Each guide brought their unique insight and expertise to their tour, with special stops selected by them.
DesignTO Bus Tour. Photo by H. Nguyen
Exploring Art at Yonge + St. Clair The neighbourhood of Yonge + St. Clair in midtown Toronto was activated by 11 projects, including several lobby installations. This tour organized by DesignTO featured an intimate talk with installation creators: Stein Wang and Topher Kong of the cheeky design studio Hi Thanks Bye, public installation artists Mitchell Chan and Brad Hindson of Studio F Minus, and Steven Paynter and Gillian Walczaka from the global architecture firm Gensler.
Installation by Hi Thanks Bye.
DesignTO Tours: Campari Office Attendees received an exclusive peek into Campari Canada’s unique Palm Springsmeets-Italian Futurist office space in Liberty Village, designed by Toronto firm I-V, on a tour led by DesignTO with Campari Canada’s Managing Director Massimo Mottura and Azure Magazine’s Executive Editor Elizabeth Pagliacolo.
DesignTO Tours: Campari Office. Photo by M. Neale
DesignTO Tours: Deloitte Office This tour explored Deloitte’s reimagined national headquarters, where they are redefining how employees and clients work by using design and technology to enhance engagement, productivity, and inclusion.
DesignTO Talks: Tiffany Pratt Stylist, designer, and HGTV host Tiffany Pratt hosted a full-house at this talk, speaking about her vibrant design philosophy, experience making a lasting creative business, personal brand, and media presence. Tiffany’s past projects include interior design for CafÊ CanCan and Piano Piano, a collaboration with CXBO Chocolates, and many more.
DesignTO Talks: Tiffany Pratt. Photo by C. Shang
DesignTO Talks: Uncovering Canadian Design This talk revealed the process involved in designing and making modern furniture and home dĂŠcor. Moderated by EQ3 Creative Director Thom Fougere, he and panelists Christian Lo of ANONY, Simon Johns, Jamie Wolfond of Good Thing, and Alisa Wronski shared their personal design pedagogies, examined successes and failures, and provided insight into their methods as contemporary Canadian designers. DesignTO Talks: Uncovering Canadian Design. Photo by M. Madjus
Ideas Forum: Watershed to Waterfront This event featured fastpaced and lively presentations by artists, designers, and architects exploring the theme of water from material, aesthetic, cultural, political, poetic, and ecological perspectives. Speakers included Great Lakes photographer Victoria Piersig, surfer and designer Antonio Lennert, architecture and public art duo Polymetis, architect Aziza Chaouni, DTAH’s Yvonne Battista and James Roche, artist Lisa Hirmer, architecture firm IBI Group, and The Bentway’s Director of Programming, Ilana Altman.
DesignTO Talks: Studio Swine In connection with the exhibition Surface Tension, this feature presentation explored the work of DesignTO international guests of honour Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami of the internationally acclaimed Studio Swine. Following the talk, leading architecture and design writer Catherine Osborne (former Editor of Azure Magazine) hosted a Q&A.
DesignTO Talks: Studio Swine. Photo by S. Ding
DesignTO Symposium: Unlocking the Future of Work The symposium brought 10 multi-disciplinary experts and 250 guests into one room for a diverse and engaging discussion on humans and the future of work. Speakers included Yoel Berznoger, D.A.R. Projects (Mauricio Navarro, Jenny Boucher), Department of Unusual Certainties (Christopher Pandolfi, Sam McGarva), Wendy W Fok, Tom Morin, Radical Norms (Angelika Seeschaaf Veres, Daniel Daam-Rossi, Koby Barhad), Juan Saavedra, Chloe Waretini, Mason White, and Shihan Zhang.
DesignTO Symposium: Unlocking the Future of Work. Photo by K. Dudzinski
DesignTO Awards The 7th annual DesignTO Awards sponsored by Herman Miller recognized contemporary design excellence seen across the Festival. 17 awards were selected by a jury, with 4 People’s Choice Awards selected by popular vote. Jurors included Jane Juranek (interior designer, IBI Group), RenÊe Mathews (multidisciplinary artist and 2018 Award winner), Tak Pham (media art curator, art critic, and architectural historian), Chris Rowe (Collection Sales Lead, Herman Miller Canada), and Jillian Warren (Director, Workplace, figure3).
Aletheia, Philip Beesley. Photo by K. Zhu
Festival Features Festival Features is a shortlist of events, exhibitions, and/or window installations selected by a jury. This year’s jurors were Pooya Baktash (PARTISANS), Catherine Osborne (architecture and design writer, and former Editor of Azure Magazine), and Kathryn Walter (FELT Studio).
Photo by K. Zhu
Aletheia
Photo by C. Shang
DIYing Free
Photo by E. Ilina
Come Up To My Room
Photo courtesy of Batay Csorba
Misfit
Photo by M. Neale
Pro Tem
“It was exhilarating to openly share our work with so many people, and be able to connect with such a diverse group of people over the course of the DesignTO Festival. Not only did we feel part of a greater design community, but we were able to share something so close to our heart with people of all ages and backgrounds, who also felt like they could relate to what we created.� Humble Raja (Reena Mistry + Bhavesh Mistry), 2019 DesignTO Award winners for Forbidden Forest Forbidden Forest, Humble Raja. Photo by M. Madjus
The Team — Executive Jeremy Vandermeij, Executive Director Deborah Wang, Artistic Director Michael R. Madjus, Marketing Director Operations + Development Angela Amlani Anna Vander Meij Marilyn Maxim Olga Klosowski Schellenberg Programming Victoria Chin Carmen Douville Amanda Low Simon Mhanna Kelsey Miner Robyn Wilcox Safoura Zahedi Marketing Christine Lieu Kerala Woods Nadia Yau Brand + Design Adrian Forrow, Illustration aftermodern.lab inc., Visual Communications Kenson Chan, Web Design Mike Spears, App/Mobile Design Public Relations + Publicity Brill Communications
Board of Directors Ilan Ishai Leslie Jen Jessica Kamphorst Shaun Moore, Chair Christy Thompson Julian Mills Founders Joy Charbonneau Shaun Moore Katherine Morley Julie Nicholson Jeremy Vandermeij Deborah Wang Christina Zeidler Address DesignTO 1214 Queen Street West, Studio 203 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6J 1J6 designto.org hello@designto.org