Public Programmes
Over 4000 events a year across 10 acres! Discover the incredible scope of possibilities at our beautiful waterfront site.
A vibrant home for the culture of our time, Harbourfront Centre showcases the work of contemporary Canadian artists in all creative disciplines simultaneously with leading-edge artists from around the world. Harbourfront Centre works in collaboration with some 450 community-based organizations to offer an impressive array of innovative multidisciplinary programming exploring diverse cultures through the arts.
Our Community and Educational Programmes department works with a wide range of local, national and international communities to explore collaborative innovation, learning opportunities, new ideas, residencies and new artistic creation. These explorations result in cultural festivals, public forums, popular music and special interest programmes. A major initiative of this department is World Routes, a series of twelve large multi-discipline festivals held each weekend during the summer. As well there are festivals throughout the year. The department also provides learning and recreational programmes with a special focus on youth, including school visits and summer camps.
The Craft Studio is home to four working studios in metal, ceramics, glass and textiles on view to the public, as well as classes, lectures and exhibitions. Internationally renowned and recognized for its support of emerging craftspeople, The Craft Studio's Artist-in-Residence programme is Canada’s foremost training centre for Canadian professional craftspeople offering a unique post graduate programme. BOUNTY, the retail shop affiliated with the studio, opened in 1979 and sells medium to high prices functional contemporary Canadian craft.
Authors at Harbourfront Centre brings authors from Canada and around the globe to participate in readings, interviews, panel discussions, book signings, and a host of other events. Programmes include a Weekly Reading Series, from September to June; the annual International Festival of Authors (IFOA), inaugurated in 1980 with a mandate to bring together the best writers of contemporary world literature; ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers bringing hundreds of children to Harbourfront Centre for three days of boisterous bookishness; and The Forest of Reading® Festival of Trees, an action-packed festival of readings, award ceremonies, workshops and activities, presented in partnership with the Ontario Library Association.
Our Performing Arts department presents contemporary, leading-edge presentations from the world’s most innovative artists in theatre, dance and new music. Interdisciplinary performance and new Canadian work are of significant interest and wherever possible we offer professional development opportunities through conferences and networking initiatives. World Stage season features national and international theatre, dance and music performances that excite and provoke with innovation and excellence. The dance series NextSteps features the huge diversity of local and national contemporary dance expressions available in Toronto. HATCH is an annual series for new and emerging performance companies with a mandate to encourage and stimulate new performance and artist development. HarbourKIDS is a new generation in Family programming that inspires imagination and aspires to promote understanding, creativity, expression and discovery, all through our lens of arts and culture.
The Power Plant is celebrating more than 20 years as Canada's leading public gallery devoted exclusively to the art of our time. The Power Plant has three major exhibition galleries and smaller, adjacent indoor and outdoor sites which lend themselves to virtually any presentation circumstance. The Power Plant compliments also presents a variety of programming year-round with lectures, panel, films and special events.
Our Visual Arts department is committed to the promotion and exhibition of a broad range of local, national and international contemporary fine art, new media, design and craft. Throughout York Quay Centre works are showcased in 10 traditional and non-traditional exhibition venues. In Spring 2008, a new gallery space opened devoted to contemporary architecture and exhibitions which reflect contemporary responses to current issues. Additionally, Artists’ Gardens located across the Harbourfront Centre site reflect unique and varied responses to what constitutes a garden.
Fresh Ground new works, Harbourfront Centre's national commissioning programme, is an exciting legacy programme with funding which aims to be the catalyst for new, collaborative artistic creations that incorporate more than one discipline or field. Harbourfront Centre has committed over $200,000 toward the creation of ten new Canadian works to date. To see the line-up of new creations to be presented this season click here.
With Focus, our ideas-based programming, we hope to introduce audiences to alternate faces of Harbourfront Centre through a cohesive entry point or idea, linking programs and disciplines across the organization. Ideas explored have been Desire, Generations, Beauty, Power of Place, Sacred and Borders. Focus: Our Lens. Your View.
