What does Cultural Sustainability look like in our Rapidly Changing City?

Vancouver B.C.! Unceded Coast Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh people! COV’s Population over 647,000 people! We have the highest number of artists per capita in Canada!

We live in a beautiful city with deep history that bubbles with creativity, innovation and is in constant flux. For those of us who call this home, we are aware that we live in a hotbed for real estate development. How do we preserve, enhance, and cultivate the spaces, organizations and histories which make up our collective identity? How do we prepare for generations of creatives and artists to have room to create? Panelists will speak from their unique experiences in designing, facilitating and protecting cultural traditions, spaces, events, and the people behind to them — and speak to the future of cultural life in our city.

The Festival
The Vancouver Mural Festival is a celebration in public space that ineveitably changes the way locals and visitors experience their neighbourhoods. We have found that a new mural — especially murals in multiplicity — spark many conversations around the built environment, development, curation, gentrification, content, and protecting and enhancing our cultural spaces and venues. We look forward to helping support this growing coversation in our city.

Questions to Consider
What is culturally sustainable development? What and where are the hubs of culture? How do we preserve them? When is it time to let them go/change/evolve? Where does Public Art and Gentrification overlap? What does culturally sustainable development mean to indigenous-led organizations? What does it mean to Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh Nations? How could the city invest in cultural venues? How does public art fit into our city, as we’re trying to work our way through a housing crisis? How does How do we design festivals that celebrate and grow culturally diverse neighbourhoods?