Video Podcasts of Plug In ICA’s Art Tomorrow public forum are now available online. Follow the links below.

On November 1 to 3, 2007, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in collaboration with the Small Cities Community-University Research Alliance hosted the forum Art Tomorrow. The purpose was to explore the future of contemporary visual arts institutions in Canada. As Canada’s first and oldest ICA, Plug In organized this event to explore and articulate the role of this dynamic form of arts institution in the Canadian context.

The Art Tomorrow forum brought together experts from across Canada and around the world to discuss the possibilities and challenges of institutions that research, present and document contemporary art. The forum investigated the history and development of the contemporary art institute, its relationship to other arts organizations, educational institutions, artists and communities. The panels and discussion groups highlighted new ideas in the presentation of art and culture, Canada’s historical context in visual arts, and the possibilities for the development of the ICA in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada over the coming decade.

Winnipeg has become renowned internationally for its dynamic visual arts community, fostering the development of numerous artists, writers, architects and filmmakers. Plug In ICA is in the preliminary design and feasibility stage of planning new facilities and expanded programs, residencies and publishing, and plays a leading role in Winnipeg and Canada for the development of contemporary visual arts.

Art Tomorrow Video Podcast Topics

Topic 1: The essence of the conference itself, defining what Institutes of Contemporary Art (ICAs) need to both become and accomplish in order to best serve their communities and patrons.

Topic 2: Former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and his key ideas of revitalizing both the arts and cultural infrastructures of cities to further encourage prosperity within urban environments.

Topic 3: The validity and value of artist-centred works and research in reshaping conventional notions of creativity, knowledge, and reality.