Convergence Centres: Building Capacity for Innovation

Artscape, 2009
Toronto’s identity has been re-energized over the past five years through cultural, political and community leadership. The city’s Cultural Renaissance began with new iconic museums, galleries and training institutions then gained further momentum through Nuit Blanche, Luminato and a host of other programs and events. On the heels of this great adventure, a new wave of energy is building in the city’s cultural and creative sector. It could be said that the first wave of the Cultural Renaissance helped put “creativity on display” with greater panache than ever. The second wave, in contrast, is about putting “creativity to work” to build our city and grow our prosperity.

The Convergence Centres: Building Capacity for Innovation report is intended to contribute to Toronto’s progress in generating a more sophisticated understanding and advancing a more strategic approach to growing the cultural and creative sector. The impetus for the report grew out of the Strategies for a Creative City study in 2005/06. Through this study, a group of directors from Toronto’s creative institutions realized that there was a groundswell of new infrastructure development that was happening below the radar and formed the Creative Convergence Project Consortium. It included more than a dozen major new projects that shared an interesting characteristic – they were purposefully designed to optimize creative work by providing a platform for collaboration. The Convergence Centres: Building Capacity for Innovation report reveals new ways that talent, space and collaboration are being combined and leveraged to fuel our capacity for innovation. It has already been successful in generating numerous collaborations, partnerships, and networks. We hope this work will also provide helpful insight for governments at all levels that are looking for new ways to stimulate the economy, create jobs and build infrastructure for the future.

Creative Convergence Project Consortium
Artscape / Canadian Film Centre / Evergreen / MaRS / Ontario College of Art and Design / Toronto International Film Festival Group

Project Supporters
Ontario Media Development Corporation / City of Toronto / Waterfront Toronto / TEDCO