Playful public spaces – Ilana Altman in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato

In this episode of The Three Bells / 2022 (S2:E6), host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Ilana Altman, Co-Executive Director, about The Bentway’s artful and playful approach to activating public spaces – as illustrated by their 2021 Playing in Public season and accompanying Play Provocations resource that encourages cities to become more play-friendly. They discuss the evolution of The Bentway as a platform for connected urban life, and the importance of programming public spaces to be not only responsive to the needs of communities, but to also encourage creative practice. Ilana also shares the plans for The Bentway’s STREET season, which promises a summer of public art to help their audience see the streets of Toronto anew. After, Stephanie is joined by fellow host Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on how dynamic public spaces allow users to respond to the sites in a plethora of imaginative ways. They highlight the importance of this open approach to public spaces for progressive and inclusive urban planning.

Ilana Altman is Co-Executive Director of The Bentway. She is a cultural planner and designer who has a background in art and architecture. Prior to joining The Bentway, she has worked with notable design firms and led the curation and design of exhibitions and installations at the SFMOMA, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2014, Ilana founded the Artful City, a Toronto collective that aims to advance public art research, policies, and imaginations.

Listen to the full episode here.

Author The Three Bells

The Three Bells is a podcast about culture in its urban context produced by AEA Consulting for the Global Cultural Districts Network. It examines how our cultural ecology is changing and why – especially within the dense concentrations of human activity in urban areas. Through interviews with cultural, civic, and thought leaders we explore their preoccupations, insights, and self-confessed blind-spots. Our ambition is to alert our listeners to emerging developments; help to make sense of a challenging time; identify latent opportunities; and navigate those busy crossroads a little more confidently.