Urban Field Speakers Series | Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is proud to present the sixth season of the Urban Field Speakers Series.
Alex Sainsbury in conversation with Margaret Zeidler
Thursday, April 7, 7:30 PM
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
401 Richmond St. West, Suite 124
Toronto
Alex Sainsbury, the founding director of Raven Row in London, converses with Margaret Zeidler, the founder and president of Urbanspace Property Group in Toronto. They will engage in a dialogue about their pioneering endeavours, comparing and contrasting art, culture, activism, society and politics in London and Toronto in the early twenty-first century – as expressed through the active and important roles that each have played within their respective communities.
About Alex Sainsbury
Alex Sainsbury is the founder and director of Raven Row, a non-profit contemporary art exhibition centre housed in a restored historic building in London. In the years prior to his development of Raven Row, from 1993 to1995, Sainsbury was assistant curator at Rear Window, an artist-led non-profit organization, making art exhibitions in temporary spaces. In 1998, he founded and was a member of the editorial board of the non-profit organization Peer, producing gallery exhibitions, publications and off-site projects. In 2002, he was director of 38 Langham Street, a gallery/project space in London. Raven Row is dedicated to showcasing work by emerging and established international artists and, to date, Sainsbury has programmed exhibitions by Harun Farocki, Morgan Fisher, Ray Johnson, Ann Lislegaard and Hilary Lloyd, among others.
About Margaret Zeidler
Margaret Zeidler is the founder of Urbanspace Property Group Ltd., a mission-driven development company that specializes in the adaptive re-use of old buildings. Originally trained as an architect, Zeidler has brought her love of historic buildings and her belief in the power of built-form to foster a sense of community in two, century-old, former factory buildings. The first project – 401 – houses a diverse community of more than 130 artists, cultural entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises and social innovators. The second project – the Robertson Building – is a hub for organizations, large and small, profit and not-for-profit, the majority of which are social mission-driven. Zeidler is the recipient of the Jane Jacobs Prize (2003), the Toronto Untitled Arts “Best Friend of the Arts” Award (2004) and the Order of Ontario. She co-founded the Centre for Social Innovation, the Centre for City Ecology, and Jane’s Walk, an annual event to celebrate the life and ideas of Jane Jacobs.
About the Urban Field Speakers Series
Programmed by Janine Marchessault and Scott McLeod and presented by Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art in association with the Visible City Project and Archive of York University
The Urban Field Speakers Series centres on the role of art in transforming the experience of the city. Through lectures, audio-visual presentations and discussions, it explores how creative practices can help improve the quality of urban life and planning in Toronto and around the world. This series of monthly events brings together an array of international and local participants, including artists, architects, curators, designers and scholars, who are working at the intersections of technology, communications and aesthetics. Reflecting a broad range of perspectives and practices, the events build upon each other to inspire dialogue on the role of the city in art, and art in the city.
Ticket Sales
Series passes are available in advance or at the door. Tickets to single events are available only at the door, with ticket sales beginning thirty minutes in advance of the event. Seating is limited and guaranteed to sell out, so be sure to arrive early.
Series Passes
$25 Prefix Photo subscribers, students & seniors
$40 Regular
Single Events
$7 Prefix Photo subscribers, students & seniors
$10 Regular
See poster [PDF]
For purchases, press inquiries or to schedule an interview with the speakers, please contact Jennifer Givogue, Public Programs Manager, at:
Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 124
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5V 3A8
T 416.591.0357
F 416.591.0358
E info@prefix.ca
www.prefix.ca