SUSTAINABILITY
Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts (ESA) is an ongoing initiative that aims to explore sustainable alternatives to vinyl exhibition signage, along with perspectives on sustainability across the arts.
Project mission
According to Western University’s Centre for Sustainable Curating, vinyl PVC lettering is commonly used for exhibition signage for its affordability and professional look. However, PVC is a highly toxic plastic that does not biodegrade and has a lifespan of at least 1000 years, and as a result this plastic becomes toxic waste.
Through a series of hands-on workshops, in-gallery experiments, collaborations with artists and conversations with others working on similar ideas, the FOFA Gallery is developping and documenting alternative materials and techniques for creating gallery signage.
We compiled our findings from the past year into a free bilingual (French/English) toolkit that showcases sustainable signage options that can be applied to a variety of arts and cultural programming contexts. Additionnaly, we offer a publication highlighting a few emerging perspectives on sustainability across the arts.
Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts: Signage Toolkit
Download toolkit
Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts: Emerging Perspectives
Featuring texts by: Pierina Corzo-Valero, Joé Côté-Rancourt, Caro (Caroline DeFrias), Emem Etti, Jasmine Sihra, and Amanda White
Workshops
Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts hands-on workshops were skill-sharing events where artists and others offer alternatives to PVC vinyl lettering with sustainable techniques and materials.
TALKS
Exploring Sustainability Across the Arts was an initiative that featured talks, panels, and lectures to spark conversations between arts professionals and others working on sustainable initiatives, and projects in different organizations.
The first year of the project was led by Jasmine Sihra, Curator of Sustainability and Engagement. For more information or consultation, please contact jasmine.sihra@mail.concordia.ca
This project receives the ongoing support from: the Canada Council for the Arts; Concordia University’s Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR); the Centre for Sustainable Curating at Western University; and the Sustainability Action Fund.
