Partners in Art is proud to support The Bentway’s project, Softer City, taking place from May 24 to October 6, 2024. This project features artists Chloë Bass (New York City, USA), Nico Williams (Anishinaabe; Montréal, Canada), Nnenna Okore (Chicago, USA), Heather Nicol (Toronto, Canada), Women in Practice [WIP] Collaborative (New York City, USA), and Rosana Cade (Glasgow, UK).

We often think of modern cities as hard, fast-paced, and alienating places. Not just because of the pervasive concrete and steel that built them, but with social isolation on the rise, and 43% of Canadians reporting that they never see their neighbours, our cities are becoming increasingly hard places to live.

The U.S. Surgeon General has declared an epidemic of isolation, noting that loneliness “is as bad for you as smoking”. And here at home, Toronto was recently named one of the loneliest cities in Canada.

Now more than ever, we need to soften the barriers that separate us to create much needed social connection and provide space for communities to gather, meet, and grow.

Softer City celebrates softness as a means of humanizing our cities and public spaces and building more connected, resilient communities. Bringing together artists, architects, and designers, The Bentway proposes a series of soft encounters for our city, for our infrastructure, and for one another.