What is Cities for People?
Cities for People, a grassroots movement that looks at the resilience and livability of cities, asks the question: How can we enhance social, ecological, and economic well-being and help civic cultures thrive? We are approaching this from the perspectives of four themes: Art and Society, CityScapes, Citizen Spaces, and New Economies. Each of these themes has a curating organization that is gathering compelling stories, connecting people within and across fields, and experimenting with new ways to approach old problems.

Musagetes, the curator of the Art and Society theme, works to make the arts more central and meaningful in peoples’ lives, in communities, and in cities. The arts play a fundamental role in mediating our life experiences, making artistic creativity central to healthy, empathic, social, and conscientious ways of living. Art creates a space for thinking differently, for opening up new possibilities for ourselves and the world around us.

Art has many forms. The Art and Society theme creates art on the street with communities and in neighbourhoods. This program brings together many participants, balancing aesthetic and poetic beauty while addressing social urgencies.

Get Connected
How has art impacted you? Add your stories about art in the city, art as a transformative engine in your community, or anything else that connects art to the vibrancy of cities for people. Stories can be added directly to the Cities for People website at www.citiesforpeople.ca. With our social media campaign, you’ll be sure to have lots of readers.
What are you creating in your community? Be a stop on our cross-Canada roadtrip for artists this fall in cities between Guelph and Lethbridge. Over twelve days we’ll do a series of pop-up workshops, conversations, performances, readings, and other city-themed activities in places such as Guelph, Sudbury, Sault St. Marie, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, and Lethbridge. We invite artist-run centres, aboriginal groups, and artists to propose activities that connect to society. The schedule is still being determined so there’s time to add you in!
How do artists develop their practices in cities? Participate in one of our convening sessions to be held in Toronto, Guelph, Vancouver, and Lethbridge later this year. Each public session will bring together artists with other professionals in many fields to discuss issues and projects of mutual interest. More details will be announced soon.
What is your vision for art in society? Contact Musagetes to discuss other ways that you or your organization or your city can be involved with and contribute to Cities for People. It’s an open invitation!

Contact Musagetes: info@musagetes.ca/musagetes-old
www.musagetes.ca/musagetes-old
www.citiesforpeople.ca
Twitter: @cities4people

Cities for People is generously supported by the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation in collaboration with Musagetes, Evergreen CityWorks, One Earth, and the Centre d’écologie urbaine de Montréal.