Scotiabank Nuit Blanche to return as annual event for City of Toronto 2007 programming details announced

TORONTO, May 10 /CNW/ - Mayor David Miller today announced that last

year's enormously successful Scotiabank Nuit Blanche - the free, city-wide,

all-night event celebrating contemporary art - will return on Saturday,

September 29 and become an annual signature event for Toronto. Returning as

title sponsor this year is Scotiabank.

     "Last year's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche was an incredible event that served

to showcase Toronto's vibrant arts scene and this city's cultural

communities," said Mayor David Miller. "Our artists, curators and artistic

institutions are the real stars of this remarkable event that was enjoyed by

hundreds of thousands of people in its inaugural year. I'm thrilled that

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is returning and I'm committed to making it an annual

event for the city of Toronto."

     "Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live

and work, and once again we are looking forward to being a part of this

exciting all-night celebration of contemporary art," said Chris Hodgson,

Executive Vice-President and Head of Domestic Personal Banking, Scotiabank.

"We are very pleased to again partner with the City of Toronto to bring the

very best of contemporary art to the communities and people of Toronto. I am

looking forward to joining all of you, as together we again experience the

city in a different light."

     Unlike any event ever produced in North America, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche

2006 was completely distinctive and a transformative celebration of creativity

for Toronto. The overwhelming positive post-event response from the public,

media and art community was unprecedented. Attendance figures, estimated at

425,000, significantly surpassed the projected audience of 250,000.

     Scotiabank Nuit Blanche will return Saturday, September 29. From sunset

at 7:03 p.m. to sunrise on Sunday, September 30 the public is invited to

rediscover Toronto through public art commissions, all- night exhibitions,

performances, installations and unique programs.

     Following the successful structure of last year's event, Toronto will be

divided into three geographical zones to accommodate the numerous Scotiabank

Nuit Blanche destinations. Each zone will feature one curated Scotiabank Nuit

Blanche exhibition and a series of Independent Projects with a unified goal to

highlight creative works that inspire wonder and encourage dialogue.

     The three Scotiabank Nuit Blanche curated exhibitions will be located in

the following areas: Bloor/Yorkville (within Zone A); The Grange/Chinatown

(within Zone B) and West Queen West/Liberty Village (within Zone C). For a

detailed list of exhibition sites and curators, visit

www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca.

     To ensure that all Toronto artists - established and emerging - had the

opportunity to submit proposals for the 2007 exhibitions, 15 installations

were selected by the curators through an open call process.

     One hundred and twenty-three Toronto museums, galleries, cultural and

educational institutions and neighbourhoods will participate in Scotiabank

Nuit Blanche 2007 with more than 150 individual projects. This represents

close to a 50 per cent increase in participation from the inaugural event.

These additions will expand the reach of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche into new

areas across the city, including the Distillery District, Bloor/Landsdowne,

Parkdale, Church/Wellesley and Downtown Yonge.

     The University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Art and Design

played major roles in the inaugural Scotiabank Nuit Blanche. Both will return

for 2007, joined this year by Ryerson University and George Brown College, all

of which will contribute multiple exhibitions to the event. The scale of the

involvement by these educational institutions demonstrates the important role

Toronto's emerging artists play in this event.

     Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is a unique adaptation of the highly successful

Paris event created by the City of Paris in 2002. This annual event is at once

a "high" art event and a free event accessible to everyone. Nuit Blanche is

such an enormous success in Paris, that similar celebrations are now held in

Rome, Brussels, Madrid, Montreal and Riga, among others.

     Scotiabank Nuit Blanche won a 2007 Urban Leadership Award in the City

Initiatives category. The Canadian Urban Institute awards social and cultural

programs and initiatives reflecting Canada's growing awareness that the

quality of urban life is deeply rooted in the quality and strength of its

public realm.

     For more information about Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, visit

www.scotiabanknuitblanche.ca or call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338.

     Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home

to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine

of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America.

In the past three years Toronto has won more than 50 awards for quality and

innovation in delivering public services. Toronto's government is dedicated to