Creative Minds to debut this September with artists André Alexis, Rebecca Belmore, Deepa Mehta and Buffy Sainte-Marie

We look to artists to reflect our lives, but how often do we look to them to shape our future? This fall, the Art Gallery of Ontario and Massey Hall partner with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and The Banff Centre to create a new public platform for artists with the launch of AGO Creative Minds at Massey Hall. This exciting series of artist-driven dialogues, supported by Series Presenters Jonas and Lynda Prince—whose leadership contribution inspired the development of the project—will invite Canadians to consider urgent contemporary issues through the eyes of some of the world’s most innovative and unconventional thinkers.

Hosted at Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall, the semi-annual series brings together leading visual artists, musicians, authors and filmmakers for an evening of energetic conversation about the most pressing social concerns of our time. Moderated by leading cultural journalists and covering matters of local and international relevance, each event will feature a panel of artists from diverse disciplines exploring one issue as it relates to their work and lives. The events will be streamed online at cbc.ca and broadcasted nationally on CBC Radio One.

Creative Minds kicks off on Sept. 20, 2016 at 8 p.m. with an evening of unscripted dialogue on the topic of Art and Social Justice, featuring André Alexis, Rebecca Belmore, Deepa Mehta and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Moderated by CBC Metro Morning host Matt Galloway, the conversation will begin with a discussion of each artist’s relationship to activism, resistance and reconciliation through the lens of their work and life experiences. Drawing from these personal contexts, Galloway will challenge the artists to consider the role of the creative community in confronting issues of systemic discrimination and social justice, and to outline the actions they see as necessary to provoke real change.

“With Creative Minds, we are putting artists at the centre of vital conversations that tackle important issues,” said Stephan Jost, the AGO’s Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO. “All of our partners are committed to fostering discussion and debate.”

Tickets for the launch of AGO Creative Minds at Massey Hall will be available through the Roy Thomson Hall box office, and range from $19.50 to $79.50. Tickets go on sale to members of AGO Curators’ Circle and Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall FriendsFirst on June 6, 2016 at 10 a.m., to AGO Members on June 7, 2016 at 10 a.m., and to the public on June 10, 2016 at 10 a.m. For more information, including future programming, visit www.AGOCreativeMinds.ca

Note: there are no discounted volunteer tickets for Creative Minds