About

Reaching a daily audience of 1.3 million people on the Onestop network of over 300 screens in over 63 subway stations across Toronto, and many more on screens across Canada.

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Mandate and History 

Art for Commuters explores the relatively new terrain of the ‘urban screen’; its relationship to the viewing public, and what possibilities it holds for artists working in the public realm.

Through our projects on the TTC screens and elsewhere, we give voice to a wide range of contemporary artists, including photographers, filmmakers, video artists, animators, media artists, an conceptual / text-based artists. We offer them an opportunity to showcase their work in the public spaces frequented by urban travelers.

Art for Commuters also introduces a general, urban populace – over one million daily TTC commuters – to contemporary public art by initiating unique, thought-provoking projects and festivals that reflect urban experiences and address urban issues.

Art for Commuters was founded in February 2007. We primarily partner with Pattison Onestop, the company that owns and operates a network of 300+ screens in TTC subway platforms, and in 300+ screens in malls across Canada. We also increasingly work with Pattison, putting videos and images on their outdoor digital billboards as well as subway platform posters.

Since 2007 we have brought over 750 artworks, (film, video, animation, photo-series, text-projects) to the TTC subway platform screens through about 12 art projects per year. Our annual projects include Toronto Urban Film Festival (TUFF), Contacting Toronto (for CONTACT), Drift (for Nuit Blanche), Everyday Heroes Festival (Earth Day), and Stroll City; in addition to this, special one-off exhibitions are programmed throughout the year, featuring artists such as Labspace Studio, Critical Art Ensemble, Vera Frenkel, Ron Terada, and Kelly Richardson. We also partner with arts and culture organizations to produce certain projects. In 2012 we partnered with the NFB, Coach House Books, ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival, Workman Arts, and Spacing Magazine.

Art for Commuters collective members are: Sharon Switzer, Jean-Paul Kelly, Lori Newdick, and Claire Sykes. Sharon Switzer is the collective’s curator and has been curating for the TTC screens since 2007.

For more information about our ongoing projects: www.artintransit.ca