About Nuit Blanche
MAYORAL MESSAGE
Toronto's wealth of creative talent has sparked an extraordinary renaissance of our city's artistic and
cultural life over the past few years. We have a great deal to offer as a global cultural centre and
the tremendous success of events like Scotiabank Nuit Blanche have proven that we are a city that celebrates
and embraces arts and culture.
The overwhelmingly positive response to Scotiabank Nuit Blanche has been nothing short of astounding.
This event has made contemporary art truly accessible, attracting a groundbreaking audience of 800,000
in only its second year.
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche also demonstrates how powerful and beneficial our partnerships with the artistic
and corporate communities can be. By working collaboratively and bringing together a broad range of sectors
and hundreds of talented artists and facilitators, we set new benchmarks in city-building every year.
The real magic is on the street, though, where hundreds of thousands of people discover, interact with
and respond to the art. Join me for Toronto's third annual sleepless night on October 4, 2008 and be
part of this incredible celebration of creativity, culture and contemporary art.
Mayor David Miller
SCOTIABANK MESSAGE
 As
the title sponsor of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche for the third consecutive year, we’re pleased to see
how, each year, this unique celebration of arts and culture in Toronto continues to grow.
Scotiabank is also proud to partner with the City of Toronto to honour the significant role that arts
and culture play in our community, and to showcase the eclectic variety of contemporary talent that enriches
our lives.
At Scotiabank, we are committed to helping our customers build richer lives, both financially and culturally.
In one magical evening, Scotiabank Nuit Blanche offers a unique opportunity to support our artists and
to give exposure to the exciting and innovative work they do.
We hope you enjoy the experience of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche.
Rick Waugh, President and CEO Scotiabank
EVENT HISTORY
From dusk until the early pre-dawn hours on September 30, 2006, Toronto buzzed with excitement as Scotiabank
Nuit Blanche was first unleashed on an unsuspecting city. Torontonians left behind the comfort of their
beds en masse, as 425,000 people ventured out onto the city’s streets for an all-night exploration
and celebration of contemporary art.
As remarkable and distinctive as the art was, the magic came from the audience response and interaction.
Most importantly, through this event a new audience was introduced to contemporary art by making it fun,
engaging and accessible.
This event brought together a wide range of sectors and the exceptional talents of more than 400 artists
and curators, 300 onsite logistical staff, 200 docents and volunteers, 87 galleries, museums and art
institutions, and 13 corporate sponsors and media partners.
Within hours of the sun rising on October 1, hundreds of enthusiastic e-mails, letters and phone calls
poured in from artists, participants, volunteers, councillors and event attendees. The inaugural edition
of this event received widespread acclaim and accolades. Toronto's Mayor David Miller recognized the
importance of bringing this event back as an annual celebration and included it in his political platform
when running for a successful re-election in 2006.
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2007 took place on September 29 and featured a 45% increase in projects, a 55%
increase in community participation and close to double the audience attendance, securing its place as
one of Canada’s major cultural events. Streets overflowing with 800,000 revellers experiencing
contemporary art from dusk-to-dawn offered a strong indication that it had reached a critical mass of
popularity and participation – no small feat for an event only in its second year.
In only two years, the economic impact of the event increased from $1 million to $4.9 million. More than
500 artists and 125 cultural institutions participated in the 2007 event, and the TTC remained open all
night for the first time in decades.
Support from the arts community, corporate sponsors and the City of Toronto has been unparalleled – providing
the resources to further expand the event into new exhibition sites, to improve traffic flow and increase
the scale and scope of monumental art projects. Additionally, a Volunteer Advisory Board was established
to assist in selecting and guiding curators and the curatorial process for years to come. The event is
highly dynamic, evolving to reflect the talent and vision from which it began. Toronto continues to embark
on its cultural renaissance, and no event reflects this more than Scotiabank Nuit Blanche.
NUIT BLANCHE INTERNATIONAL
Nuit Blanche was originally conceived in Paris, France in 2002, in an attempt to bring contemporary art
to the masses in public spaces. Now universally translated as ‘Sleepless Night’, Nuit Blanche
brings more than a million people to the streets of Paris every year. In 2005, Paris organizers contacted
the City of Toronto's Special Events office with an invitation to join the ranks of approximately six
other European cities producing similar all-night events. The international success of Nuit Blanche continues
to build each year and has expanded its reach beyond Paris to Brussels, Rome, Bucharest, Riga, Madrid,
La Valette, Portugal, Tokyo, Montreal and Leeds – each offering its own version of the all-night
art extravaganza. (click to view links to international events).
Toronto was the first North American city to fully replicate the Paris model, and has inspired similar
celebrations throughout North America, including in San Francisco, New York, Miami and Chicago.
At its core, Nuit Blanche is a 12-hour event with a mandate to make contemporary art accessible to large
audiences, while inspiring dialogue and engaging the public to examine its significance and impact on
public space. Nuit Blanche is both a “high art” event and a free populous event that encourages
celebration and community engagement. From sunset to sunrise city spaces and neighbourhoods are transformed
into temporary exhibitions. Unusual or forbidden spaces become sites of contemporary art open for all-night
discovery and rediscovery. Cultural institutions, from museums to galleries to artist run centres, open
their doors and offer free access to contemporary art. The everyday is suspended as the city’s
landscape is changed to welcome a variety of artistic experiences.
Toronto’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche has wholeheartedly embraced these principals, and has become
a cultural phenomenon the likes of which the city has never seen.
ARCHIVE
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2006 web archive
Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2007 web archive
AWARDS
URBAN LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Canadian Urban Institute awarded Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2006 with the prestigious Urban Leadership
Award (City Initiatives category). The Urban Leadership Awards program honours those who have made a
profound and lasting impact on the quality of urban life.
GLOBE & MAIL BUSINESS FOR THE ARTS AWARD
Scotiabank has been awarded the Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Award for Best Arts/Entrepreneur
Partnership for their highly successful collaboration with the City of Toronto on Scotiabank Nuit Blanche.
Business for the Arts is a national business association dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality
of partnerships between business and the arts through a cohesive set of programs that foster and promote
business leadership in the arts, facilitate funding relationships and connect business volunteers to
the Arts. The Globe and Mail Business for the Arts Awards recognize companies that show outstanding commitment
to the arts in Canada.
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