Sherry Dobbin, Executive Director, SRD Culture Ltd
Moderated by May Chew,  Concordia University

The Media Arts Triangle: Creative/Civic/Commerce
In 1980, Jane Dickson saw the opportunity to invite fellow artists to create digital content in place of vacant advertising slots on the One Times Square Spectacular. The sign-holder saw the advantage of keeping the Spectacular active and surprising, the artists could command valuable real estate and reach a broad, general public, and the civic culture appreciated an advertising break. Forty-three years on and there have been many single screen efforts and Times Square Arts’ 11-year programme “Midnight Moment” that unites the surfaces through a take-over of artist digital media. Globally, purpose-built or appropriated media surfaces are receiving and now seeking artists’ creativity more regularly for a variety of agendas. This talk will explore the approaches in creating a strong collaboration between creative-civic-commercial interests that maintain artistic purpose and integrity of public art, whilst also delivering the patron and audience’s aspirations.