IRMO researchers and CULTMED project collaborators Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac and Dr. Dea Vidović participated in a study visit to Montréal and Toronto, Canada, from August 22 to 29, 2026. During the visit, they held a series of meetings with representatives of cultural institutions and organizations, public authorities, and research organizations, and visited a range of cultural infrastructure projects.
In Montréal, the program included a visit to Centre Sanaaq, a new cultural and community centre that brings together library, cultural, and community facilities. It was developed in collaboration with the local community and Inuit partners. The researchers also visited the Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, which are part of the city’s network of cultural centres aimed at decentralizing cultural life and making cultural programs accessible across different neighbourhoods. They met with Amandine Gauthier, Director of Local and International Partnerships at the Conseil des arts de Montréal, to discuss public funding models for the arts, support for artists and cultural organizations, and issues of equity, representation, and international cooperation. The Montréal program concluded with a meeting with Emmanuelle Hébert and Anne Bernard from Culture Montréal, an independent organization that contributes to shaping the city’s cultural development through research, advocacy, and collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
In Toronto, the program began with a visit to 401 Richmond, a former industrial building transformed into a cultural and creative hub that now brings together nearly 150 artists, cultural organizations, galleries, festivals, and other cultural and creative actors. A meeting was also held with representatives of Diamond Schmitt Architects, focusing on contemporary approaches to planning and developing cultural infrastructure, including their work on the Humber Cultural Hub project. An important part of the Toronto program consisted of meetings with representatives of the Toronto Arts Council and the City of Toronto’s Economic Development & Culture Division, which provided an opportunity to discuss models of arts funding, relations between municipal government and the cultural sector, local cultural development, and approaches to equity and accessibility in cultural policy. The study visit concluded with a meeting with representatives of the Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD University, a national platform that connects research, cultural policy development, data analysis, and knowledge exchange across the academic, public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
The study visit focused on exploring models for the development and governance of cultural infrastructure, cultural funding, and cultural development at the municipal level, as well as approaches to decentralization, participation, accessibility, and the inclusion of diverse communities in cultural life. Particular attention was given to relations among the public, civil society, academic, and private sectors; the transformation and adaptive reuse of spaces for cultural purposes; and the role of research and knowledge exchange in cultural policy development. The knowledge gained and contacts established during the visit provide a valuable foundation for further developing IRMO’s international cooperation and for future comparative research on cultural policy, models of cultural governance and funding, and the development of cultural infrastructure.
