STEPS Public Art | Community Building Through Public Art in Canada

I have worked with STEPS on a 3 projects since first returning back to Canada 4 years ago.. They were the first organization to really welcome me to the city and engage me in a project, seeing potential in what I brought with me. Finding your feet in a new scene is not easy and I really appreciated that. the projects I've worked with them on have been meaningful and well thought out and engage community and social issues whilst still giving me space to speak in my own voice through the project. These projects have meaningfully contributed to my growth and learning as well as helped me connect with new opportunities. They're doing a great job and Toronto can attribute some of their key stand-out public artworks to STEPS. And they're lovely people!

STEPS is an innovative arts org bringing groundbreaking and community-focused public art to neighbourhoods across Canada. Their projects are executed with creativity and care. I have only positive things to say about my time working with STEPS and hope to have the chance to collaborate with their lovely team again soon :).

I have had the pleasure of collaborating on several projects with the STEPS team here in Toronto. I value the work they are doing in the community, and support the positive impact they have on our shared spaces!

I had the pleasure of working with Steps as an Emerging Artist for several years. Steps provided opportunities beyond the Artistic realm in the Public Art Sector. I was able to explore Administrative and Production roles for both Community Engaged and High Impact projects. In addition I received all safety, working at heights training and experience. Steps is a professional organization that offers high quality services/opportunities to both Artist and Client whether in the public or private sectors. My experience working with Steps was crucial in my formative years. Since 2016 and on I have seen this organization become a positively innovative leader within the Public Art Sector in the GTA and beyond.

The engagement team at STEPS Public Art was a pleasure to work with! The project had lots of bumps, twists and turns but Grace and Eva were incredibly patient and communicated so clearly throughout it all. No matter the capacity in which you work with them, I have no doubt it will be a positive experience.

It was such a pleasure working with STEPS! Their beautiful public art projects speak for themselves, but their behind-the-scenes work really impressed me. Their team was open to new ideas, and I loved how they prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything they do. I would absolutely love to work with them again.

STEPS provides quite a few opportunities for emerging artists to learn more about the business practices of the art world, offering many of these workshops/talks virtually. They also help artists find paid work for enriching public spaces, and helping to connect them with local communities. The people that work here have been very supportive. While their main headquarters are in Toronto, they have been connecting with creative organizations and artists across Canada; I’m looking forward to seeing how they continue to expand across the country.

Working with the STEPS team over the past 7 months has given me hope for what good business could look like this in the 21st century. The folks who make up STEPS Public Art are passionate about not only creating beautiful spaces but ones where all folks can thrive.I joined the STEPS team when they hired my business Spark Clarity as a subcontractor hired to guide them through an accessibility and inclusion audit of their physical, digital and cultural spaces. With a closer focus on how to make their digital spaces (website, on-boarding & hiring, social media, signage, digital design etc) more inclusive and accessible. Together with their engagement, operations and leadership team, we looked at how STEPS could continue to amplify their mission while making sure they are creating ample opportunities for equity-deserving folks. Provided workshop training to their entire summer team, a virtual walk-through of their physical space and one on one support with the leadership team to address organizational-wide feedback on all things DEI. I have yet to meet a team that works so well together and implements their learnings so fast. The best part about working with the team is that STEPS is made up of such a diverse group.They have fun, and are willing to admit mistakes and make quick changes. If you are looking for a group to partner with to bring beautiful, enriched spaces to your community you can rest assured that they have incredible ethics, and treat their employees with the utmost respect they deserve. If you have considered applying to STEPS for employment and are someone who is living with a disability or comes from what STEPS refers to as an equity deserving community I would HIGHLY suggest you apply to call this place home. I’m incredibly excited to continue our work together and see further implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion standards within the organization.

I had the pleasure of working with the STEPs Public Art team in Toronto and they are a dream to work with! The organization is innovative, diverse and respectful. The public art they've organized truly has beautified the community spaces, it has been a great experience learning about their process and how they enrich communities.If you're an organization looking into cultural planning, creative placemaking, public art, or the like, I highly encourage to get in contact with them!

I highly recommend STEPS Public Art because they bring, what were once dull places, to life with outstanding artwork. STEPS Public Art pairs artists with blank canvases such as buildings, sidewalks, BellBoxes, and storefront windows around the city of Toronto and the GTA. As a result there are vibrant murals, eye-catching designs and beautiful illustrations by extremely talented artists all over Ontario. I was the documentarian for STEPS for two summers and I was lucky to witness the progress, dedication and hard work that goes into the planning of the art and the execution of it by the artist. The team is wonderful to work with because they are passionate about giving artist great opportunities, but they also understand how important it is to pay artist well. STEPS is a one-of-a-kind organization that positively impacts businesses, neighbourhoods, and artists of all kinds by enhancing their growth, visibility, accessibility, and aesthetic. Learn more about STEPS and what they're up to now!! :)