Cultural Infrastructure plays an important role in the creation of unique identities of place, and makes a massive contribution to the social fabric and competitiveness of cities, contributing numerous economic and social benefits, including having a positive impact on shared values, social awareness, tourism, job creation, industry stimulation etc.

Yet, prioritizing funding and determining the value of investment for cultural infrastructure, as well as its ongoing animation, is a complex effort.

Join us for this week’s CityTalk - offered in both English and French - to explore the Canadian context within this international landscape with expert speakers hailing from Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and London, UK!

About the Speakers:

Éric Lefebvre
Director General, Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
Éric has been Director General of the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles since September 2020. From 2013 to 2020, he was the Partnership's Director of Development. During his seven years in this position, he steered numerous international development projects, business model diversification and collective processes to meet the new challenges of the digital shift, including major data-sharing projects. He has set up export and co-production strategies, as well as being a key player in the support of concert halls. He has mobilized partners and forged strong ties with many communities, from business and public institutions to the cultural and digital industries.

Natalia Vartapetova
Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting
Natalia's background includes 20 years of research, project management, business development, and marketing in the cultural and creative sectors. Natalia has led research and evaluation projects for the Arts Council England, British Council, and Nesta in the UK; and the Wallace Foundation and William Penn Foundation in the USA, among others. At AEA Consultants, authors of ‘The Cultural Infrastructure Index’, her focus is on cultural policy planning and evaluation; business planning; methodology development; sector studies; and impact analysis.

Phillipa Simpson
Director of Buildings & Renewal, Barbican
Phillipa joined Barbican as Director of Buildings and Renewal in January 2024. Prior to this Phillipa worked with the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), where she currently sits on the Executive Board as Director of Design, Estate and Public Program. She has delivered many projects including the Exhibition Road Quarter, the new Photography Centre and most recently, Young V&A in Bethnal Green. At Barbican, Simpson oversees the operations and facilities management of the Barbican and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) alongside leading new plans for the Barbican Renewal Program.

Sarah G. Stanley
VP Programming, Arts Commons Calgary
Dr. Sarah Garton Stanley (SGS) is a director and dramaturg by trade and is currently the VP of Programming at Arts Commons in Calgary, where she leads all areas of programming from Connects, Education, Visual and Media Arts, and Presenting. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University with a focus on the continued employment of the Massey Report in Canada’s arts and culture landscape. Originally from Montreal, SGS is an acclaimed creative industry leader. Aside from nods for her directing, SGS is also the recipient of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas' Elliot Hayes Award, the Honorary Member Award from the Canadian Association for Theatre Research, and was a 2022 and 2023 Arne Bengt Johansson Fellow at The Banff Forum. SGS is the co-author with Owais Lightwala of Manifesto for Now.

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