Bentway Staging Grounds

Be the first to see Bentway Staging Grounds, a temporary public space under the Gardiner Expressway!

Discover the neighbourhood’s new experimental gardens, leveraging rainwater run-off from the highway above to feed flowering plant species below. How can the Expressway work in collaboration with urban nature?

Bentway Staging Grounds is a new type of infrastructure that blends art and environment, public space and experimentation, repositioning the Gardiner as a site of regeneration. A network of ramps and elevated walkways invites you to travel deep into the space.

It’s also the first chance to see Logan MacDonald’s Fountain Monumental, an artwork presented on 20-foot-tall scaffolding and produced in collaboration with AI to re-imagine the original shoreline of Lake Ontario, which traced the same path as the Gardiner Expressway today.

Meet the design team, chat with native plant experts, and mingle with Bentway staff and local community residents at the public opening of Bentway Staging Grounds on September 18.

Featuring:

• Free plant giveaways from Jomo Studio for the first 50 attendees
• Sweet treats from The Pop Stand for the first 100 attendees
• Musical entertainment from the Heavyweights Brass Band
• Remarks from your local City Councillor, Ausma Malik

Please Note:

• During this event, accessible public washrooms are available nearby at The Bentway Studio (55 Fort York Blvd), about a 5-minute walk away up a gentle hill.
• Bentway Staging Grounds is accessible to mobility devices; visitors enter onto a series of walkways approx. 7ft wide.

To learn more about Bentway Staging Grounds, visit thebentway.ca.