St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts is a place of life, and we look to water in all its forms for inspiration.

The Anishinaabemowin word for water is nibi: I am coming toward you. Water seeks out life to nurture it; riparian ecosystems border the soft, living edges of water with the greatest diversity and activity. STLC sits on the former shoreline edge of Lake Ontario, alongside an already vibrant cultural ecosystem that forms the core of Toronto’s identity.

Inside, an identifiable and unifying shoreline element is a living border around the formal performance spaces. Alongside this internal shoreline, areas for gathering surround the performance hall like pebbles and eddies, adding places of interest and activity throughout.

Mookibii ~ Shaped by Water
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts will achieve radical inclusivity in a contemporary performing arts centre. Toronto and our visitors know this space belongs to us because we see ourselves represented here in all our glorious diversity, where our differences and similarities can shine. No matter our calling, there’s a level of audience or performer participation that welcomes us.

The architecture of the space supports these goals because it references natural and regional inspirations that have worked well here for millennia.