About Nuit Blanche 2024

Nuit Blanche Toronto, is the city’s all-night celebration of contemporary art, produced by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community. It will take place on October 5, 2024 from 7 pm to 7 am in neighbourhoods across the city.  

For the third year, Humber Polytechnic Lakeshore Campus in Etobicoke will be a hub for Independent Projects. Installations showcased that speak invite artists to present works that speak to the curatorial theme of Bridging Distance, exploring the multifaceted ways we experience and understand distance, while also reimagining how we can bridge distance through art.  This is an opportunity for recalibration and to reconnect with our city, our world and each other, in public space. 

Each piece will pose a question: How does the impact of distance manifest in our bodies, the city, and beyond? How might art physicalize and magnify different distances? How can art bring us closer to the thoughts, feelings and experiences of others outside of our immediate geographic, social and political realms? How might art play with distance to provide different perspectives and invite reconnection? 

 

Time Commitment

The volunteer commitment for Nuit Blanche Toronto is overnight (more than 12 hours) for the duration of the event. For overnight shifts, volunteers are required to attend a pre-event training session.  Shifts before and after the event (Pre/Post Event Volunteers) range from between two to six hours. 

 

Volunteer Roles

There are a diverse range of volunteer opportunities available before, during and after Nuit Blanche at Humber Lakeshore including: 

Accessibility Assistants help escort patrons who use wheelchairs and other assistive devices to the event’s accessibility area(s). They have the authority to request that other people vacate the area if they don’t need it. This position is ideal for friendly people who like to help patrons with special needs and involves some walking. 

Information Ambassadors provide front-line, top-caliber customer service to festival visitors. They are the goodwill ambassadors who keep everyone informed. Responsibilities include helping patrons navigate the event by distributing information materials, answering questions and giving directions.  

Project Facilitators provide unique and varied assistance to event patrons (i.e. the public) about how to interact with projects. Responsibilities include ensuring patrons have the tools and information to interact with the project appropriately.  

Ushers provide front-line customer service to festival visitors while they wait to view projects and ensure their successful navigation through line-ups.  Responsibilities include greeting the audience and crowd control.  

Pre/Post-Event Volunteers work with Humber Galleries staff and artists to install and de-install artwork, signage, and prepare event spaces. This position is ideal for someone who has some hands-on experience with artwork, general event preparation and wants to work with event staff and artists.  

 

Benefits of Volunteering

• As a Humber student, you can apply this volunteer opportunity toward your CCR  

• assist at one of Canada’s leading contemporary art events,  

• acquire new skills in event production,  

• experience the great feeling of helping Toronto be a liveable city,  

• contribute to your city’s well-being, and  

• earn volunteer hours towards community service or a VAACT stamp (Volunteer Award in Arts and Culture).  

 

Next Steps

Pre/Post Event Volunteers 

1. Fill out the Form forms.office.com/r/PDykQBG0fe to indicate your interest in volunteering at Humber Polytechnic’s Nuit Blanche hub. 

2. A phone call will be scheduled to discuss the details of the position.

3. We will reach out to notify you of any upcoming Information Sessions or Orientations taking place over the summer months.  

 

Event (Overnight) Volunteers 

1. Complete an online volunteer application to receive updates, 

2. RSVP to spevvol [at] toronto.ca

   to attend a recruitment session held by the City of Toronto 

3. attend the session to learn about our events and volunteer roles, and 

4. successfully complete a short, informal interview. 

 

For any questions, please email melissa.poliah [at] humber.ca