In Search of Excellence

If Toronto wants to be a world class city, it needs to raise the bar for its artistic output.

The fascinating thing about excellence is that it exists universally in everyone, but only in its potential state. One isn't born with excellence, but must strive to attain it. It is the mark of improvement on what has gone before, of great success and achievement. Most importantly, it is a process.

Cultivating excellence would seem to be something we would all strive toward, yet in contemporary life, it appears to be becoming less common. How often do we get excellent service in a restaurant? In a shop? How often do we see a truly excellent performance?

In Toronto, audiences routinely give a standing ovation, which eliminates the distinction between an average and an excellent show. Frank Gehry may be a starchitect, but is the new Art Gallery of Ontario addition excellent or just very good? What about the art inside? One wonders whether the local media gave rave reviews simply because it wasn't terrible. What about Libeskind's ROM Crystal? Is it an excellent building?

As an art critic, I tire of the constant adulation for every creative effort that Toronto artists put out; much of it is mediocre by international standards. On the other hand, by local standards, it might be respectable. The question is, by which standards do we want to be measured?

There is grave danger in developing a culture of mediocrity. When we begin to applaud the good enough, we lower the bar for excellence. This suggests that it's fine for students to do OK, for art to be OK, for buildings to look OK. But the thing is, it's not OK. As the American scholar Warren Bennis said: Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary. So when, exactly, did “good enough” come to mean “great”?

Toronto is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with half its inhabitants now foreign-born. To a much greater degree than London or New York, the city's immigrants are allowed to retain their cultural habits. Perhaps this cultural diversity makes Torontonians especially tolerant of other cultures and their habits. Perhaps, also, this tolerance has seeped into Toronto's social fabric and municipal life so that acceptance of others has led to tolerance of all things.

Cities need excellence, and one of their more pressing concerns is architecture. However, in Toronto, developers seem more concerned with the cost-per-square-foot than the value of good design. When Mayor David Miller leaves office next year, the new mayor should create a design council, which should include the city's top architects, to ensure the design integrity of new buildings.

Other cities already have councils like this in place. In the UK, for instance, Design for London works on behalf of the mayor to ensure a design-led approach to the built environment. Furthermore, London's Design Council was founded in 1944 by Hugh Dalton, President of the Board of Trade in order to promote by all practicable means the improvement of design in the products of British industry. Today, it still believes that design can drive a competitive economy, create a more sustainable society and make our everyday lives better.

Toronto needs a group to work with the mayor to stand up for excellence in design. The new mayor must be a strong and dynamic leader with a vision of beauty for the city and a willingness to defy critics. He or she must be for increased quality of life and the positive advancement of all Torontonians. But change doesn't just come from administrative bureaucracies. The public also plays an important role. We choose to give a standing ovation or not. We choose to live in a second-rate condominium tower or not. We choose to tip less for lousy service, or not. How do we get this message of change out? Through communication, education, and passion. We need more critics in the media who champion the best while exposing the worst. The media must cultivate in its audience a desire for excellence and must hold those who don't measure up accountable.

Of course, there are many things that Torontonians can be proud of. The Annex is surely one of the loveliest neighbourhoods on the continent. Our business schools are ranked as some of the best in the world. The Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation is world-class (and one of Toronto's best kept secrets.) Our chefs are celebrated, as are our musicians.

Toronto is a good city. We desire greatness. Let our architecture be some of the highest quality and most innovatively designed in the world. Let our orchestras triumph. Let our museums delight audiences and our newspapers offer insightful commentary. Let us develop a culture of excellence. Toronto deserves it.