The exhibition 41° to 66°: Architecture in Canada – Region, Culture, Tectonics, co-curated by architectural professors John McMinn and Marco Polo and organized by Cambridge Galleries, will represent Canada at the 2008 Venice Biennale in Architecture. The 2008 Biennale, entitled Out There: Architecture Beyond Building, is the world’s most prestigious architectural exhibition. The Biennale takes place in Venice, Italy from September 14 to November 23.

41° to 66° presents a selection of contemporary buildings organised within six distinct cultural and geographic regions of Canada: the Arctic, West Coast, Mountain, Prairie, Continental and Atlantic. The exhibition features a variety of leading contemporary Canadian architects whose work draws on iconic Canadian building types like the igloo, tepee and sod house as a means to address regional and cultural identity, landscape, climate and sustainability issues. Contributing architects include Busby Perkins + Will, Patkau Architects, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (kpmb) Architects and Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects.

At the 2008 Biennale, this exhibit will help visitors appreciate Canadian responses to architectural identity and sustainability through literature, visual, video, audio, and web-based material that will be accessible using hand-held devises. There will also be floor-to-ceiling images projected within the pavilion, which is organized into five bays and a courtyard space. It is a celebration of Canada in its many varied dimensions through its diverse regions, material traditions and cultural influences.

Curators John McMinn and Marco Polo bring many years of curatorial experience in art, architecture and design. Steve Mykolyn of taxi Canada, will be working with the team on exhibition communications, design and promotion, bringing a wealth of creative experience in interactive communication. The Canada Council for the Arts is a primary funder for Canada’s architectural representation in Venice. Cambridge Galleries also provides financial support and will engage in fundraising activities to realize this project.

“41° to 66° embodies a new wave of thinking and living in our society—moving forward with sustainable solutions,” said Canada Council Director Robert Sirman. “The Biennale is the perfect venue to showcase this panoramic view of contemporary Canadian architecture to the international community.”

41° to 66° was officially launched at the Design at Riverside Gallery in Cambridge, Ontario in November, 2005. The exhibition has an extensive tour schedule: the Works Festival (Edmonton) and iidex (Toronto) in 2006, Mackenzie Art Gallery (Regina) and Dalhousie University in 2007, Museum London and Surrey Art Gallery in 2008 and the Yukon Arts Centre in 2009.

John McMinn graduated from McGill University in 1983 and the Architectural Association (aa), London in 1990. He spent the early part of his career working in London and Paris with Peter Rice and Ove Arup International. He has taught at several schools of architecture, including the aa in London, the University of Toronto and since 1999, the University of Waterloo where he is Associate Professor. In 1992 John was awarded the Canada Council Prix de Rome in Architecture. In addition to teaching he maintains an active building design practice and contributes to numerous architectural journals. John has been involved in a variety of publications and curatorial projects, such as co-curator of Exploring Materials: The Work of Peter Rice, the riba Gold Medal exhibition and catalogue (1992), editorial and design consultant for An Engineer Imagines by Peter Rice (1994) and co-author of the book and exhibition Yolles: A Canadian Engineering Legacy (2002).

Marco Polo graduated from the University of British Columbia School of Architecture in 1985, and subsequently worked in professional practice in Toronto before becoming editor of Canadian Architect in 1997, a position he held until 2003. Marco joined Ryerson University’s Department of Architectural Science in 2002, where he is now Associate Professor. He served as editor of The Prix de Rome in Architecture: A Retrospective, and co-edited, with Professors Colin Ripley and Arthur Wrigglesworth of Ryerson University, In the Place of Sound: Architecture/Music/Acoustics. His research, which concerns the history, theory and criticism of Canadian modern architecture, was recognized with the Ryerson University Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science Research Excellence Award for 2006.