Winter Stations public art exhibition returns for its twelfth year, bringing creativity, community, and colour to the coldest months of Canadian winter.

This year’s theme Mirage, invited artists and designers from around the world to submit proposals for installations that play with the boundary of what is seen and what is real in the age of AI, and explore public art as infrastructure that gathers people in shared reality.

Since 2015, Winter Stations has become an international launching pad for new ideas in public art, offering winners full materials, fabrication labour, and $2000 CAD honorarium to support what is often the winners’ first public art commission. The 2026 Winter Stations selection jury was comprised of Toronto’s leading voices in art, design, architecture, and urbanism. T

his included Jason Thorne (Chief Planner, City of Toronto), Katriina Campitelli (Public Art Officer, City of Toronto), Alana Mercury (Director, Programming & Placemaking, Northcrest Developments), Luisa Ji (Studio Director, UKAI Projects), and Janna Hiemstra (Manager, Craft & Design, Harbourfront Centre). Winter Stations is made possible by the generous support of the sponsors RAW Design, kg&a, Northcrest Developments, City of Toronto, Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario, Ontario Association of Architects, MicroPro Sienna, Feeley Group, Sali Tabacchi Brand & Design, and Meevo Digital.

This year’s exhibition on Woodbine Beach launches on Family Day (February 16th, 2026) and will be on display until March 30th, 2026.