The Scotiabank Art Exhibit, #PathToImpact, is popping up on King West

The Scotiabank Art Exhibit, #PathToImpact, is popping up on King West

The installation celebrates the journey of building a small business.

Photography by Sarjoun Faour.

Toronto’s art and business communities can often seem like they’re polar opposites. But a new creative installation in the Fashion District is bringing the two worlds together — all while celebrating the city’s diverse entrepreneurs during Small Business Week.

Path to Impact, a Scotiabank pop-up art exhibit slated to run this week from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at 464 King Street West, takes a creative approach by bridging the gap through the craft of storytelling.

As Scotiabank’s senior vice president of small business, Jason Charlebois, has seen first-hand the challenges business owners face establishing a business in Toronto (and the rest of the country). Highlighting this everyday struggle — and the success stories that have emerged from it — is the whole point of the innovative outdoor installation. “This art installation aims to bring that path to life in an interactive way, giving visitors a glimpse into that journey,” Charlebois explains.

To do this, the project delves into stats and anecdotes sourced from real business owners. These stories touch on the highs and lows that come along the way for those who choose to take a risk and strike out on their own. “We’re committed to working with businesses of all sizes to make their path to impact less of a struggle and more of a success,” adds Charlebois.

The whole process is broken down into five stages, which installation visitors will find explained alongside key stats for context.

It all begins with “The Big Idea,” that light-bulb moment that changes everything. Next come “Curveballs” — because nobody said it would be a straight path to success. “Doubt and Isolation” follows, an all-too-familiar moment when business owners are overcome with self-doubt. The “Closing Doors” phase has entrepreneurs remembering what ignited their passions in the first place and sees them pass through obstacles. “Impact” is the final stage: when a big idea is realized and creators reflect to see how every step had an impact.

“We know that many Canadian business owners go into business to make an impact on their community,” Charlebois adds.

Scotiabank is no stranger to these essential steps. It has a suite of options to help business owners make their own impact. These include:

  • The Scotiabank Women Initiative™, empowers women-owned and women-led businesses to take their business to the next level through three core program pillars: Access to Capital, Mentorship & Education. The program has committed $3 billion in funding to women entrepreneurs over its first three years.
  • The Scotiabank Healthcare+ Physician Banking Program, co-designed with MD Financial Management, provides Canada’s physicians with a robust suite of banking solutions tailored to their unique financial needs, at every stage of their career.

Path to Impact joins a bustling King West strip that has come to be dotted with interactive works of art since the City undertook a pilot program in 2017 that transformed the street into a public transit priority zone.

To learn more about Scotiabank, follow #PathToImpact or visit www.scotiabank.com/PathToImpact.