Inclusive design is reshaping how spaces function and feel. Drawing on Canadian perspectives, this conversation explores how art, design, and lived experience influence space — from Indigenous approaches to process to insights from disability culture — and how organizations can create environments that are more thoughtful, connected, and built for real human experience.

• Spaces communicate values instantly and shape how people feel, move, and connect.
• Crip Time and Indigenous design perspectives challenge traditional ideas of speed and efficiency, while offering new pathways to design success.
• Teams design more inclusive environments by listening early, collaborating continuously, and integrating art into the design process from the start.
• Thoughtfully curated art translates design intention into lived experience and strengthens culture, identity, and connection at work.

Spaces don’t just hold people — they send signals. Within seconds, a workplace communicates who it was designed for, what’s valued, and how people are expected to exist within it.

That was the framing ArtLifting Marketing Director Michael Korcek set at the opening of our recent webinar, Inclusive Design in Practice.

Inclusive design isn’t a future consideration — it’s a present reality.

• 27% of Canadians aged 15+ identify as having a disability
• 1 in 4 Americans identify as having a disability
• Canada is targeting a barrier-free country by 2040 under the Accessible Canada Act

As accessibility and public art become more embedded in policy and practice, the question is no longer whether art belongs in a space. It’s what kind of art, whose perspectives it reflects, and how it shapes experience.

“In a market where public art and accessibility are increasingly structured by policy, the differentiator becomes meaning, not just compliance.”

- Michael Korcek, Marketing Director, ArtLifting

The conversation brought together two voices shaping how we think about space, time, and belonging:

• Matthew Hickey, Mohawk architect and Partner at Two Row Architect, designs land-based, community-centered spaces rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems.
• Jessica Ruth Freedman, a visual artist based in Victoria, B.C., draws from the natural world and her lived experience with disability, bringing forward perspectives from disability culture.

One of the most impactful ideas discussed was “Crip Time,” a concept from disability culture that challenges traditional notions of productivity and pace.

Jessica reframed it not just as needing more time, but as a different way of measuring success. Instead of prioritizing speed and output, it asks:

• Who is this space actually supporting?
• How do people move through it?
• What gets overlooked when efficiency is the goal?

Her own artistic practice, she shared, has become slower to accommodate her body but is also deeper and more meaningful.

Matthew drew a parallel to Indigenous perspectives on time, which are often cyclical and relational rather than linear. In design and corporate real estate, this challenges the “time is money” mindset.

Slowing down early — to listen, consult, and understand — doesn’t delay a project. It strengthens it.

“What we take up at the front end, we find that it speeds up the back end. We don't make as many mistakes along the way. And everybody has a real understanding of why we're doing something the way we're doing it.”

- Matthew Hickey

Just as importantly, those diverse voices and perspectives brought in early should remain part of the process — not disappear after initial consultation. This approach reflects a shift from placemaking to placekeeping — caring for a space and its relationships over time.

For organizations looking to create more inclusive, human-centered environments:

1. Start with art: Art sets the emotional tone of a space. Sourcing work from artists with diverse lived experiences expands how people connect to their environment. Art can help align stakeholders on purpose, vision, and experience.
2. Invest time upfront: Early listening leads to better decisions, fewer missteps, and stronger long-term outcomes.
3. Design with, not for: Engage employees, community members, local cultural leaders, and stakeholders in the process to ensure spaces feel relevant and intuitive.
4. Integrate art early: When art is part of the design process—not added at the end—it becomes embedded in the experience of the space itself.

Go beyond compliance: The most effective environments aren’t just accessible. They’re engaging, meaningful, and built for connection.

Art plays a critical role in translating design intention into lived experience.

When thoughtfully sourced and integrated, it helps organizations:

• Reflect diverse perspectives
• Strengthen cultural identity
• Create spaces that feel grounded and human
• Provide a sense of place that is memorable and authentic

Through curated collections and flexible solutions like rotations and rentals, as well as architectural features like wallcoverings and murals, ArtLifting helps teams bring these principles to life.

This article only scratches the surface.

In the full webinar, Matthew Hickey and Jessica Ruth Freedman explore:

• The intersection of art, design, and corporate real estate in Canada
• How Indigenous and disability perspectives shape more inclusive environments
• The role of storytelling and art in authentic placemaking
• How to incorporate diverse creative voices into design decisions

Access the free webinar to dive deeper into inclusive design in practice.

If you’re thinking about how to bring these ideas into your own spaces, connect with an ArtLifting Art Advisor to get started.