Gust

Location: Brookfield Place

Date photo taken: 17 December 2014

These illuminated snowflakes are part of a large, two-part art installation which is currently gracing the Allen Lambert Galleria and the lobbies of Brookfield Place. According to the posted signage, Gust "is inspired by the architectural motif of the Allen Lambert Galleria, the geometry of a single snowflake, and the falling of snow through a gentle breeze." The other piece, Frost, is a 20 foot tall snowflake which visitors are encouraged to touch and interact with. 

Thanks to Arts Brookfield for making the Galleria and Brookfield Place a great destination for art in the city.

Greektown Christmas

Location: Alexander the Great Parkette, Danforth and Logan

Date photo taken: 2 December 2014

Happy holidays!!

Holiday Moose

Location: North side of Scotia Plaza Tower, on Adelaide just east of Bay

Date photo taken: 16 December 2014

Moose have come back to the city, and these ones have retained their antlers. Done in beautiful white lights to match the hanging ornaments, this bull and calf sit outdoors on the north side of Scotia Plaza. Inside the building, the holiday theme is continued with more decorations and a series of festive free concerts. 

Polar Bear and Walrus

Location: HSBC Bank of Canada building, 70 York St.

Date photo taken: 3 April 2014

If you're wandering PATH trying to avoid the weather, you might run across these figures. They are part of a group installation featuring five large pieces, all carved from Baffin Island rock. The polar bear is white marble and was created by Philip Pitseolak from Pond Inlet. The walrus is carved from gneiss, a granite-like stone, with marble tusks and it was carved by Taqialuk Nuna from Cape Dorset. Together with the other three pieces they represent figures from the legend of Sedna, but more about that in another post.

The work was commissioned by the Royal Trust Company in 1990 and installed the following year.

Christmas Mailbox

Location: University Ave. at Dundas St.

Date photo taken: 2 December 2014

Canada Post has exchanged the familiar red of some of its mailboxes for a more festive look. The temporary wrap features the three Santa stamps which have been released in time for Christmas mailings. The stamps were created by two award-winning Quebec women, designer Hélène L’Heureux and illustrator Christiane Beauregard.

Nice as they are, if you're mailing a letter to Santa, you don't need a stamp. According to their website, Canada Post receives well over a million letters addressed to Santa each year, and has 9000 postal elves helping the big man get his responses out in time for Christmas. If you would like a response to your letter, you must pop it in the box by December 16 and be sure to include a return address. If you have kids who need a little help with their letters, Canada Post has templates on their website available for download.

Senator Restaurant Mural

Location: South-facing wall of the Senator Restaurant, Victoria St south of Dundas
Date photo taken: 19 August 2014
Image 15 in the Mural Series

This large mural on the Senator Restaurant is a marketing piece that pre-dates Toronto's recent infatuation with civically-funded mural projects. It was painted by Bill Wrigley, who launched Wrigley Designs back in 1980. This mural was done in 1987, making it over 25 years old. It's stood up very well and I happen to think the overall weathering and muting of the colours suit the vintage design. If you want to see what it looked like back when it was freshly done, visit Wrigley's website.

Fowl Play

Location: On the west-facing wall of Birds and Beans Café, 2413 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
Date photo taken: 10 May 2014
Image 14 in the Mural Series

This mural is part of a project by Lakeshore Arts, in partnership with Mimico-by-the-Lake BIA and other partners, to bring some colour and beauty to their neighbourhood. Their proximity to the lake supplied the theme - all of their projects will feature water in some way. I love the unique vantage point chosen for this mural, and the feel of the underwater scene is beautifully rendered. The view of the goose -  or duck perhaps? - adds some whimsy. I love how the tree in foreground blends right in.

The mural was painted by artists Patrick Thompson and Alexa Hatanaka, and it is yet another mural project sponsored by StreetARToronto. It was unveiled in September 2013.

Mary Pickford

Location: University Avenue just north of Elm St., outside the Hospital for Sick Children

Date photo taken: 11 November 2014

This small bronze sculpture pays tribute to silver screen icon Mary Pickford who was born in Toronto and maintained her ties with the city even after becoming a Hollywood darling. It is located on University Avenue near the site of the house in which she was born, Glady Marie Smith, in 1893. It was commissioned by the Mary Pickford Foundation, created by Finnish-American sculptor Eino, and unveiled in 1983.

Pickford was a screen star and an inspiration for countless women within the film industry and around the world. She was also a woman with vision. She ensured the preservation of her films by placing them with the Library of Congress and prior to her death, her personal photographs, documents and other memorabilia went to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences library. Film clips and lots of other Pickford-related material is available on the Foundation website.

Trinity Church WWI Memorial

Location: The grounds of Little Trinity Church on King St., east of Parliament
Date photo taken: 4 November 2014
Image 3 in the Remembrance Series

This elegant memorial sits in the grounds of the oldest surviving church in Toronto. It pays tribute to men from the parish who fought and died during World War I. There are no names listed on the cairn but they can be found in the Roll of Honour included in a small booklet published by the church to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1943.

Skeleton

Location: A yard in Corktown

Date photo taken: 14 October 2014

Happy Halloween!

String Doll

Location: Off Cameron St. just north of Queen
Date photo taken: 15 September 2014

I spotted this fellow while hustling along in the rain one day and instantly my day was brightened. Not much to say about it except that a nearby marker indicates it was done by the team Tensoe2 and Birdo in 2011. That and it makes me smile.

Wilket Creek Park

Location: Trail in Wilket Creek Park
Date photo taken: 5 October 2014

The weather is glorious and the leaves are brilliant. If you want to get out there and enjoy it without leaving the city, there are lots of options. One that I discovered recently is Wilket Creek Park. Running in a long strip between Eglinton and Lawrence, the park is 44 hectares of wilderness in the city and it's part of a much larger interconnected park system that includes Edwards Gardens to the north, Sunnybrook park to the west, and Serena Gundy Park and the Don Valley trails to the south. All together, you can walk for hours on these trails, admiring the fall colours and the sound of the river.

The Bluffs as Viewed by Elizabeth Simcoe, ca 1793

Location: Kingston Road, east of Sharpe Street
Date photo taken: 9 September 2013
Image 13 in the Mural Series

This picture represents about half of the mural that appears on the west side of the building at 2384 Kingston Road. Painted in 1992 by Risto Turunen, it shows Elizabeth Graves Simcoe in a small boat, viewing the Scarborough Bluffs, or the highlands of Toronto as they were then known. As the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, she took the opportunity to explore much of Upper and Lower Canada. With a keen eye she documented what she saw, creating hundreds of watercolours and keeping a diary, which has since been published. To learn more about this remarkable woman, visit Travels with Elizabeth Simcoe, an online exhibit by the Archives of Ontario.

This mural was painted as part of the Heritage Trail project which saw 12 murals relating to Scarborough history painted along Kingston Rd.

The Chapel of St. Jude, Wexford

Location: Victoria Park Ave. just south of Lawrence
Date photo taken: 6 May 2014

This quaint church and quiet cemetery sit just off busy Victoria Park Avenue in the Wexford neighbourhood of Scarborough. It was built in 1848 and replicates an existing Scottish Gothic Church. According to a pamphlet on the history of the Chapel, stone was considered too expensive so it was built of wood planks which were then hand-chiseled to give the appearance of cut stone. The work was done by a chief carpenter with the assistance of local farmers. The only parts not built by local workers were the steeple and bell tower. Renovations in 1929 brought several improvements including stained glass windows created by Robert McCausland Limited of Toronto. The church is now considered to be the oldest remaining church building in Scarborough.

Female Masc – St. James Cathedral

Location: St. James Cathedral, Church and King
Date photo taken: 20 April 2013
Image 4 in the Mascs of Toronto Series

In a previous post, a crowned man's head was featured from the Cathedral Church of St. James. While the majority of figures on the building are male, there are some women represented. As with the men, they appear to represent different stages of life and ranks in society.

2:10 Shadow

Location: Shuter St. east of Yonge
Date photo taken: 8 Sep 2014

I saw this interesting bit of paint on the sidewalk the other day and was intrigued. The colour and stark rendering are reminiscent of the lines and marks that appear on roads and sidewalks before construction teams go to work and yet the effect is whimsical. So what is this? Is it part of a city project tracking sunlight and the shadow effects of potential buildings? Or is it art? Further down Shuter Street, a parking ticket kiosk has been given the same treatment, but with two different coloured shadows representing different times. I haven't yet noticed these shadow markers anywhere else.

If you know anything about this shadow art, or have seen other instances, leave a comment!

Snapshot - King & Sherbourne

Location: Southeast corner of King & Sherbourne, taken from the northwest corner
Date photo taken: 3 September 2014
Image 1 in the Snapshot Series

As regular readers of this blog will know, I'm just as fascinated by how this city is changing as I am about the neat stuff you find in it. Often while walking I'll see a new building and find myself wondering what was there before. My memory can be short. Sometimes I'll take note of fantastic streetscapes and wonder how they will change in the coming years. Long ago I started to take pictures of pieces of the city, bits of streetscapes and storefronts, corner views and vacant lots. I'm going to start posting a few of them here as Snapshots. I anticipate many won't include text beyond date and location.

In this Snapshot, the King and Sherbourne facades of the designated heritage building at 251 King St. E. are being preserved to add character to the 17 storey boutique condominium being built on the site. The building, which dates from the mid-1800s, was for many years the National Hotel.

The Kingsway Neighbourhood

Location: Intersection of Bloor St. W. and Jackson Avenue
Date photo taken: 19 April 2014
Image 2 in the Neighbourhoods Series

Neighbourhood BIAs, or business improvement areas, are active in neighbourhoods throughout the city and work, as their name implies, to make their areas more attractive to local customers and tourists alike. The Kingsway BIA, which covers the area between Dundas and Bloor from Mimico Creek to the Humber River, has been around, at least in spirit, since 1949 when the Kingsway Business Men's Association was formed. This coming weekend, they are hosting Taste of the Kingsway, a festival which features great food, beer and wine gardens and lots of entertainment including music, a midway, dog show, 3D chalk art and more. Hockey great Darryl Sittler will also be on hand Sunday to sign autographs. Festivities are centered around Royal York subway station.

For more about neighbourhoods and customized street signs, check out the earlier NeaTO post about the Church-Wellesley Village.

The Midway - Starship 4000

Location: The CNE Midway
Date photo taken: 25 August 2014

Experiencing the lights of the Midway at night is one of my most anticipated summer rituals. Viewing them while passing by on the Lakeshore or the Gardiner is a treat but nothing beats wandering in among the rides for sheer sensory overload. While I rarely ride at the Ex these days, I do still have my favourites. Starship 4000 is one of them. Its classic graphics and the blur of its lights while spinning perfectly combine Midway fun with a great retro sci-fi vibe.

The Ex is open until September 1 and then the rides will be packed up and whisked off to their next event. The Midway attractions are provided by North American Midway Entertainment, based out of Indiana.

Livestock Medallion - Pig

Location: Direct Energy Centre, Canadian National Exhibition grounds
Date photo taken: 24 August 2013
Image 4 in the Remnants Series

This cast stone medallion is one of many roundels that once decorated the Livestock Pavilion at the CNE. Built in 1926 as an addition to the Coliseum (now known as Ricoh Coliseum, home of the Toronto Marlies) the Livestock Pavilion consisted of the Cattle Palace, the North Extension or Swine Pavilion, and the Fraser Pavilion. The building, also known as the Industry Building, was demolished to make way for the new Direct Energy Centre. I'm happy that the faces of the pigs, cattle and sheep that adorned that original building remain to remind us of the pride of place that livestock displays and competitions once held at this national exhibition.

Brickman

Location: Jarvis St. just north of Adelaide
Date photo taken: 17 March 2013

This solidly imposing and yet somehow still whimsical figure is called Brickman. He stands outside of a condo building at Jarvis and Adelaide and he was commissioned by the developer as part of the City of Toronto's Percent for Public Art Program. Toronto's official plan "recommends that a minimum of one percent of the gross construction cost of each significant development be contributed to public art" and in this case, I think the piece is pretty special.

Brickman was created by the German art collective inges idee. According to their website, the sculpture is meant to evoke smokestacks and the grid pattern of urban streets and its materials call to mind the 19th century roots of the neighbourhood in which it now sits. One of the coolest things about this piece is that the forced perspective created by using smaller and smaller bricks as you move toward the head of the figure makes it look even larger than its 8-meter height.

Uber5000 Mini Mural

Location: SW corner of Kingston Rd. and Scarborough Rd.
Date photo taken: 30 March 2014
Image #1 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Murals large and small have been sprouting like mushrooms around the city in the past few years. On the smaller side, it started with the painting of the ubiquitous short stout Bell phone boxes but colourful corner artworks now come in a new shape. Traffic signal cabinets, which normally sit quietly at intersections, invisible in plain view, are the targets of a new initiative by StreetARToronto. In 2013 they commissioned local artists to liven up 30 of these boxes. This great box is by Allan Ryan, aka Uber5000.

Monarch Caterpillar

Location: Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat
Date photo taken: 23 July 2014

The Humber Bay Butterfly Habitat is a waterfront park just west of the Humber River. While it's a joy to walk through, the native species planted here were selected with butterflies and other pollinator species in mind, not humans. One of the most important species in the area is milkweed. It's important because Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants, and once the caterpillars hatch, they feed on the leaves. Milkweed leaves contain toxic compounds which the caterpillars store up, making them unpalatable to birds and other creatures that might otherwise consider them lunch.

The best time for spotting Monarch butterflies in Toronto is late August, and one of the best places to see them is Tommy Thompson park. The park is hosting a Butterfly Festival on August 23rd, with activities, nature hikes and educational displays. Hopefully, there will be a good turn out, but Monarch populations have been in steep decline in recent years. One cause is a decline in native species, many of which are considered weeds. To help out the struggling butterflies, the David Suzuki Foundation has launched their #gotmilkweed campaign to encourage Torontonians to plant milkweed and other butterfly-friendly plants in their gardens and in under-utilized public spaces like medians and hydro corridors.

Norman Bethune

Location: Queen's Park Crescent W. just north of College
Date photo taken: 8 July 2014

This statue, located on the paths leading to the University of Toronto Medical Sciences Building, is relatively new. It was unveiled at the end of May and pays tribute to Canadian physician, humanitarian, and U of T alumni, Norman Bethune. This year marks the 75th anniversary of his death and this statue is part of the university's Bethune Legacy Celebration.

Bethune is depicted wearing traditional Chinese clothing and a stethoscope, which recalls his time spent in China training their medical practitioners and treating the sick and wounded during the Second Sino-Japanese war. This statue, and other Legacy iniatives, were funded through a donation from two Chinese businessmen, Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng. The sculpture was created by Toronto sculptor David Pellettier.

Literary note: Norman Bethune and his mobile blood banks make an appearance in Matadora, a recent book by Toronto author Elizabeth Ruth.

Elicser and His New Bathurst Street Mural

Location: East side of rail underpass on Bathurst, north of Dupont
Date photo taken: 7 July 2014
Image 12 in the Mural Series

Last year the railway underpass on Bathurst, just north of Dupont, got a lot more interesting. Street artist Elicser was selected to produce a mural on the west wall as part of the City of Toronto's StreetARToronto program (or StART for short). The program, which is part of the city's transportation division, provides funding for murals across the city with the dual goals of encouraging walking by making the city brighter and more pleasant, and reducing vandalism. Underpasses are a specific target as are traffic signal boxes but any public or private surface is eligible.

The 2013 mural is entitled We Built This City and includes imagery inspired by the neighbourhood, its businesses and residents. Now Elicser is back, painting the east wall of the underpass. Can't wait to see the final product!

Honest Ed's Theatrical Walls

Location: Honest Ed's, 581 Bloor St. W.
Date photo taken: 7 July 2014

If you're a fan of theatre or just looking for something to occupy you while you hide from the elements consider popping in to Honest Ed's. This store at Bloor and Bathurst, known for its iconic sign and discount prices, is also home to an incredible collection of celebrity photographs. Placed randomly around the store are scads of publicity pics and head shots from actors, musicians and other artists who have visited the city. There are also historic images of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, where many of these people performed, and the stairwells are lined with vintage theatre posters. When the theatre faced demolition in the 1960s, Honest Ed Mirvish purchased it, refurbished it and continued its tradition of bringing top talent to the city.

Until the end of the week Honest Ed's Alley and parking lot is also hosting the Toronto Fringe Festival's Fringe Club and Visual Fringe. Go there to mingle with theatre goers and performers, see an Alley play, listen to music, eat, drink, shop and generally hang out.

As for the store, it will be open for browsing and shopping until the end of December 2016.

Toronto Sculpture Garden - Gold, Silver & Lead

Location: Toronto Sculpture Garden, 115 King St. E.
Date photo taken: 22 April 2014

This large installation at Toronto's Sculpture Garden is called Gold, Silver and Lead and is by artist Jed Lind. According to the artist's statement, it "is a monumental stack of refined first generation Honda Civics, in painted steel, which rises 20’ above the viewer in a repetitive succession. Recalling the form of Brancusi’s Endless Column, but modified and transformed, it suggests
both infinity and the wholeness of a finite form. The work also references 1979, when the Toronto Sculpture Garden site was still a parking lot..."

The call back to the previous life of this space is fitting as this installation marks the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Sculpture Garden. The small space on the south side of King Street, just east of Church, was opened in 1981 and since then has functioned both as public park and exhibit space. This particular piece has been in place longer than expected as the private foundation which has provided funding for new art installations since the park opened has ended its involvement. Thankfully a new solution has been found to ensure that installations are refreshed on a regular basis. Starting this October a piece from Nuit Blanche will be placed in the Garden and moving forward, pieces will be created specifically for this space in partnership with Nuit Blanche. Thank you to Councillor Pam McConnell, curator Rena Greer, Nuit Blanche and everyone else who was involved, for making sure that the Sculpture Garden will remain a vibrant little corner of our city!

The View From Here - Toronto Islands

Location: Taken from Franklin Children's Garden, Toronto Islands, looking north to the CN Tower
Date photo taken: 29 May 2014

In case you hadn't noticed, Toronto is undergoing a building boom. New construction is changing our streetscapes and altering our neighbourhoods, in some cases creating brand new ones where none existed before. It's nice then to have a landmark like the CN Tower, familiar and visible from so many different parts of the city. Even parts that feel miles removed from the city, like the Toronto Islands. Every now and again I intend to post a picture like this one, which documents one particular view in the city at one particular time. I think it will be interesting to look back in future years to see how those views have changed.

The Fish Hut - Stormwater Management

Location: The Queensway at Moynes Ave.
Date photo taken: 5 May 2014

When I first spotted this small hut sitting on the sidewalk I assumed it was a fish and chip stand. The painting on the side features a stylized fish so it seemed like a good guess but I was wrong. This structure is part of the monitoring system for a new stormwater runoff project being tested by the city. The project is called The Queensway Sustainable Sidewalk Study.

In the normal course of things, when it rains in Toronto the stormwater runs off through grates on the street and then flows completely untreated through tunnels to nearby streams or Lake Ontario. Along the way the water picks up debris and pollutants from road surfaces and lawns. This new system redirects rain water to two large chambers under the sidewalk. These chambers are filled with sand and mulch and have trees planted in them. When the water enters the chambers, it is filtered through layers of cloth and then is further filtered by the tree roots, sand and mulch. The result is cleaner water entering nearby Mimico Creek and happy, healthy trees providing shade on the sidewalk.

The small painted hut holds the monitoring equipment necessary to determine the effectiveness of the project. If it's a success, more chambers will be installed throughout the city. The painting on the hut was carried out by the Cecil Community Centre's Graffiti Transformation Project. It was designed and painted by program coordinator Erin Zimerman and a team of six youth artists.

For more information on stormwater management, visit the Toronto Water website, or check out this earlier post about the Yellow Fish program.

Walk Here

Location: In the sidewalk, Bloor St. W. at Brock Ave.
Date photo taken: 9 June 2014

This little bit of sparkle in the sidewalk is part of a street art project initiated by the Bloordale community called the Walk Here Bloordale Community Garden. Local residents were invited to a drawing workshop where they were encouraged to think about the many ways that flowers pop up in our lives, then to draw a flower that reminded them of a time when they either gave or received a flower. One hundred of these drawings were transformed into small stainless steel sculptures by artist Dyan Marie which were then embedded in the sidewalk along Bloor Street when the city re-paved it in 2013. This is a great example of how a local Business Improvement Area can work with city services to positively influence their neighbourhood.

The Bloordale BIA formed in 1976 and their mandate is: Improving the atmosphere, appearance and the economic viability of Bloordale, Bloor Street from Dufferin Street to Lansdowne Avenue. Coming up on July 19 - 20, they are presenting the BIG on Bloor Festival.

Immersion Land

Location: Sheppard-Yonge station, subway platform
Date photo taken: 28 April 2014

This rural view is one small portion of a large wrap-around artwork created on the Sheppard subway platform by artist Stacey Spiegel. Taken all together the images represent the varied landscapes to be found along Yonge Street as it stretches from Lake Ontario to North Bay. The image looks pixelated because it is a mosaic - 1,500,000 small porcelain tiles were used to create the range of landscapes. When viewed up close the scenes can be hard to decipher but when viewed at a distance, say from the opposite platform, the images are clear.

Italian Greyhound - Woofstock 2014

Location: Woofstock, Woodbine Park
Date photo taken: 25 May 2014

I almost missed it this year! Woofstock, Toronto's annual outdoor festival for dogs, snuck up on me. It was held last weekend, a few weeks earlier than usual, and it moved to a new location, Woodbine Park. The park setting seemed much more natural for an event of this type and there was plenty of room for everyone to move around but I missed all the restaurant patios on the sidelines where you could sit, have a cold drink, and watch all the cuteness go by. Despite not spending the hours and hours there that I have in the past, I did manage to pick my "it" dog for 2014. While there was a stunning number of bulldogs and Shiba Inu, I also noticed that there were quite a lot of these diminutive dogs, which I am told are Italian greyhounds. As I don't recall seeing nearly as many in past years, I'm giving them the title this year.

Collective Arts Brewing

  

Date photo taken: 22 February 2014
Location: Back patio of The Only Cafe during their Winter Beer Fest

One of the things I enjoy most about Toronto is our vibrant craft brewing scene. At last count - and it seems to change almost weekly - there were over 30 craft breweries and brewpubs either operational or in the works in the GTA. That's a lot of people making a lot of awesome beer!

I don't like to play favourites so it was hard to single one out to profile first but I've decided on Collective Arts Brewing. They have combined a love of beer with a love of the arts and their labels feature beautiful and innovative work from emerging artists around the world, although with a strong Toronto showing. Their second series of labels was released earlier this year and features 78 different works. Artists featured receive $200, support from the brewery for events and launches, and tons of visibility. Collective Arts even has its own app that lets you scan the label and access additional online content and information about the artists.

If art on the labels doesn't intrigue you, you'll still want to consider Collective Arts. Their Rhyme and Reason is a pale ale with a delicious hop-forward character and their Saint of Cirucumstance Citrus Infused Blonde Ale is the perfect summer patio beer. Both are available at the LCBO and on tap at bars around the city.

Trilliums

Location: Wooded area in High Park
Date photo taken: 12 May 2014

Springtime in High Park means cherry blossoms but there are other treasures to be found at this time of year. If you happen to be walking on any of the wooded trails through the more naturalized parts of the park, keep your eye out for trilliums. Growing singly or in clumps, their brilliant green leaves and glowing white flowers are relatively easy to spot against the brown of last year's leaf cover. The trillium is a perennial and native to the area. It was chosen as Ontario's official flower in 1937. It is slow to grow, taking a minimum of seven years to get to the flowering stage, and if the leaves and flower are picked, the whole plant may die. The plants are now protected by the Ontario Trillium Protection Act, which was introduced in 2009. Anyone guilty of picking, pulling up or otherwise injuring a trillium is liable for a minimum $500 fine.

Fun fact: The trillium also happens to be the official state wildflower of Ohio and since 2008, the Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew, from Columbus, Ohio have competed for the Trillium Cup.

Deeds Speak

Location: Inside front lobby, 60 Richmond St. E.
Date photo taken: 2 October 2013
Image 3 in the Remnant Series

While walking by the condo building at 60 Richmond St. E. I noticed a familiar figure hanging on the wall in the lobby and I just had to pop in to say hello. For years I had passed by this figure, affixed to the outside of a rather drab brick building in the same location, the corner of Berti and Richmond. Dubbed 'Our Lady of York' by Terry Murray, a wonderful Toronto chronicler of architectural sculpture, this was one of two pieces by Jacobine Jones commissioned for the York County Registry Office in 1941. After the office closed in the mid-1960s, the two pieces remained in place. In 2008 however the old registry building was torn down to allow for a new condo building and I was curious about the fate of these sculptures. It turns out, both pieces have remained on-site. One piece, a coat of arms, can still be seen outside, affixed to a parking garage fence. Next to it is a historical plaque which provides context and points you to the building lobby to see this second piece..
For more detail on these sculptures and their relocation, check out Terry Murray's blog.

183 Dovercourt -The Argyle Lofts

Location: Corner of Dovercourt Rd. and Argyle St.
Date photo taken: 19 April 2014

This beautiful building is known as the Argyle Lofts but once upon a time it was the home of the Ideal Bread Company. Built in 1919, each floor was specially designed to house a stage in the bread-making process. The third floor for example was where the baking of the bread took place and it had higher ceilings to accommodate the ovens.

According to the Heritage Toronto plaque on the side of the building "Montreal architect Sydney Comber designed this factory building in Edwardian Classical style... Window design is unique to each level and reflects the original separation - by factory floors - of the processes of bread production. In the final stage, bread wagons were loaded from the ground-level archways on Argyle Street."

The building ceased to operate as a bakery in 1957 and was used for various purposes before being converted to lofts in 2007. It was designated as a heritage property in 2003.

The Walking Red

Location: Outside The Wine Rack, Jarvis & King
Date photo taken: 7 April 2014

Red wine and The Walking Dead, two of my favourite things on one sign. How could I not love it? It certainly caught my eye but it wasn't the first chalk board to grab me at this location. Previously I was stopped dead in my tracks by Audrey Hepburn. These wine-related takes on popular culture are the work of Scott Lucescu, a Toronto-based illustrator who started doing these boards for The Wine Rack about 2 years ago. Check out his website to see the latest Walking Red board and more including Breakfast at Zinffany's and my favourite,Where the Wine Things Are.

Shadow Puppet Rabbit

Location: Bathurst Street, north of Davenport
Date photo taken: 10 April 2014
Image 11 in the Mural Series

This shadow puppet rabbit is one small part of a long thin mural that stretches up the west side of Bathurst Street from just north of Davenport to just shy of Burnside Drive. The mural was unveiled in November 2013 amid controversy, not over its content, which is largely whimsical and nostalgic, but because the City hired Faile, an artistic duo out of Brooklyn, to create it. Many felt that hiring out-of-town artists was a slap in the face to local talent. The City defended its decision in part by pointing out that we couldn't expect other cities to commission our artists if we weren't willing to do the same in return. Another aspect to the controversy was that despite having designed the mural, the execution was not done by Faile but by junior members of their team.

Kimono

Location: Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Ave.
Date photo taken: 2 April 2014

The Textile Museum of Canada is currently showcasing a number of beautiful kimono as part of the exhibit 'From Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru'. A number of special events have been organized in conjunction with this exhibit including a tea and chocolate tasting tomorrow night and an evening with a fashion historian. The exhibit was organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and can be seen here in Toronto until May 25.

Entry to this special exhibit is included with regular admission, which is $15. Wednesday nights are Pay-what-you-can from 5 - 8 pm.

Cherry Blossom Windows

 

Location: Bay Street at Richmond

Date photo taken: 28 March 2014

The temperature is finely starting to creep up and today it felt like spring. The snow is almost all gone, which while wonderful, has left the city looking very drab. The first of the flowers have not yet appeared to break up the monotony of the city’s browns and greys and it will probably be a while yet before our muddy parks start to look green. If you need a hit of colour to remind you of what’s coming, The Bay Queen Street store has a cherry blossom theme in their Bay Street windows. The incredible dresses in the display are beautifully colourful too. 

Paint Your Faith

Location: South west corner of Church and Shuter
Date photo taken: 3 February 2013
Image 10 in the Mural Series

This colourful mural is called Paint Your Faith. It is a project by WonderCafe which is affiliated with the United Church of Canada. It is a joint effort by four graffiti artists, two from California - Chor Boogie and Siloette, and two from right here in Toronto - Mediah and Elicser. It was unveiled in September 2009. Interviews with the artists and info about the project can be found on the project's website.

Giant Panda

Location: Toronto Zoo

Date photo taken: 9 March 2014

There are lots of new things to see at the Toronto Zoo right now. There's a baby giraffe, a baby gorilla and of course Humphrey, the adorable polar bear cub. There is also Er Shun and Da Mao, two giant pandas on loan from China. Pandas are endangered and with less than 1600 animals currently living in the wild the study of captive pandas is considered crucial to ensuring their continued long term survival. Lots of different aspects of panda behaviour and care will be studied during their visit including nutrition and reproduction. The Toronto Zoo also prides itself on its behavioural enrichment programs - finding ways to positively stimulate captive animals and encourage behaviours which closely match wild ones - and they will be designing and conducting studies on enrichment activities for pandas. Er Shun and Da Mao will be in Toronto until 2018 when they will move west for a stay at the Calgary Zoo.

Ogre and Friend

Location: just off Brimley Road South
Date photo taken: 5 September 2013

I don't know anything about these guys except that I love them. I discovered them on the back of a concrete divider, one of two blocking the entrance to a disused road running off of Brimley Road South just up the hill from Bluffer's Park. If you know anything about them, please leave a comment!

Gupolo

Location: 129 Jarvis Street
Date photo taken: 17 March 2013
Image 2 in the Figures Series

This figure is called Gupolo and it is a common site in front of houses or government offices in Java. Its purpose is to protect the building and those inside from evil spirits. The snake being held by the figure represents the power of evil, which the Gupolo has mastered.

This particular figure is one of two that sit in front of the Consulate General building for the Republic of Indonesia on Jarvis St. The building opened in 1994 but Toronto has had an Indonesian consulate since 1982.

Bell Box – Shunsuke Asuma

Location: Bleecker Street, just south of Howard
Date photo taken: 20 October 2013
Image #8 in the Bellbox Series

This distinctive Bell Box is the work of manga-inspired artist Shunsuke Asuma. It was part of the same 2011 project as Image #1 in the series. During that project 14 boxes were painted in the area bordered by Davenport Rd., Wellesley St, University Ave. and Sherbourne. The partners in the project were The Seeds of Hope Foundation, Bell Canada, the City of Toronto, the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, the Greater Yorkville Residents Association, the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association and paint was donated by Benjamin Moore Paint.

Uber5000 Mural - Victoria Park

Location: northeast corner of Kingston Road and Victoria Park Avenue
Date photo taken: 9 September 2013
Image 9 in the Mural Series

This is one small detail of a fabulous wrap around building-sized mural unveiled last summer at the corner of Victoria Park and Kingston Road. It was done by Toronto based artist Uber5000, aka Allan Ryan, and it was commissioned as part of the City's efforts to combat graffiti. Every bit of the mural is fun and whimsical but I love this part in particular for its clever incorporation of building infrastructure. In case it's difficult to make out in the picture, the artist has transformed some clunky hardware on the side of the building in to a large gold medallion.

Lawn Sign - No Jets T.O.

Location: a lawn in Bloor West Village
Date photo taken: 30 October 2013

Torontonians it seems love to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Walk through any neighbourhood in the city and you will see at least a handful of lawn signs protesting or lending support for some proposal currently under consideration. Some of these are for issues anyone even minimally acquainted with local or provincial politics will recognize, while others deal with extremely localized issues pertinent to only a few square blocks. I find this phenomenon fascinating so I've started to collect them.

Porter Airline's push to introduce jets at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, better known as simply the Island Airport, has been going on for what feels like ever. No Jets T.O. is a citizen-based group working to maintain our waterfront as a mixed-used neighbourhood and recreational gem. They're not opposed to having an airport on the island, simply its expansion into something at odds with other aspects of the waterfront. They work to educate the public on the issue and to keep the debate balanced by countering the misinformation being pumped out by Porter and the Toronto Port Authority.

Tom Lamb, Bush Pilot

Location: ground floor, 777 Bay St.
Date photo taken: 14 Jan 2014

With the cold weather we've been having of late I'm spending a lot more time exploring the indoor spaces of our city and finding interesting things every where I look. While I'd noticed this figure before, I had never stopped to read the plaque. From a distance, I had assumed it was an Inuit figure. Turns out it's a sculpture of Tom Lamb, a legendary bush pilot whose company, Lambair, flew for 46 years without ever suffering a fatality. Their motto was "Do not ask us where we fly, tell us where you want to go." CBC's Telescope did a profile on the flying Lambs back in 1966, by which point Tom had been joined in the business by all six of his sons. The Western Canada Aviation Museum also has a page on Lamb on their website, with a great story about one of his trickier cargoes.

The artist is Leo Mol, a Ukrainian Canadian who is known as much for his work in stained glass as for his sculpture. Over 300 of his works, including one very much like this, can be found in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, which Mol called home.

Bugs!

Location: The Royal Alexandra Theatre, 260 King St. w.
Date photo taken: 22 January 2014

The venerable Royal Alex Theatre seems to have a bit of a bug problem. Despite the chilly weather currently plaguing the city, two over-sized insects have taken up residence on the outside of this heritage theatre. They are there as part of the publicity for the new adaptation of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, in which one family's life is thrown into turmoil when their son wakes up to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect. The play is running until March 9th. Who knows how long the critters will stick around?