Harmony

Location: Outside the Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Ave. W.
Date photo taken: 24 June 2016

This cute bronze of two young girls sharing a drink functions as a fountain just outside one of the rear doors of the Columbus Centre, a community hub for the Italian community in Toronto. The Centre is  home to the Carrier Gallery  and art work is scattered around the building, the grounds and in dedicated gallery space. This piece is by Lea Vivot, who was born in Czechoslovakia but now lives in Kleinburg. It was donated to the Centre by Alice Boccia in memory of Luigia and Antonio D'Odorico.

Lemur

Location: Southeast corner of Sherbourne and Gerrard
Date photo taken: 17 October 2015

The theme of the images on the colourful hoarding kitty-corner from Allen Gardens eluded me at first. Painted in bold colours are mice, opossums, bees, ladybugs, birds and other creatures familiar to Toronto, but then thrown into the works are two lemurs. It wasn't until I had walked away that it struck me - pollinators. Not being used to seeing lemurs in the back garden, I didn't make the connection at first but the 20 panel artwork, by Nick Sweetman, is "inspired by all forms of pollinators from bees to bats and of course the wind".

The work is a PATCH Project. Their tagline is Public Art Through Construction Hoarding - Curating the City, One Site at a Time. This particular space will eventually be an Oben Flats development, but the group intends to landscape the empty lot and open the space for community use until construction begins.

Bell Box - Natasha Kudashkina

Location: 70 Berkeley St., just south of Adelaide

Date photo taken: 15 September 2013

Image #10 in the Bellbox Series

This is a detail from another painted Bell box, this one outside 70 Berkeley Street, the home of the Alumnae Theatre. The artist, Natasha Kudashkina, was given the theme of Commedia dell'arte and she has used her box to tell a story. The scene as seen from the street starts the tale, and the back, closer to the theatre, presents the conclusion. Can you guess which side this is from?

There's a video of the work in progress on the artist's website.

Snapshot - The Esplanade

Location: Looking west from the park at Princess and The Esplanade
Date photo taken: 19 May 2016
Image 4 in the Snapshot Series

The Esplanade runs through the heart of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, a planned community built during the 1970s and considered one of the most successful inner city redevelopments in Canada. It's a mixed-income community with low-rent and subsidized rental options sitting side by side with market-priced condos and townhomes. David Crombie Park, the jewel of the neighbourhood, runs for 6 blocks down the centre of the development offering recreation options and lots of garden space.

The white pillars seen in the foreground of this picture are part of an art installation called Patchwork Village. It was created by Jamii, a not-for-profit based in The Esplanade, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the neighbourhood. It will be in place until June 27, as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

Pride Buttons

Location: Driveway off Wellesley, just west of Church
Date photo taken: 11 May 2016

This image represents part of a mural near the corner of Church and Wellesley. It features a selection of pinback buttons from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives and it was painted by local artist William Craddock. It is one of several painted as part of the Church Street Mural Project in preparation for World Pride which Toronto hosted in 2014. This year, Toronto is declaring Canada's first ever Pride Month, and it starts today! Happy Pride Month!