The Great Beaver Quest

 

Location: outside Fire Station 33, Front and Princess

Date photo taken: 21 May 2026

Are you ready for it? The beavers have their balls, and are in position. Let the Great Beaver Quest begin! In honour of FIFA World Cup coming to Toronto, Old Town Toronto and STEPs Public Art have placed 51 specially painted beavers around the neighbourhood, one for each country competing plus a few extras, and are challenging locals and visitors alike to find them. The more you find, the more you can win. Download the free Scavify app and join the quest to take part, or just enjoy the thrill of finding them as you explore the streets and visit the businesses of Old Town. 

This beaver represents New Zealand and was painted by Elizabeth Wise. 

Dizzy

 

Location: Draper Park, Draper Street

Date photo taken: 28 March 2026

If you spend any amount of time walking anywhere in Toronto, you'll know that we're a city that loves our dogs. It's not so easy to tell how we feel about cats. Although I would argue that that's starting to change. More and more often I see people out with their cats on a leash or in giant backpacks equipped with multiple large viewing bubbles. I've also begun to realize that more and more cats - or more specifically, odes to cats - are quietly turning up in public spaces. This sculpture is one such example. It sits just inside tiny, peaceful Draper Park, looking out at the street. The park was created by landscape architects Claude Cormier et Associés (now CCxA) as part of their work for The Well, the giant residential and retail complex that Draper Park connects to on its eastern edge. The cat is said to have been inspired by a local resident, Dizzy, that Cormier saw several times while visiting the site. 

Remembering the victims and survivors

 

Location: Humber College Lakeshore Campus

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021

The sprawling Humber College Lakeshore campus is situated on the grounds of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Opened in 1889 as the Mimico Asylum, this institution operated, under various names, for 90 years, closing its doors and transferring the last of its patients in 1979. This sculpture, created by Rocky Dobey and installed on campus in 2019, memorializes the former patients of the hospital. The roof is etched with a repeating pattern of words: We Remember. The roof also holds a small plaque on which the following is inscribed:

1889 - 1979

Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital

We will always remember the victims and the survivors

If you want to learn more about the hospital, several websites exist. Two that I found particularly interesting are: 

Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital - a site about the history

The Hospital History Project - where staff and volunteers of the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre share their findings as they comb through archival resources relating to the institutions located on the site.

Enterprise

 

Location: Guild Park and Gardens

Date photo taken: 9 April 2022

This large panel, dedicated to Enterprise and featuring a scientific instrument in the centre, is one of three stone crests arranged in a row on the grounds of Guild Park. Carved from white marble, they stand about 6 feet or 1.8 m tall and each weighs about 4 tonnes. They were originally created for The Bank of Toronto's head office and main branch building at King and Bay streets which opened in 1913. The three panels hung above the entrance. Roughly a decade after the merger of the Bank of Toronto and the Dominion Bank this building was demolished to make way for the Toronto-Dominion Centre. The panels, along with many other elements from the building, were salvaged and for a time were displayed near the swimming pool of the former Guild Inn, but were put in storage when that part of the hotel was closed up. They remained in storage for more than 30 years but as part of the City's revitalization of the park, they were reinstalled on the grounds in October 2020.

The Sound Eater

 

Location: Sculpture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 16 October 2025

Artist Meghan Cheng has used data visualization techniques to create a sculpture that brings the soundscape of the Sculpture Garden to visitors in a whole new way. Each of the four distinct segments of this serpentine creature represents the audio waves of a sound frequently heard within the garden. They are then playfully arranged to create her "sound-consuming serpent". The sounds, all recorded on Sunday July 27, 2025 are:

Section 1 (head): Streetcar, 8:05 am

Section 2: St. James church bells, 7:59 am

Section 3: Melodic bells, 7:58 am

Section 4 (tail): Bird, 7:42 am

Pentagon Totem: High Five

 

Location: Corner of St. Clair and Foxbar
Date photo taken: 2 November 2025

This stack of brightly coloured polyhedrons is one of two artworks displayed in the POP (privately owned public space) at the base of the Blue Diamond Condominium at St. Clair. It is the work of Angela Bulloch, who was born in Rainy River, Ontario but now divides her time between Berlin and London. The piece is of painted stainless steel and was installed by the building developer, Camrost Felcorp in 2021.

Asteroid

Location: North east corner of Bloor and Islington

Date photo taken: 16 July 2025

According to the affixed plaque, this 2020 piece, titled Asteroid, is by Jean-Pierre Morin and was commissioned by Bloor Islington Place. Morin is a Quebec artist known for his large public art pieces and while you are more likely to see his art in his home province, at least three of his pieces can now be found across the city. While the form of each is unique, there is similarity in his choice of bright aluminum for the sculptural form and corten steel for the plinth.

Nyx 2025

 

Location: Trillium Park

Date photo taken: 22 March 2025

This eerie work is one of the 14 light-based installations you'll find scattered around Trillium Park right now. It's part of the free light festival being hosted in the park until April 4. The theme this year is Neon Dreams: Light and Colour and this work is by artist Thadea Decora with Vincent Glasheen. According to the artist's statement, the sculpture "reflects the artist’s feelings about AI and technology in all its wonder and horror" and was inspired by Jean-Léon Gérôme's 1896 painting Truth Coming Out of Her Well.

Vimāna (N1 Starfighter)

Location: Sculpture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 29 October 2024

When the months are dark I have a special fondness for installations that brighten the night. I also love space epics and science fiction so this sculpture, installed in the Toronto Sculpture Garden as part of the Toronto Biennial of Art last fall, brings me joy. Rajni Perera creates a futuristic-looking spacecraft from modern materials such as acrylic and LED lights while evoking the look of a traditional paper lantern. 

From the descriptive panel: The work explores themes of spacefaring and immigration, incorporating the Sanskrit term vimāna (which has various meanings related to flying) to challenge Western narratives of advanced aerospace technology.

Pi

 

Location: Wellington Street, just west of Bay

Date photo taken: 12 August 2020

Tucked away in one of the Financial District's many weird pedestrian access lanes sits this unusual multi-part bronze sculpture by Toronto-based sculptor Evan Penny. It was commissioned in the 1990s while Penny was teaching at the Toronto School of Art and it is actually meant to function as seating. I couldn't find any information about the specific subject of the piece but I can't help seeing a resemblance to Sir Wilfred Laurier.  

The St. Lawrence and the Griffon

Location: Front and Jarvis Streets

Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

At the north east corner of Front of Jarvis sits this unusual installation. Part bench, part historical curiosity, it includes two round medallions each featuring a sailing vessel with ties to the Great Lakes. This side features the HMS St. Lawrence. One of the largest and most heavily armed warships built in Canada during the War of 1812, it changed the balance of power on the Great Lakes during that conflict. The reverse side features the Griffin (more often referred to as the Griffon), a 17th century ship of exploration that disappeared on the Great Lakes shortly after being launched from Niagara, never to be found. 

These medallions were designed by Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn for installation in the Memorial Arch at Niagara Falls. When that structure was demolished in 1967, they were retained and eventually installed here. The placement was likely a nod to the historic proximity of the waterfront before landfill occurred, but today, without specific signage, that connection is lost. Encroached upon as it by the expanded patio of a nearby restaurant, and with other installations more effectively calling to mind the old waterline, I feel that the placement of these medallions deserves to be revisited. With new waterfront communities currently being planned and developed in Toronto, surely these pieces can find a better home. 

Garden of Future Follies

 

Location: Front Street at Bayview

Date photo taken: 1 June 2019

This installation created by Canadian art duo Hadley+Maxwell playfully attacks our city's historic monuments, bringing them to the people and into the present. Their folly is comprised of over 150 unique elements copied from 80 different monumental works around the city. The original pieces are often oversized, elevated and designed to inspire awe. By taking fragments, juxtaposing them in whimsical ways and placing them at our level, the artists invite us to get personal with the pieces, and to re-examine their stories. It also makes me wonder if any monument buffs out there have successfully mapped back the various pieces. This excellent 2016 article from Spacing Magazine gives a few of them away.

Brick Obelisk

 

Location: NW corner of Dundas & Carlaw

Date photo taken: 9 January 2021

While the artist may have chosen to name this piece Brick Obelisk, it is in fact made of Corten steel which has been cut with an intricate pattern. Lit from within by LEDs, the lines are even more pronounced at night. For those who take a closer look, and are perhaps familiar with the area's geography, some elements may begin to look familiar. Pierre Poussin, whose artist statement notes that he thinks art should be "tailor-made for the space it inhabits," overlaid maps of the area from various eras to create the pattern, and the shape was inspired by the smokestacks that once dotted this formerly industrial area. Together, they form a fitting ode to the neighbourhood's past and a beautiful addition to the intersection.

Shalom II

 

Location: Bathurst between Sheppard and Finch

Date photo taken: 19 August 2023

If you wander into the 27 acre Sherman Campus of the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre on Bathurst, you might spot this monumental work by Kosso Eloul. It's the third of his pieces to be featured on this blog and while all are different in finish and arrangement, all are recognizable as the work of a single artist. In his own words, Eloul was "strongly prejudiced towards simplicity" and he used geometry, which was both "eternal and elemental", to explore relationships, the precariousness of life, and the search for stability. 

According to Toronto Sculpture, this piece was commissioned by the Jewish Community Centre in 1978.

Legendary Goalies

Location: Maple Leaf Square

Date photo taken: 30 January 2021

As part of their centennial celebrations, the Maple Leafs decided to bring some of the most loved and respected players from the franchise's history out to meet the fans. Over the course of four years, fourteen life-sized bronze statues of Leafs greats were added to an installation on the west side of the arena. Johnny Bower, on the left, was one of the first to be added to Legends Row, in September 2014. He won four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing for them from 1958 to 1970. Turk Broda, on the right, spent his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing from 1935 to 1951.

Wolves of Bay Street

 

Location: Guild Park and Gardens

Date photo taken: 9 April 2022

These two howling wolves are the work of Canadian sculptor Jacobine Jones. Born in England, she  received classical training in London before making Canada home in 1932. Within a year of arriving she was working on architectural commissions as well as creating art in her own studio. This panel, which became known as the Wolves of Bay Street, was one of several she created for the Bank of Montreal's new building at the corner of King and Bay Streets. When the building was demolished less than 30 years later, the panels were salvaged and now sit, with many other old architectural elements, in the Guild Park and Gardens in Scarborough. 

Note: Some of Jones' work remains at the corner of King and Bay. Across the street from the Bank of Montreal sits the The Bank of Nova Scotia building. Inside the grand banking hall hangs a large sculptural mural by Jones, the largest in Canada at the time it was installed.

Afrophilia

 

Location: Sculpture Garden, King & Church
Date photo taken: 5 October 2022

The Toronto Sculpture Garden is currently occupied by 9 busts on elevated plinths, but these aren't the typical white marble depictions of ancient philosophers or founding fathers. Instead, Jamaican-born artist Frantz Brent-Harris celebrates young black people in hues of bright orange and red. He describes it as a love letter to Black People. From his artist statement: "Unapologetically, my artwork seeks to present a juxtapose palate to the white gaze, standing in defiance of historical notions of heroes, representation of beauty and those worthy of being immortalized in a statue. Grounding my work in an anti-colonial and anti-racist lens, I present images that works to dismantle and provide alternative embodiment of beauty.” The work is presented by Black Artists' Networks in Dialogue (BAND) Gallery and Cultural Centre in partnership with the City of Toronto. 

Nathan Phillips' sundial

 

Location: Nathan Phillips Square, north west corner

Date photo taken: 1 November 2019

While not immediately obvious, at least to me, this sculptural piece on the north west corner of Nathan Phillips Square is a sundial. Designed by engineer and geophysicist G.R. Johnson, it's six feet in diameter and made of brass. It was a gift to the people of the city from former mayor and namesake of the square, Nathan Phillips. He served the city as alderman for 28 years and then as mayor for eight more, from 1955 to 1962. The international design competition held for the new city hall, which sits adjacent to the Square, was undertaken during his tenure and he was still in office when construction began. Phillips wanted to show his gratitude for being allowed to serve, and he wanted his gift to be something that would be artistic, unusual, functional and permanent and this sundial was the result. It was presented in April 1969.

Joy of Life

 

Location: St. Joseph Health Centre

Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

This is one of many sculptures in Toronto dedicated to moms and the bond between mother and child. This one is by Lea Vivot. It sits out front of St. Joseph Health Centre, and it was unveiled in 1983. The bench on which the pair sits is inscribed with messages of love and life contributed by Cardinals from around the world. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. 

Primrose

 

Location: Bay north of St. Joseph

Date photo taken: 28 March 2022

You are loved, Donkey! Get well soon

That's one of the many messages that have been written on the casts of this adorable donkey sculpture in Clover Hill Park. At first I wondered if the casts had been added as a prank, but no. Canadian artist Myfanwy MacLeod took inspiration from a real live foal named Primrose who was outfitted with pink casts to help her underdeveloped legs form properly. Cast in bronze, and larger than life, the donkey is a playful send-up of the traditional equestrian monument. This work was commissioned by the City of Toronto, selected via a competition led by the City's Economic Development and Culture division, and financed through Section 37 funding.