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!