Tembo

Location: Commerce Court courtyard

Date photo taken: 30 December 2016

This is Tembo, Mother of Elephants. She is striding purposefully to water, in this case a fountain, leading her two small charges, unseen in this photo. This life sized bronze began as a 20 cm tall model created by Toronto artist Derrick Stephan Hudson which was then 3D scanned and scaled up to create this imposing creature. It is the second cast, with the original residing in the Windsor Sculpture Park where in 2014 it was voted the most popular piece in the park by Windsor Star readers.

Zanzibar Circus Tavern

Location: 359 Yonge St., just south of Gerrard

Date photo taken: 4 April 2013

Club Zanzibar is a bit of a relic. It's one of only 16 active "adult entertainment clubs" operating in the city of Toronto and one of only a few left in the downtown core. Back in 1978 the city changed its land use rules making it pretty much impossible to open a new strip club, but it allowed the 63 currently in existence to remain open. Over the years, that number has dwindled but the Zanzibar has remained. Its gold facade and neon lights are now an icon on the Yonge Street strip. The building wasn't always a strip club of course. Before Zanzibar it housed various businesses, such as a butcher's and a photography shop. Right before it was Zanzibar it was the Rosticceria Tavern. The Zanzibar Tavern first opened its doors in 1959 as a live music venue, part of the happening Yonge Street music scene. By the late 1960s it still featured live music but it was more of a dance club, complete with topless go-go dancers. In the 1970s it made the switch to strip club and the show hasn't stopped since.

Note: The TD Gallery at the Toronto Reference Library is currently hosting an exhibit that looks at the city's early attempts at moral reform. Vice & Virtue is on until April 30 and it's free.

Traffic Signal Box - Roaring Bear

Location: corner of Trinity Bellwoods Park, near Dundas St. W. and Montrose

Date photo taken: 9 June 2014

Image #8 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Good morning bear! Not a morning person either? I can relate. This is the second traffic signal box decorated by Jeff Blackburn to be featured on NeaTO. He has been invited to paint two boxes each year of the Outside the Box program, bringing his total to 8 so far. 

The Artful City

Location: Community Gallery, Art Gallery of Ontario

Date photo taken: 29 January 2017

The Artful City is an exhibit in two parts, currently on display in the Community Gallery on the lower level of the Art Gallery of Ontario. The image here represents a portion of the wall map which marks the locations of over 700 pieces of public art in the city. On the opposite wall is a timeline which features one piece of art from each of the last 50 years. The aim of the project is to encourage discussion about public art in the city by graphically depicting the patterns of distribution and documenting changing styles over time. The exhibit is free to attend and is on until May 21st.

Time for a Pint

Location: Murphy's Law, Queen St. E. and Kingston Rd.

Date photo taken: 23 July 2016

Starting in the 1930s the Guinness beer company ran a series of ads based on zoo animals and their hapless keeper who couldn't seem to hold on to his beer. Images included an ostrich swallowing a Guinness, glass and all, and a sea lion balancing a pint on his nose. Most enduring of the animals however was the toucan. It went on to be featured in television ads in the 1970s and 80s and according to one business magazine, it became almost as synonymous with the brand as the harp on the label.  So even though this clock face doesn't specify the brewery, it won't be a surprise to many to see Guinness on tap at this bar. This campaign along with many others for Guinness was envisioned and executed by artist and illustrator John Gilroy.

Frames of Life - Fox

Location: Railway underpass on Queen St. E. near Degrassi

Date photo taken: 5 January 2017

This cute little fox is part of a beautification project undertaken back in the early 2000s in the South Riverdale neighbourhood, east of the Don Valley. A dark and gloomy railway underpass was converted with the help of a team of artists and lots of community support, into a tribute to the Don River and the life it once supported. Each of the 20 panels on the underpass was painted with a local species of bird, fish or mammal. These constitute the Frames of Life. All around these panels flows a lovely blue river, the River of Life. Many of the panels have sustained damage over the years and in 2017, thanks to a Canada 150 grant, this underpass will be getting a new mural. I look forward to the new project but will miss the familiar faces.

Thanks to Tony Prashad, creator, coordinator and river painter, for information on this project.

Snapshot - Front & Jarvis

Location: Northwest corner of Front and Jarvis
Date photo taken: 30 January 2017

This big open space at the corner of Front and Jarvis used to be the home of the North St. Lawrence Market and the mural that was featured last September. In the 2015 the market was relocated to a temporary structure a few blocks south on Jarvis and an archaeological assessment of the site was undertaken. This location was designated as an official market area back in 1803 and market buildings have existed on this site since 1820 so it's not surprising that the field survey found something. The amount of evidence found on site has prompted a stage 4 archaeological review which in this case means that the entire site will be excavated prior to construction beginning. If you've ever been curious about urban archaeology, you can watch some of the progress through the fence, plus the Market Gallery, located across the street in the St. Lawrence Market, is currently hosting an exhibit called "Unearthing Toronto's Oldest Marketplace". It's free to visit and on until March 18th.