All posts by Gina

The Danforth in Art

Art & culture, Community, Toronto, , , , , , , , ,

‘What is this place?’ This was the question posed by Art of the Danforth during the last week of April.

Organized by an independent group of locally based individuals, this new community art walk between Greenwood and Woodbine is rooted in a belief in the power of art to cut across divisions and draw people together.

East Danforth’s population includes an above average percentage of artists and Art of the Danforth certainly showcased some amazing talent. But it also provided a potent reminder that creativity and art belong to all of us.

(Excerpt from an article I have just written for Local Magazine)

We have both been very involved in Art of the Danforth as volunteers since November – it’s been fabulous to be part of something like this that really is conducive to neighbourhood regeneration through the arts. And we’ve met so many amazing people!

Here are my photos from the event that I uploaded to Flickr  – you can see more on the Art of the Danforth Group Flickr page or read about specific artists and installations on the Art of the Danforth website.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Even the birds sing in a different vernacular . . .

Nature, wild things, , , ,

Something quite magical about Toronto is that it is cut through with ravines, carved when the glaciers melted.  It is amazing to wander or cycle along a creek, steep banks to either side, almost without awareness of human habitation; just cool greenness.

Cycling home through Taylor Creek last week, I reached a marshy, open section of the ravine, cattails rimed with the gold of evening. I was stopped in my tracks by the choral konk-a-ree calls and scarlet flashes of the Red-winged Blackbirds. Definitely a foreign language!

Red-winged Blackbird

Photograph of Red-winged Blackbird by Alan And Elaine Wilson

Art of the Danforth

Art & culture, Community, , , , , ,

With the art walk looming at the end of the month, we seem to have fingers in lots of lovely pies! Looking at the Art of the Danforth site, I’m increasingly excited at being involved in what I think is going to be a wonderful coming together of creativity and community.

Yellow on the DanforthWe have both contributed a set of photos for the photo mosaic. This was a great excuse to change the lens through which we were viewing our surroundings, focusing most on colour (we were asked for sets of predominantly red, blue, green and yellow shots).  We spent an absorbing sunny morning drifting down the Danforth, welcoming the warmth after an earlier chilly sunset session the night before.  Paul hasn’t got around to this yet, but I have uploaded some of my shots to Flickr. Tonight we are going to help sort and trim the mounds of photos submitted in preparation for assembling the mosaic.

On Sunday I’m going to take notes from the history group to go alongside some wonderful old photos – what a great way to become rooted in our new surroundings! We are so lucky to be part of this.

UPDATE (April 27):

The speeches from the formal launch of the first Art of the Danforth on Saturday April 24, 2010 – all the indications are that the event really is creating a sense of energy and enthusiasm along the strip! (I’ll post a proper report after the event).

,

Part 1

Part 2

. . . with flowers & ribbons

Easter

[Show picture list]

The Lions Easter Parade along Queen St. in the Beach is one of the biggest in North America. When you consider this is just a neighbourhood event, this seems a little strange. But Beach is truly an urban village, with an amazing sense of community.

easterparade-13-of-47-medium easterparade-36-of-47-medium easterparade-15-of-47-medium easterparade-31-of-47-medium

The Parade usually draws around 50,000 people – maybe more this year in unseasonable summer weather, with temperatures well over 70F and brilliant sunshine.  The children bring baskets (or black bags!) to collect their Easter loot – eggs and candies flow freely.  Suddenly the Halloween trick or treat tradition makes more sense as part of a wider pattern.

Home owners in the area are proud of their neighbourhood and their homes. The Christmas lights, which brightened the winter evenings long beyond the festive season, have given way to wreaths of Spring flowers or eggs. I’m told this is not necessarily Canadian, but very specific to this area.  It also seems to be a lovely way of affirming season’s change, especially in the harsher years.

Video Clip Showing Highlights of the Parade:

(There are lots more photos of the Parade in the Events album so that you can click through at your leisure!)

Biking along the shore . . .

Leisure, , ,

Here are a few photos of my fancy new bike on one of our early bike rides! You can see the battery pack in the larger picture.

bike-1-of-4-medium bike-3-of-4-medium bike-2-of-4-medium

bike-4-of-4-medium

It has been slightly disorientating these last few weeks.  The trees say it’s still winter, with no sign of leaf. Yet the brilliant sunshine and  temperatures have been almost like summer, rising well over 70F over the Easter weekend!