Protect the Don

This mural aims to celebrate the urban biodiversity that natural corridors like the Don River ravine support, as well as calling attention to the threat that invasive species and shrinking habitats have on the healthy biodiversity of our city. Pictured in the design are a few native animal species that rely on these corridors to survive in Toronto, including the Eastern cottontail, white tailed deer, and the red fox. Also pictured are some invasive plant species, like Norway Maples, Phragmites, and Dog-Strangling Vine.

The health and protection of these natural corridors is paramount to the survival of many species, and supports the overall health of our city. Through my design I hope to show that while we settlers are responsible for the invasion of these natural areas, we can also take responsibility in protecting and “rewilding” these important places.

About the Artist:
Merryn Connelly-Miller (she/her) is an emerging illustrator and artist from Toronto, with a love for storytelling and projects that build community. Merryn graduated from OCAD University in June 2021 with a Bachelor of Design in Illustration, and began painting public murals in 2020. Drawing inspiration from the natural world and the oddities of human life, Merryn explores questions of belonging and memory as related to place, the interaction of organism and environment, and the human relationship with control in and over our environments.

About Women Paint Riverside:
‘Women Paint Riverside: Currents of Change’ is a public art program about transformation, community, and our relationship to the Don River and Lake Ontario into which the Riverside community flows. Twenty+ murals that form this project add beauty and colour to the laneways in the Riverside community, celebrate our important relationship with water, and were created by women and gender diverse artists from various backgrounds. This project is a partnership between East End Arts, Women Paint, Native Women in the Arts, and the Riverside BIA. #WomenPaintRiverside

This project was made possible with funding support by StreetArt Toronto, Hullmark, Streetcar Developments, and the Riverside BIA.

For more information on this mural visit:
https://eastendarts.ca/women-paint-riverside/

Where to Find This Mural

Location: 718 & 720 Queen St. E, Toronto, ON, M4M 1H2 Get Directions

Accessibility: Easily Accessible