Prodigy

Prodigy

This mural, painted by John Kuna depicts widely celebrated pianist Glen Gould at the piano. This mural honours that history showing the RCM’s most celebrated former student Glenn Gould, circa 1947, with his childhood teacher Antonio Alberto Garcia Guerrero.

Ontario Gothic

Ontario Gothic

Painted by John Kuna and based on a photo of the Appleby family taken around 1900 in front of their farmhouse on the northwest corner of Dundas St. West and Islington Avenue, this mural is intended as a parody of Grant Wood’s iconic 1930s painting entitled “American Gothic”.

Golfing in Islington

Golfing in Islington

The Islington Golf Club designed by Stanley Thompson, one of the foremost golf course architects in North America at the time, is located just minutes from this site. In the foreground, golfers dressed in the late 1920s fashion enjoy their day on the green.

Aftermath

Aftermath

Hurricane Hazel struck Toronto on October 15, 1954. In her wake most of the Islington Golf Course and low-lying areas near Mimico Creek were flooded. The mural painted by John Kuna shows a group of volunteers arriving to help as a member of the Islington Fire Brigade helps moor their boat.

Battersby’s March, 1813

Battersby’s March, 1813

Commissioned by the Islington BIA and painted by John Kuna to commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, the mural features the three Canadian units that participated in the march: the 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot, the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencible Regiment, and Les Voltigeurs Canadiens.

Riding the Radials

Riding the Radials

From 1917 to 1931 the old Guelph Radial Line, that ran behind this site, linked communities from Lambton Mills to Guelph. To evoke feelings of nostalgia, artist John Kuna used a painterly style recalling old coloured postcards and turn of the century paintings.

Briarly – Gone But Not Forgotten

Briarly – Gone But Not Forgotten

Also known as the Gunn house, Briarly was built in the 1840s. Although the heritage community lobbied to save the home from demolition, Briarly was demolished by developers in August 1989. This mural, by artist John Kuna was designed not only to illustrate a part of Islington’s history but also to convey a sense of comfort, peace, home and family. Rather than becoming a theme of mourning and end, it is instead conceived as an image of endurance and renewal.