Artist Mentoring

Mural painting mentorships connect emerging artists with established artists and arts administrators in mentor-mentee relationships, expanding knowledge, skills, and networks.

  • All You Need is LOVE

    As part of the The Bentway’s 2021 Community Incubation Program, I facilitated virtual workshops where participants learned basic techniques to prepare for the collaborative window mural. Based on the theme of community love, I created a fun and playful mural design with big, bold letterforms and intersecting shapes. Participants came out to paint and contribute to this massive window mural.

  • EXCURSION OF MURALS, ARTS AND HERITAGE

    Ce circuit culturel vous fera découvrir, à la croisée des rues des harmonies de couleurs, des projets artistiques complexes et originaux, ainsi que des facettes importantes de notre histoire. Le circuit est composé de 35 stations sur une distance d’un kilomètre.
    This cultural circuit will make you discover, at the crossroads of the streets, harmonies of colors, complex and original artistic projects, as well as important facets of our history. The circuit is made up of 35 stations over a distance of one kilometer.

  • The Skywoman and Turtle Island

    Narrative mural acknowledging the significance of the First nations creation story of the Skywoman and the significant contributions of women in their communities while settling in the Bowmanville and Clarington areas.
    First Nations creation stories tell of how the earth began as a great island floating in space and was a place of eternal peace. From a hole in the sky in the land of the Great Spirit the Sky Woman fell down to the water below. With the help of animals and birds she landed safely on to the back of the turtle. Sky Woman then guided and counselled the various animals to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land. Muskrats succeeded in gathering dirt which was placed on the back of a turtle. This dirt began to multiply and also caused the turtle to grow bigger. The turtle continued to grow bigger and bigger and the dirt continued to multiply until it became a huge expanse of land. The land was called Turtle Island and the beginning of creation on the earth.

    Designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, Stacey Kinder

  • Entrance to the Forbidden City

    A landscape mural in the Toronto alleyway of Bejing’s Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the political and ritual center of China for over 500 years. After its completion in 1420, the Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors, their families and servants during the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.

    Designed and painted by Allan Bender John Nobrega Jesse McQuaig Jien June Kim
    Commissioned by Toronto Chinatown B.I.A. Completed July 2016

  • The Dragon’s Gate Mural

    According to Chinese mythology, the Dragon’s Gate is located at the top of a waterfall cascading from a legendary mountain. Many carp swim upstream against the river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp successfully makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon.

    Designed and painted by Blinc Studios
    Artists: Allan Bender John Nobrega Stacey Kinder

  • NEIGHBOURHOOD LOVE

    Typical to my artistic style, this mural makes use of dynamic imagery, vibrant colours and movement. The background is an aerial map of the Danforth, allowing viewers to recognize their local neighbourhood, and the spots of their favourite patio where friends gather, the street they live on, their favourite local shop, and so on. In the foreground are dynamic, larger than life scaled paintings, which represent local pedestrians in the area, shopping, cycling, walking or playing. There are also some chalk drawing artworks, meant to represent positivity and courage during the pandemic.
    Artist: Monica Wickeler

  • Dallington Pollinators

    Native flowers provide much needed food for Toronto’s pollinators, like these different species of native bees and butterflies.

    Painted in 2019 by: Nick Sweetman, and funded by Street Art Toronto’s Partnership Program, with support from David Suzuki Foundation and Dallington Public School.
    Assisted by: Menelik Powell, Meg Oldhues, Omen, Christina Mazzulla and Phil Saunders. Special thanks to Dulux Paint.

  • Pin Cushion

    This new piece titled “PinCushion// Stay Afloat” is about the current state of our city as many businesses are forced to either close or struggle to remain open due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The design includes my signature elements of suspended geometry complimenting a flock of birds migrating through the landscape as a sign of ever-constant change. The organic nature of these objects floating carefully above what looks like “needle’ pointed mountains is a reference towards how careful and cautious businesses must be now (and this also relates to us) in order to stay above. To stay afloat and more importantly to stay alive.
    Artist: Andre Kan

  • The Lottridge Alley mural

    This mural was a 2017 community collaboration between Centre[3] for print and media arts, the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre and me. It was funded by grants from the Social Planning and Research Council, Canada 150 and Hamilton’s Ward 3 Councillor’s office. The young artists whose work is depicted in the mural are Bradlee Henry, Kristen Carter and Kenny Bomberry.

  • Calling in the Rain

    Artist Leads: Amber Santos, Stephanie Kellett 

    Youth Artists: Narayani Shapovalova, Mikaela Rubak-Mazur, Yael Oosthuizen, Bethany Pardoe, Arusha Burns

    Youth Designers: Mason Voykin, Narayani Shapovalova, Mikaela Rubik-Mazur, Yael Oosthuizen, Bethany Pardoe, Arusha Burns

    Date: 2019

  • Creekside

    A signature project of Cultural Hotspot- East, this bright and beautiful mural is a permanent piece of public art, created to welcome visitors entering south Scarborough from the east. Located in the Highland Creek area of Scarborough.