Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world.
The story of Jumbo the elephant is rather tragic and sad. He was a circus animal that was hit and killed by a train in St Thomas in 1885. I’m hoping my mural will help to heal the elephant spirit. I love the elephant symbol, she is so gentle, wise and strong. Did you know elephants will come together to mourn their dead? I see all these new painted elephants around St Thomas coming together to lament and honour Jumbo in a joyous way.
Duck, Hen, Yam, Cha is a myriad of Canto expressions (and a few Toisan, and Chinglish) from different generations: from golden oldies to the latest urban speak. Artwork travels through time with our use of Canto and Toisan, heritage languages of Chinatowns throughout this continent. All four signal box locations explore Time in different ways–this is the second of four locations. The first set of double boxes was Wil Yee’s “Time and Tigers”.
This was produced by Future Day (futureday.ca) by three artists as noted above.
It was in response to a request for proposal from the Town of Wasaga Beach on the side of the Museum Archive Building.
This box was painted for Bell and the Mississauga Arts Council (MAC) as part of their Murals with MAC project for neighbourhood beautification. The box is themed around local pollinators and the native species of plants that attract them. The box features the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee, Miner Bees, a Luna moth, a Ruby Meadowhawk (dragonfly) and Black Cohosh or Actaea racemosa (the plant).
This mural is part of the Womxn Paint 2021 North Etobicoke project themed around resilience. Since the neighbourhood has a large population of immigrants, South Asians in particular, I used an image of a young South Asian woman in her traditional attire appreciating nature. Adjusting to her new world, like so many immigrant women she is naturally resilient and looks for something familiar to give her hope and strength.
In partnership with Telus Painting the Pembina 2.0 was launched. Same as in 2020, each business or person that donated over $20 has their name on a plaque. This time we raised an extra $1300 for each of the 3 Pembina Schools for their Arts Program. The mural itself is an acronym – Each letter contains pieces of the town as it is or historically that correlates with the letter. The humming bird represents Telus, and the snail shows a slower pace of life. The letters were brush painting, the critters aerosols. Again I am honored to have such a supportive community that helps me realize these projects.
A little know fact about bison is that when a thunderstorm is coming they will turn towards the storm, walk into it and thus have to bear the brunt of the storm in a shorter time. They face adversity head on and pull together. I love this metaphor and used it in a way to represent the spirit of the town. In the ‘storm’ design are hundreds of little fingerprints from local children and supporters.
These artworks share first person perspective stories that speak to the rich ongoing history of the site as home to many diverse plant and animal species and cultural communities, beginning with the Indigenous peoples of Tkaronto and Turtle Island. The Lansdowne Underpass Art Project creates a collaborative artwork that honours this site by telling stories of those who have and continue to live on, play on, build community on, struggle on, learn from, grow in, paint, immigrate to, contribute to, and tend to this land.
The “Painting the Pembina” Project was directed, crowd-funded and painted by visual artist Brie Adkins in 2019-2020 on the historic J.D. Read building. Painting the Pembina called on the community to support the project through ‘purchasing’ bricks, and those funds went towards the mural expenses, the plaque and the three Pembina Schools for their art programs. Businesses, families and individuals came together to raise $8080 for this community project. The schools in turn each received 1500 in funds for their arts programs.
Street Art Toronto
Concrete Barrier Art Project, Richmond Cycle track
Richmond St., Toronto
May 2021
Commissioned work of art of original design, completed on site, painted in oil on canvas.
Bellbox Mural Project
Yasaman Mehrsa
An ode to St. Thomas! This interactive mural is perfect for taking selfies and sharing them with your friends. Be sure to have a close look at the mural to find all the St. Thomas icons!
Discover this spectacular 4400 square foot mural downtown on the alleyway walls between Talbot Street and the Moore Street parking lot. On the east wall, the orange and red colours feel hot, like sunrise into midday; on the west wall, the green and blue shades feel cool, comparable to late afternoon and sunset. The mechanical and digital forms that tower over the trees on both sides of the alley indicate human intervention into the natural environment, almost akin to alien spaceships.
MEDIAH’s bold and intricate linework represents two of St.Thomas’ landmarks. First, the lines represent the intersection of two historical roads which created St.Thomas’ location. Second, they represent the railway junctions and railway tracks that were built in the late 19th and early 20th century that ‘The Railway City’ is renowned for. The modern urban aesthetic of the artwork represents a progressive future as St. Thomas rebrands itself with a new identity that represents the City’s commitment to a progressive future for citizens and businesses alike.
This work celebrates the tradition of the apothecary from its roots of Lemon’s Apothecary to today’s eclectic Purely Wicked shop.
The artists have honoured botanical medicine across centuries through depictions of the magic of nature.
It is not only by chance that this is now the home of Purely Wicked, offering our community therapeutic healing for the mind-body and soul through their products and services.
The piece entitled ‘SUBSTRAIT’ is inspired by the famous St.Thomas railway system and the town’s industrial progression. This piece is meant to bridge the gap between the town’s past and innovative future and to uplift and inspire residents of all generations.
This is a heartfelt tribute to growing up in the small city of St. Thomas, complete with Joe Thornton & Rachel McAdams, Thomas the Tank Engine with a Jumbo trunk, the City of St. Thomas Police badge & some fun pop culture references that make the whole thing a celebration of all the ‘Strange Adventures’ only possible in the Railway City!
Located at the home of the Ignite Teen Centre and Steam Education Centre, Protocol IK is meant to excite the youth that visit the centre.
Protocol IK speaks to our digital future, and how youth are working to navigate that frenetic landscape.
Liam (15) painted his first mural downtown St. Thomas behind the @igniteyouthcentre on Talbot Street.
Liam’s mural was chosen through the Street Art Workshop at the STEAM Centre on Talbot Street
This mural was painted to celebrate the 50 years of art education in St. Thomas and Elgin County and to commentate the Public Art Centre’s 50th Anniversary.
The mural is a dedication to all Veterans and First Responders depicted in a field of growing poppies. This image also represents a community that rises up to meet all ongoing challenges with an unconquerable spirit of courage. It is a celebration of both our heroes and life itself.
Completed August 2020, this “street art” mural was painted by local artists Marshall Borland (Bishops Falls) and Melissa Francis(Gander) for the Botwood Mural Arts Society with the support of the Town of Botwood. The mural expresses the community’s extreme gratitude to all the essential workers and businesses that continued to work and operate to ensure that the residents of Botwood and surrounding area had access to essential food and supplies, personal services, health services and emergency services during the Covid -19 Pandemic. These essential workers and businesses risked their own lives and livelihoods to ensure the safety and security of others. They are our “angels” deserving of their “halos”. This large mural was completed outside, which allowed for the required physical distancing. It brought some bright, uplifting color and joy to our community during an otherwise dark and anxious period of time.
The mural depicts two scenes: On the right is a scene from 1955 in Mississippi where Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till, is burying her murdered son. His killers were found not guilty after tampering by local law enforcement. On the left is Breonna Taylor’s apartment, where she was killed while sleeping by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky in 2020 – officers who faced no prosecution for her senseless death. However, thanks to the words and actions of Mamie Till, her son’s death led to public outcry and significant change. Breonna’s mother Tamika Palmer has been on the frontlines of the Black Lives Matter protests that exploded all over the US and the world in 2020. Both of these events highlight what James Baldwin meant when he said “Ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
Painted in 2020 by Elicser, Nick Sweetman, Sight and Spy1
Funded in part by Street Art Toronto.
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