Laying Down Strokes

The painting of the Kingston Galloway/Orton Park bridge is well underway. With regular volunteers, like myself, giving their time one day a week to paint, the bridge should be done in no time. In the meantime the process is a wonderful thing to be a part of, a fun and somewhat soothing activity.


Volunteering soon? Some things to bare in mind (consider this as a checklist):

• Bring a hat (umbrellas are provided)
• Bring shades
• Wear sunscreen
• Bring snacks and a lunch
  
• Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water
• Dress lightly in clothes you don't mind getting dirty
  

It's pretty much a no-brainer, so don't hesitate come out and be part of the transformation!

These photos are posted courtesy of Linda Cui (a fellow painter and SAC staff).

Getting Green

Evergreen has partnered with the Bridging Project to focus on the natural environment components of the project. Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities—now and for the future.

On June 5th a local group of volunteers, mainly from the East Scarborough Storefront, helped plant 800 native wildflowers and grasses along Highland Creek on the North side of the Lawrence Street bridge. These plants will help protect the area from erosion, attract beneficial pollinators such as butterflies, provide habitat for a variety of species and beautify the local area.

Evergreen has also contributed a list of local, native trees, wildflowers and shrubs to be incorporated in the mural. During the SUBTEXT festival, on September 11^th from 10am to noon, Evergreen will be hosting another native wildflower planting beside the Lawrence Street bridge along Highland Creek. Everyone is welcome to come out and get their hands dirty while planting another 800 wildflowers in the area. Come by and visit Evergreen throughout the entire SUBTEXT festival to learn more about the environment and ways to connect with nature.

For more information please visit our website: evergreen.ca, or contact:
Sarah Da Silva, Stewardship Co-ordinator, sdasilva@evergreen.ca or 416-660-0972

Headed in the Right Direction

With the help of lots of volunteers, Mural Routes is making the Kingston Galloway/Orton Park bridge alive with colour, by painting designs across the entire stretch of the bridge. Youth volunteers have helped this project every step of the way; coming up with the ideas and designs, and stenciling these designs and painting them.


The painting on the bridge begins today, Monday July the 26th. I encourage you to go check out their hard work for yourself in person. What you'll see is an expression of the four seasons and passing of years through images of community and nature.

The project should be complete in time for the Subtext Festival but you don't have to wait 'til then to get involved. You can fill out a form and voluntarily become a regular painter. You can also grab a Bridging Project pamphlet and share your stories about the bridge. Surely as we get closer and closer to the big weekend, there will be more and more to get involved in.

Photographed by Emilie Wong the pictures above are some of the Mural Routes team and volunteers from SERVE stenciling.
To see more pictures like these and learn more about Mural Routes visit:
http://muralroutes.wordpress.com/

The Borough is alive, with the sound of music

The Borough Most Thorough is a program that explores the makings of music, all the way from lyrics to production. Equipped with a writer/teacher, a vocal coach and a rap instructor, the program breaks hip-hop down; looking into the roots of its language and its beat structure.After hosting its music program in six Scarborough priority neighborhoods in partnership with Beatz 2 Da Streetz, The Borough Most Thorough will be having a launching party debuting original material at The Subtext Festival!

The Borough Most Thorough which has been running practically since school let out has been prepping vigorously with one-week workshops that will continue until August 27th, which means there may still be opportunities to join this free, innovative programs.

Still Curious? Check out their website: http://tbmt2010.wordpress.com/

Also before I let you go, you should know that there will be special guest appearances from well known canadian artists at the Subtext Festival!

So You Think You Can...

Currently the Scarborough Arts Council is accepting registration for Free Dance Workshops until August 10th. However space is limited so you'll want to sign up ASAP.

To register or for more info, contact:
Benedict Lopes
416 698 7322
programs@scarborougharts.com

Who? For young people of all skill levels and abilities (ages 13-22) (Featuring dancer/choreographer Kevin Ormsby)

When? Eight workshops starting August 17th, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1- 4 PM Grand Finale performance at Subtext Festival, on Saturday September 11th, 2010

Where? East Scarborough Storefront (4040 Lawrence Ave E., Scarborough)

NOW AT FULL CAPACITY.

Let the Festivities Begin

Hey my name's Liz and I will be your guide for everything going on under the bridge - that is The Subtext Festival - Bridging Project. The Subtext Festival seems to be a lot of things but to boil it down into one sentence it is a two day multi-arts (including dance, music, graffiti, murals, art demonstrations, planting etc) festival. It's a collaboration between diverse communities, organizations and artists, aimed at revamping the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park bridge's reputation.

Look out for new posts on the upcoming events.

Designing the mural

Using the theme of "connecting the urban and natural enviroment" the mural team is busy creating concepts, sketches and stencils for the 871 foot mural to be painted on the north side of the Bridge. Team members are Rob (lead artist), Christina, Curtia, Emilie, Gabriella, Johnny, Nigel and Tristan. They meet each day at Cornell Jnr. Public School where they turn the old gym into a busy art studio. If all goes smoothly, including weather a various site permits, they will be painting working on the Bridge by the end of the week.

Artists at Work

On July 5th the Mural Routes team of 6 youth artists under the direction of Rob Matejka started their first day of work. On the next day they took part in the Toronto Mural Seminar, a full day training session which included topics like Risk Management, Community Relations and a hands-on Site Specific Design workshop. 70 people attended the multi-generational program from different City funded projects around Toronto. It was coordinated by Mural Routes and funded by the City of Toronto, Public Realm Section