A colourful phoenix rises to the sky overlooking Toronto. Painted on the side of a building in St. James Town, one of Toronto’s most highly dense neighbourhoods, the Tallest Mural in the World came about as a youth-led public art installation. Community members of St. James Town and local artists worked together as part of this Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space (STEPS) Initiative project.
Painted on the side of a building, which experienced a tragic fire in recent years, the mural tells the story of the community rising up from adversity.“It brought back life to the building,” said one community resident in a recent piece produced by video journalists, Sean Liliani and Sana Malik. Changing neighbourhood conversations from negative to positive, in addition to some local resident concerns about the project, are presented in this video produced for Bell Media. Artists worked with youth over several months before anyone extended their paintbrushes high above Toronto.
This project evolved from STEPS’ Emerging ARTivist Program, connecting youth to public spaces, addressing issues in their neighbourhood through the use of public art. The program has taken place in neighbourhoods across the city, and over the last two year’s been based in the St. James Town community. In that time,“the mural project engaged nearly 1,000 community members of all ages in numerous artistic and cultural activities at the foot of this new Torontonian
landmark,” said Alexis Kane-Speer, Director of the STEPS Initiative.
STEPS asks: Do you have a strong connection with your local environment? Enjoy seeing your neighbourhood come alive during community festivals? Want to bring your neighbours together to celebrate in community space?
Maybe it’s time to bring some ARTivism into your community!
The STEPS (Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space) Initiative is a community-based organization that bridges the gap between the cultural, social and environmental sectors by building the capacity of Torontonians to creatively transform public spaces in their communities. We believe that public spaces as unmediated sites of interaction between diverse citizens, is eroding. Art can not only aesthetically transform these spaces, but also serve as a common language with which citizens can create shared spaces that foster civic engagement. We provide a platform for citizens to lead initiatives that validate their personal experiences, their community’s cultures and histories, and their concern for environmental issues, all while transforming their local environment. »
-by Sonya Young, ArtBridges Outreach Coordinator
Read STEPS Initiative’s profile on ArtBridges’ Community-Engaged Arts Directory and Map.
