By sculptor Ted Bieler, 1971. Aptly located at the Medical Sciences Building at the University of Toronto, the work represents the double helix of DNA through its spiralling ribbons of precast concrete.
Author: Marvin Job (Page 22 of 32)
The Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic Church located at 24 Cheritan Avenue, which is on Yonge Street just south of Lawrence Avenue. Construction of this church began in the spring of 1929 at the (then) cost of $180,000.00. In June 1930 the church was opened and dedicated.
The Blessed Sacrament is one of the largest church structures in the Archdiocese of Toronto. It’s architect, J. Gibb Morton, based his look for the building on two periods of medieval Gothic architecture.
Brickman was created by a German abstract group called Inges Idee in 2010, and sits at the corner of Jarvis Street and Adelaide Street East.
Commissioned by Aspen Ridge Homes as part of the City of Toronto Private Developer Percent for Art Program. Brickman is an urban figure, both abstract and figurative blending elements of 19th century history with a contemporary take on monumental sculpture. The sculpture poses questions of human scale and urban development and comments on distinctive architectural materials and features in this historic area.
Plaque at base of brickman
The 8-meter high sculpture depicts a prospectively distorted, anthropomorphic figure made of bricks of ever-diminishing size. The perspective distortion with an extreme vanishing point makes the figure seem expressive and dynamic, and simultaneously larger than it actually is.
Brickman is an abstract “urban figure” that quotes the smokestacks and dynamic of the big city and the grid of the streets surrounding it. It takes up the plunging lines of the rows of high-rises and the vanishing points of the streets that run perfectly straight for miles. It relates to the masonry buildings of the neighbourhood and takes people’s thoughts back to the period of Toronto’s early development.
Murals on buildings near the corner of Broadview Avenue & Gerrard Street East
It was a sunny day when I took a spin through a bit of the redeveloped Regent Park in downtown Toronto. Most noticeable in the new section is the art instalment. Toronto artist Dan Bergeron has captured the essence and character of the neighbourhood’s residents by featuring a cross-section of individuals in this piece entitled Faces Of Regent Park. The permanent installation consists of 12 large laminate glass portraits positioned around the entry plaza to Regent Park on the north side of Dundas Street.
In a Toronto Life article, Dan Bergeron says he began the project by photographing around 45 subjects, then narrowed the roster down to a dozen faces that he felt best represented the area’s diversity. He painted over the black and white photographs with swaths of colours, graffiti scrawls and patterns.
I wanted to use high-contrast hues because where the pieces are located in the plaza, the concrete is grey and the buildings are dark. I really wanted to make these bright pieces as a juxtaposition to the surroundings.
Artist Dan Bergeron
Faces Of Regent Park
Green Belt Mural
On my way out of the plaza I found these murals on the side of one of the community buildings
The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto is a private club which brings together writers, architects, musicians, painters, graphic artists, actors, and others working in or with a love of the arts. Located at 14 Elm Street, the Club is located in an historic building called St. George’s Hall.
St. George’s Hall is designated as a National Historic Site. The mandate of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto is to: advance the arts and letters, by and through its members who practice and contribute to the arts, in the conviction that the arts are essential to a healthy, enlightened society.
The building was built by the St. George’s Society in 1891. The Arts and Letters Club leased it in 1920 and purchased it in 1986. The 3-storey building has been extensively renovated and is wheelchair-accessible.
The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto has been designated a building of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall is home to a cathedral ceiling, large fireplace, a choir gallery, a well-equipped stage and a Steinway grand piano, no less. The numerous wall banners celebrate the names of illustrious early Club members.
The Great Hall holds rotating exhibitions of paintings, drawings and photography; the Hall also serves as an intimate concert hall and theatre. Its principal function, however, is as a dining room, where members and their guests dine and socialize around refectory tables.
The Lounge
Second Floor
The Boardroom
The Library
The Basement
Entrance / Lobby
The entrance displays some of the Club’s Presidential portraits. They continue around the ceiling of the lounge . Each Club President selects a Club artist to create a portrait at the end of the President’s term.
Elephants in downtown Toronto!
These bronze elephants, created by artist Derrick Stephan Hudson in 2002, are located in the Commerce Court Courtyard on the south side of King Street West. The work is entitled Tembo, Mother of Elephants.
The three elephants reflect the strength and loyalty of a mother for her children. The massive mother elephant stands solidly guarding her youngsters, providing protection and care. Weighing almost as much as 80 people or 6 automobiles, this enormous mother elephant is one of the largest bronze elephants in the world.
I discovered these interesting murals on the outside of the iPot Cannabis shop, corner of Jarvis Street and Queen Street East (141 Queen Street East):
Continuing my journey, around the corner at 417 Richmond Street East (corner of Jarvis Street), I found these:
St. James Park is located at 120 King Street East; it more or less forms a square bounded by King Street East on the south end, Adelaide Street East on the north, with Church and Jarvis Streets on the west and east sides respectively.
While passing through St. James Park last summer I came upon a new structure – a bandstand-like affair, which I later discovered serves as a stage for outdoor performances, among other things. The structure is called the Michael Comstock Pavilion. It is named after a very highly noted and respected community leader – à la Jane Jacobs – who accomplished and revolutionized many things in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood.
Michael Comstock died from cancer in September 2012. Shortly after his death his friend, Barbara Bell, started a petition to name a local asset in his honour. This Pavilion is the result – it is meant to evoke his love of music and acknowledge his efforts to bring music onto the streets of the neighbourhood. If you’re interested, you can read up on Michael Comstock’s many contributions and accomplishments over the years here. Looks like he had quite the life.
When I first spotted the Pavilion I was struck and impressed by its graceful and gentle curves. Looking at it, it was not difficult to imagine the the strains of a summer evening’s concert in the Park floating through the air.
This bronze artwork, by sculptor Kirk Newman, is located between the two Manulife Financial buildings at 200 and 250 Bloor Street East. The piece consists of twenty-one life-size figures, representing a cross-section of those who typically work and live in Toronto.
Commissioned by Manulife, the sculpture was completed in June 2001.
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