PlazaPOPS

I was awarded a grant to complete a mural for an inovative temporary initiative. PlazaPOPS. “is a high impact, low cost, and replicable demonstration of the potential of ‘pop up’ community gathering places within the privately-owned public spaces (POPS) of Toronto’s emblematic inner-suburban strip mall plazas.” They hope to act like Italian Piazzas.

This mural was designed and drawn by Echo Railton, and then painted (coloured in) on site by community members. Roughly 15 people, young and old, helped to complete the painting. Some planned to come to the event and others were passersby who stopped and picked up a brush.

The imagery is meant to promote the ideas of WexPops as a meeting place. Hands are shown throughout; growing, harvesting, cooking, and sharing food – a global form of community building. Pollinators and other beneficial critters are playfully large. I delight in using scale to denote importance in an image, rather than create the illusion of realistic perspectival space.

In the News:

The mural was featured at Toronto.com

“It will be cool to see how it gets used, said Chelsea Braun, who grew up near the plaza and helped fill in a mural by local artist Echo Railton as backdrop for a small wooden stage.”

And on BlogTO

If you’re heading to Taste of Lawrence this weekend, you’ll be able to see a stage for performances organized by Scarborough Arts, and a mural depicting food culture in the Wexford area by Toronto artist Echo Railton.

And the project in general was in the media:

August 20, 2019
How turning parking spaces into tiny parks could ease Toronto’s public space shortage – Toronto Star

July 9, 2019
Pop up garden in Toronto has deep roots in Guelph – Guelph Mercury Tribune

July 8, 2019
plazaPOPS looking to transform strip mall parking lots – AM 640 Morning Show

July 6, 2019
Creating community gathering places at privately owned public spaces – CBC Fresh Air

July 5, 2019
Toronto stripmalls are about to get more interesting – blogTO