ARTS ON THE ROAD
PROBLEM:
How might we reinvent the reputation of Scarborough, Ontario by igniting the community’s love for the arts and beautifying the streets that citizens live amongst?
SOLUTION:
An interactive mural, where community members take part in filling in a pre-designed stencil. The image would later be revealed as the iconic Scarborough Bluffs– the heart of the community.
BACKGROUND:
Just off of Kingston Road and St. Clair Ave is a little alley locally known as “Smokers Alley”. Growing up, I was always told to avoid Smoker’s Alley despite the fact that it was the perfect short-cut to get to school, the bus stop and Dairy Queen. After 20 years of living in Scarborough it was time for a rebrand.
Simultaneously, a community art’s festival was coming up, Arts On the Road, a one-day event where local artists with a variety of talents come out to showcase their work. This was the perfect opportunity to brighten Smokers Alley and get the community involved.
PROCESS:
I devised a plan to create a stencil
A stencil would result was somewhat controlled but allow the community to play a part in the final result. I chose to depict the Bluffs, the neighborhoods primary landmark. The Bluffs are iconic for serving as inspiration for poetic artist, Doris McCarthy
I recruited some classmates and we began prepping and priming the wall during the day. At night, we projected the stencil design against the wall and masking out negative space with painters tape.
On the day of the event, members of the community, of all types, filled Smokers Alley to paint bright colors overtop of the stencil. A few days later, the tape was removed and the mural was revealed.
