Eco-Art: Outside In
Art Installation, 2018
This mural was inspired by the plants in ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s Community Learning Garden, found in bloom each summer at the front of the building. Created collaboratively by members of the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ community, it aims to highlight the importance of native plants and educational gardening, bringing the beauty of the garden inside to be enjoyed year round. As part of the 'Take the Stairs' Campaign, it is just one of the installations in the walking art gallery that encourages the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ community to take the stairs rather than elevators (saving energy and improving health).
The imagery for this mural was created by graduate students and TDSB teachers, who learn collaboratively about Environmental & Sustainability Education at ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½. These artists learned about the importance of native plant species, and about the 30+ varieties in ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s Community Learning Garden. Working from photos of leaves and flowers in our garden, they created large stencils that were used to make the repeated images in this installation. The text, in English, French and Anishinaabemowin, was suggested by the collaborating artists to honour their languages, and reflect the deeper meaning that the garden holds for them.
Artists: ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ Graduate Students and TDSB teachers.
Facilitators: ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ student Jana Barkman and faculty member Hilary Inwood facilitated this project; ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ students Serena Retson, Jonelle Whyte, Caileigh Prince, Ashleigh Sikorski, & Amanda Teo assisted with the installation.
