Jack Layton Tributes

It does not seem like four years, but, it was in August of 2011 that I blogged about the untimely death of Jack Layton. 
I remember folks lining up to pay their last respects as he lay in state at City Hall; and who can forget the chalk tributes that were scattered in every available space around Nathan Phillips Square.

                                     (Above photo courtesy of the Walrus Magazine)
Since then a number of further tributes have taken place around Toronto.
Two years after his death, a life-size bronze statue was unveiled at the ferry docks on Queen's Quay.

 

A number of City Councillors, Jack's widow, MP Olivia Chow, Jack's son Mike Layton, as well as Rob Ford, were on hand for the occasion.

 

As you can see, the former federal NDP leader is depicted riding on the back of a tandem bicycle with a great big grin.
Ms. Chow, who helped with the sculpture, commented that a tandem bike was their wedding present to each other in 1988. She noted that she rode on the back of their tandem, this statue has him seated on the rear so that "Jack has your back".

In February of 2013 the road that runs from Broadview Avenue past the old Don Jail was renamed Jack Layton Way. This area is Jack's old federal riding.

Then last July, Andrea Horwath, the provincial NDP leader was on hand to plant a magnolia tree in Tecumseh Park, Chatham.
The ferry terminal was named after Jack, and we now have a new design for it.

                              Finally, this is his tombstone in St. James Cemetery.

St. Matthew's Lawn Bowling Club House

Last Saturday Marcia and I attended a plaque unveiling for the St, Matthew's Lawn Bowling Club House, located on Broadview, near Langley Avenue.

From right to left Gerald Whyte, Riverdale Historical Society, Paula Fletcher, Ward 30 City Councillor, the Director of Toronto Parks and Trees, Ms. Chan, Scotiabank, and slightly hidden from view is Kevin Plummer, Heritage Toronto Board member.
The building was designed by Robert McCallum, Toronto's first City Architect.

It boasts a wide wrap-around veranda, two meeting rooms, each with their own fireplace, as well as kitchen on the first floor..
The Club House has served as a social and meeting place for its members since 1906.

If you look closely at the photo (below), you can see the Riverdale Isolation Hospital and the Don Jail in the background.

In 2007, the club was disbanded due to a lack of members, and the land was transferred to Bridgepoint Health.
As part of the renovations to the Don Jail, the City negotiated a Section 37 to pay for the cost of moving the club and restoring it.

Today, it is leased to the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation and is also available as a meeting space for city groups.

The presentation also featured a pop-up museum of trophies and sport memorabilia  from the City of Toronto Museums and Heritage Service collections.

Art Installations

Lately, it seems, I have been getting more and more exposed to the culture that thrives in this city.
Early in January, Villa Toronto brought an exhibit to the Great Hall at Union Station.
I ventured down to the venue one Friday afternoon and took a few pictures.

This is an ink drawing on a huge piece of kite fabric by ZR Hallengeist. There was also a silver-plated portable toilet and a gold-plated dumpster. I am not sure whether either of these pieces can be considered art; but I understand that art is subjective. I think that I will return to the City.

Later on, my friend Marcia and I visited the Museum of Ceramics. I posted info and pictures about that installation earlier.
We also visited the Market Gallery; where they had some B&W photos of Toronto by three different photographers (Harry Joy, Doug Hemmy, and Andy Brooks).

This photo is titled "Day Off" by Harry Joy.

Later on in the week, we attended an exhibit at YU Mart Gallery on Spadina. The owner, Yvonne is a friend of Marcia's, and only shows the works of artists that she knows.
The gallery is located on the second floor of a low-rise building that still has the original elevator.

It works!

Last Thursday, Marcia, Jo and I went to RIC (Ryerson Image Centre) on Gould Street. The exhibit was actually composed of two separate, but related shows. The larger exhibit was called "Burn With Desire: Photography and Glamour". Here we were given a little tour of the glamour shots (B&W) from the Black Star Collection, as well as the George Eastman House.
Some were studio portraits, where the women were deliberately posed for the photographer, and others were from gala Hollywood events. The smaller exhibit was called "Anti-Glamour: Portraits of Women". This addressed some of the issues about female representation in the media.

Image Caption: Manfred Linus, Untitled [Marilyn Monroe], date and location unknown. BS.2005.190119/113-1226. The Black Star Collection, Ryerson Image Centre.

Just a footnote here....all this stuff was FREE!

The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art

To celebrate their 30th Anniversary, this year, the Gardiner Museum invited a British artist by the name of Clare Twomey to create a new installation that somewhat reflects some of the museum's vast collection. of ceramics.

The artist was intrigued with George and Helen Gardiner's private collection of Commedia dell'arte porcelain figurines; and so started to work on moulds of Harlequin, Leda and Scaramouch.

From these moulds, Clare and a team of five women hand-made two hundred and forty objects.
They then kiln fired them and the result was 2,000 figurines ready for shipment to Toronto.

Thus, "Piece by Piece" was created.

 

 My friend Marcia and I visited the museum, expressly to see this exhibit, not realizing that it was going to close the next day.

I was able to score a free pass for us both through the Toronto Public Library's "MAP" (Museum and Arts Pass).

We like Free!

The artist laid out the figurines that were made in England and then proceeded to make more during the exhibit. She calls this a perforamative installation.

Here is a picture that I took:

They seem frozen in place, like little white ghosts on the museum floor.