Come join the Riverside community for the launch of its newest mural Alquimia at 714 Queen St East. Then help plant a Pollinator Garden in the Riverside Community Garden in Joel Weeks Park (near Carroll and Davies)!

The event kicks off at the mural at Queen/Broadview @ 10am, with the planting following in Joel Weeks Park at 10:30am – we provide the gloves and tools and you provide the muscle. Enjoy FREE TREATS, and kids can paint rocks for the garden!

Big thanks to Mural partners: the City of Toronto, the Riverside BIA, and Pizza Nova; and to Pollinator Garden partners: Brickworks Ciderhouse, Pollinator Partnership, and Riverside Green Initiative!

About the Mural: ‘Alquimia’

Alquimia (spanish for ‘alchemy’) is a mural in a semi-abstract style. Paying homage to the Riverside neighbourhood, the mural is an interpretation of the quote “This river I step in is not the river I stand in” that speaks of the inevitable nature of all things: Alchemy and change.  Everything moves. Everything transforms into something else.

It is a connection of the past while celebrating its future, progress and growth of the community.

Through the use of vibrant colour palettes,  the aim is to inject light and energy, hoping to make everyone feel welcome and uplifted, while transforming the corner into a space of mental elevation for everyone.

About the Mural Artist

Jacquie Comrie is a multidisciplinary Toronto-based artist and mental health advocate.

Read more about the mural on the Riverside Blog

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What’s a Pollinator Garden?
A Pollinator Garden is composed of native perennial plants – plants that have a long evolutionary history in the area. The Pollinator Partnership is a registered not-for-profit dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems. They only buy from specialized nurseries who source their plants in Ontario to get local ecotypes – meaning the plants in the Pollinator Garden have local genetics and help conserve genetic diversity and ensure the best adaptation to local conditions. The plants offer pollen and nectar from early in the spring into late fall, as well as provide host plants for a variety of butterfly species.

What is the Riverside Community Garden?

Operated by local residents in Joel Weeks Park since 2012, the Riverside Community Garden is an inclusive community space to grow food and share the joy of gardening. Learn more and get involved!