In Celebration of Earth Day – This Whole Week – Riverside Inspires Art, Community, and Spring Cleaning

The Artists’ Network Spring Pop up Show

Quince

Spring is here and so is The Artists’ Network “Spring” Pop Up Exhibition at Quince Flowers (660 Queen St. E).  Artists take an innovative approach to gallery spaces, through this collective pop-up exhibit by partnering with local businesses to showcase both their work and the local retailer. After a long cold winter “Spring” celebrates new emergence and freshness with the artists capturing this theme in their work. Also the timing of this show ties in perfectly with Mother’s Day. What could be a better accompaniment to a beautiful bouquet, than an original piece of art?

Join the Artists’ Network and Quince for the show opening on Saturday April 27th, from 3pm-5pm light refreshments and warm tea will be served – the perfect post- community clean up activity.

Joel Weeks inspired “Windfall” Art Piece  

Windfall image

One of Riverside’s public artists, Rebecca Houston’s piece “Windfall” in the Gladstone’s “Grow-Op” Exhibition (April 24 – 27, 2014), was inspired by youth from Joel Weeks Park in Riverside. Rebecca’s family has had a long history with Riverside. Her father used to be Chair of the Ralph Thornton Centre on Queen and Saulter, and in the late 1990’s was responsible for installing Riverside wayfinding markers. Rebecca is now revamping and transforming those very markers into public art.

Rebecca’s current exhibition is fitting with Earth day, and the Riverside’s sustainability focus.  Recent work in Rivertown, the community housing that surrounds Joel Weeks Park, influenced this artistic response to the complex relationship between humans and a changing urban environment. Local children looking for playthings, break the branches from saplings in a new park while old and dying trees across the city drop unwanted branches, wreaking havoc on our city infrastructure.  Windfall is an interactive sculptural plaything that reanimates Toronto’s recent bane, fallen tree branches into a kinetic prosthetic for a broken relationship between children, urban nature and outdoor play.

Riverside Community Clean up

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On April 26-27 Riverside residents and businesses come together to clean up their community.

There are 3 community groups cleaning 3 of Riverside neighbourhood parks -check out the date and location below:

Saturday April 26 -10am -12pm at 50 Mathilda – the South end of the Joel Weeks Park

The Riverside Green Initiative will clean up  Joel Weeks Park and the surrounding area on April 26 . There will be a table set up outside 50 Matilda with some drinks and snacks for volunteers as well as the supplies for the clean-up (bags and gloves).  There will be a  big group photo of our efforts.

Saturday April 26 10am -12pm at 25 Saulter St – Saulter St Parkette – Start at Ralph Thornton Center (761 Queen E) till the South end of the Joel Weeks Park. The gang at the Ralph Thornton Community Center will lead a clean up the empty lot across from the Ralph Thornton Center and the Saulter St Parkette, beginning at 10am at the RTC.

Sunday April 27th 9am at the Wardell/Degrassi entrance to the park beside 55 Degrassi Street. The Degrassi/Wardell/Cummings Triangle Residents Association will be cleaning Bruce Mackey Park from Dundas to Queen, as well as the south side of Queen Street.

Pop into Quince Flowers from 3-5pm to view the Artists’ Network Pop up show in Quince Flowers.