FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Heritage Murals Depicting Scarborough’s History Given New Life After 20+ Years
TORONTO, ON July 28, 2017- The heritage murals in the Birch Cliff and Cliffside areas of Scarborough have been part of the community landscape for over twenty-five years. While murals are often considered temporary, these pieces of history have become embedded community landmarks. Their faded stories will be given new life this summer under a restoration project coordinated by Mural Routes.
The Heritage Trail mural project began in the early 1990s as a project of the Scarborough Arts Council (now Scarborough Arts). The project was so successful that Mural Routes was spun out into an independent non-profit organization. Since this inaugural “route”, Mural Routes has created over 50 murals across the GTA, bringing unexpected beauty to daily lives.
After their long residence in the community, several of Scarborough’s earliest murals are in need of restoration. These murals portray the ship used by John Graves Simcoe to sail across Lake Ontario and establish Upper Canada, the Scarborough Rifle Company marching to defend against Fenian Raids, and a local garage popular during the golden age of automobiles along Kingston Road.
“These murals both depict Scarborough’s history and are a part of that history” noted Karin Eaton, Executive and Artistic Director of Mural Routes, “They have become community landmarks; this restoration project will bring them back to their original vibrancy and allow them to be enjoyed for years to come.
With the urging and support of the wall owners and the permission of the original artists, “H.M. Schooner, Onondaga c. 1973” (Jeff Jackson, 1992), “Scarborough Rifle Company,” (John Hood, 1990, and “Spooner’s Garage” (Philip Woolf, 1992) will be restored.
The “Scarborough Rifle Company” restoration will be completed by September 19th, when the Invictus Games National Flag Tour will make one of only three stops in the GTA at the Scarborough Legion Branch 13 (on which the mural is located).
Mural Routes is seeking additional support for this project. For more information or to make a donation, please visit
muralroutes.ca/donate. Tax-deductible donations can also be sent in the form of cheques to the Mural Routes office at 1859 Kingston Rd, Toronto, ON, M1N 1T3. Inquiries can be directed to
info@muralroutes.ca or
416 698 7995.
In order from left to right: “H.M. Schooner, Onondaga c. 1973” by Jeff Jackson, “Scarborough Rifle Company” by John Hood, and “Spooner’s Garage” by Phillip Woolf
About:
Mural Routes is the only not-for-profit art service organization in Canada dedicated to the creation, development, and promotion of public wall art. Their vision is to inspire the creation of extraordinary public wall art that serves as a catalyst for community building. In late 2015, Mural Routes was awarded an Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow Grant for the purpose of expanding their existing education and mentorship programs into the Mural Art Learning Institute (MURALi).
www.muralroutes.ca