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Thursday, November 06, 2014

Murals tell tales of Toronto's Corktown at King Street underpass

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release:  November 6, 2014
 
Murals tell tales of Toronto's Corktown at King Street underpass

StreetARToronto (StART) today unveiled four murals designed to highlight Corktown's history and bring colour to four formerly grey pillars in the community.

The murals, created by lead artist Shalak Attack with artistic collaborator Bruno Smoky and project assistant Fiya Bruxa of Essencia Collective, are located on King Street west of Sumach Street.

"These exciting murals are a welcome addition to the revitalization of our Corktown public realm and bring beauty and vitality to our public spaces," said Councillor Pam McConnell (Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale). "Investing in local artists and art not only makes our neighbourhoods more beautiful, but it nurtures the spiritual health of our city."

Each pillar highlights a different part of Corktown's past. One showcases its First Nations history and the early migration of European settlers who helped build the neighbourhood. A second depicts the area's working class roots and the third mural highlights education and Toronto's first free school, Enoch Turner. A fourth mural looks to the future with a bold cityscape.

StART, launched in 2012, is a program of Transportation Services' Public Realm Section. It is an innovative, public-private partnership designed to develop, support, promote and increase awareness of street art and its ability to beautify the city's visual landscape.

StART’s Underpass Program provides opportunities for artists to create works of art that contribute to the program mandate, to make walking, cycling or driving through Toronto's underpasses more appealing, and to strengthen the sense of place, inclusion and belonging within communities.

Lead artist Shalak Attack is a Canadian-Chilean visual artist dedicated to promoting her artistic expression on urban walls across the world. Together with her husband Bruno Smoky and her sister Fiya Bruxa, Shalak’s inspiration is to share the beauty and strength of storytelling through colours to contribute to the cultural and artistic development of local and international communities.

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/1xdSJ0p

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

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Media contact: Steve Johnston, Strategic Communications, 416-392-4391, sjohnsto@toronto.ca  

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