Say goodbye to another eerie-yet-powerful ghost sign, Toronto.
Crews were spotted giving a fresh coat of paint to the east-facing wall of the old Maclean Building at 345 Adelaide Street West on Monday, effectively erasing an historic painted sign that dates all the way back to the early 1900s. November 2018 - Toronto ON
Hugh Cameron Maclean - younger brother to John Bayne Maclean, publishing magnate and founder of Maclean's Publishing Company (later known as Maclean-Hunter) - began his career as a typesetter at a young age. He ran away from his childhood home in Crieff, Ont. to find excitement in the big cities of Toronto and New York, earning a living by apprenticing at a variety of printing houses. By the time his brother entered the publishing game Hugh was already an experienced printer and John brought him on board as his partner.
However, this partnership did not last. When Hugh's wife died at the turn of the century and disagreements over advertising caused a rift in the brothers' relationship, Hugh sold his share of the company to John and moved west. Over the course of the next eight years the young Maclean moved from printing to publishing and upon his return to Toronto, created Hugh C. Maclean Publications and finally, in 1914, built the Hugh C. Maclean Building at 345 Adelaide St. W.
With a home for his new company in place, Maclean would finally stay put for the first time in his adult life. The Hugh C. Maclean Publishing Company stayed at 345 Adelaide until Hugh's death in 1949; five years later his company built a modern printery at Don Mills.
This will be a post of randomness, sculptures in and around University Avenue.
I am rather loosely walking up University.
Sun Life- Sorel Etrog, 1984
Sun Life, installed at King St. and University Ave., is a tall abstract cluster of angular bronze forms, like a machine let loose of its housing.
It was commissioned by SunLife Assurance Company of Canada when two matching glass-walled office towers that face one another across University Ave. were to be completed in 1984.
Across University is Olympia Hand 1972 also by Etrog, a huge open upright bronze hand facing outward. Knobby finger joints placed on top of other joints, this is another version of his constant theme of integration.
So, it's a good thing I bought a book on Toronto sculpture as I have walked passed this for years and never even noticed it! This is in the same area as Olympia Hand.
Architectural Sculpture- Robin Clarke, 1970
Located on the north and south sides of the Maclean-Hunter Building.
Maclean-Hunter (M-H) was a Canadian communications company, which had diversified holdings in radio, television, magazines, newspapers and cable television distribution. It was acquired by Rogers Communications.
The company began in 1887, when brothers John Bayne Maclean and Hugh Cameron Maclean launched their first trade publication, Canadian Grocer & General Storekeeper. John subsequently expanded his company into other areas of publishing, launching the general interest magazine Maclean's in 1905, the business newspaper Financial Post in 1907, the lifestyle magazine Canadian Homes and Gardens in 1925,and the women's magazine Chatelaine in 1928.
Horace Talmadge Hunter joined Maclean Publishing in 1903, moving up the management ranks from general manager in 1911 to succeed John Bayne Maclean as president in 1933; in 1945 the company's name was changed to Maclean-Hunter.
They were the biggest publishing empire in the British Empire. And that meant they could afford to buy an entire block of land in downtown Toronto. On the north-east corner of University & Dundas, they built a whole complex to house their offices and printing presses. In 1930, the latest addition had just opened: the new Maclean Building soared a whole nine storeys into the air, making it the tallest building in the neighbourhood. That's when a photographer climbed up onto the roof and snapped this photo of Toronto's skyline.
Click on the photo to enlarge.
Today, the building is still there. It's on the north side of Dundas, just to the east of the intersection. On the corner itself, you'll find a TD on the ground floor of the newer Maclean-Hunter Building; it was built in the early 1960s.
In 1958 Elizabeth Wyn Wood designed two bas-reliefs on the theme of communications for this new building. The reliefs are deeply incised into limestone panels. Wood depicts the sending and receiving of information.
Doors Open is an annual weekend event to allows free entry to buildings in the Toronto area.
Some of these buildings can be visited anytime with paid entry so we tend to avoid those as they get crowded with cranky kids families taking advantage of the no fee.
We tend to go for the ones that don't normally open to the public.
Sunday we headed out to Fool's Paradise, in Scarborough, an area that we don't often frequent.
I knew nothing about this Canadian artist, Doris McCarthy until Doors Open, but the name of her home attracted my interest.
Doris McCarthy's Fool's Paradise sits atop the Scarborough Bluffs.
McCarthy first visited the property during a sketching trip in November 1939. She was immediately inspired by the landscape views and picturesque setting and purchased the property for $1,250. In 1940, she had a small cottage constructed on the site by local builder Forest Telfer.
Its name is owed to McCarthy's mother, who considered the estate purchase an unnecessary extravagance and always referred to it as her "fool's paradise".
McCarthy's rendition of Fool's Paradise
I became more intrigued by her after this and have found an autobiography at the library and placed it on my wait list.
I found this article in Maclean's. The constant is landscape, which the Calgary-born artist began depicting as a girl growing up in Toronto’s Beaches neighbourhood and cottaging in Muskoka. A scholarship student at the Ontario College of Art, McCarthy studied with Group of Seven painters, among them J.E.H. MacDonald and Arthur Lismer, who offered her a teaching job at the Toronto Art Gallery and, after she graduated in 1930, a position at Grip, the advertising agency where many of the group worked. As a woman, she was expected to work for nothing. Having none of that, McCarthy took a position teaching art at Central Technical High School, where her students included Harold Klunder, Murray McLauchlan and Joyce Wieland, who said McCarthy inspired her to become an artist.
The school, like many of the era, prohibited women from teaching after they married. “Doris said she would have happily stopped, but it didn’t happen,” says Lynne Wynick of Wynick/Tuck.
I picked out a few of my favourites that I found online. I know she was inspired by The Group of Seven, but I find her paintings to be much more cheerful.
A prolific painter, McCarthy up to the ’70s showed often at galleries attached to department stores, universities and art societies such as the Ontario Society of Artists, of which she became the first female president in 1964. She chose to ignore the discrimination facing women artists, says Wacko: “She thought the best approach was to do the best job you can and don’t waste time whining about it.” McCarthy is not one to mope. When she realized raising a family wasn’t in her future, she forged ahead—teaching, painting and expanding Fool’s Paradise, which she purchased in 1939 and has bequeathed to the Ontario Heritage Foundation for use as an artists’ retreat after her death.
I loved this painting and found an article in which she was quoted as saying that she hoped her nineties would be as exciting as her eighties. It was accompanied by a photo of her, a wizened gingerbread type figure with gnarled arthritic hands standing before a huge canvas.
Never did she define herself as elderly. When looking for a gallery to represent her in the late ’70s, she chose Wynick/Tuck, which had a roster of young artists. “She didn’t want to be with the old guys,” says Wynick. In 1989, at age 79, she received a B.A. in English from the University of Toronto and published the first of three well-received memoirs, which contributed to what friends refer to as the “cult of Doris.” When her publisher wanted to use “old woman” in the title of the third, McCarthy prevailed. “I’m damned if I’m going to be old,” she told the Globe and Mail. The book’s final title: Ninety Years Wise. Fool’s Paradise evolved and grew over McCarthy’s time there, guided by her personal preferences. The one-storey wood frame structure comprises attached wings off the central small studio, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The interior of Fool’s Paradise follows an irregular layout, as wings have been added to the original cottage over the years. The living/dining room has high vaulted ceilings with exposed pine beams.
A large studio has a wood-burning Franklin stove. There are large built-in cabinets for storage of paintings and art supplies. A clever pulley device is in place at either end of the studio that McCarthy constructed to lift her large paintings so she could stand back and view them.
“Fool’s Paradise will continue to be… a place for healing, for laughter, for shared tears, for growing.” – Doris McCarthy (from Doris McCarthy – My Life)
In keeping with McCarthy’s wishes when she donated the property to the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Trust has converted Fool’s Paradise into an Artist-in-Residence Centre. Professional visual artists, musicians, and writers can apply to live and work at this serene and picturesque site. The Centre embraces the multi-disciplinary nature of the arts, strives to demonstrate the positive and restorative influence of landscape and the environment, and fosters excellence among contemporary Canadian artists, musicians, and writers.
We bought tickets for this, after seeing the theatre marquee last week. I got the cheapest tickets and they worked out well. It felt good to only pay $35 each.
We loved this docu-concert! What a history lesson. This won't be a usual Foto Tunes post for me, instead I'm going to document as much as I can remember. A big thanks to AI for refining my scattered thoughts and memories into a somewhat concise recap of what was mentioned in the show.
They performed most of the songs I have included below! I included the Waylon Jennings songs.
Before I get into that, here is a A Great Interview with the creator, about 20 minutes long.
Created by PEI-based Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson, the show features an all-Canadian band from Prince Edward Island.
"American Pie" by Don McLean (1971) is a 8-minute ballad mourning the loss of innocence in America, spanning from the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly—"the day the music died"—to the turbulent, dark end of the 1960s. It uses cryptic imagery to blend personal nostalgia with political and social commentary on the death of 50s optimism. Wikipedia
Every Day - Buddy Holly
Chantilly Lace - The Big Bopper
Come On, Let's Go - Richie Valens
[Verse 1]
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music
Used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
"A long, long time ago...": Sets the scene in the late 1950s, a time seen as simpler.
"February made me shiver/With every paper I'd deliver":
February 3, 1959, the day Buddy Holly died; McLean was a paperboy and went to Catholic school.
"I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride" The "widowed bride" refers to Maria Elena Holly, the wife of Buddy Holly, who was pregnant and newly married when Holly died in a 1959 plane crash.
"The day the music died":
The death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper in a plane crash.
Waylon Jennings, who was only 21 at the time, narrowly escaped the 1959 plane crash because he gave up his seat to J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. The decision was born out of simple kindness but resulted in an exchange of words that would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life.
The Fateful Seat Swap The "Winter Dance Party" tour was plagued by brutal weather and broken-down buses with no heat. Frustrated, Buddy Holly chartered a three-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza to get to the next show in Fargo, North Dakota, early to do laundry and rest.
The Big Bopper’s Flu: Richardson was suffering from a bad case of the flu and, due to his large size, couldn't rest comfortably on the cramped tour bus. Jennings' Sacrifice: Jennings agreed to give his seat to Richardson so the older singer could see a doctor and rest before the next gig. The Coin Toss: Guitarist Tommy Allsup lost his seat on the plane to Ritchie Valens in a famous coin toss.
The Haunted Final Conversation Before they parted, Buddy Holly and Waylon Jennings engaged in some friendly, lighthearted ribbing that took on a tragic meaning just hours later:
Buddy Holly: "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up." Waylon Jennings: "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes." Jennings later admitted in interviews, such as with CMT, that the guilt from this exchange "tore me up inside for years". He struggled with survivor's guilt, questioning why he had lived while his friend and mentor, who had accomplished so much by age 22, had died. Musical Tributes Jennings eventually channeled his grief into several songs, most notably:"Old Friend": A heartfelt tribute to Holly written to process his deep grief.
"The Stage (Stars in Heaven)": A spoken-word track that honors Holly, Valens, and Richardson as "stars in heaven".
"A Long Time Ago": Includes the lyric, "Don’t ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane, I think you already know," acknowledging the enduring public fascination with the event
[Chorus]
So, bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"
The chorus of "American Pie" serves as a repeated farewell to the American Dream of the 1950s—an era of suburban comfort, classic cars, and moral certainty.
The Dinah Shore Connection The line "Drove my Chevy to the levee" is a direct, ironic subversion of a popular 1950s Chevrolet commercial featuring singer Dinah Shore.
The Commercial: Shore’s famous jingle, "See the USA in your Chevrolet," depicted an idyllic, boundless America where "life is completer in a Chevy".
The Subversion: In McLean’s version, the journey ends at a "dry" levee. This suggests that the promise of the American Dream—freedom, prosperity, and happiness—has run out or was ultimately hollow.
Breakdown of the American Dream
McLean uses the chorus to highlight the collapse of 1950s optimism into 1960s disillusionment:
"Bye-bye, Miss American Pie": A symbolic goodbye to the "apple pie" innocence of America. It suggests that the country's wholesome identity died along with its musical heroes.
"The levee was dry": While often linked to a local bar in McLean's hometown of New Rochelle called "The Levee" (which reportedly went dry when the town banned alcohol), it metaphorically represents the end of a "lush," prosperous era.
"This'll be the day that I die": A play on the Buddy Holly hit "That’ll Be the Day," where the lyric was originally "That'll be the day that I die". By using it here, McLean suggests that for many, the death of their idols felt like the death of their own youth and hope.
The "Whiskey and Rye "The "good ole boys" drinking whiskey IN Rye refer to locals from New Rochelle who would drive to nearby Rye, New York, to drink once their own town became "dry". This grounded, biographical detail anchors the song's grand metaphors in McLean's actual life as a witness to these changing times.
[Verse 2]
Did you write the book of love?
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now, do you believe in rock 'n' roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
Verse 2: The Singer’s Youth" the book of love": Refers to a 1957 hit song by The Monotones
."Girl who sang the blues": Likely Janis Joplin.
"The three men I admire most/The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost": Often interpreted as the three musicians who died in the crash (Holly, Valens, Richardson)
"Kicking off your shoes" refers to sock hops.
"With a pink carnation"
[Chorus]
Verse 3]
Now, for ten years, we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
Verse 3: The 1960s Begin & Bob Dylan "Moss grows fat on a rolling stone": A direct reference to Bob Dylan ("Like a Rolling Stone") and his success."
The jester sang for the king and queen/In a coat he borrowed from James Dean":
In both historical contexts and common interpretations of "American Pie," the figure of the jester is deeply tied to the idea of delivering uncomfortable truths or bad news that others dare not speak.
Parallels Between Jesters and Modern Comedians
"Comic Dispensation": Much like the medieval jester's privilege, modern comedians operate under the unspoken rule that "it’s just a joke". This allows them to tackle sensitive topics—politics, religion, and social failures—that would be considered too offensive in other contexts.
The Truth-Teller's Shield: Both use satire as a "Trojan horse" to infiltrate the mindset of the ruling class or general public. By making people laugh at an absurdity, they force an acknowledgment of a deeper, often unpleasant, reality.
The "Canary in the Coal Mine": Some critics argue that the freedom of comedians is a litmus test for a society's health. If comedians are silenced for their critiques, it often signals a shift toward a more authoritarian or "fragile".
The Jester is widely considered to be Bob Dylan, wearing a jacket similar to one worn by James Dean, taking the spotlight from Elvis (the King).
In the context of "American Pie," this is why many identify Bob Dylan as the jester; he wasn't just a singer, but a provocateur whose lyrics functioned as a critique of the "Camelot" era.
"Lenin read a book on Marx" This is one of the song’s most famous puns. While it literally describes the communist foundations of Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, it’s widely accepted as a dig at John Lennon.
The Political Shift: McLean is pointing out how Lennon (and the Beatles) moved from singing simple love songs to songs with heavy political and social agendas (like "Revolution" or "Working Class Hero").The Loss of Joy: To McLean, when music became a vehicle for heavy-handed ideology ("reading Marx"), it lost the soul and "magic" that Buddy Holly represented.
The "quartet" in the song refers to The Beatles, and this specific verse tracks their transformation from upbeat "mop-tops" into the experimental, somber, and ultimately fractured group of the late 1960s.
"The quartet practiced in the park" This most likely refers to the Beatles' final live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. After this, they stopped touring entirely to focus on studio work. McLean uses this as a turning point: the music was moving from the "danceable" fun of the 50s into something more isolated and complex.
"And we sang dirges in the dark" A dirge is a funeral song or a lament for the dead. McLean is highlighting a massive tonal shift in the culture:
The End of "Love Me Do": The bright, optimistic pop of the early 60s was replaced by darker, more cynical themes.
A Culture in Mourning: By the late 60s, the "dark" was literal and metaphorical. Between the Vietnam War and the assassinations of RFK and MLK, the "Summer of Love" had curdled. The songs people were singing weren't celebrations anymore; they were laments for a failing dream.
Where Have All the Flowers Gone - Peter Paul and Mary
[Chorus]
Verse 4]
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and fallin' fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now, the halftime air was sweet perfume
While sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?
"Helter Skelter": The Beatles song that inspired the Charles Manson murders, marking a dark turn.
A “helter skelter” is an amusement park ride with a slide built in a spiral around a high tower (it’s also British slang, meaning “in disorderly haste or confusion”)
The line "The birds flew off with a fallout shelter / Eight miles high and falling fast" is one of the most widely accepted references in the song, pointing directly to the band The Byrds and their 1966 psychedelic hit, "Eight Miles High.
"The Breakdown" The birds": A pun on the band name,
The Byrds."Eight miles high": McLean confirmed that this specific phrase was taken from a song.
The Byrds' track is famous for being one of the first psychedelic rock songs and was notorious for being banned from radio stations due to its perceived drug references.
"Fallout shelter": This refers to the Cold War paranoia of the era. Historically, a "fallout shelter" was also slang for a rehabilitation facility; one of the members of The Byrds, Gene Clark, reportedly checked into a facility shortly after the song's release.
"Falling fast": This describes the rapid cultural and literal decline of the band's original lineup. Gene Clark left the group shortly after "Eight Miles High" was recorded, and the group's "stratospheric" success began to fracture.
"The players tried for a forward pass/With the jester on the sidelines in a cast": 1960s activists trying to make change while Dylan (the jester) was sidelined (possibly referring to his 1966 motorcycle accident).
While Don McLean is famously evasive about specific interpretations, many analysts and fans link the Kent State shooting to the fourth verse of "American Pie," where the imagery of football and music shifts into a description of violent civil unrest.
Key References Linked to Kent State
"The marching band refused to yield": McLean has stated that the "marching band" refers to the military-industrial complex. In the context of the 1970 Kent State massacre, this is widely seen as the Ohio National Guard refusing to back down and eventually opening fire on student protesters.
"The players tried to take the field":
These "players" are often interpreted as the anti-war student protesters attempting to reclaim "the field" (society or the campus) for peace, only to be met by the unyielding force of the "marching band".
"Sweet perfume": While frequently associated with marijuana, McLean confirmed in his songwriting notes and interviews that "sweet perfume" is actually a reference to tear gas used by law enforcement and the military to disperse crowds during these protests.
The song "Ohio," written by Neil Young and recorded just weeks after the shootings, directly mentions "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming" to describe the National Guard.
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
[Chorus]
[Verse 5]
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
Verse 5: The End of Optimism (Altamont, 1969)"Jack Flash sat on a candlestick": Mick Jagger/Rolling Stones (Jumpin' Jack Flash).
The "Sacrificial Rite" at Altamont
This imagery is widely interpreted as a description of the Altamont Free Concert on December 6, 1969.
The Event: Intended to be a "Woodstock West," Altamont instead became a scene of chaos and violence. The Rolling Stones hired the Hells Angels for security (the "Angels born in Hell"), who beat spectators with pool cues.
The Killing: The "sacrificial rite" culminates in the fatal stabbing of Meredith Hunter, a young Black man, by a Hells Angel while the Stones were performing "Under My Thumb".
Satan Laughing: "Satan" is almost universally identified as Mick Jagger. Jagger was known for his "devilish" persona—having just released Sympathy for the Devil—and McLean's narrator watches him on stage with "fists of rage," feeling Jagger was "inciting fire and rebellion" while the crowd suffered.
The End of the Era
For McLean, this event was the ultimate proof that the "Peace and Love" movement had failed. The innocence of the 1950s hadn't just faded; it was literally burned away in a "sacrificial rite" of violence and ego.
[Chorus]
Little Girl Blue - Janis Joplin
[Bridge]
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets, the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
Verse 6: The girl who sang the blues is almost universally identified as Janis Joplin, the legendary blues-rock singer who died of a heroin overdose in 1970.
Lyrical Interpretation
"And I asked her for some happy news": This refers to the narrator seeking comfort or a return to the "happy," danceable rock and roll of the 50s."But she just smiled and turned away": This line is widely seen as a metaphor for Joplin's death.
Since she had passed away, she could no longer offer the "happy news" or the musical salvation the narrator was looking for.
McLean’s Contradictory Stance
While the Joplin theory is the standard interpretation, Don McLean has occasionally complicated it in later years:
Refutation: In a 2022 documentary, McLean reportedly insisted that Joplin is not "the girl who sang the blues".
Alternative meaning: He suggested the character might simply represent a woman who told him about the original plane crash (the "blues") and had no "happy news" to share.
Despite these later denials, the timing of Joplin’s death (just before the song was written) and her status as the definitive "girl who sang the blues" of that era make her the most enduring candidate for this reference.
The "sacred store" mentioned in the final verse is widely understood as a literal record store where McLean, as a boy, first discovered the music that "made him smile."
Literal and Historical MeaningT
he House of Music: McLean has identified the "sacred store" as a real shop called the House of Music on Main Street in his hometown of New Rochelle, New York. This is where he bought his first records and guitar.
Listening Booths: The line "the man there said the music wouldn't play" likely refers to the discontinuation of in-store listening booths, a staple of 1950s record shops that allowed customers to preview albums before buying. By the early 70s, this service had largely vanished.
The final lines of "American Pie" signify a total cultural collapse and the loss of innocence, where the "children" represent victims of societal unrest. The broken church bells symbolize the end of moral authority,
In the final verse of "American Pie," the "three men I admire most" who catch the "last train for the coast" are widely interpreted to represent the three major political assassinations that defined and darkened the 1960s: John F. Kennedy (JFK), Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK).
The Assassination Layer
While the "Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost" primarily refers to the three musicians who died in the 1959 plane crash—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper—it serves as a symbolic double for these three martyred political leaders:
A Generation's Loss:
Don McLean has noted that the song was driven by the "insanity of America" following Kennedy's death. The removal of these three figures mirrored the loss of the "music" from the first verse, signifying that both the cultural and political hope of the era had vanished.
The "Last Train": Their departure for "the coast" (metaphorically, California or the : Their departure for "the coast" (metaphorically, California or the afterlife) represents the ultimate exit of morality and leadership from the American landscape.
Why "The Coast
"?California as the End: In American mythology, "the coast" (California) often represents the final frontier or the end of the line. Their departure there suggests that the optimism of the 1950s had traveled as far as it could and simply ran out of room.
Jester - court jester bad news in a funny way like today's comedians
Toronto is gearing up for a second year of raising awareness with over 100 new one-of-a-kind brain creations by local and international artists with a focus on bolder designs in their medium of choice.
I have taken the descriptions from the Telus website.
2017 TOTAL TO DATE - 53
These were found in the Distillery District, a vibrant revitalized area of shops and restaurants.
Food for Thought
The connection between a healthy diet and our brain health is the concept behind Cindy Scaife’s artwork. Foods rich in omega-3 fats, vitamin B and other nutrients greatly contribute to the overall health of our brains. As her artwork often focuses on the history of food items, she saw this topic as a perfect fit with her anthropomorphic style. The "super food" broccoli is joined by avocado, walnut and others for a day out.
Back then…
Artist Sandra Brewster remembers being very young on Dunsfold Drive, playing in the streets with the other neighbourhood kids. They stayed out there until the sun fell. She remembers making angels in the mound of snow at the front of her house and her Mom hollering at them to "Hurry, inside!" This was a very long time ago.
Not Forgotten
Through a collage of fabric, embellished with hand embroidery, lace and trim, neuro artist Laura Bundesen explores the brain’s functions through colour, form and texture, including two distinctly different hemispheres. This piece is in loving memory of her stepmother who suffered from dementia and didn’t recognize her the last time they met, but said “Laura… that’s one of my favourite names.” Somehow, somewhere inside, she had not forgotten.
Brain Code
This is Brain Code.
Red Head
Canadian artist Anitra Hamilton used chicken eggshells, glue, acrylic paint and varnish in creating her piece Red Head for the Brain Project.
Loss
Artist Keight MacLean’s brain sculpture explores the idea of memory and memory loss through the portrait of a loved one. On one side of the brain is a portrait of a young woman, her face slightly obscured by drips of paint. On the reverse side, the portrait begins to slightly warp as more of the woman is obscured by paint and dirt.
Raining Cows, “BLUE SUN”
The artist’s life came to a screeching halt after the tragic and violent death of his brother and best friend. Everything positive and creative was replaced by darkness. His world was upside down. He was extremely depressed. He thought there was no hope. One day he took an old canvas from his closet and started painting these "Raining Cows." After he started, he could not stop. He created this imaginary world to cope with reality. He painted these floating creatures to help him with the traumatic experiences he has had. It is therapy for him. It is his outlet. The "Raining Cows" encourage and motivate him to keep going regardless of what happened in his past. The Sun is still Blue but soon it will rise and the fire in him will blaze red once again.
Right and Left Hemisphere
Daniel St-Amant’s sculpture is a representation of the two sides of our brain. The right side is used for recognizing faces, visual imagery, colour and music. People sometimes call it the right hemisphere or The Creative Brain. St-Amant presents it as a lush meadow with trees and grass.
The left hemisphere is known as The Logical Brain. It is responsible for logic, numbers, words, lists and analysis, and represented by construction, civilization and development. St-Amant hopes to remind people that we must keep a healthy balance between the two in life and in spirit.
A short excerpt from a National Film Board Somewhere in Heaven about Liberty Village before it got trendy and was an artists' haven.
Originally home to heavy industry, Liberty Village has undergone a startling transformation and emerged as the creative and innovative heart of Toronto. Where once machines hummed and physical labour ruled, today an exciting new reality is crafted from that enduring collaborative spirit and passion for creativity.
The Toronto Carpet Factory (built between 1899 and 1920 by the Hayes family) is a classic example of English Industrial style, with the operational buildings encircling the boiler house. The Barrymore brothers manufactured woven carpets but converted the looms to make coats and blankets for our soldiers in both World Wars. They also manufactured furniture just down the street on Atlantic Ave. York Heritage Properties purchased the Toronto Carpet Factory in the 1980’s and converted it into office and commercial use taking great pains to maintain the historic and architectural features of the building including its high ceilings, operable windows, wooden floors and exposed bricks and columns.
There are many smokestacks scattered around Liberty Village. Looking back towards the carpet factory.
The Toronto Carpet Factory comprises eight buildings on a 4-acre, one-city-block site, with a total rentable area of approximately 310,000 square feet. The buildings, built between 1899 and 1920, are similar in architecture to other industrial buildings built in Britain and America during that time. They were constructed in the classic 19th century style of perimeter buildings forming a cloister around a central quadrangle and powerhouse. All of the buildings are of heavy timber construction with load-bearing brick walls, wooden columns and beams, and hardwood floors. All roof decks are wooden, with the exception of the boiler room/generator room which is concrete slab. If you zoom on the legend on the mural you will see its current tenants are very trendy with names like:
5ive 15ifteen Photo Company
Digital Black Magic
Brainbox Media
The Word on the Street I attended their annual Toronto book festival a few weeks ago.
War Child Canada
Nude by Nature not what you think, it is an Australian makeup brand
Sinking Ship Entertainment
Shoeless Joe's Bar and Grill
School Bakery and Cafe
Mural - William Lazos
In its time, the site was considered to be "state of the art", completely self-reliant, with its own steam-generated heat, power and electricity capabilities, fire pump and an underground cistern storing 625,000 gallons of water for emergency use. The cistern, still operational, remains buried beneath the floor of 72 Fraser Ave. A maze of catacombs (steam pipes), still deliver heat through the site. Ceiling heights range from 12' up to 22', and 24' in some of the corridors of Mowat Ave. Alterations to the buildings have been undertaken with the utmost care to retain the integrity of all original architectural detail. York Heritage Properties, the owners of the Toronto Carpet Factory like to refer to their method of renovations as "invisible mending" - repairs that don't draw attention to themselves.
I was looking for this mural, not realizing how fabulous these buildings were!
Siobhan Kennedy developed the concept with Jim Kushnir & Sara MacLean | Mural Artist: William Lazos
