An Honest Farewell Party

For years Honest Ed's discount department store was an icon of the city. Not so much a tourist attraction, but if you've ever lived in Toronto, whether you visited it on the regular or not, you knew of this garish, blazing, giant, of a store and the surrounding Mervish Village. The brightly coloured, flashing marquee* was a beacon at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor, making it a recognizable part of the city.

These days the sign has gone dark and  show floors emptied as plans for the new development get underway. But before things were completely boarded up and gutted a four day goodbye party was hosted by the Centre for Social Innovation over a warm weekend in February. 'An Honest Farewell: The First, Last & Only Farewell to Honest Ed's' had a packed itinerary from a cocktail gala, an immersive art maze, to a bargain market and farmer's market.

I convinced a couple of friends of mine to join me on one of the afternoons and it was honestly a really great time. Some of the art was fantastic, some was just okay, and others still were fun and interactive.  Considering the late Ed Mervish was strong supporter of the arts in Toronto, I think he'd be pleased to be part of this art initiative 'Toronto for Everyone' and such a lovely goodbye tribute.

It's too bad this party couldn't be an annual event, but time marches on and things sometimes have to change to keep up with the times. It was a fitting and fun farewell.

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Getting Out There Winter Stations 2017

Winter. Who's done with it already? To help the masses muddle through the cold, dark months of the season Toronto is pretty good and finding things to drag us out of our cozy, central heated homes and brave the blustery outdoors. 

Cue year three of Winter Stations down in the east Toronto Beaches neighbourhood (read my post on year two Winter Stations). Taking over the shoreline with 8 large, art installations using the disused lifeguard stations as their armatures and being made from materials that can withstand the harsh winter weather conditions that occur off  Lake Ontario. This year participants were encouraged to be inspired by the theme, Catalyst, focusing on materials like sand, water, and plastic. 

Midwinter Fire by Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto From Toronto, Canada

Midwinter Fire by Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto From Toronto, Canada

The Beacon, by Joao Araujo Sousa and Joanna Correia Silva from

Porto, Portugal

BuoyBuoyBuoy by Dionisios Vriniotis, Rob Shostak, Dakota Wares-Tani, and Julie Forand from Toronto, Canada

North by Studio Perch, from Montreal, CANADA

The Illusory By Humber College School of Media Studies & IT, School of Applied Technology From Toronto, Canada

Although 'North' was my favourite piece of the Winter Stations, I found myself fascinated by 'The Illusory' and really enjoying interacting with it's reflective surfaces. I think visiting on such a sunny day really blended the piece into its surroundings until closer inspection.

Flotsam & Jetsam by University of Waterloo from Waterloo, Canada

Now you might be thinking, 'Hang on a tick. She said there were 8 Winter Stations, but there are clearly only 7 pictured here! What's she playing at?'  Well done, eagle eyed reader, if but a tad aggressive. Yes, I only actually saw 7 of the 8 stations. It was a cold, blustery day, we thought we were done. Despite missing I See You Ashiyu by Asuka Kono and Rachael Salmela from Toronto, Canada, the Winter Stations still got us out there enjoying fresh air and staving off cabin fever for one more day.

Not much longer to check them out for yourself running until March 27th, 2017

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