Dubbed #AnHonestFarewell , the multi-disciplinary art event is meant to bring Toronto together with a sense of community pride. Honest Ed’s has been a fixture in Toronto since Ed Mirvish opened the store in 1948.  Known for bargain basement prices and pun-y signage, shoppers were encouraged to “come and get lost”…and that to this day, still rings true.

I can recall getting lost myself as a young child. Mom and grandma will never forget the day that I wandered off into the toy section and beyond as they shopped. Almost escaped out the front door with a bag  full of intentional buys too! And this is common ground for many Torontonians…recalling all sorts of funny stories and  memories of Honest Ed’s.

“When I was a teenager of about 15, I always shopped there. Once I bought a really great black wool trench coat, even through it was in the height of summer,” said Toronto artist Gary Taxali. “I had my hands full of records so I had no choice but to wear it. I’ll never forget eating an Honest Ed’s hot dog and suddenly catching myself in one of the store mirrors. I laughed at how ridiculous I must have looked wearing the thick winter coat on such a humid day, but nobody seemed to notice or care. In Honest Ed’s it was okay to be or look like a freak. Great deals without judgement, how could I not love the place?”

Taxali is just one of the many artists involved in the city’s saddest 4-day goodbye celebration. “I tried to echo some of the inspiration type in my own style, and couple it with images of character and scenes. To me, Honest Ed’s was more than a retail store. It was a place that you could walk away  from with a really great story. My art has a lot of narrative components, and I thought it fitting to capture some of the mood and atmosphere of how I feel (and always felt) when I entered the great store. I don’t know a single artist that didn’t love the place,” said Taxali on his installation that consists of a project of words and images.

The many art installations involved are works of passion. Sol Guy, Founder of DAIS explained that  ART1ST is a collaborative and immersive experience with artists including MissMe, Mustafa the Poet, Art of Dope, Mnsota, Courtney Taylor and others. Guy, who’s very inspiring, tells us that the organization’s mandate is always to put artists first.  “The importance of Honest Ed’s from a creative and cultural perspective is they’ve become a pillar of community. It was not just a place of commerce to sell things but they also had a balance of giving back and that’s what artists do as well. We put out to the community.” said Guy. “Even with this event, there’s a sense of importance because everyone comes together. It’s inevitable what comes next but when you invite people in, that’s pretty symbolic. Yes, there will be a tear-down and a build back up. The community has  a sense of ownership of what comes next.  It feels good to be part of this creatively and a contributor culturally to be in this space where people have 360 vision.”

The ART1ST installation is tucked in where the former hair salon was situated in Honest Ed’s. Guy tells us that within the past couple of weeks, the creative elements of the installation is reflective of what’s happening in the world today.   “In the times that we’re living in now, the artist’s role becomes really important,” says Guy. Through a blend of performance, collage, sculpture and sounds, the installation explores the importance of art and a desire to inspire a call to action as well as to heal others. Signs displayed here were part of recent protests held in the city created by citizens in the city.

A large black and white mural created by Fucci greets you as you’re on the stairwell of the East Building. Fucci is a Finnish-Canadian artist who resides in Toronto and is known for his bold and minimalist approach to contemporary art. Cais, who reps Fucci,  at the Only One Gallery  tells us, “It’s always been about community and showing new artists especially giving young artists a chance to show their work. Fucci is getting a lot of traction lately,” says Cais. The larger-than-life mural depicts a well-dressed, but understated, image of a gentleman with briefcase in hand. A pigeon rests trustingly with words “snack time” that has us all speculating if that’s indeed Ed Mirvish himself.

Wandering (and yes, getting lost) between the buildings we came across a colourful room behind a veil of streamers created by artist Stephanie Payne. Her fun house type of space was inspired by the circus like aesthetic of Honest Ed’s. “I wanted to create a whimsical, carnival-like fun house from ceiling to floor,” said Payne. “This was a very site-specific project and I saw a lot of potential with the pillars and the mirror. It’s a wacky fun house space and it’s theatrical, psychedelic. I want people to come and explore, get lost in the space and reflect. I wanted to give a sense of nostalgia, wonder and magic. I felt like Ed Mirvish always wanted to create this sense of magic and I wanted to commemorate that fun voice that he had.”

The art installations are just one element of the celebration. There are many events including a Cocktail Gala, Bargain Bash, and Town Halls planned over the four days. Several family-friendly events are happening during the weekend that include Ukulele Workshop with K-Funk & Lady Ree, scavenger hunt, and more. There will also be an ice cream social, a dance workshop with the National Ballet School (no dance experience required!) and many great community hub events. Note: some events are ticketed.

Whether you grew up with fond memories of Honest Ed’s (or not) this is your last chance to “come in and get lost.”

For more information visit torontoforeveryone.com 

The post Toronto Artists Say Goodbye to Honest Ed’s with 4 Days of Events appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

Meeting people in Toronto who are passionate about their creative endeavours are one of the reasons I love working on this column. The constant search for new ideas and creative solutions. I recently got to sit down with Olivier and Sophie who are two of the creators of Wondereur, a new App that uses the Apple iPad as a vessel to showcase artists and their work who they have met through their artistic networks. Both originally from France the two were obviously very excited about what they had created and were very eager to share the idea behind it with me.

The App takes a photojournalistic approach to showcasing a new artist every week. With photographs, quotes, and bios viewers can find out about, and buy, new artwork from around the world. The production to create a single profile is lengthy but the final product’s aesthetic appeal is worth the wait. Currently the App is only available on iPad and on web browsers but for the full experience iPads are highly recommended.

Here are a few questions that I asked of Olivier about how it all works.

How have your backgrounds led to the creation of Wondereur?

Sophie is the former Head of publishing of Foundation Cartier which is one of the biggest private foundations of Contemporary art in Europe…what is really amazing with Foundation Cartier is that they take great risk with Artists….so for her Wondereur is a natural fit.

Angelica carries several decades of Documentary film making and design experience….and Wondereur stories are at the intersection of Design and intimate documentary.

As for me (Olivier): My baby food at home was art and my child playground was marche aux puces in Paris et contemporary art museums and exhibitions (and so are my kids now)…so when you mix it with a love for design, process design and building from the ground up….then comes wondereur.

How have tablets allowed us to have a richer experience with the App?

I don’t think richer is the most important element…but instead more intimate. Indeed, touching what you see is such a natural desire and with a computer you can’t do that. So touching a picture, a story, touching an artwork is really creating a connection that you can’t have on a computer or in an exhibit (all is fenced).

Also, the quality of the images thru an iPad is stunning. So much better than on a computer….it makes you dive into a picture.

We developed a web version of Wondereur a few weeks ago. Feedbacks have been great but we can’t wait for hardware makers to get rid of the mouse and leverage hand or finger gestures like with Leap Motion.

How do you find the artists and how do you find the people who suggest the artists? What types do you target?

Imagine that your best friend was the queen of investment banking and she knows very well when and where to invest…and she would give you insider tips. We are doing the same thing for contemporary art.  We ask on an ongoing basis very well established artists and curators in Toronto, Paris, NYC,…to recommend artists that they believe in and are worth investing in now because they are at the tipping point of their career.

We find them through our connections to major institutions in North America and Europe.

How do you create the profiles? Who is involved? (photographers, videographers, sample materials/artwork?) Explain star bonuses?

It is a very collaborative work for every story. It involves storytelling designers, Desigerrs, Journalists and photojournalists….to create an intimate, interesting and beautiful story

When we receive a recommendation for an Artist from a leading figure of the art world the process kicks in (the process was intensively designed to unveil intimacy and what drives the person. It starts by Proust questionaire, interviews and reaches its peak by matching a photojournalist with the artist. Indeed, the photojournalist and the artist will spend 6 to 24 hours together and the story can be amazing if the two build an interesting relationship during this time. The photojournalists usually have been on mission to Irak, Afghanistan, Haiti or other challenging places and have this incredible gift to capture moments, capture emotions. It is really match making two adventurers: one in the art world  and one in the journalism world. Once the shoot is done the journalist and designers put the story together as well as the storefront. The process takes months to design and to make it a very simple, yet unique, experience for the artist and to build amazing photostory every week.

How many artists are on Wondereur at one time and how long do they stay up for?

We feature one new artist (so one new story and one new storefront) every week. They stay featured with full access to their work for 3 weeks.

What is the best part about doing business in Toronto?

Toronto will be the new New York City 50 years from now. There is a huge amount of energy here as well as possibility.

Do you have any other businesses in Toronto that you love?

Actually it is not a business per say but more a non profit called CSI (Centre for Social Innovation: 3 buildings in Toronto and now one in NYC). CSI was created by Tonya Surman with the goal to spur social innovation. She and CSI have an incredible impact on the social and startup scene and really driving innovation. Yep, in love.

What is next for Wondereur? 

Big focus on the international. We already have an exciting selection of artists from Paris and Marseilles, as well as from NYC and Tokyo. We want a Parisian to discover artists and buy art from Toronto, and a Torontonian to not only enjoy local artists but also artists from Tokyo or Paris.

Also, we will continue to push to have price ranges accessible to anyone for every artist we show for art worth investing in.

Explore their website.

The post Wondereur – a Platform for Art appeared first on Toronto Guardian.