This weekend is the last time Torontonians can check out an old house that’s been transformed into an immersive art mural painted by over 40 local artists before it gets demolished.
When 91 Barton Avenue was set to be demolished by Green Street Flats, Toronto artist Stephanie Avery thought it would be interesting to transform the house into a work of art, and Art on Barton was born.
As a resident in the Christie Pitts neighbourhood, Avery passed the house all the time and was aware of the redevelopment plans.
“Completely on a whim, I emailed the developers with the idea, thinking they wouldn’t respond. 20 minutes later, they said, ‘it sounds really cool. Let’s have a conversation,’” Avery told Now Toronto on Wednesday.
Avery thought Green Street Flats wouldn’t respond because she had been trying to work with other developers in the past year on combining art and real estate.
“They couldn’t wrap their heads around artwork and murals. It was hard for them to imagine my idea, so it never went anywhere,” Avery said.
The house is currently a single-family home with a huge front yard and backyard with four garages.
Green Street Flats told Now Toronto that starting next month it plans to replace the demolished house with a nine-unit building with two laneway suites with local art along the laneways.
“While developers often face criticism for altering neighbourhoods, we wanted to show that development can coexist with and even enhance the local cultural fabric. The Art on Barton installation is a perfect example of this—it creates a moment of beauty and reflection that will leave a lasting legacy, even after the current structure is replaced,” Greenstreet Flats President Leonid Kotov said.
Over 40 artists were called to contribute to Art on Barton to paint every inch of the interior to the exterior of the house, where traditional ideas of separating rooms into the bathroom or kitchen would be unrecognizable.
“We all basically did it for free. We got a little bit of funding of $1,000 from Toronto Awesome Foundation, yard sales, and the developers. It’s been a labour of love from everyone. We’ve managed to put art on every surface throughout the interior and the exterior,” Avery said.
“Part of what makes it special is knowing how temporary it is. You really have to come and appreciate it at that moment because soon it will be gone,” she said.
When sticker enthusiast and visual artist Love Catchoo was invited to participate in the immersive mural, she was instantly excited.
“I love old spaces and like street art knowing that it might not exist tomorrow or in this case it will be demolished at the end of the month is a powerful reminder of the beauty in impermanence,” Catchoo told Now Toronto.
Catchoo painted one side of the house’s living room, creating a black and white piece with a smiling colourful flower on the backside of the outside wall.
“I painted a flower and a dragon up the stairs because it felt like a sweet way to blend the whimsical with the nostalgic. The colours I used matched the retro vibe of the carpet and wallpaper, allowing the art to feel like a natural part of the house’s personality,” she said.
“Drawing with a black crayon marker brought back memories of being a child drawing on the wall, but this time I didn’t get in trouble. It was really about capturing that playful, imaginative spirit and making the house feel truly lived in, even if just for a little while,” the artist added.
Avery hopes the project will be a proof of concept for future collaborations in the city where all kinds of artists can collaborate with developers.
“I’ve never thought about this as a ten step process to artistic success, but with a team of people involved in it we work so well together and how people have been responding so positively and there’s all these liminal spaces that are empty and waiting for the permit. There’s no reason why we can’t or shouldn’t do more projects along these lines,” Avery said.
This upcoming weekend is the last to check out the free Art on Barton exhibit. It will be open on Aug. 16 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m, Aug. 17 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Aug. 18 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
