Community News

MOSAIC MAKES HOUSING 'A PLACE TO CALL HOME'

MARKHAM GROUP OF ARTISTS UNVEIL THE LATEST COMMUNITY PROJECT AT LARRY TOD PLACE

IRENE WONG iwong@metroland.com

A mosaic entitled "A Place to Call Home" in Markham gave Larry Tod Place residents as much joy as the artists that had created it.

The artwork, unveiled Feb. 24 at the facility on Water Street in Markham Village, was created by the Markham Group of Artists (MGA).

Twenty-nine of its members wove their various styles into a coherent image, welcoming Larry Tod Place residents to the neighbourhood and instilling a sense of community.

The mosaic is made up of 32 pieces of square wood panels. It depicts the facade of the building and is embraced by surrounding nature, grounded and nourished by the roots of

the past — and includes the embedded names of First Nation communities.

Individual artists came up with their own interpretation of what "home" means to them.

One of the panels, by Ruth Toy, contains windows

that portray an elderly couple dancing and a child giving flowers to her mom.

In another panel with a window, Laurel Martin interprets "comfort and home" by paying homage to her disabled sister, who loved to cheer on the Toronto

Maple Leafs from her wheelchair.

The artists also included an interesting picture within a picture in the artwork. If you look closely at the entranceway in the painting, you can see the painting of the mosaic hung in the lobby of Larry

Tod Place.

The project was made possible with support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), as well as the Celebrate Markham fund.

"This investment by the OTF to assist MGA create flexible programming and stay connected with the community as we emerge from pandemic conditions is key to helping MGA adapt to an ever-changing world," said Markhamstouffville MPP and Minister of Long-term Care, Paul Calandra.

"Artists in and around Markham are emerging from pandemic isolation and benefit from the adapted programming offered by MGA," he added.

Larry Tod Place is the sixth MGA community project. Previous projects include Cornell Library, Markhaven Home for Seniors, the Thornhill library branch, Richmond Hill Welcome Centre Immigration Services and Morgan Park Pool.

COMMUNITY

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

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