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POP-UP ARTIVATION by The STEPS Initiative will be at June 6 Riverside Eats & Beats Festival!

Inspiring Torontonians to re-imagine how their city would look if vibrant and welcoming artistic activities were part of their everyday

As part of the June 6th Riverside’s Eats & Beats StreetFEST, The STEPS Initiative will host a live painting event, during which five emerging artists will be portraying the Riverside streetscape in their own creative styles. Those interested to pick up a brush and paint with theRiverside-ArtsFest-PATCH-It-Up-July-13-2014-Nguyen-16-copy-e1427726769637-300x300se emerging artists will be warmly welcomed, contributing to a canvas co-created by the community!

This Pop-Up ARTivation is one of a series of public space activations that STEPS has been facilitating across the City of Toronto in the last year. This mobile ARTivation program series inspires people to challenge how public spaces are used in our city, while injecting some artistic and vibrant activities to revitalize our shared spaces.

The STEPS Initiative is a public arts organization that builds connection with the communities through what they call Public Space ARTivism. Some of the activities that they engage to engage the public is by leading large-scale community art and public space revitalizations, such as the World’s Tallest Mural on 200 Wellesley. They are also instrumental in building youth capacity in both community and school settings a great example is of this is their mentorship of the Toronto Emerging ARTivists – a youth arts collective.  A big part of what they do is creating opportunities for local artists to exhibit in the public realm – much like the live painting you will see at Eats & Beats on June 6th. STEPS advocates that art can not only aesthetically transform public spaces, but also serve as a common language with which citizens can create shared spaces that foster civic engagement.

One of the iSteps pic2nitiatives of STEPS is The PATCH Project where they put together art work in underused spaces like constructionsites and vacant storefronts, in order to strengthen community ties and to decorate the streetscape for other artists to display their work to the public.

We are thrilled to have them help animate our streetscape during Eats & Beats!

 

LET US KNOW YOU’RE COMING to the EATS & BEATS Festival 

Thank you to Toronto 2015 IGNITE and Metroland media for their support of Eats & Beats 2015

Welcome to all of our torchbearers for the June 5 Riverside Bridge Lighting!

Three days to go until the Riverside Bridge comes to light…

On the evening of Friday, June 5th, the Riverside BIA and community will launch the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project – a $600,000 capital installation illuminating the iconic Riverside Bridge. The bridge is the gateway to Toronto’s Riverside District, located on Queen Street East, between the DVP and Empire Avenue.

To help celebrate the launch of the Riverside Gateway Bridge and the Pan Am Games, Riverside BIA is hosting a free public event and Samba parade on Friday June 5th at 6:30 at McCleary Playground here in Riverside. Accompanying the Samba band will be multiple torchbearers wTorchbearers pic1ho will carry a Riverside Torch that was created by a local artist.

One of our torchbearers is Sam McLean. He is a five year old kinder-gardener from École Élémentaire la Mosaïque in the Upper Beach area. He is a keen soccer and hockey player, cyclist and talented Lego builder! He loves to have fun playing around with his sister when he’s not helping his dad work on their latest project together.

Another torchbearer is Kaia McLean. She is a seven year old Grade Two student and also from École Élémentaire la Mosaïque in the Upper Beach area. She loves gymnastics, swimming and cycling. Recently having found her passion as a top notch defender in soccer, she is a big fan of the Toronto Football Club.

Joan King is a torchbearer and also mother of five children and five grandchildren. She is from Grenada and has lived in Riverside for the past five years. She is founder of The Safety First Group, and runs a lot of the Rivertowne community programs, such as the breakfast and homework program.

A further torchbearer is Suzette Saunders. A mother of four children, she came to Canada in 1991 from Jamaica. Having always lived in downtown Toronto, she has been an avid volunteer since a teenager, helping out with seniors programs at Woodgreen, community clean ups and much more. For the past five years, Suzette has lived and volunteered in Rivertowne, helping shape the new Joel Weeks Park and working with Joan King on the Safely First program.

Mary Loria, another one of our torBridge May 28 2015 Lighting Test - White Purplechbearers, was born and raised in Toronto.  She has been volunteering since her teenage years doing community events, work with food banks, charity walks, and Boys & Girls clubs. For three years now she has been an outstanding volunteer in Riverside and helping the BIA on a day to day basis. Mary is an avid dog-walker and a sports fan of all variety of sports.

Shazia McCormick will be the final torchbearer of the evening and will lead the way to the foot of the Riverside Gateway Bridge. She is self described as a nomad and always travelling, exploring and finding new adventures. Riverside represents renewal to her by building a new life and being surrounded by a highly engaged community. The bridge represents not only the connection of the city to this vibrant neighborhood, but also the connection to nature. As an avid runner and stand up paddleboard athlete, she claims this is the best place in Toronto to live!

 

LET US KNOW you’re coming to the Riverside Bridge Lighting June 5th!

Many thanks to ALL our Bridge Lighting partners and sponsors: This project grew from idea to inception thanks to public partnership with City of Toronto, Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher, and private sponsors: Gold Sponsor – Streetcar Developments; Silver Sponsors – Hullmark Developments, and Downtown Automotive Group; and Bronze Sponsors – Ashlar Urban Realty, The Avro, BMO, Brightworks Interactive Marketing, Harhay Construction, il ponte, and OX Agency – all of whom shared our vision.

A huge thank you to Streetcar Developments for being our GOLD Sponsor for the Riverside Bridge Lighting on June 5th!

Streetcar is demonstrating its dedication to further enhancing local neighbourhoods like Riverside

Bridge May 28 2015 Lighting Test - White Purple

On the evening of Friday, June 5th, the Riverside BIA and community will launch the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project – a $600,000 installation illuminating the iconic Riverside Bridge. The bridge is the gateway to Toronto’s Riverside District, located on Queen Street East, between the DVP and Empire Avenue.

Bringing together three years of planning and effort with key partners and sponsors, Streetcar Developments is the only Gold Sponsor of the Riverside Gateway Bridge. Over the past three years, the urban home developers, known for their stunning loft projects located in some of Toronto’s hippest locations, have donated their time and effort into helping the project become a reality.

 

Streetcar has a long history of partnering on community projects and events in Riverside. Their support as a Gold Level sponsor of the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project demonstrates their dedication to   community involvement, which has earned them a “hard-earned reputation as a Toronto developer who invests in exciting neighbourhoods improving the quality of entire communities”.

broadview

Moreover, Streetcar has been integral in illuminating the Riverside neighbourhood when the eyes of the world will be on Toronto during the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. Most recently, they have purchased and are currently revitalizing the Broadview Hotel located at Queen and Broadview. The historic 125-year-old building  previously housing office buildings, clubs and the main floor of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, is being renovated into a boutique hotel. This exciting project will further animate the iconic street corner, while recognizing the Broadview Hotel as a historic landmark.

LET US KNOW you’re coming to the Riverside Bridge Lighting June 5th!

Many thanks to ALL our Bridge Lighting partners and sponsors: This project grew from idea to inception thanks to public partnership with City of Toronto, Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher, and private sponsors: Gold Sponsor – Streetcar Developments; Silver Sponsors – Hullmark Developments, and Downtown Automotive Group; and Bronze Sponsors – Ashlar Urban Realty, The Avro, BMO, Brightworks Interactive Marketing, Harhay Construction, il ponte, and OX Agency – all of whom shared our vision.

Get handmade crafts Made with Love by Mustard Seed during June 6 Riverside’s Eats & Beats!

 Someone’s birthday coming up? Wanting something extra to spruce up at home? Take a look at what Mustard Seeds has on offer and support a good cause!

Mustard Seed pic1As part of the Riverside Eats & Beats StreetFEST, on Saturday June 6th, exquisite sewing, knitting, crafts will be on sale made by the members of Mustard Seed at 791 Queen St. E.

Mustard Seed, a ministry of Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto, offers a welcoming environment and sacred space for participants and volunteers to develop life skills, creativity, care for the environment and spiritual growth.  Located in South Riverdale, they serve and collaborate with the local community and non-profit agencies.

The members of the Mustard seed are a community of Roman Catholic sisters who strive to answer God’s call. They are committed to nurturing community, making Christ present to the world through personal witness and living lives of service as stated in the mission statement:

“The love of Christ gathers us together to live in communion with all. As a community of women we are sent to serve those in need in simplicity and compassion.”

LET US KNOW YOU’RE COMING to the EATS & BEATS Festival 

Thank you to Toronto 2015 IGNITE and Metroland media for their support of Eats & Beats 2015

Many thanks to The Avro for sponsoring the Riverside Bridge Lighting on June 5th!

A final goodbye to The Avro, with a hello to Riverside Gateway Bridge

Riverside Bridge - Artist Mock-up -Paul Boken 2014On the evening of Friday, June 5th, the Riverside BIA and community will launch the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project – a $600,000 capital installation illuminating the iconic Riverside Bridge. The bridge is the gateway to Toronto’s Riverside District, located on Queen Street East, between the DVP and Empire Avenue.

 

This historic moment is a culmination of three years of planning with key partners and sponsors, like The Avro, one of our Bronze Sponsors.

Avro pic2The Avro was known for its yummy birthday cakes, “bring your own food” options, and cheap and cheerful bar with tons of atmosphere. The bar unfortunately closed its doors in April 2015, but has not stopped supporting the Riverside neighbourhood!  They created the Icons of the East Calendar and donated the proceeds toward the Riverside Gateway Bridge Project. The Calendar was inspired by the people and places in the east of Toronto, including many Riverside icons and personalities.

 

The people of The Avro will still be around the neighbourhood to see how the Pan Am games will impact the community. They predict many good things to come!

LET US KNOW you’re coming to the Riverside Bridge Lighting June 5th!

Many thanks to ALL our Bridge Lighting partners and sponsors: This project grew from idea to inception thanks to public partnership with City of Toronto, Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher, and private sponsors: Gold Sponsor – Streetcar Developments; Silver Sponsors – Hullmark Developments, and Downtown Automotive Group; and Bronze Sponsors – Ashlar Urban Realty, The Avro, BMO, Brightworks Interactive Marketing, Harhay Construction, il ponte, and OX Agency – all of whom shared our vision.