If you’ve been into the Riverside Arts Market at 790 Queen Street East since it opened in February of 2016, then you’ve likely seen the ramp painting that features the iconic Queen Street Viaduct, referred to by locals as the Riverside Bridge.
Painted by local artist Christine Miller (www.millerart.ca) in 2016 shortly after Riverside Arts Market opened, the ramp pays homage to local history while also shining a light on local art. The piece was commissioned by Arts Market owner, Daniel Cohen, who noticed that there were many young families with strollers in the neighborhood and saw that a ramp featuring art would benefit the community. By 2016, this was Daniel’s third Arts Market location (Leslieville Arts Market opened in 2011 and College Arts Market opened in 2013) and having already rented space to hundreds of local vendors and artists, he knew that working with Christine would inspire artists and creatives in Riverside.
Studying the bridge closely in person & taking photos for reference, artist Christine Miller sketched out her plans for the ramp. Over the course of 9 hours in the evenings when the Market was closed, she painted the ramp with porch and floor paint, then adding sand (for grip) and sealant, knowing that it would be well traversed in the years to come. Christine was recently surprised at how well the ramp had held up with over one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand people walking on it over the course of four years!
To see this unique piece of art and works from many other Toronto vendors, visit Riverside Arts Market today! The Arts Market went completely online for the first couple of months during COVID-19 but now both the Riverside (790 Queen St E) and Junction Arts Markets (2978 Dundas Street East) have reopened for shopping from 11am-6pm daily. Support the over 150 local artistic entrepreneurs that sell their products at the Arts Market. Find them online at www.artsmarket.ca.
Robbie and Lindsay at the Riverside Arts Market during COVID-19 (June 2020)
The ‘Riverside BIA 40 Years, 40 Stories’ Series is part of how we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of this incredible neighbourhood of community-builders.