Leslieville residents are getting a chance to give their input on a design to replace an iconic mural that will soon be torn down.
The current mural at Queen Street East and Jones Avenue spells out “Leslieville” in large lettering and pays tribute to Alexander Muir, the 19th century teacher and poet who lived in Leslieville and authored “The Maple Leaf Forever.”
It sits on the west façade of a butcher shop at 1160 Queen Street East facing Leslie Grove Park and occupies a spot that is highly visible to oncoming traffic.
However the mural and the wall it sits on have been deteriorating for some time.
An unsolicited proposal to replace the mural in the summer generated intense discussion – and protest – on social media, with many residents voicing their thoughts about the space and suggesting that the original artist be brought in to redo the mural after the wall is repaired.
However to date no one has been able to identify the artist, let alone find him or her, Coun. Paula Fletcher told CP24.com.
“Unless we find the original artist, which we’ve not been able to do, then there’s got to be a brand new mural,” Fletcher said, explaining that city staff determined it would be improper to reproduce the work without the unknown artist’s permission.
Bringing together city staff, the Leslieville BIA, the Leslieville Historical Society and the property owner, Fletcher organized a committee to come up with proposals for a new mural based on a design brief created with community input.
The brief called for a new design that would “reflect the values, vibrancy, diversity, and historic character of the neighbourhood.”
The committee eventually invited six artists to make submissions, which it then whittled down to three finalists.
On Monday, the community got a chance to weigh in on the designs at an open house at Parts Gallery.
An online survey page has also been set up for residents to give feedback on the three finalists. The site includes each artist’s explanation of his or her design.
The new designs have already generated intense discussion on social media.
Fletcher wouldn’t say which design she prefers to replace the iconic mural at Queen Street and Jones Avenue. However she said she sees no reason why all three shouldn’t find a home somewhere in Leslieville.
“I think they’re so great that once one has been decided for that wall, I’m going to suggest that we look at what other walls are there where these other murals could go up as well,” Fletcher said.
She said the area has a tradition of public art that appears to have declined over time, with many murals being tagged and defaced.
“The east end was really a leader in murals. The Ralph Thornton Centre used to get a grant every summer and they would hire kids and do these fantastic murals,” she said.
She said she’s hopeful that the new murals will be respected because they were created by artists who are known in the street art community.
“Imagine, out of adversity, the well-loved mural falling apart, a lot of controversy about having to change it, then we would end up with three murals along Queen Street – I think that would be fantastic,” Fletcher said.
The competing artists will have a chance to update their designs based on community feedback and a final decision will be made by the committee in February or March.
The wall will replaced sometime in the summer.
