Unveiling Heroes of the Block
Inspiration
At the end of August 2020, the Afrodiasporic community lost Chadwick Boseman. Not only did Boseman play the Marvel superhero Black Panther, he also led a life filled with feats of heroic determination—particularly when it came to contributing nuggets of compassion to uplift his community.
As speculative artists who regularly engage with the cultural movement and philosophy of Afrofuturism, we believe that envisioning our leaders and freedom fighters as real-world superheroes can facilitate discussions that will empower and liberate the imagination.
Unveiling Heroes of the Block is a visual narrative and archiving project that is part of ArtworxTO: City of Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022. It seeks to uncover the buried and lesser-known stories of prominent African Canadian figures that contributed to the foundational fabric of the Toronto we know and experience today. Unveiling Heroes is inspired by Camille Turner’s “Black Grange” project and Dan Bergeron’s “Faces of Regent Park”.
This project is a collaboration between BSAM Canada artists and Dan Bergeron.
What to Expect!
Unveiling Heroes will spur the installation of four (4) public art pieces in various locations across Toronto. The goal is to establish community pride through accessible visual representation that publicly shares and celebrates leaders from the Black community who have left notable, yet sometimes untold, imprints on many lives.
With the support of Heritage Toronto, Unveiling Heroes also includes a virtual map tour that will feature three (3) additional heroes!
Heroes & Locations
Judge Stanley G. Grizzle
The Mighty Conductor
Stanley G. Grizzle Park
320 Main Street, Toronto, ON
Dr. Rita Cox
The Enchanting Griot
Rita Cox Park
14 Machells Ave, Toronto, ON
Kay Blair
The Generous Beacon
Highfield Park
68 Stevenson Rd, Etobicoke, ON
Lucie & Thornton Blackburn
The Crafty Navigators
David Crombie Park
131 The Esplanade, Toronto, ON
Artists
Objectives
- Create more visual installations & tributes that depict notable African Canadian figures.
- Highlight local heroes so residents and youth can take pride and feel empowered through learning and seeing how they are connected to a Canadian legacy narrative.
- Blend archiving initiatives with innovative art practices to tell legacy narratives in an alternate way.
- Work to bring public art out of the downtown core and into more areas that are usually neglected or bypassed.
Preview of Kay Blair “The Generous Beacon” by Meighan Morson.
Unveiling Heroes of the Block Release
This Fall 2021!
Supported By
