COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Join us in celebrating the completion of this vibrant new mural on the West Toronto Rail Path! Designed and painted by Bareket Kezwer and Julia Prajza.
Bring your friends, family, and creativity for a morning of art, nature, and community bonding.
Made possible with support from StreetARToronto.
Follow @bkez and @juliaprajza on Instagram for project updates #littlebylittlemural
DESIGN STATEMENT
The design showcases lush strawberries and beautiful flowers, created from heart pixels, conveying the message that in our lives, relationships, and communities, small gestures repeated enough times have a major impact. It emphasizes the power of collective incremental contributions to create substantial positive change.
Little By Little, A Little Becomes A Lot.
The design, inspired through a personal process of reconnecting with ancestral Jewish knowledge lost during the Holocaust, honours the loving and healing relationship humans can have with the natural world. These strawberries, revered for their healing properties in many cultures, joyfully celebrate the gifts of plant medicine that have enabled our survival and thriving on this planet. The repeating heart invokes an abundance of love.
A MURAL PROJECT COMING SOON TO THE WEST TORONTO RAILPATH
The design will celebrate the abundance of love that exists in the natural world. We will playfully emphasize the importance of cherishing and nurturing our relationship with nature. By drawing attention to the bountiful gifts that plants offer, this vibrant mural will foster a deep appreciation for the thriving ecosystem within the West Toronto Railpath.
Bareket painting in progress (a similar heart stencil will be used for this project)
“I want people to remember that they are loved, and exist in loving relation with the natural world. One heart is a heart; many hearts together create a masterpiece.”
COMMUNITY PLAYSHOPS
We had a lovely time on February 24 & 25 meeting community members at T3 Sterling Road. We’re overjoyed with the turn out, participation and positive feedback about the mural project. Together we enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon creating, connecting and playing. Activities included: colouring pages, card making, collaging and answering site specific questions. We’re really excited to have you all be a part of this neighbourhood beautification project. Stay tuned for the painting in June and celebration in July!
Follow @bkez and @juliaprajza on Instagram for project updates #littlebylittlemural
Photos by Vuk Dragojevic
2024 DATES TO REMEMBER
FEB. 24-25 - Art making playshops
Until APRIL 8 - Community survey form deadline
JUNE - Mural painting all month!
JULY 6 - Mural unveiling & celebration
THE WALL & LOCATION
The mural will be painted on a west facing wall that runs along the West Toronto Railpath, parallel to T3 Sterling Rd. West Building. The concrete wall is approximately 150’ long and 9’ tall, totalling 1350 square feet.
Address: T3 Sterling Rd. West Building, 150 Sterling Road, Toronto ON M6R 2B7
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BAREKET KEZWER @bkez
Lead Artist, Mentor & Facilitator
Hi, my name is Bareket—it means emerald in Hebrew if you were wondering.
I am a Toronto based muralist, community engaged artist and facilitator, curator, cultural producer, graphic designer, poet, collage enthusiast, mentor, frequent collaborator and eternal optimist.
My multidisciplinary practice is motivated by a desire to playfully celebrate the power of kindness and compassion and cultivate gratitude. I use bright colours, joyful patterns and bold typography to captivate people’s attention and invite them into a deeper sense of belonging or delight. I am passionate about creating art that promotes radical self love and acceptance as pillars of mental health. I use colour as medicine towards the goal of collective healing. I love gardening, and feel nourished when I am able to share valuable teachings from my plant and fungi friends that encourage myself and others to cultivate a reciprocal relationship with the natural world.
JULIA PRAJZA @juliaprajza
Assistant Artist, Mentee & Facilitator
Hi, I’m Julia! I’m a Muralist, Lettering Artist and Designer in Toronto with a goal of bringing more joy and colour to our everyday lives. As an OCAD University alumna (BDes), I’m currently passionate about public and community-engaged art to uplift our spirits and empower us when we least expect it.
My signature style is vibrant and playful with folk inspired details and a whimsical feel. I love to blend organic shapes with a graphic, bold approach, resulting in a charming aesthetic that I like to call "modern-meets-traditional". I gravitate towards painting larger than life elements, often focusing on nature and text-based imagery.
As I continue to grow my multidisciplinary practice, I hope to demonstrate the power of art by sparking curiosity and most importantly by cultivating human connection through shared experiences.
CONTACT
Let us know if you have any questions at: littlebylittlemural@gmail.com
Thank you to our sponsors for making this project possible.*
*This project is funded in part by a grant from Street ARToronto (StART), a program of the City of Toronto.
We acknowledge that Tkarón:to, has been the traditional land of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is Dish With One Spoon Territory, and covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. We recognize that as immigrants, we have directly benefited from the colonization and genocide of the original caretakers of this land. We are grateful to have the opportunity to create on this land and are committed to continuing to unlearn and decolonize spaces we live, play, and work in.