The project will be supported by the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program and will be realized by Jakarundi Graphics. Photos courtesy Billy Bishop Airport via Instagram (@bbishopairport)
Toronto, Ont.—A stencil-making workshop on February 23 served as a way to “crowd-source inspiration” for a new mural on the exterior of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s passenger terminal.
The mural “will explore imagery from nature and the geography of the Great Lakes, while reminding all that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport sits on Indigenous lands and waters.”
The Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre hosted the stencil-making workshop, facilitated by Jakarundi Graphics and open to the public, on February 21 and 23. Sketches from this workshop will serve as inspiration for the finished mural. Jakarundi Graphics said skill-sharing and collaboration are central to their work, and they value “community partnerships as a way of bringing art into everyday life”.
The project will be supported by the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto program and will be realized by Jakarundi Graphics. The airport said the project “continues and enhances” its longstanding commitment to reflecting the vibrancy and diversity of Toronto through unique public art displays.
Caitlin Taguibao, a mural artist working with Jakarundi Graphics Collective on the project, said that the island’s ecosystem has a special place in her life, “as a landing point during times of transition and a refuge within the city”. She added, “In the midst of our developing city, I am excited to be a part of this project that will bring together some of the many voices and stories of our shared waterfront.”
Jakarundi Graphics expects to complete the mural by summer 2025.
Neil Pakey, president and CEO of Nieuport Aviation—the company which owns and operates the airport’s passenger terminal, said that all the art on display in Billy Bishop’s passenger terminal “has been developed by local artists and reflects the vast depth, breadth, and diversity of experiences in Toronto.” The latest initiative will crowd-source inspiration from “waterfront residents and students to develop a striking mural that will be visible from the waterfront and reflective of the people who live, work, play and study there”, he said, according to the Newswire press release.
“At Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, we’re committed to celebrating the vibrant and diverse spirit of our city,” said RJ Steenstra, president and CEO of PortsToronto, the port authority that owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. “This mural is a unique opportunity to showcase the creativity of our waterfront community while honouring the heritage of the land on which we operate.” The project will add a “visually striking piece of art to the passenger terminal” and create a “connection between the airport and the people who call this area home,” Steenstra added.
