This summer, we were honoured to partner with Art City, a not-for-profit community art studio, to bring a magnificent art installation to the Kitchen Garden at the outdoor Gardens at The Leaf.
Art City provides people of all ages (with a focus on children and youth) with innovative and professional art programming, free of charge. This summer, program participants prepared to create a mural called Forest Forage for the outdoor Gardens at The Leaf by exploring the West Broadway neighbourhood and foraging for samples of local plant life.
Participants learned techniques for extracting pigment from plants, producing natural inks in a range of colours. These inks were used to create observational drawings of the original plants and inspire the mural’s colour palette. Further investigations of plant shape, form and detail were achieved with cyanotype and monoprint.
Led by Knowledge Keeper Audrey Logan, participants also learned about the medicinal properties and traditional uses of Indigenous plants found throughout our natural environment.
Referencing their drawings and prints, participants composed their mural contributions in chalk before committing to paint, observing a carefully considered colour palette. The result is the stunning, collaborative piece that visitors can now admire at the Kitchen Garden.
