Greetings! Today I continue with part 2 of my self-guided art walk in Toronto’s Riverside district in downtown east to see the Women Paint Riverside ‘Currents of Change’ Mural Corridor. Part 1 of my walk is here.
About Women Paint Riverside Mural Corridor
Women Paint Riverside Mural Corridor is an open air gallery of twenty+ murals that celebrate Toronto’s waterways and the traditional keepers of those waterways. All of the murals were created and completed by women and gender diverse artists from various backgrounds in September 2021.
The Mural Corridor spans three city blocks. It took me about 1.5 hours to complete the walk, including pauses to read the information boards and photograph the murals.
Part of the walk included Joel Weeks Park where I found a sculpture titled Echo, designed by sculptors Mary Anne Barkhouse and Michael Belmore. The sculpture features four bronze squirrels surrounding a super-sized stone acorn that sits on a granite plinth.
The Murals: Part 2
From Joel Weeks Park, I continued my walk along the Mural Corridor. I was able to photograph most of the murals, except a few that were blocked by parked cars or other objects.
My walk ended at the Riverside Bridge on Queen Street East. The text inscription across the top of the bridge is one part of a three-site Time And A Clock public art installation by Toronto-based artist Eldon Garnet.
The text “This River I Step In Is Not The River I Stand In” is based on a quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said: “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man“. Basically, change is the one constant in life.
The second part of Time And A Clock installation appears as words embedded in the four corners of the Broadview Avenue and Queen Street East intersections. The third part appears on four metal banners at 872 Queen Street East.
Weekend Coffee Share
I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #123 InLinkz below.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Oh!
I love these murals.
Too good!
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PTP, I’m glad you love these murals. Part 1 of my walk also had some fabulous murals.
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A pleasure to check.
How I missed.
WP Reader can be mischievous at times in not displaying the posts!
Thank you.
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You’re welcome. I mentioned part 1 in case you’re interested in more murals.
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Thank you.
I went through the post
Lovely Murals!
Women power!
And a tribute indeed!
Love the kusikus’ and Where We Find Our Roots.
Thank you, Natalie
The comment is not getting displayed in your post.
Either it must be under moderation or entering your spam folder.
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Thank you, PTP. I got your comments. They were not moderated and didn’t go into my spam folder. I’m glad you enjoyed the murals.
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Thank you for this information.
Appreciate.
Namaste.
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Namaste.
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Just terrific. I love murals and how they can add cheer or make us think. These are wonderful.
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Thank you, Susan. I’m pleased you like these murals.
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Such a diverse set of murals despite being part of a series. You find such interesting images to share each week Natalie – a lot of these ones were really vibrant and colourful.
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Thank you Leanne for your compliment. I love colours and I’m interested in public art. Fortunately, Toronto has many vibrant and colourful public art that I can view and photograph for free.
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Each one of the mural is unique. The passion and precision seem to be there in all. Hope you have a great weekend.
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The artists who painted these murals did a fabulous job. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable road trip.
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Thank you 🙏!
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Wonderful! And free to see.
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Yes, beautiful and free-to-see murals. Thank you Antoinette for stopping by.
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I do like the ‘Welcome to Riverside’ mural, it has a feel of a vintage travel poster. Wonderful!
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Excellent observation! Thank you Helen for your comment.
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Thanks for part 2! Greetings from Sweden this week.
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Thank you for stopping by from Sweden. Have a wonderful weekend!
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These are beautiful murals, Natalie. The artistic endeavors in Toronto always amaze me. It must have been a bustling time in September 2021 to see all the artists working at the same time to produce these art pieces. Do you have a favorite mural? I like the final mural the best. I agree with Helen. It has the feel of a vintage travel poster. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, Toronto has programs to support muralists and has attracted many local and international artists to participate. In Part 2 of my walk, I love the last four murals. The Welcome to Riverside mural is beautiful and carries such a friendly message. The bridge and the streetcar in that mural are landmarks in Riverside to me.
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That was definitely my first choice. Seattle had some similar posters in the Space Needle when I was there last, but not murals. In other words, the old postcard look. This much art makes me wish I were artistic and could paint.
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It’s possible to take a Painting course or use YouTube videos to learn and experiment with painting. I try not to accumulate stuff in my home so I stay away from creative arts and crafts that require materials and space. Cellphone photography and blogging are my main hobbies now.
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Those two are my main hobbies, too. My house is full of old and new cabinets right now anyway. I have my hands full. 🙂
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Love the riverside sports picture.
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The artist did a great job on that mural in spite of the tricky surface to paint on.
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I love almost all art. These murals are all beautiful. The two that I find personally appealing are Protect the Don – it’s delightfully whimsical – and Come As You Uniquely. I always love art with hippie vibe.
Fun post!
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Thank you Michelle for your comment. I like those two murals, too. The Protect the Don mural is whimsical, the Come As You Are mural is vibrant and both carry important messages.
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“The cycle” and “Lilys of the water” are my two favourite murals in this post, but they are all incredible! We’ve experienced a heat wave this week, around 30C. When you’re working that is pretty hot, many places around here (including my home and work-place) do not have air-condition. It has been a very beautiful week, and on Wednesday I stole a little “me time” after work and went to my garden. It was a very pleasant mid-week break. I’m planning on going to the garden both Saturday and Sunday. Everything needs water. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Hi Maria, Those two murals are beautiful. I love the Lilies of the Water mural. Good for you to take some ‘me time’ mid-week. Take care of yourself while you take care of your garden. We have a sunny forecast for the next 7 days, with daytime high temperatures range from 24C to 34C so I look forward to enjoying the great outdoors with sun protection. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Yes 🙂 Thank you so much. It is a treat visiting the area where I have my garden, perhaps I should take some photos around the garden club today and share in this week’s coffee share. I think I’ll do that. Enjoy the sunny weather 🙂
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I look forward to your coffee share. Enjoy your gardening time and the weekend!
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Thank you so much!
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So gorgeous! All of the pinks and blues are very appealing to the eye! Thank you for taking us along on these mural walks, they are truly something special!
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Thank you Melis for following my mural walk virtually. The artists did a fabulous job with the blue and pink colours and their creativity is so impressive.
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Great murals!
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Thank you Aletta. I hope all’s well with you.
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Yes, thank you, I am. 😁
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That’s great to hear. Thank you for your confirmation 🙂
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And you Natalie.
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Excellent. My favorite is Lilies Of The Water.
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Thank you Neil for your comment. The Lilies of the Water mural is beautiful. I love it too.
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Hi Natalie I’d love to walk along the Riverside around these murals. They are all beautiful but I do love the cyclists. I also live the click on the bridge. Thanks for being this art work to us
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Hi Jennifer, I’m glad you love these murals and the cyclists. I enjoyed this walk very much. Over 20 beautiful murals and all are free to see.
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I love the cyclists – Stenciled? That’s so great!
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I’m glad you love the cyclists. I took a close-up picture of the cyclists as I thought the details and overall silhouette are amazing.
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Hi, Natalie – You are so fortunate to have regular access to arts, entertainment, nature and creative public spaces. These murals are very thought-provoking. I love that thy are all created by women and gender-diverse artists. Thank you for sharing them.
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Hi Donna, I am grateful to have access to all the wonderful things that you mentioned. The Women Paint Riverside Mural Corridor showcases 20+ talented artists. It is an example of how Toronto supports artists and the community spirits that exist in many of Toronto’s neighbourhoods. I enjoyed my walk in Riverside and it’s my pleasure to share the murals on my blog.
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They are all amazing but the cyclists are the one I love the most. The colours and the details. This is such a fabulous project with so much depth. Super awesome of the city to support it.
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Bernie, I also love the cyclists and took a close-up picture to share the colours and the details. I agree with you that this is a fabulous project and awesome support from the city. Toronto has several mural projects with similar depth and I’ve been fortunate to discover them.
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They were all amazing but the bikers looked like they might ride off the wall!
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Yes, it’s amazing how the artist made the cyclists look like they’re in motion.
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Some great murals. I hope you enjoy your weekend 🙂
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Thank you Trent. Have a great weekend!
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These are lovely photos, Natalie. I love the statue with the squirrels, and the murals. And I really like that bridge.
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Dan, There are only a few bridges left in downtown Toronto with that design so I was pleased to get a picture of the Riverside bridge. I was amused by that giant acorn statue that takes four squirrels to carry. Thank you for stopping by during your break.
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These murals are amazing. I like the idea of “Come As You Are, Uniquely You” and can’t help but think that the flowers with black petals are meaningful in a Morticia Addams kind of way.
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Ally, That ‘Come As You Are, Uniquely You’ mural is gorgeous IRL. I took several close-up pictures but posted just one to show the whole mural. You raised a good point about the flowers with black petals.
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Natalie, I love the bicycle mural. All of them, really.
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Thanks, Pam. I’m glad you love these murals.
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Toronto is such a great town. I loved the water and people murual a lot…but they’re all really cool. There’s a town up on the border of MN and Canada that has a lot of murals too. We happened on it once and ended up spending almost all day there. I love surprises like this!
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Dawn, Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I enjoyed this walk very much as every mural was a delightful surprise. There were 20+ murals and they’re all free to see.
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The acorn caught my eye, so it was my favorite with the squirrels. That area looks like a good place to walk to see its beauty.
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I was delighted to see that giant acorn carried by four squirrels. I’m glad it’s your favourite.
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These murals are awesome! Thanks for sharing them.
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You’re welcome, Darlene. I’m glad you like these murals.
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Oh my goodness! I love that giant acorn and those squirrels holding it up & gazing at it so lovingly.
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That Echo sculpture made me smile. I’m pleased you love it.
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I love the diversity of styles, They are all so, so good.
Here is mine:
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Thank you Sofia for your PPAC contribution. I’m pleased you love the murals I shared.
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I was struck by Heraclitus’s observation when I was (quite) young. Funny, how things like that are so applicable, going forward. Water and People by Haenahhh is the art piece that I liked the most. Lovely photos and thoughts throughout! Thank you!
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Heraclitus’s observation is wise and true. Thank you Lizl for sharing your thoughts.
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The sculpture called “Echo” made me smile. It’s cute and catchy to the eye. Happy Sunday, Natalie.
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I like the Echo sculpture, too. Happy Sunday, Shari.
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Love the murals, of course, but also the Heraclitus quote, which I’d never heard before. So true and so profound.
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Things we learn via blogging 🙂 Thank you Janet for your comment.
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Hi, Natalie,
All of the murals are fabulous, but Nokomiscaught my eye. The air conditioning units give the mural a 3D look and make it more interesting. Lillies of the water is also special. Thanks for taking us along. Have a great week. Joe
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Thank you Joe for sharing your thoughts on the murals. The artists did a fabulous job in spite of air conditioning units, windows, doors and other objects in their way. Have a great week ahead!
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Beautiful murals Natalie – I especially like the lilies and ‘Come as you are …’ I have some Norwegian street art for you: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/a-brief-break-in-bodo/
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Thank you Sarah for your PPAC contribution that took me to Norway. Have a great week!
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You too!
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Another round of beautiful murals, Natalie. They all have a colorful charm but I really like the close-up of the sepia-toned, rustic one of the cyclists. Enjoy your week!
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Thank you, Terri. I love cycling and was drawn to the cyclists in that mural. The artist did a great job. Have a wonderful week!
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Those are really neat. I like the lilies one a lot but they’re all unique in their own way.
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I also like the Lilies of the Water mural. Thank you Kirstin for your comment.
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I love them all, especially the river quote.
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It’s a thought-provoking quote, isn’t it? I’m glad you love these murals. Have a wonderful week!
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Natalie, thank you for this wonderful share of the murals! I love their creativity, the variety of subject matter and wow, the project is on such a large scale. I’ll have to look out and see if there is anything similar in the UK but I haven’t come across such an exhibition. Reckon I’ll just have to fly over!😀
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Annika, Yes, you’ll just have to fly over and walk with me 🙂 Although this project is on a large scale, I’ve seen at least two other mural projects in downtown Toronto that are three times larger (about 75 murals in one location). I’m pleased you like these murals. Have a wonderful week!
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