Join us here at Yonge + St. Clair for a unique Summer Music Series that brings live performances to the 4 corners here in this up and coming neighbourhood.

We’ll be showcasing various talent every Tuesday from the months of June-July. Please fill out the information in our form below to let us know what dates interest you.

We’re looking for musicians of all types. Please note that these performances will be held outdoors rain or shine without the use of a tent/stage. Minimal tech requirements are preferred, and submissions who have links to examples of their work will also be preferred.

Submission Deadline: April 30th, 2018

Selected artists will be notified by: May 14th

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected will be contacted.

All inquires can be made below after submitting interest. Please no phone calls.

FULL LINE UP:

May 3rd:
Dang Good BBQ
Queen Arepa
Busters Sea Cove

May 10th:
FeasTO
Bestia
416FoodTruck

May 17th:
Dang Good BBQ
Mustache Burger
Momma’s Boy

May 24th:
Romi’s Shwarma
Mustache Burger
Roadgrill

May 31st:
Aegean Honey Balls
Gourmet Gringo
Delight Bite

June 7th:
Southern Smoke
Funnel Cake Dream
Born2Eat

June 14th:
La Novela
Momma’s Boy

June 21st:
Romi’s Shwarma
Mextache
The Arepa Republic

June 28th:
FeasTO
416FoodTruck
Busters Sea Cove

July 5th:
Born2Eat
Funnel Cake Dream
Gourmet Gringo

July 12th:
Meltdown Cheesery
Roadgrill
The Arepa Republic

July 19th:
Fully Loaded TO
Mustacheezery
Wanna Burger

July 26th:
La Novela
Queen Arepa
Momma’s Boy

August 2nd:
Bestia
Aegean Honey Balls

August 9th:
Southern Smoke
Mextache
Born2Eat

August 16th:
Meltdown Cheesery
La Novela
Mustache Burger

August 23rd:
Wanna Burger
Mustacheezery
Roadgrill

August 30th:
Romi’s Shwarma
416FoodTruck
The Arepa Republic

September 6th:
Meltdown Cheesery
Bestia
Mustache Empire

September 13th:
Gourmet Gringo
Queen Arepa
Delight Bite

September 20th:
FeasTO
Wanna Burger
Southern Smoke

September 27th:
Aegean Honey Balls
416FoodTruck
Fully Loaded TO

October 4th:
Delight Bite
Mustache Empire
Born2Eat

Call for Artists
Earth Month Temporary Public Art Installation

Deadline
5pm, March 9th, 2018

Project
Yonge + St. Clair is seeking proposals for a temporary public art installation that will animate the lobby of 2 St. Clair W in the Yonge + St. Clair community. Yonge + St. Clair welcomes photographers, designers, visual artists, sculptors, performing artists, and others to submit proposals of all mediums. Yonge + St. Clair is seeking unique environmentally-conscious projects of all forms that celebrates Earth Month. Proposals that welcome visitor interaction/participation are encouraged.

Programming
Yonge + St. Clair will select one artist to exhibit their work in the lobby of 2 St. Clair West. The completed work will be exhibited to the public for the last two weeks in April 2018 – starting April 16th.

Grant
Artists will receive a $3,500 grant (includes the cost of supplies/materials) to support their installation and are encouraged to use recycled goods.

Criteria
• Ability for the work to engage all audiences and the general public with elements of design and sustainability
• Projects relevance to Earth Month
• Use of reused/salvaged goods and materials
• Originality (large scale installations are encouraged)

Eligibility
This program is only open to artists in the Toronto and Greater Toronto Area.

Site & Audience
Applicants are encouraged to visit the location and learn about the history and context of the location and neighbourhood. Artworks will be on display free of charge to visitors. Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm & Earth Day: Sunday, April 22, 2018.

Timeline
March 9, 2018 – Proposals Due
March 14, 2018 – Artist is selected
March 14, 2018 – Production period begins
April 16, 2018 – Installation prior to

Proposal Package
1. Cover Letter: including your name, telephone number, email, project title, and 100-word summary of the proposed project.
2. Proposal and Budget: renderings/sketches of the proposed project with a detailed description of the project’s relevance to Earth Month.
3. Current Resume: include prior relevant education, work experience, exhibition history, and awards.

* To be delivered via DropBox or USB drive to jessica@yongestclair.ca // Subject line: Earth Month 2018 Submission

2 St. Clair W Lobby

Previous Installation: #ohdeer for Toronto Design Offsite Festival

CNIB, in partnership with Slate Asset Management, is pleased to announce that ShopTalk beacon installations are nearly complete in Slate properties in the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood.

The beacons – which are funded by the Rick Hansen Foundation – are used by people who are blind or partially sighted to navigate areas independently and with confidence.

Once a beacon is placed in a business, it connects to a smartphone GPS app called BlindSquare. When the app user is in a beacons range, a verbal navigation message from the beacon is relayed to the user’s phone using Bluetooth. The beacons provide directions and accessible navigation indoors and outdoors including a description of the business, the layout or floor plan of the shop, and the goods for sale or on display.

Slate has been a strong supporter of CNIB’s Shoptalk project from the very beginning.

“Embracing the Shoptalk project at Yonge and St. Clair was important to us because everyone should be able to navigate independently through our community. We want everyone to be able to enjoy and experience the exciting changes happening in this neighbourhood,” said Katie Fong, Director at Slate Asset Management.

With almost 80 beacons installed in communal areas of their buildings, Slate has also encouraged their business tenants to install them.

Small businesses in the community also jumped at the opportunity to install free beacons. “JJ Bean is really happy to be part of the ShopTalk project. As a company, we are always looking for ways to honour our customers, and this project does exactly that by facilitating inclusion and accessibility in our space. We are thrilled that the Yonge, St Clair community is changing the game in the city and creating spaces in which anyone can feel welcomed and taken care of,” said Manuel Cuevas, Retail Manager at JJ Bean.

The ShopTalk: BlindSquare Enabled project wraps up in late February 2018 and is made possible by The Rick Hansen Foundation Access4All Canada 150 Signature Project, supported by the Government of Canada.

If you are a business owner in the Yonge and St. Clair neighbourhood and would like a free beacon, please contact shoptalk@cnib.ca, or email us here at jessica@yongstclair.ca

And just like that, the Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) has ended its week long run here at Yonge + St. Clair.

From January 15-21st we had three immersive installations transform this midtown neighbourhood, and turn it into a cultural hub for art and design. We partnered up with leading architecture design firms IBI Group, Gensler and superkül who created relevant, thought provoking, large scale pieces that drew crowds from across the GTA.

We were also fortunate to host a sold out TO DO Talk on Tuesday, January 16th called “Undo Toronto” where a panel of speakers were given the chance to make a case for civic change by going back in time and letting us know what they would “undo” about the City of Toronto. Moderated by Slate VP of Development, and blogger, Brandon Donnelly, the panel was comprised of influential architects David Hastings from the IBI Group, Meg Graham from superkül, and Steve Paynter from Gensler who presented their ideas and engaged in a lively debate to the standing room only crowd.

We then had the week come to a close with our second event which was a TO DO Tour titled “Creating Communities Through Art” led by Ilana Altman, Director of Programming at The Bentway, Patricio Davila Associate Professor in Design and Associate Dean at OCAD University, and Anjuli Solanki, Director of Community Programs at STEPS Initiative. All three leaders led a large group of like-minded individuals throughout the area where they visited the installations, provided insights, raised questions about art in the urban realm, and also spoke to the ongoing renaissance at Yonge + St. Clair.

A huge thank you must go out to the organizers of TO DO, their volunteers, and everyone who made their way to Yonge + St. Clair. It was incredibly successful, and we look forward to what next year’s #TODO19 will bring.

If you missed the chance to view the installations, you can still learn more about them by visiting our main page HERE.

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival is coming to #YongeStClair for the first time THIS month from January 15-21st, 2018.

There will be a week’s worth of art and festival programming anchored by three immersive installations designed by leading architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and superkül.

We had the chance to catch up with the Kevin James who is the principle architect at superkül here in Toronto for his views on the Yonge + St. Clair, and for more details about the interactive installation titled “Second Life“.

Can you give us some background on the firm and its approach to design? What are your guiding principles?

superkül is the Toronto-based architectural studio of principals Meg Graham and Andre D’Elia. Founded in 2002 upon an extensive body of professional experience acquired in Canada and abroad, superkül is recognized as a leading Canadian design practice. Its commitment to excellence, pragmatism and advanced building technologies has resulted in numerous architecture and design awards and recognition in several esteemed publications in local, national and international contexts.
The firm’s portfolio encompasses a wide array of project types, ranging from residential, commercial and institutional buildings to master planning and feasibility studies. While diverse, all of the projects undertaken evidence an immaculate attention to detail and material resolution—regardless of scale, and a profound connection to their built and natural contexts. The practice prioritizes a thorough engagement with all clients and stakeholders, and a belief in long-term sustainability guides the direction of the firm towards creating a brighter future.

This is the first year TO DO festival is at Yonge + St. Clair. What was the thinking behind your installation and its relevance to the community?

The area around Yonge + St. Clair has seen and will continue to see an incredible amount of construction activity. It’s position as a critical node within Toronto fosters a liveliness to the area and supports a dynamic neighbourhood of businesses and residences. Our installation is meant to bring awareness to the amount of waste generated during construction, an oft unseen aspect. As architects, we have both the capacity and responsibility to develop systems to help reduce and/or reuse these by-products. As part of our installation, a large vessel fabricated of pieces of wood the size of which would typically be considered waste will provide a counter-point to the video images of resource and waste. The sculpture is a means of re-framing how we consider that which we typically throw away.

This installation seeks to focus awareness on the by-products and waste of design and construction. Through a series of curated images, this installation tracks the volume and nature of waste generated by a number of local building sites and shops over a series of days. It then considers and presents waste reframed as opportunity. Our hope is to bring attention to the manner in which construction waste is perceived, and to encourage innovation and the adoption of lower-waste methods and re-use strategies as part of a larger strategy of sustainability.

How important was making this installation interactive for the community?

The ability to host the installation in the lobby at 40 St. Clair W provided us with the opportunity to bring our Toronto Design Offsite installation to more people than it would typically be exposed to if located in a gallery or showroom. Placing the installation directly across from the elevators ensures that everyone entering the building will be exposed to the images and sculpture. We have intentionally avoided making the installation too fact & figure heavy in favour of allowing the images to speak for themselves. Given the nature and occupancy of the building, we expect many individuals will encounter the installation on multiple occasions over the week the installation occupies the lobby.

Structurally, how will the installation be displayed?

In order to keep the installation fairly simple and to avoid the need to create temporary structure which itself would likely become waste, the installation will utilize a TV on a mobile stand for the image-based aspect of the installation while the large sculptural vessel will rest on an existing plinth in front of the TV and across from the elevator doors.

“Second Life” is one of three installations that will be up during the Toronto Design Offsite Festival here at Yonge + St. Clair from January 12-21. You can view the installation by visiting 40 St. Clair W
Hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

To find out what else is going on during the festival, be sure to visit our main page HERE.

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival is coming to #YongeStClair for the first time THIS month from January 15-21st, 2018.

There will be a week’s worth of art and festival programming anchored by three incredible installations designed by leading architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and Superkül.

We had the chance to catch up with the team at Gensler (Pelin Yeter, Matteo Maneiro and Gillian Walczak) who are responsible for the much anticipated installation titled #ohdeer coming to 2 St. Clair W. Read below to learn about Gensler’s guiding principles, and #ohdeer‘s relevance to the surrounding community.

Can you give us some background on Gensler and its approach to design? What are your guiding principles?

Yeter: Established in 1965 by our visionary founder, Art Gensler, Gensler is now the world’s largest architecture, design, and planning firm with 44 locations and over 5,100 professionals in the Americas, the UK, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia. The firm has 29 practice areas in virtually every industry and delivers projects as large as a city and as small as a task light.

We believe it all begins and ends with our client relationships. This is the first of Gensler’s ten guiding principles. With more than 3,500+ active clients, clients come first in everything we do and finding innovative design solutions for our their goals and challenges is what we do best. Our clients are remarkably diverse: large and small, private and public, profit and non-profit. We help them grow, sustain and transform: whatever it takes to embrace their future.

Despite 50 years of growth and change, we’re still passionate about design’s power to make a real difference for the organizations and people we serve. For us, design is the means. The starting points are goals, strategies and expectations, but it transcends them to create a new and better reality. Design is transformative and we believe in the power of leveraging it to create a better world.

This is the first year TO DO festival is at Yonge + St. Clair. What was the thinking behind “#ohdeer” and its relevance to community and its history?

Maneiro: #ohdeer is an installation where time is the subject, it is intended to play out over the course of the week. Upon arrival, subjects are presented with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the neighborhoods story and name, Deer Park. The oversized deer is collaged with an emblem of spectacle, anticipation and celebration, the piñata. Our interest here is in the power of the inanimate object, paired with symbols within a certain context. The familiar facilitates engagement and the playful stimulate exploration. This installation attempts to open a window into the neighborhood’s future through its past. The community is not only encouraged to participate, it is central to the activation of oh deer’s spectacle marking a time of rejuvenation at Yonge and St. Clair. #ohdeer is a playful reminder of the part community plays in the story of one’s neighborhood and city. Collectives are the true catalysts for prosperity.

Structurally, what will the deer be made of?

Walczak: The deer will start off with a wooden frame and base. A secondary structure of interlaced cardboard pieces will be secured on top of the frame. Before closing up the piñata, treats and surprises will fill the spaces between the cardboard pieces. One layer of kraft paper will then be wrapped around this ‘skeletal’ structure, forming the deer head, body and legs. The final touch will be the colourful pieces of fringed paper that will form it into a true piñata.

#ohdeer is one of three installations that will be up during the Toronto Design Offsite Festival here at Yonge + St. Clair from January 12-21. You can view the installation by visiting 2 St. Clair W
Hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

To find out what else is going on during the festival, be sure to visit our main page HERE.

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival is coming to #YongeStClair for the first time THIS month from January 15-21st, 2018.

There will be a week’s worth of art and festival programming anchored by three immersive installations designed by leading architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and Superkül.

We had the chance to catch up with Matt Belaen who is an architect from the firm IBI Group here at Yonge + St. Clair.  Read below to learn more about the installation Matt and his team have put together titled ‘The Space Between’, and more about his views on city building.

Can you give us some background on IBI and its approach to city building?

IBI focuses on a fully integrated approach to city building, from the human experience on a day to day basis, to systems/technology, transportation and infrastructure. With each project, regardless of complexity and scale, we try to engage expertise of all our design professionals.

What are IBI’s guiding principles?

IBI’s Smart City strategy aims to use technology to raise its urban IQ, directly improving quality of life, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. At its core, these are the guiding principles:

1. Focus on the quality of city life
2. Make life in cities healthier
3. Consider all aspects of modern city building today
4. Quality experience for people regarding public and open space, the interface of buildings with the public realm
5. Technology Integration and Systems
6. Transportation and mobility

This is the first year the TO DO festival is at Yonge + St. Clair. What was the thinking behind “The Space Between”, it’s concept of the “Nest”, and it’s relevance to the community and public space?

We wanted to tie in all of our expertise that we have available, while also making the process completely open and democratic. Everyone should have the opportunity to provide feedback and speak about public space. At the initial meetings, we took in feedback from approximately 35 team members from all design groups; Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Design, Interior Design, Healthcare, Systems and Intelligence, Transportation engineering, and Design and visualization staff.

Team members identified pertinent issues regarding the public space in general, within the City of Toronto and specifically the mid-town area, through a series of workshops. The “nest” works as a metaphor that allows us to speak to the circulation networks and gathering spaces that form and define public space and the transitional spaces between the fully public realm and the private. It also allows us to gather the ideas and points of view of our staff and public regarding their interpretation of public space.

How important was gathering mapping data of the area to inform the design of “The Nest”? Can you share some of your findings with us?

Over the course of several weeks, participating IBI staff members volunteered their GPS travel data while in the mid-town area. Our systems and intelligence staff collected and overlaid the data mapping staff circulation patterns in the area. Through a series of transformation to make the data graphically and artistically suitable for the installation, points of contact, common points or interaction, frequency and location of contact points etc. will be represented.

“The Space Between” is one of three installations that will be up during the Toronto Design Offsite Festival here at Yonge + St. Clair from January 12-21. You can view the installation by visiting 55 St. Clair W
Hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm

To find out what else is going on during the festival, be sure to visit our main page HERE.

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is back and it’s bigger than ever! Taking place January 15-21, 2018, #TODO18 is Canada’s largest cultural celebration of design with over 100 events, exhibitions, and installations forming Toronto’s design week.

Going into its 8th year, TO DO transforms Toronto into a hub for creativity, taking design and art out of the studio and into the urban sphere, and bringing people together to celebrate contemporary culture. They provide opportunities for emerging talent, and engage the community with exceptional and accessible public programming.

Yonge + St. Clair will be participating for the first time with exhibitions, talks and tours all throughout the neighbourhood. A week’s worth of art and festival programming will be anchored by three immersive installations designed by leading, architecture and design firms Gensler, IBI Group and superkül. There will also be an exhibition by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind exploring the latest assistive technology for those who are visually impaired.

Rounding out the programming will be two interactive sessions. The first is a talk called “Undo Toronto” where speakers from each of the participating design firms are bestowed the power to go back in time and undo one thing about Toronto, while proposing an alternative vision. The second is a TO DO Tour: Creating Communities Through Art which is a tour of the area led by three of the city’s leading public art experts, Ilana Altman, the Director of Programming at The Bentway, Patricio Davila, Associate Dean at OCAD University and Anjuli Solanki, Director of Community Programs, STEPS Initiative.

Don’t miss out on these incredible events, read below for more details.

Installations:

#ohdeer by Gensler

The Space Between by IBI Group

Second Life by superkül

Events:

Talk: Undo Toronto w Opening Reception Event to follow

Tour: Creating Communities Through Art

CNIB: Smashing Barriers, Creating Vision