Sign Up: Legacies Community Mural

Be Part of a Neighbourhood Story Worth Telling

Yonge + St. Clair is turning into a public gallery — and you could be be part of it.

Legacies is a multi-phase public art, heritage and culture initiative by the Yonge + St. Clair BIA, celebrating the people and places that have shaped Midtown Toronto over the past 100 years.

This project is inspired by a rich set of current-day interviews and archival documents developed by Heritage Toronto, which showcases the lives of six longtime local business owners in the neighbourhood. Building on this groundwork, the BIA is now expanding the story – from six individual legacies to a community-wide portrait that reflects the people who know, remember, and continue to shape this area every day.

We’re now inviting residents, regulars, staff, customers, family, and neighbours – anyone who feels connected to the area or to the featured businesses – to take part in a free professional portrait session, and to share a memory that ties them to Yonge + St. Clair.

About the Artwork

The final installation will be a large-scale public portrait collage, featured across walls, windows, sidewalks, and ceilings in Midtown this fall. This is not a traditional mural – it’s a multi-surface, immersive exhibit that turns underused space into a living tribute to community.

Whether you’re featured front and centre or as part of a layered visual field, your image will help show what makes this place special: its people.

💡 Portraits may be creatively adapted — cropped, stylized, colour-treated, or layered — depending on how they’re integrated into the site. Faces may appear in full, partially, or as part of grouped configurations across different textures and surfaces.

Visual Inspiration

Below are a few examples and style references that represent the type of visual treatment and storytelling we’re working toward. These include:

Public portrait collages
Ground and wall-mounted photo installations
Multi-panel and layered mural work
Typography + image pairings inspired by historical archives

Stylistic and Case Study References
Examples of photographic installations on glass, brick, sidewalk, and layered cut-outs

Sign Up for a Free Portrait Session

We’re currently booking portrait sessions for community members who feel connected to the six featured businesses or have stories rooted in the Yonge + St. Clair area.

🗓 Portrait Sessions: September 8–14, 2025
📝 Deadline to Register: August 29, 2025
📍 Location: Yonge + St. Clair area (exact shoot location TBA)
🎯 Cost: Free
👥 Who Can Register: Anyone with a personal, historical, or anecdotal connection to the area or the featured businesses
📷 Outcome: Selected portraits and stories will be featured in a large-scale public installation launching October 6, 2025

Everyone can participate. While we aim to reflect a wide and vibrant range of community participants, space is limited. Submissions will be reviewed to ensure a thoughtful and balanced representation.

👉 Register Here for Your Portrait Session. Link.

Let’s turn shared history into shared space – one portrait at a time.

– Yonge + St. Clair BIA