Culture: Junction Arts Festival

Dundas Street West in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto was spotted with art like James McDonald's thinker-like "Catch Up Time" at left in this view of the Junction Arts Festival on 12-September-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Throughout the summer, Toronto has a long series of street festivals, some of them with a clear ethnic theme and others mostly driven by a Business Improvement District (most with both elements). The Junction Arts Festival, which has closed Dundas Street west of Keele this weekend, clearly started as an attempt to draw attention to the area, which in the five years of the festival has become one of Toronto's rising multi-cultural areas.


Artists worked on a platform in the middle of Dundas Street on a mural entitled the "Art Fuzion Revolution" during the Junction Arts Festival on 12-September-2009

Even in the depths of winter, the Junction neighbourhood has interesting art galleries, and they were all open for festival. A total of 25 "Red Hot Art Spots" were prominently signed along the street where restaurants, galleries, and other businesses had invited visual or performance artists to use their space; there wasn't time in an afternoon to fully explore them all. There were even artists working in the middle of the street.


Toronto Hydro hosted artwork on the doors of retired refrigerators replaced by more efficient models, on display during the Junction Arts Festival on 12-September-2009

Like most Toronto street festivals, there were plenty of food vendors, and the junction is especially diverse in this regard--I found everything from empanadas to roti, fajitas to roasted corn on sale at the street. There were plenty of non-arts groups, such as the West Toronto Junction Historical Society, with booths. Arguably the most interesting was in the "Green Zone" of environmental booths, a Toronto Hydro display with art on refrigerator doors--from appliances replaced by more efficient models. Another unexpected sight was a 1957 Chevrolet police car, on display by the Toronto Police Service.


The Metropolitan Toronto Police's 1957 Chevrolet was on display at the Junction Arts Festival on 12-September-2009

The last day of the Junction Arts Festival is Sunday, 13-September-2009, including a mid-afternoon performance by Mr. Something Something.