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Role: Curator & Concept Designer.

Part 1: ‘Fresh Eyes’  July 10-30th at City Hall
In an effort to celebrate and include new citizens, Arrivals.ca created an art installation entitled Fresh Eyes, a visual composition featuring the eyes of new Canadian citizens on City Hall. Fresh Eyes consisted of transparent photos applied to the windows of city councillors’ offices that face onto Nathan Phillips Square, allowing our city officials to ‘see through the eyes of a new citizen.’ The title Fresh Eyes also references the value that new and diverse perspectives bring to debate and decision making situations.  The majority of the citizens featured in the art installation are from Pan American countries. Photographed by Che Kothari, the piece is over 100 metres long and 2.5 metres tall.

Part 2: ‘Births, Deaths, Arrivals’ July 10-30th in the Toronto Star
The individual stories of the new citizens were placed in the Arrivals Section of the Toronto Star, obits on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the month of July 2012. This pilot section featured stories and portraits within the context of Canada’s shifting demographics. The piece worked towards a better representation of the voices of newcomers in the Canadian narrative and the value they bring to Canada as whole.

The Fresh Eyes art installation and the corresponding Arrivals section in the Toronto Star was the first commission of the TORONTO 2015 Arts and Culture Advisory Council. It was selected to highlight the Games focus on diversity, artistic excellence and Pan American culture. This commission officially launches July 10, 2012, marking the three-year countdown to the start of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. To see some of the people and organizations that made this project possible, please check out the team page and thanks page.