October 13, 2016 

 

Councillor Frances Nunziata (Ward 11 York South-Weston) was joined today by Toronto artist Josh Thorpe to unveil his new large-scale outdoor public artwork Flag Field.

 

"The City of Toronto is pleased to receive this engaging artwork," said Councillor Nunziata. "It contributes creatively to the ongoing revitalization of Maple Claire Park and becomes an excellent addition to the City's public art collection."

 

Flag Field consists of 14 flags on flag poles, ranging from 8 to 15 metres high which meander through Maple Claire Park and display stylized graphic drawings. Rubber crumb circles surround each flag base to provide safety, visual coherence and unstructured play areas for children.

 

“I tried to take a lesson from my favourite public works, most of which engage the landscape. This work moves from turf to sky, is activated by the wind and plays on the topography of the park," said Thorpe. "People can linger through paths in the poles, gaze up and space out, and kids can run about and play tag.”

 

His work was selected from an open national public art competition. Thorpe is an artist and writer living in Toronto whose works have been exhibited internationally in public and gallery settings. He has a Master’s degree in Visual Studies from the University of Toronto, and he teaches and consults on writing and rhetoric. More information about the artist is available at http://www.joshthorpe.com/.

 

Flag Field becomes part of the City's permanent Public Art and Monuments Collection. The City currently has more than 205 public artworks and monuments, located throughout Toronto, in its collection. 

 

This news release is also available on the City's website: http://bit.ly/2dQGyqE

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

- 30 -

 

Media contact: 

Shane Gerard, Strategic Communications, 416-397-5711, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.