Connecting Through Mural-Making

Conceptions of the meaning and purpose of ‘community’ may shift in terms of cultural and social understanding. However, in its application the term will never be neutral and this is precisely where its potential lies. Community is a fabric of multiple identities that drives positive change; whether mainstream, underground, or somewhere in between, communities are cogs in the urban machine. It is the presence and self-determination of culturally diverse communities that make cities like Toronto as vibrant and interesting as they are. But in order for these gatherings of people to thrive, we need structures that encourage and sustain them at the local, provincial, and federal levels.  

The Girls and Enby Mural Camp (formerly Girls Mural Camp), coordinated by East End Arts and supported by the Riverside BIA, is a great example of community-building in the Toronto-Danforth neighborhood. This summer program caters to youth between the ages of 14 and 18 who identify as women, girls, or non-binary individuals. Facilitated by professional street artists Bareket Kezwer of Women Paint and Monica Wickeler, the three-week experience explores the history and contemporary state of street art, graffiti, and murals through in-class learning and home practice. At the end of the program, participants have the opportunity to collaborate on a collective mural vision and bring it to life.

As a result, the Girls and Enby Mural Camp is both educational and artistically empowering. In the 2021 program recap video, a participant equated public art to unity, summarizing what the camp has been doing since its conception – connecting youth with one another and their surroundings. The camp’s work over the last two years supports this statement as each mural explores ideas of connectivity. The 2020 rendition culminated in each participant depicting the ways in which they connected to nature, technology and the world during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The imagery was inspired by the experience of each artist and carried their unique style. These paintings were linked with a circuit-like pattern highlighting the digital ways in which we coped as communities during social isolation and physical distancing. The 2021 mural, on the other hand, embraced the theme of water and how this powerful, life-giving natural force connects “everyone and everything – humans, animals, food, nature, health, spirituality.” Depicting water as feminine energy that playfully envelops flora and fauna and washes over a nighttime silhouette of Toronto, the mural evokes fluidity and inspires critical conversations about how we under-appreciate water as a resource. These two murals gracefully touch each other on the wall, implying yet another link – that of their shared mission.  

By facilitating educational and creative opportunities in mural-making – an in-demand skill in Toronto which uses art to transform neighborhoods – the Girls and Enby Mural Camp establishes a sense of community for the female-identifying and non-binary participants. They build their community fabric around awareness and reflection of their personal experiences to harness the potential of connecting. The 2022 mural, which was underway at the time of writing this article, was done on moveable panels. For those curious about what interrelational energies were explored this year, the work will be on display at East End Arts’ Nuit Blanche East Danforth hub on October 1^st.