A STEPS PROJECT
North York Laneway Art
ShowLoveTO Mural Project
ShowLoveTO is a 2021 CreateSpace North York laneway public art activation by artist-in-residence Jieun June Kim, and coordinated by KJ Bit Collective. This project invited mural and aerosol artists for a live-paint jam to animate a laneway in North York, ON with vibrant and exciting artwork.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Location: Laneway behind 4901 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario
Artists: Jieun June Kim
Year: 2021
Services: Artist Capacity Building
A STEPS PROJECT
ShowLoveTO
Mural Project
ShowLoveTO is a 2021 CreateSpace public art activation by artist-in-residence Jieun June Kim, and coordinated by KJ Bit Collective. This project invited mural and aerosol artists for a live-paint jam to animate a laneway in North York, ON with vibrant and exciting artwork.
PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Location: Laneway behind 4901 Yonge Street, North York, Ontario
Artists: Jieun June Kim
Year: 2021
Services: Artist Capacity Building
1
artist-in-residence
8
mural/aerosol artists
3
local businesses engaged
1
artist mentor
12
murals
1
artist-in-residence
8
mural/aerosol artists
3
local businesses engaged
1
artist mentor
12
murals
PROJECT DETAILS
After the CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency call for artists with nearly 100 submissions across Canada, Jieun June Kim was one of the ten emerging or mid-career public artists selected to create socially-engaged public artwork with the support of STEPS and multidisciplinary artistic mentors. This virtual residency began in March 2021 and runs until December 31, 2021 where Jieun and fellow artists-in-residence across five provinces are provided access to resources and support to develop the skills and experiences to bring their projects to life. For her public art concept, Jieun identified an area in North York, ON with her mural art collective KJ Bit Collective to bring more art into the community while supporting the local businesses and providing meaningful opportunities for BIPOC artists.
“I have been involved with the public art community in Toronto since I moved from Seoul, Korea in 2017. Public art creates a sense of community and adds unique character to the city. As a newcomer artist, murals are a great way to engage communities and neighbours, and by creating murals, I was able to form a strong sense of belonging.”
– Jieun June Kim, Artist-in-Residence
“I have been involved with the public art community in Toronto since I moved from Seoul, Korea in 2017. Public art creates a sense of community and adds unique character to the city. As a newcomer artist, murals are a great way to engage communities and neighbours, and by creating murals, I was able to form a strong sense of belonging.”
– Jieun June Kim, Artist-in-Residence
ShowLoveTO is a live-paint jam that invited mural and aerosol artists to animate a North York laneway with art and underutilized spaces of local small businesses with vibrant and one-of-a-kind artwork. This project aims to brighten the streets with more mural arts, while supporting the businesses, artists and community members impacted by COVID-19. Artists involved in this project include Erika James, Angel Cruz, Daniela Rocha, Moises Frank, Nick Sweetman, Eugene Lee, and Jieun’s CreateSpace mentor Andre Kan.
“The collaboration and dynamic between small businesses and local artists is important. Because if you have really great art around the city, it draws more attention to the businesses and eventually it will boost their opportunities. It’s a win-win situation.”
– Jieun June Kim, Artist-in-Residence
“The collaboration and dynamic between small businesses and local artists is important. Because if you have really great art around the city, it draws more attention to the businesses and eventually it will boost their opportunities. It’s a win-win situation.”
– Jieun June Kim, Artist-in-Residence
About Jieun June Kim
Jieun June Kim is a Toronto based, Korean born painter, illustrator, ceramist and activist public muralist. She holds a BFA in Korean Painting and Fashion Design with honours from Duksung Women’s University (Seoul, Korea) and a MFA in Visual Arts from Washington University (St. Louis, USA). She has exhibited her paintings around the world since 2010 at notable galleries and events, exploring the idea of “home” as an immigrant. As an expansion of her studio work, Jieun is also interested in creating safe spaces through street art.
About CreateSpace Residency
CreateSpace is a national public art residency program designed in consultation with advisors from coast to coast, to provide emerging Black, Indigenous and racialized artists with the skills, relationships and practical experience needed to take their public art practice to the next level.
The program aims to strengthen solidarity amongst artists working in diverse contexts and build connections between these artists and their communities. This residency also encourages conversations of social equity in city-building, design and placemaking.
This year’s virtual residency takes place from March to December 31, 2021 and through this nine (9) month program, ten (10) emerging or mid-career public artists will convene, connect and create socially-engaged public artwork across Canada. For the latest updates, be sure to follow @STEPSpublicart and #CreateSpaceResidency.
The CreateSpace Residency is made possible by support from TD Bank Group through the TD Ready Commitment, the City of Toronto as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021 – 2022, Partners in Art, MAWA, Canada Council for the Arts, and funding provided by the Government of Ontario.
