From Weeds We Grow
From Weeds We Grow is an interdisciplinary public art community project that started in 2020 and explores Toronto’s Rexdale community’s relationship to the environment through the intersections of nature, art, and wellness. Since then, From Weeds We Grow has returned yearly, featuring diverse community-engaged activations from virtual walking tours, workshops, storytelling, and performances rooted in local parks (Rowntree Mills and Panorama Park).
Part of Arts in the Park, From Weeds We Grow is supported by the Toronto Arts Council through the Animating Toronto Parks program, which has led to the development of an interactive web app, free activity booklets, participatory art-making and storytelling workshops, and community events led by local community members, artists, and facilitators.
Project at a glance
Location: Rexdale, Toronto
Documentarians: Kyle Jarencio, Anushay Sheikh, Mila Bright, May Shi, Selina McCallum, Ayesha Khan
Year: 2020-present
Services: Artist Capacity Building, Cultural Planning
Land Acknowledgement
From Weeds We Grow takes place in what is known as Adoobiigok (Etobicoke), the “Place of the Alders” in Michi Saagiig language, and STEPS acknowledges that Panorama Park is situated on the ancestral lands of the Huron-Wendat, the shared traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, Chippewa, along with the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee, and is now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, among other Indigenous communities.
These Lands are a part of the Humber River system. From time immemorial the Humber served as a vital artery interconnecting many nations across Turtle Island. Home of the ancient carrying place trail, this trade route along with the rich floodplains of the river supported prosperous communities for millennia. The Mississaugas called the Humber River Cobechenonk, which means ‘leave the canoes and go back’ and also Niwa’ah Onega’gaih’ih, meaning ‘Little Thundering Waters’. We acknowledge the original guardians of this land and our responsibility as treaty people to protect the watershed so it may continue to provide for all.
The territory is the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes, taking only what is needed and ensuring the Dish is never left empty for others. We also acknowledge that what is now known as Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaty signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa Bands.
1,150+
community participants
59+
unique individual artworks
35+
artists/ facilitators engaged
4
ground murals
Events
Since the start of From Weeds We Grow, new programming and collaborations have brought more virtual and in-person workshops and community engagements for the public to deepen their connections to Rowntree Mills Park.
STEPS is committed to the community’s full participation in events. Please contact Ima Esin (Cultural Planner) at ima@stepspublicart.org if you have any questions or requests, and we will do our best to accommodate.
Upcoming Events
Past events
Check events/workshops for more events in your area!
- June 26, 2024: Strawberry Tea Time – A Conversation With Indigenous Artists (Pre-recorded Discussion)
- June 21, 2023: Heart Berry: Strengthening Our Connections with Lindsey Lickers, Kelly Lavallee & Melissa Stevenson
- 2021-2022: Restoration of Relationship Beading Workshops
- June 19, 2021: Creating a Caring Vessel: Birch Basket Workshop with Myseum of Toronto
2024 From Weeds We Grow Park Activation
Strawberry Tea Time: A Conversation With Indigenous Artists
The 2024 From Weeds We Grow program began with a Strawberry Tea Time conversation with 4 Indigenous artists selected to lead park program activities in the summer. In honour of National Indigenous History Month in June, a pre-recorded video was shared with the public via YouTube that engages viewers in a nourishing and honest discussion by Lindsey Lickers (Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe), Star Nahwegahbo, Jennifer Alicia Murrin, and Shawn Howe.
Nature Nurtures
This year’s contributor and facilitator, Jennifer Alicia Murrin, led a spoken word and poetry workshop with community members. Jennifer created Nature Nurtures, a spoken word and poetry piece that reminds us that we are the land, and the land is us.
Nature Nurtures (Text Format)
Every day, my son says weli eksitpu’k, good morning, to the sky, birds, flowers, bees
Says thank you as he wraps his little body around a tree
He takes time to breathe
I am teaching him to appreciate and love all living things
We are all interconnected
We all start from a seed
The land carries stories and so do we
Isn’t it amazing that this space continues to thrive
Our feet landing in the same sacred spaces people have been traveling since time immemorial
A refuge, from the chaos that waits for us in the surrounding
A sanctuary
It’s no wonder why she is called Mother Earth
The way nature nurtures us
Her full bloom blanket wrapping us up in the safety of her warmth
Reminding us that we are the land and the land is us
She’s a caregiver providing everything that we need
Plant medicines, water, ecosystems, trees to breathe
And like a Mother, she keeps giving and giving and giving and giving
And as a Mother, I know that we will give until there is barely anything left
And if we are the land and the land is us, we need to reciprocate and fill her up
Because I also know that you can’t pour from an empty cup
When the world slowed down, many of us were forced to change the ways we engage with space
We met outside, we sat in parks, we explored places that maybe we’ve never been or truly appreciated
Like these huge maples and pines whose roots have been grounded maybe even before our lifetime
The faint acoustics of the Humber River carrying stories of salmon survivance and settler violence
From the woodpeckers tap tap tapping on the tallest tree
All the way down to the slithering garter snakes
The Carrying Place
Sacred space
Where Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Nations have been present for several generations
It’s now also our responsibility as cohabitants to be caregivers
To listen
To learn
To respect her as a life giver
When I say All My Relations, I really mean all of us
Everything that we are and everything that we touch is made of stardust
We are the land, and the land is us
Braiding Ourselves Into Creation
The theme of From Weeds We Grow this year was the idea of braiding ourselves into creation. Low barrier community arts workshops were held in Toronto’s Rowntree Mills Park where new and returning participants gathered to deepen their connections to art, wellness, and nature. Free activities included:
- A chalk jam and tabletop mural workshop with Star Nahwegahbo and Shawn Howe
- Spoken word and poetry with Jennifer Alicia Murrin and Zara Rahman
- Dance movement with Richa Baghel
- Craft and connection with Star Nahwegahbo
- Beading circle with Lindsey Lickers (Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe)
- Community paint days and celebration of new ground murals in Rowntree Mills Park
This year produced two new ground murals in Rowntree Mills Park that were co-created with the community. To date, From Weeds We Grow has created 4 STEPS-led murals in the park that make entrances to the park more welcoming, as well as improve wayfinding through a large green space that was once underutilized.
We’re thankful to everyone involved in From Weeds We Grow and making the 2024 programming so special! The community feedback and participation demonstrate the importance of fostering local connections and engaging intergenerational participants through accessible arts opportunities.
From Weeds We Grow 2024 is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, Arts in the Parks by the Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Arts Council funded by the City of Toronto, Park People, Scotiabank, and the Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund from the City of Toronto. We’re grateful for our community partner Rexdale Community Hub, and acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario.
2023 From Weeds We Grow Park Activation
From Weeds We Grow continued to strengthen the North Etobicoke community’s connections to the land with returning collaborators Lindsey Lickers, Mushkiki Nibi Kwe and Richa Baghel leading 2023’s main programming. In 2023, we partnered with Park People through InTO the Ravines across online and in-person programming events.
Marking the start of the 2023 program, Lindsey Lickers led Heart Berry: Strengthening Our Connections. This three-part community-engaged series culminated in a placemaking mural that animated the Rowntree Mills Ravine and Humber River Trail entrance. Starting with a virtual sharing circle on National Indigenous Peoples Day with fellow Oshkabewis (ceremonial helpers) Kelly Lavallee and Melissa Stevenson, the community was invited to hear the teachings of the strawberry and to reflect on the honest conversations shared by the Wayeshadewin collective.
The learnings of the heart berry were revisited in a free beading circle workshop as community members joined Lindsey Lickers and STEPS to create beaded strawberry pins to explore our relationship with ourselves, the land and creation.
Returning collaborator and program participant Richa Baghel was welcomed back to From Weeds We Grow to share her healing workshops to create meditative and reflective spaces for the North Etobicoke community. Richa’s I’m In Nature workshops provided a space for participants to create a collective mandela, visual art and poetry based on their direct experience of being in nature.
From Weeds We Grow was made possible by the generous support of Park People through InTO the Ravines, City of Toronto, Ontario Arts Council, and the New Horizons for Seniors Program, and Canadian Heritage funded by the Government of Canada.
From Weeds We Grow est réalisé en partenariat avec Park People dans le cadre du programme InTO the Ravines. Ce projet est rendu possible grâce au généreux soutien de la ville de Toronto, le Conseil des arts de l’Ontario et le programme Nouveaux Horizons pour les aînés et Patrimoine Canadien, financé par le gouvernement du Canada.
2022 From Weeds We Grow Park Activation
This year’s programming enriched community conversations on their connections to Panorama Park through public art ideation, in-park activation, and a beading circle. Adjacent to the Rexdale Community Hub, the park provided a space for local artists, storytellers, and community leaders to gather for a series of meaningful approaches to public space. Alongside free monthly in-park events summer long, the program also included events at Toronto Public Library branches to increase community involvement.
A core project to the 2022 programming was the creation of the VIBRANT RX Infinity Tree led by Quentin VerCetty and AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives. Focused on exploring the creative use of public space, modular design and hand-crafted elements, the community-co-created art hub served as a gathering point that shares the visual journey of 2022 Panorama Park explorations.
From Weeds We Grow was part of this year’s Arts in the Parks Program. It was made possible through generous support from the Toronto Arts Foundation, Toronto Arts Council funded by the City of Toronto, Rexdale Community Hub, Toronto Public Library, Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada.
Weaving Our Roots
In 2022, STEPS offered Weaving Our Roots as winter programming for the North Etobicoke locals and seniors to deepen their connection to the land. Two reflection and illustration workshops led by land-based artist and avid gardener Joaquin Varela were hosted where participants designed unique artworks for a Community Flag Garden at the Rexdale Community Hub. To celebrate the colour and creativity that was added to the winter landscape, the community reunited with Joaquin, Adassa B. and STEPS on February 25, 2023 for the flag garden unveiling.
We’re grateful for the community’s active participation in Weaving Our Roots with additional support by Canada Council for the Arts, Rexdale Community Hub, and the Government of Canada.
Weaving Our Roots was made possible through generous support from the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, and Rexdale Community Hub.
2021 From Weeds We Grow Park Activation
Originally a response to COVID-19 as a way to foster community connections during challenging times, the success of From Weeds We Grow led to continued programming for the local community. In 2021, STEPS welcomed new and past project collaborators to Rowntree Mills Park for another summer of artistic programming with community members.
From Weeds We Grow started with the Poetry of Rowntree Mills Park workshop series led by spoken word artist Zara Rahman. In July, community members gathered in the comfort of their homes to write poems that contributed to the From Weeds We Grow web app and a community showcase highlighting the poetry crafted with local spoken word artist Faduma Mohamed.
Throughout a weekend in late September, community participants came together for a variety of art-making and movement activities in Rowntree Mills Park, including:
- Co-creating a ground mural with Indigenous artist Lindsey Lickers, Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe
- Land-based cyanotype print art-making with Marjan Verstappen
- Movement activities with Marina Fathalla and Prempz
- Community park walk led by Adassa B. and Jim Graham
This year’s programming was part of the Arts in the Parks Program. It was made possible through generous support from Toronto Arts Foundation, Toronto Arts Council funded by the City of Toronto, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Government of Ontario.
We extend our thanks to the Toronto Public Library and Ontario Culture Days for their partnership as part of their 2021 programming.
“The park means a lot to me and my family. Its open space is a great way to get some exercise of the mind and body. I appreciate nature so much more and enjoy a stroll through Rowntree Mills Park.”
2020 From Weeds We Grow Park Activation
Our relationships to nature, accessible public space, and community became more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the pandemic, From Weeds We Grow was a program cultivated through conversations during Under/Current, another interdisciplinary program in 2019 by STEPS that transformed Toronto’s Rexdale community through co-created public art and storytelling. From Weeds We Grow encouraged exploration and conversation around public space through interdisciplinary public art projects that connected community members to each other, to the arts, and to the parks along the Humber River.
The 2020 program focused largely on independent community experiences, presentation of stories and spoken word performances, virtual and immersive walking tours, and the first edition of the co-created activity booklet.
Throughout the program’s production, the project’s outcomes culminated in a From Weeds We Grow web app in partnership with Toasterlab. With community well-being and safety in mind, the app explored public space with interactive 360° panorama features, video content, community stories, interactive quests, and more.
Self-guided Activities
Park Activity Booklets
As an additional engagement component to the program, From Weeds We Grow activity booklets were developed in collaboration with the Melting Pot Collective and contributing artists Debbie Woo, Marina Fathalla, Marjan Verstappen, and Jesseca Buizon from 2020-2022. The booklets were filled with beautiful nature-inspired illustrations that explored new ways to connect with Rowntree Mills and Panorama Park. The free booklets were made available in digital and printed formats at each in-park activity, local Toronto Public Library branches, and on the STEPS Public Art website.
“Leading the artwork on this third installment of activity books for From Weeds We Grow with Debbie was a refreshing experience. As someone who has lived in Toronto all her life, it’s amazing to discover scenic breaks outside of the usual sights I’m used to.”
Explore the three activity booklets by clicking on the links below:
Participating artists
Adassa B., Billy Parrell, Caerina Abrenica, Caity Ferrar, Debbie Woo, Denise Harris, Faduma Mohamed, James Carpenter, Jennifer Alicia Murrin, Jesseca Buizon, Jiya Patel, Jode Ketch, Kanate-hson/Elder Renee Thomas-Hill, Kanisha Dabreo, Kareen Weir, Lindsey Lickers/Mushkiiki Nibi Kwe (Medicine Water Woman), Marina Fathall, Marjan Verstappen, Martin Marticorena, Matthew Fountain, Melting Pot Collective, Ms. Ellie, Prempz, Quentin VerCetty, Richa Baghel, Shawn Howe, Star Nahwegahbo, ToasterLab, Tracey Kayy, Zara Rahman
Supporters
From Weeds We Grow 2024 is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, Arts in the Parks by the Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Arts Council funded by the City of Toronto, Park People, Scotiabank, and the Indigenous Arts and Culture Partnerships Fund from the City of Toronto.
We’re grateful for our community partner Rexdale Community Hub, and acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Ontario.
