Painting the town
Painting the town From inciting social and political change to the simple act of adding beauty to an inner city neighbourhood, street art has become a global phenomenon. Toronto is home to many talented urban artists, where progressive municipal policies have encouraged a wide range of public art forms across the city. Monica Wickeler is a Toronto artist whose murals brighten playgrounds, wading pools and pedestrian laneways. “As a street artist, I’m inspired when I think about how the changes I create in the visual landscape affect the people who view the space daily,” says Monica. Life as an artist was not initially in the plan. Formally trained in industrial design, Monica moved to northern Ontario hoping to follow in the footsteps (in her own way) of her father, who was an industrial engineer for a uranium mine. When long-term labour disputes meant no possibility of working as a designer/draftsman for a mine, she returned to school to study graphic design. New to Toronto, she joined the large-scale advertising company MURAD as a mural painter; as Monica explains, “this was my first experience with large scale work and I haven’t looked back.” The work she did with MURAD was often enormous; Monica reminisces: “We painted projects that were six storeys high and sometimes hundreds of feet long. They could take a crew of half-a-dozen artists up to two months to complete … we once painted an image of a twenty dollar bill that was about 40 feet high and 200 hundred feet long.” Monica works on a somewhat smaller scale now, although her artwork is anything but small as it climbs walls, fills hallways and wraps park sheds. According to the StreetARToronto site, urban art provides a, “visually rich and exciting environment and revitalize public spaces,” and Monica’s pieces do just that, offering passers-by a bright spot in the landscape on a wet and chilly spring morning. Her favourite piece to date? A developer in the Beaches hired Monica to paint the plywood construction hoarding around a new condo building. To make it a community project, Monica engaged the local ‘tween club, collaborating with the kids to develop the design. “I love getting kids involved in large-scale community projects - I hope it inspires them to future creative endeavours and gives them a sense of pride in creating public art.”
To that end, during her offseason, when it is too cold to paint outside, Monica gets involved with tdsbCREATES, a program that celebrates art in the classroom. Monica has spent time with students as an artist mentor and has done a few “residencies” which allow her to spend a week with students teaching them about street art. Monica faces a common challenge for many artists a big part of her work doesn’t involve painting, but rather long days and nights developing proposals for future projects and funding. “I spend too much time at the keyboard,” she explains. “As a visual artist, I would much rather spend the day with brush to wall.” What does the future hold? In Monica’s own words: “I am curious to see where this trend may lead and thrilled to be a part of it!” Monica Wickeler’s work can be found in laneways, parks, and on buildings in Toronto’s east end neighbourhoods, including Riverdale, Leslie
To that end, during her offseason, when it is too cold to paint outside, Monica gets involved with tdsbCREATES, a program that celebrates art in the classroom. Monica has spent time with students as an artist mentor and has done a few “residencies” which allow her to spend a week with students teaching them about street art. Monica faces a common challenge for many artists a big part of her work doesn’t involve painting, but rather long days and nights developing proposals for future projects and funding. “I spend too much time at the keyboard,” she explains. “As a visual artist, I would much rather spend the day with brush to wall.” What does the future hold? In Monica’s own words: “I am curious to see where this trend may lead and thrilled to be a part of it!” Monica Wickeler’s work can be found in laneways, parks, and on buildings in Toronto’s east end neighbourhoods, including Riverdale, Leslie
