Over 1,000 Artists Paint the Town at RAW CANVAS
By Lucas on Jun 29, 2015
Were you at RAW CANVAS? If not, you missed out. We can’t candy coat it. RAW Design, one of Toronto’s top architecture firms, outdid themselves this year. Think back to a couple years ago when RAW ENERGY lit up the night with the power of human movement. And last year, when the RAW MATERIAL event was our first party in a storage locker. As fun as both of those events were, we think RAW CANVAS takes the cake.
Over 1,000 members of Toronto’s creative and architecture community gathered at the Daniels Waterfront City of the Arts site at Lower Jarvis and Lakeshore Boulevard East for the RAW CANVAS party. It makes perfect sense that the party was held at the City of the Arts site because The Daniels Corporation announced earlier this year that there will be a creative hub for arts and culture organizations like Artscape, The Remix Project, and Manifesto.
“Not only will this site feature landmark residential and office towers, but it will also be home to student innovation and a hub for the creative industries,” said the Mayor of Toronto John Tory at the grand unveiling. “The project will complement the future East Bayfront community, further adding to the diversity of our waterfront while creating jobs that are central to our city’s growth.”
In preparation for the event, RAW commissioned some veteran visual artists from Toronto and the surrounding area, as well as some of the city’s best up-and-coming artists, to bring the space to life. RAW erected a 2,000 square foot canvas on a construction rig, depicting Toronto’s skyline, which served as a backdrop to the 30,000 square feet of canvas around the construction site.
This is the first time we’ve ever seen a construction site turned into a pop-up art gallery. The 30,000 square feet of canvas covered the walls and floors. The best part of the party was that everyone was allowed to grab some paint and contribute to some of the art scenery. Needless to say, it got pretty messy!
“RAW’s philosophy is always to respond to the context of the site,” says Roland Rom Colthoff, RAW’s founder. “That goes for the buildings we design, and also our installations, with themes pulled from the unexpected venues we choose.”
Like RAW’s other parties, the main vision behind this event was the celebration of art, architecture, and city building all intersecting. They successfully created an abstract portrayal of the future of Toronto’s creative industry along the waterfront. In addition to all the paintings, there were discovery zones, videos and massive 3D art installations, delicious battered fish, and Double Trouble Brewing Co. served up our favourite beverages of the night.
If you were at the RAW CANVAS party, share your photos with us on Twitter with the hashtag #RAWCANVAS.
