With the guiding theme, ‘Express yourself’, Wallpeople encouraged people to express their ideas and share them in a public arena. The grey wall of the washroom in Bellevue Square transformed when nearly seventy people contributed their art.

Painting, knitting, collage, poetry, and photography changed the face of the wall in this improvised open-air museum. Children and people of all ages were playing with art supplies.

Wallpeople is a collaborative art project originally conceived of in Barcelona that leads people to create, and be part of a special moment in an urban space, by setting up a unique street work done by all. Wallpeople is truly a chance to inhabit our urbanity together through a collective creativity. Wallpeople is art by and for the people and found a comfortable fit in the eclectic neighbourhood of Kensington Market.

Wallpeople Toronto’s Team included Javiera Rossel, Felipe Hidalgo, Esma Yakut, Lido
Pimienta, Javier Lovera, Simón Rojas and Su Alexanian.

Wallpeople in Toronto was supported by KMAC and the Kensington Market BIA.
See more at Wallpeople Toronto Video

TORONTO – With a coffee house threatened with a fine for leaving a couple of tags on their wall, graffiti has managed to spray itself across the headlines once again.

Often considered the most deviant art form, you can’t miss street art if you tried: it’s on the walls of warehouses as you pass through Scarborough on the RT, it’s in alleyways in Kensington Market, it’s even on TTC buses and subways in the form of illegible tags, which are normally an artist’s signature, scrawled with black markers.

The question is: what is considered vandalism and what is art? And why do artists, whether experienced or just starting out, feel the need to tag walls?

To read the rest of this Global Toronto article click here

Outside Zimmerman’s Discount is an aging sign that advises customers: “Zimmermans Fresh Mart, across the street has no association with our store.”

At Zimmerman’s Freshmart, two signs are posted in response.

“We at Freshmart believe customer loyalty is earned by offering quality and service not the name on the store.”

To read more of this Totonto Star article click here

Agave and Aguacate
214 Augusta Ave. (inside Pancho’s Bakery), 647-208-3091

I always thought that cauliflower, that goth veg, needed clouds of cheddar, a pinch of mustard, to make it edible.

Now, I know better. I’m at Agave and Aguacate, a takeaway stall in a scrappy Latin American food court in Kensington Market. A Spanish song of masochistic mourning carries down Augusta Avenue on this bright spring morning, Latin American restos and shops have their shingles out. Jumbo Empanada, Mexican Salsas, La Tortilleria, Emporium Latino … all signs of an Hispanic breakthrough. The taco is now challenging burgers, pizza, sushi as Toronto’s fave fast food. I’ve come to sample the cooking of Francisco Alejandri, a Stratford Chefs School alumnus who, for the past l8 months, has been wowing the lunch crowd with his unique take on Mexican food.

To read more of this National Post review click here

The Kensington Market BIA board of management would like to invite the businesses and residents of the neighbourhood to join us at our new monthly meet & greet social.

Starts: Wednesday, May 9th – 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Cafe Pamenar, 307 Augusta Ave.

Feel free to BYOB, socialize and share your ideas, questions or concerns with your neighbours and members of the BIA board on the second Wednesday night of the month from May to October at Cafe Pamenar.

Please call the BIA Coordinator with any questions, 416 826 2964..

How sweet! George Takei turned 75 on Friday urned 75 on Friday and, smart cookies that they are, a Toronto bakery was ready for the “Star Trek” alum’s visit to the Great White North.

This weekend, Toronto’s Kensington Market pie shop Wanda’s Pie in the Sky presented Takei, who’s best known for playing Hikaru Sulu on “Star Trek,” with 13 cookies made just for him. To read the full OMG! article click here

Dear neighbourhood association,

Our office invites your members, as well as a representative from your association to join us on May 3, 2012 to discuss removing the City of Toronto from the jurisdiction of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Join Rosario Marchese (MPP for Trinity-Spadina), Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19), Councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20), and Christopher Hume (Toronto Star columnist), as they discuss the reasons why the City of Toronto is capable of handling it’s own development future.

When: May 3, 2012 at 6:30PM
Where: 155 Crawford Street (Trinity Bellwoods Community Recreation Centre)

I encourage you to share this information amongst your members and networks.

If you are able to send a representative, please let me know by replying to this email so they can be recognized at the meeting.

Attached to this email you will find:

Backgrounder on the motion recently passed in Council chambers.
Petition asking the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to remove the City of Toronto from the jurisdiction of the OMB.
Event poster.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Laura Auquilla Pesantez

Constituency Assistant to
Rosario Marchese, MPP | Trinity-Spadina
808 Dundas Street West | Toronto, Ontario M6J 1V3
Tel: 416.603.9664 | Fax: 416.603.1241