Public Art Check-up at Guild Park

This special “working” walk focuses on the condition of Guild Park’s public art. Directors of Friends of Guild Park (FGP) will tour the site to review the condition of the park's sculptures and artifacts.

The Bear is just one example of the popular public art at Guild Park that requires care and professional cleaning.

All the artistic pieces seen outdoors at Guild Park were collected or commissioned more than a generation ago by philanthropists, Rosa and Spencer Clark. The couple owned and operated the property as the Guild of All Arts/The Guild Inn from 1932 to 1978. The "Provincial Panels" (images below) are among the notable works saved by the Clarks and displayed throughout the grounds.

The City of Toronto is responsible for maintaining the public art at Guild Park. Earlier this year, officials told Friends of Guild Park directors that the City only has funds to make emergency repairs to Guild Park's public art. For the past decade, City officials explain they have had no money for cleaning the works at Guild Park, or for making ongoing repairs.

This walk is an opportunity for members of Friends of Guild Park to review the condition of many of the public art treasures. Joining this walk is a graduate of an arts conservation program who's volunteering her expertise and will explain what's required to maintain the site's cultural heritage artifacts.

FGP directors want to better understand the steps needed to preserve these artistic assets at Guild Park. We also aim to collect information that will convince City officials to make remediating Guild Park's public art a priority

The four life-sized bas-relief panels are rare examples of Canadian motifs incorporated into architectural design. These are among the 12 "Provincial Panels" preserved from the now-demolished Bank of Montreal headquarters in downtown Toronto.

The "Provincial Panels" were designed by Canada's foremost sculptors from the 1930s, under the direction of Walter Allward, creator of the renowned Canadian Vimy Ridge National Memorial in France. The hand-carved facade features are now badly weathered and have been further damaged by a metal band inappropriately wrapped around the middle of this grouping of four panels.

Under current City of Toronto policy, all the public art pieces displayed at Guild Park receive care only after the works have been willfully defaced, such as by graffiti, and the damage gets reported to City officials.

This walk is open to a very limited number of FGP members - people who'd like join in the community efforts to have these one-of-a-kind pieces of Canadian history maintained for future generations of Guild Park visitors. The walk is entirely outdoors and take place rain or shine.

For this special walk, advance registration is required and available only to Friends of Guild Park members. Become a member today and be eligible to register for this event. Details at https://www.friendsofguildpark.com/become-a-member