His Worship Mayor John Tory calls on Torontonians to support the artists of #TOAF59, and our Gifts of Heart campaign, honouring frontline workers.
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"Hello Mayor John Tory here, and I wanna take a moment to thank all of those who have taken part in the 59th annual Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, happening virtually for the very first time.
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is truly one of my favourite events of the summer. Throughout my time as Mayor I’ve had the pleasure of joining artists, art enthusiasts each and every year. They come from right across our city and come to Nathan Phillips Square and put on an incredible showcase of Toronto art.
I’ve always seen art as a great unifier for our city. This year’s festival looks a bit different obviously but I’ve been inspired nonetheless by the many ways that the art fair’s virtual program has been able to celebrate Toronto artists and their creative work, while at the same time honouring all of the frontline workers who have been so effective at battling the COVID-19 virus. The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair’s Gifts of Heart Campaign has presented the public with an incredible opportunity to support our city’s artists and frontline workers by making a donation towards gift cards for our frontline workers they are also then able to use that gift card some of the amazing works of art at this year’s virtual festival. So it really is a win-win for everyone.
In the face of this pandemic, I have seen that art has brought our city together on the one hand but that’s in spite of the incredible challenges faced by so many artists during the very same pandemic. A great example of this can be found in our Street Art Toronto frontline heroes art project which saw street art used as a way to pay tribute to our city’s frontline heroes while at the same time some of the artists have been very involved in making that happen. Our have been there for us and now they need our support and with a few days still left in this year’s festival I encourage everyone to visit www.torontooutdoor.art and to support our city’s talented artists from the comfort of your very own home. Thank you for your anticipated generosity."
– His Worship, Mayor John Tory
