20070223_pillars.jpg

The Pillars of Justice are Coming to University Ave.


City-installed street art in Toronto usually gets a bad rep. But hey, have you seen some of it? Typical reactions range from "I don't get it", to "I don't get it, and its ugly".

The city is hoping to change that opinion with its new installation, which is to begin construction this year and open next June. The $1.6 million dollar McMurtry Gardens of Justice will consist of 10 separate pieces, and will be a work in progress for several years to come.

The first piece to be commissioned is Edwina Sandys' Pillars of Justice (The English artists is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill). The sculpture will sit at the corner of Queen and University, and will be a 4.5 meter tall Romanesque design. Future pieces will dot along the Courthouse between University and Nathan Phillips Square.

However, the piece will contain 11, instead of the normal 12, pillars carved in human-like form. The 12th will be the viewer.

It is still uncertain when or how future pieces for the installation will be selected or funded. The province and the city have yet to contribute funds to the project. To this point it has all come from private donation.

The installation is being created to honour the soon to be retired Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurty.

Photo courtesy of Rick Eglinton at The Toronto Star


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Arts

19 things to do at KUUMBA Festival in Toronto this year

Winter Stations returning to Toronto and you can watch the sunrise through a doorway

Top Toronto tattoo artists band together to throw event for a good cause

Toronto comedy club with 290 online reviews is just a room in a house

The best wildlife photography in the world is coming to Toronto

Toronto museum about to be taken over by dazzling light and projection show

Beloved Toronto holiday tradition is back after almost ending for good

Groundbreaking new Hip Hop exhibit opens at the AGO in Toronto