Pan Am Path Comes Alive With Intergenerational Flag Parade & Human Wave - A Majestic Representation of Toronto's Cultural Mosaic
TORONTO, June 8, 2015 /CNW/ - As Toronto prepares to be on the international stage with the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, Lakeshore Arts and local residents of Toronto's Lakeshore region celebrate Toronto's multi-cultural heritage with a majestic flag parade and festival along the Lakeshore portion of the Pan Am Path.
The parade comes as the fifth leg of the Pan Am Path Art Relay and is the culmination of a series of public flag making workshops held by Lakeshore Arts at local schools and public libraries to engage residents in Toronto and Etobicoke.
With 46% of Toronto's population made up of immigrants, according to Statistics Canada, organizers say it's essential for the city's residents, both those born here and those who emigrated here, to come together before the Games to explore their views of community and celebrate what Toronto means to them. "Community initiatives like Walking Wave are really important because they galvanize the community," explains Susan Nagy, Executive Director of Lakeshore Arts. "What's really powerful about this project is the fact that it has united hundreds of people, all working towards one day, using the power of art to bring them together. I can't wait to see it," she adds.
Workshop participants, both young and old, were asked to create personalized flags that represented what their city means to them. They will carry those flags during the parade on Sunday, June 14. Samba Elegua will lead the parade and joining the community flag bearers will be members of the Humber College Puppetry program. Mural Routes, the South-Etobicoke Youth Assembly's (SEYA) Youth Choir and Ballet Creole will provide performances and interactive art-making throughout the rest of the day.
Members of the public that want to join the parade will have an opportunity to create their own flags at on-site art workshops led by Lakeshore Arts. Everyone is encouraged to wear shades of blue, white and green to become part of a human wave.
| WHEN: |
Sunday, June 14, 2015 |
| WHERE: |
Sir Casimir Gzowski Park |
| SCHEDULE: |
10:00 - Flag making workshop (Drop in - Runs until 2 p.m.) |
About Lakeshore Arts
Lakeshore Arts is a not-for-profit, local arts service organization based in south Etobicoke. It has a 22-year track record of transforming neighbourhoods through the power of art, arts education, community engagement and local partnerships.
BACKGROUND: About The Pan Am Path & Art Relay
The vision of the Pan Am Path is to combine the power of art and sport to create a living path across Toronto. From May 16 to August 15, 2015, the Pan Am Path will come alive with a city-wide Art Relay of installations and events. Each week, the festival travels across Toronto celebrating some of the city's greatest assets: diversity, nature, arts and active outdoor living.
The Pan Am Path was started by a group of Toronto artists and city-builders in collaboration with the City of Toronto. On July 18, 2013, Toronto City Council endorsed the Pan Am Path as a Host City Showcase Program of the Games. The Pan Am Path is an 84-kilometre continuous trail for walking, running, cycling and wheeling that connects the city from east to west. Legacy construction to improve and create new connections along the Pan Am Path will continue through 2017.
The Pan Am Path App is a wayfinding mobile app that matches your geographic location on the Path to music that is rooted within that community via 4 local music-streaming stations. Other Features include: a full map of the path, directions to nearby local businesses and a calendar of Pan Am Path Art Relay programming.
Friends of the Pan Am Path is the main organizer of the Pan Am Path Art Relay, motivated by the chance to celebrate the best of the region: art, nature and diversity -- while also creating a meaningful legacy of the 2015 Games for residents.
The Pan Am Path Art Relay is proudly supported by the City of Toronto, Toronto Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Toronto Star, Toronto Arts Council, Trans Canada Trail, Canadian Heritage, Toronto Pearson, United Way Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Laidlaw Foundation, Lotus Leaf, & Westbury National.
For the full Pan Am Art Relay event calendar map, app and participating organizations, please visit: http://www.panampath.org.
NEXT-UP IN THE RELAY: June 20 - First Story Tours & Live Art Festival
Discover Toronto's indigenous heritage through the First Story tours and app. From June 20–26, First Story Toronto leads a series of walking, biking and bus tours along the lakeshore. On June 20 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., tours connect the Indigenous Arts Festival at Fort York to the Live Art Festival at Underpass Park. The Live Art Festival combines mural, street and community arts under one concrete roof. A collaboration between Mural Routes, StART and CRBA, this event includes live painting, performances and the creation of five iconic murals on pillars facing Lower River Street.
Register for First Story tours and download the app at www.panampath.org.
SOURCE Friends of the Pan Am Path
MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Chrysanthou, (416) 722-3793, [email protected]; Julia Che, (416) 928-1978, [email protected]
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