YOURk News and Events: Art

Tuesday, 21 February 2017

Aurora Silent Auction a Reminder of Past and Future

" Trees Removed on Keele St 1969" - This historical piece made available for silent auction

It slipped my memory that Artist Dorothy Clark Mclure had passed in 2012, known throughout York Region for her paintings mostly, often capturing old buildings just prior to their demolition. Or trees, as in the case of this original sepia drawing which will go into silent auction in the evening hours on Sat Feb 25 from Aw Shucks Seafood Bar & Grill in Aurora.

So you can imagine my horror when I was arranging to pick up the artwork and realized I'd asked the person on the phone if they were Dorothy! It's hard to imagine a world without the local art and issues icon I grew up knowing of and admiring. But maybe we won't ever completely be - through her art!

More than Artist

But Ms. Mclure was much more than just an esteemed York Region Artist - she actually started out painting the Muskoka's - but a celebrated Aurora citizen who cared about her community and its history in addition to telling us so through her beautiful art, having served as head of the Aurora Historical Society, among distinguished positions held and honours bestowed upon, Dorothy in life, as well as Aurora's 2007 citizen of the year. She is and was a cherished Aurora and York Region icon that will live long beyond her years on earth through her beautiful works of art and particularly those capturing our history! And it was through inspiring examples like Dorothy Clark Mclure, that inspired young local girls, become young ladies to follow their passion and art forms.

Harmony

In a way, that's perhaps at least partially part of the inspirational message Wendy Marais, who grew up in Aurora as well, and who launched Jazzled Hearts, a non-profit to connect kids to education, music and art through safe and accessible means and now releasing the book Harmony in hard copy, would like to portray, They may never have met in person, but they may have met in spirit.

Silent Auction Features..

The evening silent auction serves as a fund raiser and will also feature a meet and greet from 7-9pm, with Self-Esteem Book Author and Jazzled Youth founder, Wendy Marais. The event hopes to raise funds to put the book into hard copies for distribution to schools and libraries.

A couple other sneak peak stand out items include a foursome play at prestigious the Royal Niagara a Kaneff golf club, and an electric Scooter provided by Ben's Bikes!

So come out and enjoy a enjoy a great dinner, or drinks, and the live entertainment, then browse through the auction goods.

Check out Harmony here

See the Press Release below for more detailed information.

For Immediate Release: P1/1 Tuesday Feb 21 2017

Attention: News Desk / Assignment Editor

RE: Fundraiser Silent Auction – Hard Copy Book Raise – Currently Available on Amazon.ca

Book Title: Harmony – self-motivation / esteem building book for kids to adults

Event Date: Sat Feb 25 2017

Event Time : 6pm - 12 am - Best Author's photo op time: 7 - 9 PM Live ONline 8-9 pm

Location Land Address – Aw Shucks Seafood Bar & Bistro, 15,230 Yonge St Aurora, Ontario
Location online Bidding - Facebook @TP Entertainment and Productions

Event Contact @ 289-221-0928

Silent Auction Makes Noise for Kids

Join Jazzled Hearts (for youth) founder and Author of the Amazon.ca published self-motivation and esteem building book, Harmony, Wendy Marais, Saturday February 25^th.from 6pm to 12am at Aw Shucks Seafood Bar & Bistro located at 15230 Yonge St, in Aurora, Ontario, Canada.

Silent auction Items will be on display in-house from 6pm until 12 am with select items displayed live online from Aw Shucks on occasion throughout the evening on Facebook @ TPEntertainment & Productions for silent home bidders of the various items up for auction, including a Kaneff golf foursome package at Niagara's premier Royal Niagara, an electric scooter by Ben's Bikes, an original Dorothy Clark Mclure historic era sepia drawing depicting “ 1969 Trees Removal on Keele St”, signed Paige Pedlar books, jewelry, beautiful prints, and other wonderful items t.b.a.

Proceeds from the silent auction go towards printing costs for printing Harmony in hard copy for distribution to schools and libraries.

Jazzled Hearts is a non-profit dedicated to empowering children and youth through education and providing opportunities. Come check out what Jazzled Hearts have planned for 2017.

" Our youth today need as many opportunities as we as a society can give, and to that end Jazzled's mission continues to strive for the betterment our our children into adulthood." Wendy Marais

Thursday, 7 January 2016

Graffiti - A Life Long Issue

Sits empty, invites trouble

Graffiti has been around since the world wars. It was used then as a way to send messages to the enemy or authority and often in places where corruption ruled the day. It has evolved over the years and morphed into messages from angry youth or youth with a message or even gang tagging but at the end of the day they are all a form of message.

All towns and cities experience their share of graffiti which can cheapen the look of a business or make an area appear run down. The best form of fighting it, is to quickly cover it up again as a poster will likely like to admire their work in their daily routines, getting some kind of thrill out of knowing its theirs.

Near Yonge and Finch in Toronto

Some graffiti can be quite good, even art, however some is just ugly or 'tagging" and serves no real purpose other than to piss off authorities. Newmarket gets mostly the latter and lately its been creeping back onto Main St despite a weak effort by the town to dissuade it hanging around by fining the BUSINESS owners for graffiti left on their structures.

I recall a few years back helping organize a wall mural contest to combat repeated graffiti occurring on Meyers Costumes walls. The idea being that a study showed graffitists are less likely to tag something like a wall mural and therefore acts as a deterrent. The winning design was turned town by the town's bylaw people as being too much like a sign. Egads. It had costumes on it and a parade.

Business looks for help combating graffiti

At any rate the mural never went up and the business continued to pay to have it covered, finally finishing with an all white wall that looks unappealing facing Main St and like a blank canvas to a tagger.

As I walked Main St in Newmarket on a cold-ish January afternoon, I began to notice more and more tagging, and wondered aloud to one business owner who came outside after noticing me observing the "art", if something more couldn't be done. She agreed it needs addressing, seeming frustrated by it, and was receptive to an idea I raised about painting a mural on that side of the building, as its walkway leads to Riverwalk Commons and the Community Centre which is well used and seen by Main St business goers.

Tunnel in Toronto

Perhaps a mural depicting music, skating, farmers adorning the wall and stairway leading down?....I promised I'd get back to her in this regard (The Town of Newmarket / Main once had funds available for part costs of such wall murals) and to that end will first check into the availability of these funds before meeting again with the business owner.

This of course is but one wall, another main walkway leading to the community centre also should be painted similarly, and other " opportunities for graffiti "artists" need be offered up for ongoing canvasses and to bring them disgruntled and screaming into the fold!

Maybe also get the local Main St Councilor into it too, Joe Sponga, so he can earn his dough. Perhaps strike a graffiti team or person can be brought on board who's job it is to cover up tags as quickly as they appear - which to my observations is not currently happening, putting Main in jeopardy of becoming run down looking.

You don't want that do you?

There are a number of ways to combat it...