Spirit of Diversity International Sculpture Symposium and Our Fragile Planet Exhibit August 19, 2010

The world’s first international sculpture and painting symposiums to use recycled marble as its primary working material – the Italian Carrara marble panels removed from the façade of Toronto’s First Canadian Place – are coming to outdoor park space at First Canadian Place (100 King Street West, Toronto) from August 20 to 31 and the second in the summer of 2011 (details to be announced next year).

The 2010 participants include two Canadian artists and a delegation of five Costa Rican artists sponsored by the Costa Rica Tourism Board and the Costa Rica Ministry of Culture and Youth.

Participating Canadian (Costa Rican) sculptor and painter Francisco Castro Lostalo states, “First Canadian Place is a Toronto icon and the Italian marble panels on its façade came from quarries in the same region that supplied marble to the world’s greatest sculptors including Michelangelo and Bernini. It is important to preserve our natural resources and pay homage to Toronto’s remarkable structures, and Toronto Art Visions is excited to show how we can use the recycled panels in innovative ways to create original and beautiful works of art.”

The 2010 events (a preview to a larger-scale symposium in 2011) will include the “Spirit of Diversity” International Sculpture Symposium and the “Our Fragile Planet” Painting Symposium, and the raw material (white Italian Carrara marble panels each weighing 200 pounds) is a donation to symposium organizer Toronto Art Visions by First Canadian Place property owner Brookfield Properties Corporation and restoration expert Clifford Restoration Limited. Brookfield Properties Corporation has undertaken a major rejuvenation project to remove and replace approximately 45,000 marble panels from the exterior façade of First Canadian Place with white fritted glass panels.

Sculptors:
Francisco Castro Lostalo (Canada)
Janet Candido (Canada)
Renán Calvo Chaves (Costa Rica)

Painters:
Francisco Castro Lostalo (Canada)
Elisa Morera Arce (Costa Rica)
Florencia Madrigal Orué (Costa Rica)
Mariamarta Pacheco Coto (Costa Rica)
Sebastián Mello Salaberry (Costa Rica)

2010 Events: The “Spirit of Diversity” International Sculpture Symposium and the “Our Fragile Planet” Painting Symposium, which will be open for free public viewing during the creative process, will feature on-site creation of small and medium-sized sculptures and a multi-paneled mural and individual paintings, painted in resin on marble. The events will be located at the outdoor park at First Canadian Place at the building’s west side.

In addition, the participating artists will present a concurrent exhibition entitled “Our Fragile Planet” at Leonardo Galleries (133 Avenue Road, Yorkville) and sculptures and paintings created during the symposium will be added to the gallery exhibition as they are completed. The exhibition will run from August 20 to September 4, 2010, with an opening reception on Thursday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information visit; www.leonardogalleries.com.

2011 Event: In 2011 only the sculpture symposium will return (“Spirit of Diversity” International Monumental Sculpture Symposium), with the planned sculptures to be produced on a grander scale. The participating sculptors will represent many countries and cultures including Bettino Francini, president of the International Association for Monumental Sculptures Events (A.I.E.S.M.), based in Rome.

The themes of the forthcoming events, “Spirit of Diversity” and “Our Fragile Planet”, are meant to celebrate Toronto’s cultural diversity, to recognize the need to use our planet’s resources wisely and to unite artists from international locales to share their artistic expression.

For more information visit; www.torontoartvisions.com or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-Art-Visions/113043385378984.

Toronto Art Visions is seeking support from individuals and organizations interested in contributing to its objectives and unprecedented events, and is welcoming volunteers, sponsorships, donations and in-kind contributions for both the 2010 and the 2011 symposiums.

Toronto Art Visions is a not-for-profit organization established to promote art, artistry and art appreciation in the Greater Toronto Area.

Official Website: http://www.torontoartvisions.com