Golden Mile Food Equity Community Project

In the summer of 2022, I had the privilege of assisting lead artist Connie Tong in facilitating the Golden Mile Food Equity Community Project. This initiative not only beautified the community but also fostered meaningful conversations about food equity, a crucial issue that affects many families in the area.
Throughout the project, community members came together to paint picnic tables and flower pots for Feed Scarborough's community garden, located next to the food bank. This collaborative effort allowed individuals of all ages to contribute their creative talents under the guidance of professional artists. The atmosphere was filled with fun and camaraderie as participants engaged in artistic expression while sharing stories and favourite foods.
Access to nutritious food is a fundamental right that should be available to all. Participants learned about the journey from planting seeds to placing food on our tables. These conversations were not only educational but also empowering, as we all thought critically about our role in advocating for a more equitable food system.
The project was a resounding success, culminating in the decoration of five picnic tables, each reflecting the themes we were exploring. Four tables were designed by individual artists, with contributions by community members. For the final table, we invited visitors at the Harvest Festival to leave their mark by adding their handprints and painting flowers on a picnic table dedicated to the spirit of community.
My table was designed to represent a field of growing plants, and community members helped at every stage of the creation. They drew pictures of their favourite fruit or vegetable, picked colours and poured paint in circles. I then transfered their drawings onto the circles to fill out the garden! However, people were having too much fun to stop there. The kids wanted to keep pouring more paint, so we encouraged them to add some colour to the seats of the picnic table, which they certainly did! And some more artistically inclined participants painted hands planting seeds on the sides of the table as well.