As a child, I remember looking out the car window as my parents drove along
the Don Valley Parkway here in Toronto.
Suddenly, through the corner of my eye a splash of rainbow would appear on the side of a tunnel.
I’ve always loved how bright, colourful and unexpected it is.
This rainbow, known by locals as the “Rainbow Tunnel” has been a well-known and beloved
part of the Toronto landscape for more than four decades.
However, for many years, city authorities tried to have it permanently removed, only
to have it come back over and over again.
The tunnel was originally painted in 1972 by a Norwegian teenager called B.C. Johnson,
who was then a guerrilla mural-artist known as “The Caretaker of Dreams.”
He painted it in honour of a friend of his who had died the year before.
He also said that he wanted to put smiles on people’s faces, in a city where no one
really looked up or smiled very much.
So he tied some rope to the railway tracks above
and swung himself down to the side to paint.
Johnson assumed the train tracks were abandoned - except that they weren’t.
So when a train whizzed by, it sliced the rope
smashing him to the ground and breaking his leg.
Thankfully, a group of students from the nearby Don Mills Middle School came by to help him
finish the painting.
However, shortly after it was painted, the city’s parks department removed it
by painting it over with grey.
But Johnson was not ready to give up.
He would come back to re-paint the rainbow, this time with a ladder.
But of course, the city authorities would paint it over again.
Then Johnson would come back and repaint the rainbow again, and the city would remove it
again and again.
This back and forth went on for more than 40 times over the next few decades,
during which Johnson would be arrested 4 times.
In later years, hundreds of Toronto residents themselves would take up the cause of maintaining
and repainting the rainbow tunnel.
The tunnel straddles the valley’s walking trails and is thus often also enjoyed by hikers,
cyclists, dog walkers, and many others.
And although the artist may not have originally intended the association - the 1970s and 1980s
were crucial decades of LGBT activism in Toronto and thus for many, the rainbow may have also
been a symbol of hope.
However, by the 2000s, the artwork had deteriorated significantly and was at risk of being permanently
weathered away, or removed by the city again.
But this time, something different happened.
In 2012, A local community organization called Mural Routes, a not-for-profit group that
develops and maintains public art, decided to fully restore the rainbow.
And for the first time ever in 40 years, they actually received approval and funding from
the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department.
The work was conducted by Artists Rob Matejka and Anthony DeLacruz, along with the help
of numerous volunteers.
Another rainbow was also added to the opposing side of the tunnel.
And youths from the local neighbourhood organization also revamped the inner side of the tunnel
with a beautiful coat of colourful local scenery.
BC Johnson is now a professional mural artist
who continues to brighten up Toronto’s public spaces.
Of course, he’s now commissioned by the property owners and no longer gets arrested
for doing so.
Mural routes continues to maintain the rainbow tunnel to this day.
The City of Toronto also has an official Street Art program where they support local not-for-profits
like Mural Routes, commission artists to uplift certain public areas in the city, as well as
help private property owners to commission artists themselves to beautify their property.
These types of programs not only help local artists in finding work, but also aid in community
development, creating programs for at-risk youth, revitalize neighbourhoods, and of course
provide beautiful, colourful art that’s free for all city residents to enjoy.
On a related note, this 1999 painting by artist Peter Doig, which is essentially the image
from my childhood memory, was sold in 2014 for around $15.5 million.
Doig is a Scottish artist who moved to Canada as a child and lived here until he was 19.
To non-Torontonians, you might just think - ok it’s just a painting of
a road and a rainbow.
And yeah, it is.
And in real life, it’s just a road and a rainbow painted on the side of a railway overpass.
But for Doig, and millions of other Torontonians, it means so much more.
It means brightening up your daily commute, maybe even just for a tiny, little bit.
It represents putting a smile on your face on a cold grey winter’s day.
And I think, it also symbolizes the resilience and dedication of the strong and supportive
communities that make up this great city.
Betty: Ok, location change!
So I’m here in New York with my friend Dave from the awesome urban planning channel -
City Beautiful.
Dave: Yeah over on my channel, I just posted a video on the World Trade Centre Memorial,
which is right behind us.
Betty: Link in the description.
Bye for now! *Snap*