Toronto to pay tribute to Terry Fox with large-scale mural downtown

Thestar.com
Oct. 18, 2021

The City of Toronto is planning an eight-storey tall mural to commemorate Canadian hero Terry Fox.

The landmark mural will be painted on the north side of 500 University Avenue, on the U of T’s Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. The location was chosen as it was on the path Terry ran through the city during his Marathon of Hope in 1980.

ArtworxTO and StreetARToronto initiatives, as well as University of Toronto and The Legacy Project have all partnered together to complete the project.

Multiple Toronto artists such as Alexander Bacon, Que Rock, Christiano De Araujo, Keitha Keeshig-Tobias, Jason Pinney and Jarus were selected to submit design concepts for the mural.

The designs can be viewed online until Oct. 31, where the community is encouraged to share feedback on the concepts.

An Intergenerational Advisory Committee including Terry Fox’s brother Darrell Fox and his niece Jessie Adler will consider each design concept and the community’s feedback and will select the final design to be painted summer of 2022.

“Terry Fox’s legacy as a role model is everlasting and whichever mural is selected will be a fitting tribute in Toronto to the legacy of a great Canadian. I look forward to seeing the completed mural -- an incredible contribution to ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art 2021-2022 -- next summer,” said Mayor John Tory in a news release from the city.