Toronto Arts Council and Heritage Toronto introduce First Impressions

Heritage Toronto and Toronto Arts Council are pleased to announce our very first partnership, a TTC poster project entitled First Impressions, generously supported by RBC Royal Bank. First Impressions will be launched in September on TTC subway cars, streetcars and buses in recognition of the City's 175th birthday, the Toronto Art Council's 35th anniversary, and the importance of arts and heritage in Toronto.

Inspired by the successful "Poetry on the Way" project, First Impressions is comprised of a series of 18 beautifully designed posters that feature historical and contemporary artists, and their impressions of Toronto.

First Impressions celebrates our diverse heritage and Toronto’s arts community, past and present. The project highlights how different waves of immigration have built our city, and reveals the artists’ stories in an engaging and public way. Through its exposure on the TTC over the next year, First Impressions will reach out to a broad cross-section of contemporary Torontonians to help them realize the importance of their own stories to the historical narrative of our city.

Peggy Mooney, Executive Director of Heritage Toronto, says of the project: “We want Torontonians to hear more of the stories that make up our city's rich and layered history. Our new partnership with Toronto Arts Council helps us to tell these stories - of the people whose observations remind us of the city as it once was, and as it is now.”

Artists that will be featured include author Pierre Berton, landscape artist Lucius O’Brien, dancer and choreographer Lata Pada, composer and interdisciplinary artist Juliet Palmer, theatre artist and artistic director Soheil Parsa, and artist and diarist Elizabeth Simcoe. The first series of four posters will begin appearing on the TTC on September 21st. Subsequent artist posters will appear throughout 2009 and 2010.

“We have been seeking an innovative way to profile Toronto’s artists on the TTC,” says Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Council. “We are delighted to partner with Heritage Toronto on a project that is so evocative of place and its role in creativity.”

“Toronto’s heritage isn’t just a thing of the past, it is part of the ongoing narrative of our city. First Impressions will not only raise awareness of our heritage, it will help everyone who sees these posters to recognize how their own impressions and stories are also part of Toronto’s history,” says Jennifer Tory, RBC’s Regional President for Greater Toronto Region. “Because we believe in the power of the arts to enrich our lives and enhance our communities, we are very pleased to help launch First Impressions.”

"The TTC is very committed to showcasing Toronto's talented artists, and I think First Impressions is going to be a very well received by TTC users," says Councillor Adam Giambrone, Chair of the TTC.

An invitation-only launch reception will be held on Monday, September 21st from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the City Council Member’s Lounge at City Hall, with special guests including Mayor David Miller.

First Impressions has been generously supported by RBC and The George Partnership.