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ISLINGTON TIMES
4868 Dundas St. West, Toronto (at Islington Ave.)
416-354-2220
Vol u m e 0 1 • Is s u e 03 • Fa l l 2 0 1 3
www.supperworks.com
IN THIS ISSUE Salute to Small Business Everyone Everywhere Bye Bye Birdie Accreditation Status Water Damage Insurance Community Corner Islington Ratepayers Islington Seniors’ Centre Small Business Feature EI Rate Freeze Give Me Time Musical Roots
Meeting with the Man Behind the Murals
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www.villageofislington.com
By Tammy Frade
With his paint-splotched T-shirt and shorts, khaki-coloured baseball cap with the plastic interior exposed and sandals, John Kuna’s work uniform almost looks like a painting in itself with the amount of layers that show signs from the current and past murals he has painted. When interviewing him on the job site of the current mural called, The Faces of Islington which is located on the corner of Dundas Street West and Burnhamthorpe Road, the wind and humidity brought to mind that this specific day was not an ideal one to be working outside–never mind on an exterior painting. But as I walked towards John on the street corner, he was working on the wall–intensely stroking the brush against the brick surface of the building. It took a couple of “Hellos!” to gain his attention until he turned to me, while removing the headphones from his ears and hanging them around his neck. After I introduced myself as a writer for the Village of Islington BIA, we immediately started talking about the mural. John is the man behind 21 of out what will now be 23 of the murals that you can see around the Village of Islington. His stunning work is what keeps getting his submissions for potential murals chosen. The Faces of Islington is a piece based on Islington’s ethnic and cultural character and how it has changed over the past 100 years. As John explained, the mural process involves several steps and begins with research. With the multiethnic theme in mind, John’s research showed that there was an influx of migration in the 60s and 70s that helped shape Islington’s current diversity. This particular mural’s concept involved getting inspiration from actual class photos that span over 100 years. continued on page 04
Name that mural The first person to email Info@villageofislington.com with the correct name and address of the mural below will win a gift certificate for $25 from Supperworks.