Greenhouse gallery brings art and nature together

How's this for a novel gallery-going experience? In partnership with Fresh City Farms, the About Face Collective turned the greenhouses at Downsview Park into a huge art space this weekend as part of a fundraising effort for the Everything Roof project. With the work of 30 artists on display (and available for silent auction), live music, and some local food and drink on offer, the $10 suggested donation was well worth the price of admission.

From an artistic standpoint, much of the work was pleasant and engaging, and delightfully lacking in pretension. The context suited the artwork well, though one gets the sense that the cavernous surroundings were more friendly to bigger pieces, which stood against their smaller relatives even more than they might have in a traditional setting.

The Everything Roof project is an initiative that aims to build a rooftop garden and community space atop the Centre for Social Innovation in the Annex. Granted $75,000 in funding from Live Green Toronto, the grant has been discontinued as part of budget cuts at City Hall. Events like this weekend's Greenhouse Gallery are designed to maintain the project's momentum in the face of such a setback.

The Greenhouse Gallery took place on November 5th and 6th. For news on future events, follow About Face's blog.

Photos by Christian Bobak