Creative Reuse Toronto has three gallery walls on which we will exhibit work related to the Environment and the Arts once we reopen after the Covid-19 Public Health Emergency is over. We cannot set dates for shows at this point since so much is unknown and uncertain. However, we will be doing a call-out for work in the meantime, that we will post on this website page. All submitted work will be juried for a series of exhibitions in our Unwasted Gallery when Covid-19 is no longer a threat. There will be several themes for the shows. See below.
Alone Together Apart
An exhibition of the experience of physical isolation and the human desire for contact. All the ways we lived by ourselves and reached out to others while remaining alone; Art from the home environment. Accepted for this show: photography, drawing, painting, found art, mixed media, preferably from items found around the home or studio. Creative reuse and a new perspective preferred. All pieces must be submitted in .jpg format small to medium size, All copyright remains with the artist.
Masked
An exploration of the emotions we masked; of the face we wanted to portray, or of the deep crevasses of loneliness and fear; of the genuinely compassionate, or the uncaring faces we have watched as they spoke to us from our many screens or congregated in our parks and on our sidewalks. Accepted for this show: found art, mixed media, preferably from items found around the home or studio when in isolation. Creative reuse and a new perspective preferred. Disallowed: any materials used to make either medical grade or cloth Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) All pieces must be submitted in .jpg format in small to medium size. All copyright remains with the artist.
Last Stand: View from the Front Lines
Are you an artist who works in the front lines of Healthcare, in Long Term Care facilities or in Research? Are you an essential service worker who is not allowed to quit work because of the danger? Have you experienced negative reactions or positive ones from the people you are serving? From grocery store cashiers to garbage handlers, IT service to transit and taxi drivers, you all are at risk, and probably have little choice. If you have photographs or art work that expresses how you are feeling, or which shows the reality of your life now, we would welcome your entries. All pieces must be submitted in .jpg format in small to medium size. All copyright remains with the artist.
Memorials for the Living
Covid-19 is having an immense impact on the mental health of individuals in our communities. Some of us have struggled with these issues for years, for some of us, the struggle is new and unexpected. We are seeking expressions of this impact to publish, including poetry and images.
The Great Pause
What joys has Covi-19 brought to you, what have you learned or accomplished that you never considered or never had time for before? How have you experienced hearing birds in the heart of the city? What has given you tranquility or love? Have you reconnected relationships that were broken? How do you see the possibilities of the future? We are looking for expressions of hope and future planning and small details of beauty and connection for this exhibition. Poetry, journal pages, photography, artwork accepted.
Pandemic Paradox
Trapped in our homes because of the fear of dying, the loss of loved ones, desire to keep ourselves and others safe, lost jobs and income, and laws enacted for lockdowns became the new way of life for all humanity. At the same time, the joy of life as wildlife returned to our cities; the skies cleared, dolphins returned to the canals of Venice, and pollution diminished. We could not go anywhere, but we could hear the birds sing, even in the heart of our concrete corridors. We stopped our frantic world and nature blossomed into a free and vibrant spring. We are seeking work that speaks to the dual nature of the Pandemic, the paradoxes between human acivity and the natural world, the surreal paradoxes of changes in human activity.
Inside Outside Safe at Home
Safety is a complex concept. While home is safe to most people, it is not for others. Domestic violence has increased with the isolation and lockdowns, For others, the only safe place is in solitude in their own homes. As a species we are fighting an invisible, uncaring enemy, but we are also dealing with our own inability to manage fear and anger and loss of control in our lives. What does this look like in community, in isolation?
Then and Now and Then
Visions of Past, Present and Possibilities for the Future are requested. How can we change, how have we changed, what are the possibilities for a new vision, a new way of experiencing economy that encompasses social, economic and environmental realms. How do we balance all of these? Or are your visions more apocalyptic? Hope and fear.