Our team at young & free press has worked in collaboration with the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives over the past year to develop some beautiful enhancements for the community.
Discovering Downtown St. Thomas
Right now, there are two fun ways to discover downtown St. Thomas. First, the simple method … walk the neighbourhood, check out the shops and restaurants, and get a sense of the people living and working there. Second, the mysterious approach … wander the area, absorb the artwork and historical notes, and watch and listen for clues about the past and future of the community. Both options are available to residents and visitors, and we have done a bit of each recently!
Innovative 'Students Build Cities' Program Coming This Fall!
With the aim of engaging students in the process of city-building, the Thames Valley District School Board, Ignite Youth Centre, and our team at young & free press have joined forces to introduce a new program called Students Build Cities in St. Thomas.
Call for Artists in Downtown Simcoe!
The Downtown Simcoe BIA and the team at young & free press are excited to share this call for artists to paint picnic tables to be placed on the beautiful grounds of the Norfolk Arts Centre! Located at 21 Lynnwood Avenue in Simcoe, the Norfolk Arts Centre offers a lovely urban green-space adjacent to the downtown core.
Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas
Our team at young & free devotes a lot of energy to highlighting our favourite St. Thomas attractions. Some landmarks seem to have resonated in the public imagination over the years – the Jumbo monument, Pinafore Park, and the Horton Farmers’ Market, and more recently the murals downtown and the St. Thomas Elevated Park – while we find ourselves still encouraging people to take a closer look at other unique assets in the community. So, we thought that we should assemble our list of ‘Top Ten Hidden Gems in St. Thomas’ – our list actually swelled to more than twenty, which means that we might need to put together a sequel!
Track to the Future
Look closely at St. Thomas and the signals are clear … the community is in the process of a great reinvention. Known as ‘The Railway City’, the nickname holds, if only as a historical point of reference and an indication of how assets from that early industry are being repurposed now.
Reinventing St. Thomas
City-building requires vision, funding and resiliency. All three elements need to come together continuously, especially in communities where one, two or all three have been lacking for years and the cultural atmosphere has dissipated. How do we know if a city is building toward something positive or negative? The story is there in every block, neighbourhood, and commercial district.
Covent Garden Market and TVDSB Collaborate on New Outdoor "ARt" Project!
Professional mural artists are set to work with local Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) students to paint a series of picnic tables for Covent Garden Market in downtown London! Over the next six weeks, London-based artists Evond Blake (MEDIAH) and Hawlii Pichette will paint one table each, and guide elementary and secondary school students to paint six others. The tables will be returned and placed outdoors at the Market this spring. As an innovative twist, London-based EXAR Studios has been engaged to build an augmented reality (AR) experience for the setting, bringing to life elements of the picnic table-top designs in their AR app Engage ARt!
Ten Things That Make Middlesex County Awesome!
Middlesex County is full of wide-open spaces & pleasant surprises. Surrounding the City of London in southwestern Ontario, this massive rural area may feel overwhelming at first for visitors trying to discover the essence of the place. There are lots of small towns and villages, including Strathroy, Glencoe, Mount Brydges, Komoka & Kilworth, Ailsa Craig, Parkhill, Ilderton, Lucan, Thorndale and Dorchester. What binds all these places together, aside from the obvious political boundaries? What makes Middlesex County truly a community? What is the identity of the place? This is what our team at young & free pressset out to discover.
Track to the Future Mural Project - Call for Artists - Elephants & Augmented Reality!
Building on the tremendous success of the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project, Railway City Tourism is requesting expressions of interest from artists who would like to design and paint an original mural of an elephant in St. Thomas! This is a rare opportunity to connect one of the key stories in the history and mythology of the community – specifically, the death of Jumbo the Elephant in 1885 – with the future of the city in augmented reality.
New Murals to Celebrate Urban & Rural Life in Downtown Simcoe
Artists are set to begin transforming downtown Simcoe with a new series of vibrant murals that celebrate the distinctive intersection of urban and rural life in Norfolk County. Coordinated by the Downtown Simcoe BIA and curated by Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press in collaboration with local partners, three murals are planned for the downtown area in the coming months with plans to expand the project around the community.
Call for Artists at Riversyde 83 in Downtown Simcoe
Riversyde 83 is a new food and community hub set to open in summer 2021 in downtown Simcoe in Norfolk County. Located at 83 Sydenham Street, the building will feature a marketplace, café, teaching kitchen, event spaces and an outdoor garden. Artist Meaghan Claire Kehoe will be painting a spectacular new mural on the south side of the building first thing in the spring, and we are excited to offer this call for artists to paint a mural on the north side of the building, too!
The Art of the Possible: Bringing Film Production to London
Recently the City of London decided to establish a ‘film office’ with the goal of attracting film and television productions to the community. The commitment is significant — $300,000 a year for three years.
This is the Time to Involve Youth
How can youth be involved in rebuilding our communities during and after the pandemic? The younger generation will feel the impact of any changes made for the longest amount of time, and should be included in current decision-making. Many Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament offer opportunities for youth to participate in Youth Councils, but many are currently paused due to the pandemic. In what may be one of the most important times for youth to be heard, there are few, if any, opportunities that give a platform for adolescents to voice their ideas and opinions on rebuilding Ontario post-pandemic.
TVDSB and 'young & free' to Deliver Innovative Experiences for Local Students
Our team at young & free press is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with the Thames Valley District School Board. From January to June 2021, we will be designing unique, challenging, and memorable learning experiences that will engage elementary and secondary school students directly in real-life projects. The pandemic is limiting how much students can connect right now with local businesses and organizations. We view this as an opportunity to try a new approach that puts students front and centre!
Estate of Donna Bushell Donates $50,000 for 'Emergency Disaster Services Canteen Vehicle'
The Estate of Donna Bushell has provided $50,000 toward the purchase of a new ‘Mobile Canteen’ for the Salvation Army. Serving St. Thomas and Elgin County, the specially-equipped vehicle will provide support to first responders during emergencies and disasters, as well as outreach for homeless and marginalized individuals. The expectation is that the vehicle will arrive and be in-use by spring 2021.
Bringing History to Life at the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives
The Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has donated $130,000 to the Aylmer-Malahide Museum & Archives to fund a new ‘Digital Archivist’ position at the Museum, support the purchase of new technologies, boost the use of the ‘On This Spot’ app in the community, install a new large-scale mural in downtown Aylmer, and contribute toward the ‘Museum Relocation Fund’ to strengthen the long-term goal of establishing a new site for the Museum locally. This significant donation will help the Museum to connect with community members, visitors and students, and add new dimensions to the unique cultural atmosphere in Aylmer and Malahide.
New Lights & Artwork Enhance the St. Thomas Elevated Park
The St. Thomas Elevated Park has become one of the top tourism destinations in southwestern Ontario, and the experience of visiting this walkway in the sky is about to become even more memorable!
Earlier this year, our team at young & free press announced a major donation from the Estate of Donna Bushell to support enhancements to the Elevated Park, including grass, electricity and path lighting. Now, we are excited to announce that the Bushell Estate will also fund a massive new mural at the base of the bridge on one of the concrete piers located between Sunset Road and Fingal Line.
To be designed and executed by renowned mural artist Daniel Bombardier, who goes by the name Denial, the mural will measure some 85 feet high by 40 feet wide at the base. This work of art is part of the ongoing ‘Track to the Future’ project coordinated by the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation and Railway City Tourism, and will add to the growing collection of stunning murals around St. Thomas.
Addressing Homelessness in London & St. Thomas
Walking around London and St. Thomas, homelessness is obvious. In London, there are many people living and sleeping rough along Dundas Street downtown and in Old East Village, or in tents by railway tracks and elsewhere. Business owners and residents in St. Thomas have noticed more people congregating and sleeping downtown, particularly around the post office, next door to where the City set up a drop-in centre for the homeless or near-homeless. The issue has been made worse by the pandemic, and this winter is going to prove challenging.
Hanging On to the Performing Arts in a Pandemic
The performing arts are enjoyed by all, although some may not realize the full importance of television, music, film, theatre and dance. Many adolescents find their niche in the performing arts community and develop a genuine sense of belonging. This may be one of the most important reasons why the arts need to be maintained and kept accessible during the pandemic and beyond.