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Growing Rooftop Art in Toronto

Posted July 12th 2012 at 3:41 pm by HilaryInwood

I went on a tour of school gardens in the Toronto District School Board last week, and what eco-art treasures can be found these days when you start to look! We visited a number of schoolyards, starting with Runnymede PS, which is near and dear to my heart – it’s always a delight to show off this extensive and well-developed garden. The one that was the biggest surprise to me was the rooftop garden at Brock Public School, near Dufferin and Bloor, on the city’s west side. This gem has been recently re-installed in partnership with Foodshare, an amazing non-profit here in the city that focuses on sustainability education through food. On the third floor of the school, it is a food garden that has been thoughtfully created with an eye on teaching from the outset, and a strong sense of design throughout. It includes a few lovely mosaics, wading pools used as planters, and even re-purposed food buckets as colourful planters – everything is kid-height and kid-friendly. I’m sure the art in this garden will continue to grow alongside the plants over time….