The Small Space
The Small Space was an abandoned parking tollbooth converted into a tiny gallery / pop up space that hosted performances and entrepreneurial projects by OCAD University students and alumni on a monthly basis. The idea for The Small Space came out of the rapid disappearance of studio and gallery spaces in the city due to a surge in development.
The Small Space launched Corey Moranis’s award winning jewellery designs and Kiera Boult’s infamous Truth Booth. The Small Space was also featured in Creative Time’s Art of The MOOC: Emerging Public Art & Experimental Education video presentation.
Ultra Rare Placemaking Lab
Ultra Rare (2014) was an initiative though sought to energize a stretch of Toronto’s McCaul St. Ultra Rare included a collaborative mural, replanting flower boxes along the street, and reinventing an abandoned parking lot tollbooth (“The Small Space”); each aspect of this project required cooperation and support from a range of partners, including university administrators, building developers, property managers and private businesses. Ultra Rare models how civic stakeholders can empower artists to enhance public space and nurture community values in urban areas.
