RENEWING THE FOREST CITY: Beauty, Health, Community Wealth

Join us in the Bruce B. Johnson Theatre as part of Art Crawl Thursdays for a presentation from Stuart Reid Nov 5th from 7-8:30pm. All are welcome at this free event.

About the Presentation:

Stuart Reid will be presenting a first public glimpse of his visioning project focused on urban renewal for London, a work in progress over the past year. Reid's images and ideas seek to comprehensively engage overlapping agendas that are not often considered together. Exploring ideas for London's renewal, he considers and proposes temporary housing for the homeless; new urban infill and diverse housing options for recreating a healthy downtown core; and diverse new facilities for the arts, providing opportunities for adults and teens, amateurs and professionals. The project is a reimagining of what it takes to renew the health, beauty, and communal wealth of the Forest City. 

About the Artist :

Stuart Reid is an artist, architectural designer, and educator. He is a London native, born in 1953. Reid studied at Beal Tech, University of Guelph BA(Fine Arts), Edinburgh Arts 73, Burleighfield House (England) and UCLA Masters of Architecture . His important teachers included Greg Curnoe, Paterson Ewen, Patrick Reyntiens, Richard Demarco, and Frank Israel.

London Ontario was instrumental in his professional life:

First studio was on York across from the VIA tracks.

First large commissioned work: Hudson Bay Triptych for Northern Life Company (Richard Ivey)1977

First solo gallery exhibition: Forest City Gallery 1978

First public art commission for the City of London: People & the City 1993 (w/Doreen Balabanoff)

Reid is a Professor Emeritus at OCADU where he taught Environmental Design (the design of environments) including architectural and urban design. He spearheaded the Annual Design competition entitled URBANVISIONS, whose first project was the Talbot Inn Renewal. A subsequent competition Re-Imagining the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber Bridge to the CNE was featured at Toronto’s newly opened Design Exchange – and the exhibition was opened by urbanist Jane Jacobs.

Reid was awarded a senior Canada Council grant for a urban revisioning of West Toronto Junction (2003). Significant public works include People in the City, St. James Cathedral window (1993), Mississauga Living Arts Centre (1998), Salzburg Congress (2003), Bloorview Kids Rehab Toronto (2007) and Union Station TTC Toronto(2015). His multidisciplinary work spans the fields of painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture and urban design.

Art Crawl Thursdays :

Art Crawl Thursdays explore arts, culture and performance on the first Thursday of each month in London, Ontario. Check out Instagram to view participating spaces and events.