Artists Erika James and Scott McDermid have come together to create Open Field Collective, a project that takes art out of the galleries and onto the streets of Toronto.
“We are curating different artists to actually exhibit their works in the boxes,” says James.
“We really wanted to put them into the community so that the community has access to changing art on a daily basis.”
Currently there are 10 boxes by 10 different artists and these boxes are touched up and changed every six weeks. Both emerging and established artists work in a range of media to showcase their work.
McDermid says he and James go through a selection process to determine what streets to place the art boxes on.
“We like to find streets that are close, that are well-trafficked, that are close to parks where people are walking by a lot with their dog.”
The miniature galleries are relatively new and mostly located west of Spadina Avenue, with two at Bathurst and College streets. The artists are hoping to move into Scarborough and Guelph within the next couple of months.
“There is a great need for connection between art and communities,” says James. “That’s really what we want to be doing, is just bring art into people’s lives.”