Visiting 'Community', Sculpture by Kirk Newman, at 200 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario: Stillness Amidst Movement

A seeming snapshot, frozen in time.

Dating from 2001, the sculpture 'Community' (1) is the work of Kirk Newman (1926-2017) (2).

His sculpture 'Community' is situated at 200 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, and is now a familiar sight at this most busy of Toronto's main thoroughfares.

Commissioned by Manulife (French: Manuvie), the work consists of 21 figures, each in various poses: some rushing, some contemplating. There is strong sense of variety in the work, and clearly the series of statues in the sculpture are designed to express a sense of cross-section of those who typically work and live in Toronto, home to a thriving — and Canada's biggest — business core.

In a work which exudes a sense of bustling movement, what also strikes me is the way a moment is captured, frozen in time, like a photograph, even as the work is actually representational art rather than a photographic image recorded from reality.

The ability for a work to be successful in combining these elements was thus perhaps part of the late Kirk Newman's artistic genius, if I can use this word.

June 12, 2019

Notes

(1) See also: http://kirknewman.com/community-2/

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(2) From Troy, Michigan, Sculptor Newman was noted for various works, some of which involved strongly religious themes.

Also worth seeing

The Downtown Toronto area is particularly worth exploring by foot, with many fine, historic buildings, a few of which include the following:

In Downtown Toronto , impressive ecclesiastical architecture includes that of three close neighbours: the United Metropolitan Church, St Michael's Roman Catholic Cathedral and St James's Anglican Cathedral , the second and third of which have tall spires which are local landmarks. Almost opposite St Michael's Cathedral on Bond Street is Mackenzie House , former home of William Lyon Mackenzie, at #82, now a museum. On Queen Street East, and adjacent to the Eaton Centre renowned among shoppers, is Old City Hall, dating from 1899. On Queen Street West are the imposing Osgoode Hall and the historic Campbell House . The CN Tower, off Front Street, is naturally a must-see attraction which receives very large numbers of visitors.

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How to get there: Air Canada, flies to Toronto Pearson Airport, with wide North American and other connections, from where car rental is available. However, visitors to Downtown Toronto will find many visitor attractions to be easily walkable. Sherbourne and Bloor Yonge Subway stations (on No. 2 Line of the TTC) are conveniently situated for 200 Bloor Street East, Toronto. Please note that some facilities may be withdrawn without notice. Please check with the airline or your travel agent for up to date information. Please refer to appropriate consular sources for any special border crossing arrangements which may apply to citizens of certain nationalities.

MJFenn is an independent travel writer based in Ontario, Canada.

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