A New Outdoor Art Exhibit is Coming to Toronto's Waterfront

These movable sails will be one of five temporary art installations along Queens Quay this January.

By Mira Shenker

This winter, a new series of outdoor art installations will celebrate winter on the waterfront. The exhibition, called Ice Breakers, is a collaboration between the Waterfront BIA and the team behind Winter Stations – the annual art competition held along Toronto’s East End Beaches.

From January 21 to February 26, you can find the Ice Breakers installations at Harbourfront Centre, HTO Park, Music Garden East, the Rees Street Parkette and the Peter Street Basin.

Two mirrored hands will rise three metres from the lookouts at the Peter Street Basin, bathing the basin in a sun-like glow. (Design by Ferris + Associates)

The name Ice Breakers is a nod to the event's winter theme as well as the ships that used to break up the ice around the Toronto harbour. Ice boating was also a favourite winter pastime for adventurous nineteenth-century Torontonians. RAW Design’s installation at Canada Square -- a series of colourful sails -- is a throwback to a time when ice boats could be seen skimming across Lake Ontario. Read this article in Torontoist for more on Toronto’s ice boating tradition.

While you can no longer go ice boating in the Toronto harbour, winter on the waterfront is full of experiences you could never have in the warmer months. If you've ever ridden the ferry to Ward’s Island in the winter, you know there's nothing like sailing across an icy Lake Ontario. Skating at Harbourfront Centre with a view of the lake is another winter tradition for lots of Torontonians. Now Ice Breakers will give Torontonians another unique way to embrace winter on the waterfront. 

Join us at Boxcar Social on January 19, 2017, for a preview of the Ice Breakers installations and a Q+A with the five teams behind the designs. More details here.

Join in the conversation. Follow the hashtag #TOIceBreakers for news about this public art exhibition.