Terry Fox Legacy Art Project unveiled beside the Toronto Music Garden
TORONTO, Oct. 9, 2023 – On Thursday, October 5, Mayor Olivia Chow and Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York) joined Darrell Fox, brother of Terry Fox, to reveal the new public art project “We Are Shaped by the Obstacles We Face”, which commemorates the legacy of Canadian humanitarian and activist Terry Fox. Also on hand for the unveiling beside the Toronto Music Garden, 439 Queens Quay W., were representatives from the Legacy Art Project Toronto, Waterfront Toronto and the Waterfront Business Improvement Area (BIA).
Silhouette of Terry Fox
Designed by artist Jon Sasaki and landscape architecture consultants DTAH, the work draws visitors along a curving, landscaped path obscured by one-storey-high, sculpted granite slabs. From the west end of the installation, the slabs appear as a single figure – the iconic silhouette of Terry Fox, mid-stride.
The granite sculptures act as an optical illusion inviting people to consider obstacles as opportunities. The design intends to inspire people to keep pushing forward and to recognize all that can be achieved with a positive perspective.
The Terry Fox Run
In 1980, with one leg amputated due to cancer, Terry Fox embarked on an east-to-west, cross-Canada run to raise funds for cancer research and awareness of the toll of the disease. His Marathon of Hope captivated the country and resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy.
That legacy continues with the annual Terry Fox Run and the fundraising efforts of the Terry Fox Foundation which has helped raise more than $850 million for more than 1,300 cancer research projects.
Funding
The Terry Fox Legacy Art Project was made possible with the funding and installation support of the City of Toronto, the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), the Legacy Art Project Toronto, the Waterfront BIA, the Toronto Foundation and Waterfront Toronto.
More information about FedDev Ontario is available on the Government of Canada website.
More information about the Terry Fox Legacy Art Project is available on the City’s website.
Additional information on the project can also be found on the Legacy Art Project Toronto website.
This artwork will be part of the City’s Public Art & Monuments Collection.
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