Program Schedule
The 62nd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair was a multi-faceted and multi-layered event. 150,000 visitors joined us at Nathan Phillips Square this July 7 to 9 for a great weekend of art collecting and artist discovery, installations, guided tours, soulful kids programs, live painting, and a brand-new site-specific dance.
Friday, July 7th
Live Painting with Phillip Saunders
10:00 AM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Dyana Ouvrard: Flânerie
10:00 AM | Information Booth
In a world that moves too fast, slowing down and rediscovering a natural space and time with artists is the most natural of movements: putting one foot in front of the other. Join Dyana for a slow, light and deep walk for all those with an itch for exploration and discussion.
Las Empanadas Ilegales
12:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Empanadas Ilegales are Vancouver-based, and Creepy Mambo is their second full-length collection of psych-infused cumbia – or chicha, as it is also known – with some salsa and latin jazz mixed in for good measure. The six members trace their roots all across the Latin world – from Spain, Argentina and Brazil to Colombia, Ecuador and of course Peru, once the epicentre of the blistering chicha sound.
Live Painting with Melika Saeeda
2:00 PM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Collectors in Conversation: Geoff Plant-Richmond with Josh Heuman
3:00 PM | Stage
Collecting art can begin with daunting decisions. We may ask ourselves: Where do I start? What should I buy? What can I afford? This conversation will grapple with all the big questions as we tap into the perspectives of collector Geoff Plant-Richmond, who has valuable learnings to share from his 10+ years of consistent collecting of Canadian art. In conversation with fine art curator and consultant Josh Heuman, they will focus on some specific artworks in Geoff’s collection to further explore his collecting direction.
Kazdoura
5:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band serving Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends old-world Arabic classics with funk, pop, and disco.
DJ Sawtay
6:00 PM | Stage
Revel and groove to DJ Sawtay’s skilled spinning of Hip Hop, Funk, and Soul.
Saturday, July 8th
Live Painting with Erin McCluskey
10:00 AM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Live Painting with Mo Thunder
10:00 AM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Danna Heitner: Emerging Artists to Watch
10:00 AM | Information Booth
Get to know the next generation of artists pushing the boundaries of their mediums.
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is a launching pad for numerous emerging artists. In 2023, there are over 100 emerging artists at the Fair. Danna Heitner, a Toronto-based art advisor with over 20 years of experience in the international art market, shares her ‘top picks’.
Awards Ceremony
11:00 AM | Stage
Join us in celebrating the most outstanding artists of this year’s Fair. We will be handing out $40,000+ cash and in-kind awards supported by a wonderful circle of donors and businesses. Hosted by Jayme Poisson.
Trash Panda Brass
11:40 AM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Trash Panda Brass, a fresh voice in Toronto’s brass band scene since June 2022, has quickly gained a devoted following. They’ve rocked shows at Drom Taberna, opened for Shuffle Demons, and energized community events. With upbeat tunes honouring queer hits and icons, Trash Panda Brass spreads music and joy through performances, festivals and workshops. Proudly queer, Trash Panda Brass is here to stay.
Las Empanadas Ilegales
12:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Empanadas Ilegales are Vancouver-based, and Creepy Mambo is their second full-length collection of psych-infused cumbia – or chicha, as it is also known – with some salsa and latin jazz mixed in for good measure. The six members trace their roots all across the Latin world – from Spain, Argentina and Brazil to Colombia, Ecuador and of course Peru, once the epicentre of the blistering chicha sound.
Leap (of faith)
1:00 PM | Upper Walkway, Zone D
Leap (of faith) is the final installment of a trilogy of danceworks by Choreographer Jenn Goodwin, examining collectivity and poetic physicality, solidarity and the feminization of space, and resiliency in the face of day-to-day challenges.
Anjli Patel: New Horizons
2:00 PM | Information Booth
With over 400 artists exhibiting at TOAF, how does one know where to start looking? Anjli Patel has been collecting art collaboratively with her husband for more than a decade. She will lead participants on a walking tour that opens eyes to a broad range of artists working in diverse media and methods.
Live Painting with Enna Kim
2:00 PM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Kazdoura
3:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band serving Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends old-world Arabic classics with funk, pop, and disco.
Leap (of faith)
4:00 PM | Upper Walkway, Zone D
Leap (of faith) is the final installment of a trilogy of danceworks by Choreographer Jenn Goodwin, examining collectivity and poetic physicality, solidarity and the feminization of space, and resiliency in the face of day-to-day challenges.
INTRINITY
6:00 PM | Stage
From being a Red Bull Music 3style DJ, Festival VIP & Artist DJ, performing for over 35,000 people on New Year’s Eve, to doing live TV segments, Toronto’s own INTRINITY has solidified himself as one of Canada’s premiere open-format DJs.
Sunday, July 9th
Live Painting with Francis Pratt
10:00 AM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Lee Petrie: Top Award Recipients
10:00 AM | Information Booth
Get to know a selection of this year’s top award recipients and take a deeper look into their works and what made them stand out to judges.
Las Empanadas Ilegales
12:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Empanadas Ilegales are Vancouver-based, and Creepy Mambo is their second full-length collection of psych-infused cumbia – or chicha, as it is also known – with some salsa and latin jazz mixed in for good measure. The six members trace their roots all across the Latin world – from Spain, Argentina and Brazil to Colombia, Ecuador and of course Peru, once the epicentre of the blistering chicha sound.
Leap (of faith)
1:00 PM | Upper Walkway, Zone D
Leap (of faith) is the final installment of a trilogy of danceworks by Choreographer Jenn Goodwin, examining collectivity and poetic physicality, solidarity and the feminization of space, and resiliency in the face of day-to-day challenges.
Farnoosh Talaee: Breakout Artists
2:00 PM | Information Booth
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair has included many nationally and internationally acclaimed Canadian artists during the early stage of their careers, including Barbara Astman, David Blackwood, Edward Burtynsky, Joanne Tod, and more. During this tour, gallerist and art collector Farnoosh Talee will take you on a journey to meet an exciting bunch of rising stars.
Live Painting with Daniela Rocha
2:00 PM | Zone D
Co-presented with StreetARToronto (StART)
Watch these talented mural and street artists create artwork live and in-person while they explore individual themes. Works are available for purchase! Bid on final works at the StreetARToronto Shipping Container.
Kazdoura
3:00 PM | Stage
Presented by Small World Music
Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band serving Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends old-world Arabic classics with funk, pop, and disco.
Ongoing Programming
A home for public art explorations
This year’s Art Nest will feature works by 5 artists who are responding to the structure, architecture and meaning of Nathan Phillips Square with interactive and engaging public art works.
Power Kids
Presented by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery
Join this year’s Power Kids workshop to create an abstract painting with yarn and watercolours! This beautifully tactile process is inspired by the paintings of Esther DOË Kim, last year’s Power Plant Emerging Artist Award recipient. Curated for young art makers, but all ages are welcome!
Budding Art Buyers
No adults allowed! We are calling art lovers and budding collectors aged 14 and younger to experience the wonder of discovering and collecting a precious work of art. Purchase original artworks by our participating artists for $10, $15, or $20 (cash only).
Thank you to the artists who have donated artwork to this program. Here’s to nurturing the next generation of art admirers and collectors!
36 Questions That Lead to Loving TO
Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Edition
Presented by Myseum Toronto
36 Questions that Lead to Loving TO: Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Edition is an interactive pop-up experience that invites you to explore the commitment you have to the city and to each other. 36 Questions that Lead to Loving TO presents 36 questions that ignite the spark to fall in love with Toronto – for the first time or all over again.
You are invited to answer all of our questions or only the ones that speak to you. You can get deep, have fun, and be brutally honest about what you love or hate (and everything in between).
Fun in the Sun: Cyanotypes with Gallery 44
Presented by Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
Make your own cyanotype print in just fifteen minutes! Join members from Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography as they guide you through arranging a composition, exposing a print in the sun and finishing your print in a water bath. Learn about this historical photographic process and get creative. This workshop is free and open to all ages.
StreetARToronto Photography Featured Exhibition
Check out a specially curated gallery by StreetARToronto. Also explore the artist profiles of featured StARToronto artists.
OCAD University GradEx 108
Explore a curated selection of five talented student artists. The graduating students are bringing their unique visions and creativity from OCAD U’s GradEx 108 to TOAF! Prepare to be captivated by the remarkable work of these emerging artists.
