Lorne Avenue Park is home to London's newest public art display

Old East Village community members attended numerous Clayworx workshops over the spring and summer to create handmade ceramic tiles for the new Lorne Avenue Park Mosaic wall. (Source: Cassandra Robinson)

Lorne Avenue Park is home to London’s newest public art display.

Efforts to bring the park more life including a mosaic, educational insect tracing plates for children, and more Muskoka chairs along English Street.

Clayworx artists Cassandra Robinson and Sadie Wasylko were at the centre of the installation, organizing the design following workshops with community members where members of the public were invited to forge their own handmade ceramic tile.

“The new mosaic wall at Lorne Avenue Park is another beautiful piece of public art, representing the tapestry of the Old East Village and the heart of the neighbourhood,” said Mayor Josh Morgan.

"Creating this mosaic mural has been a journey of shared stories and collective artistry,” said Robinson. “The mural is not just a visual joy but a testament to the strength of the Old East Village community. Creating tiles alongside so many passionate individuals has been profoundly rewarding.”

The project would not have been possible without the support of Community Foundations of Canada, London Community Foundation, London Arts Council, Clayworx and the members of the public that crafted the tiles.

“The Mosaic Project artistically encapsulates all that Lorne Avenue Park is to the community – a place to gather with neighbours, a place to be active and creative, a place to appreciate nature in an urban environment, and a place that celebrates the historical connection to the old Lorne Avenue Public school and surrounding residential heritage,” added Lorne Avenue Park Steering Committee member and Old East Village resident Shelly Happy. “Community members were involved in every aspect of park development, from park feature selection to the mosaic wall design and tile-making activities. All this fostered interaction amongst diverse groups and furthered the vision of the park as a new community hub; a truly ‘by the community/for the community’ approach.”