The second annual Art Spin exhibit is now on at the brand new 99 Gallery, a massive 5,000 square foot exhibition space at 99 Sudbury, which opened to correspond with the last gallery tour of the season. In addition to work from Keith Bentley, Vuk Dragojevic, Scott Eunson, James Gauvreu, Markus Heckmann, Gillian Iles, Gareth Lichty, Sarah McCaw, Wrik Mead, Tom Ngo, TH&B, and Vanessa Maltese, opening night featured a wheat paste demonstration by Fauxreel (a.k.a. Dan Bergeron) and live music from Jerym Lynch.
99 Gallery is one of the largest art spaces to open in the city in the last little while, and should serve as a reminder that West Queen West remains a go-to spot for gallerists despite the rising rents and a recent string of galleries moving northward. Curator Ash Butti claims that the new gallery "aims to provide an innovative setting for contemporary art and to bridge the gap between accessibility and artistic vision," which, based on this first exhibit, appears to mean that the work shown here will shy away from avant-garde aspirations in favour of something a bit more playful.
Art Spin's second annual exhibition runs until Sept. 24th. Work can be viewed from Tuesday to Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m.
Photos by Jesse Milns
Jeremy Noritz decided one day that he was sick of a boring apartment, and transformed it with a serious steampunk theme. 
At a quiet corner outside City Hall, hundreds of Torontonians gathered Monday afternoon in an impromptu memorial rally for 
Toronto Councillor Janet Davis and MPP Peter Tabuns took turns tearfully reading 
A moment of silence followed the reading as the crowd exchanged stories about the late politician. "Jack Layton moved all of us, and we'll miss him a lot," Tabuns told me.
The impromptu memorial was organized this morning through Twitter and Facebook by five young members of the Ontario NDP. "We were sitting around crying, and we figured we were not the only ones," said event organizer Loveleen. "We knew there would be a memorial in Ottawa, but we wanted to do something in Toronto, one of Jack's greatest battlefields."
Before becoming the Official Leader of the Opposition, Layton spent 18 years serving on Toronto's City Council and Metro Council.
"Jack Layton was more than just a politician - he was a giant," said Shamini Selvaratnam, who co-planned the memorial. "I first met him as a student at York, and he was the most real person you could ever hope for in a leader. So we're here because we loved Jack, and we needed an outlet for our grief."
Hundreds lined up to sign a condolence board and book as the walls of Nathan Phillips Square were adorned with chalk messages commemorating the late Leader of the Opposition. In a true tribute to Jack's vision, there was no orange, red, or blue. There was red, and there was white, and for one brief moment, united Canadians gathered for an event they hoped they'd never attend.
Writing by Riva Gold. Photos by Tom Ryaboi.