Community News
Get your art on; Battle of the arts at North York Sheridan Mall
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
It was a rare Saturday afternoon because Dave and I never really get to hang out with each other; our work fills up most of our time, so going for lunch, just because, is a rare treat. I had gone to look around the mall for a bit, and when I reconnected with Dave, he told me that his cousin Dave Reid (Founder of Men at Large, and Women at Large) and Charles Matthews Jr. (Founder of CMJ Entertainment Inc), were there hosting an art battle.
“An art battle! Hmmmm, I want to check that out” I replied, so we walked over the open area on the lower level of Sheridan Mall. When I got there I saw Charles and spoke with him a bit about what was happening.
“I have been working with Dave for years; this is a really cool event, and it takes time to feature the local art talent in Toronto,” Charles explained. “There are 10 artists that are given 45 minutes to paint a piece. The winner will receive $1,000.00 and bragging rights as the Art Battle winner.” “I definitely want to write a piece about this, “ I said to Dave. We went over to his cousin, and Mr. Reid and I set up some time to talk in detail about his work.
Dave Reid is most known for the work that he does with the Men at Large, Women at Large Calendar that is put out each year. Each year a competition is held with Toronto’s sexiest, and most talented men and women. The finalists are flown to Jamaica for some hot, steamy nights at the famous Hedonism II in Negril, where they compete to be featured on The Men at Large/Woman at Large Calendar. Just as an aside, if you are interested in being a part of this, the search is on so check for more details on Facebook and Instagram.
His love for this type of artistic expression began when he managed Magic Finnga WonG, an up and coming graffiti and tattoo artist. After seeing the reaction to WonG’s work, Dave decided to open a pop-up art gallery in North York Sheridan Mall that would showcase the artistic talent that can be found across the GTA. The gallery featured 10 artists, eight of which would battle at the end of July in the Get Your Art On, Battle of the Arts. In the battle this year, the featured artists were: Tray Arts, Chanel Fyffe, Numreen Khan, Magic Finnga Wong, Ashley Williams, Sketch One, Kofi Frempong, Jessica Gorlicky, Melissa Gorlicky, Edward O’Connor, Jordan, Ashantee Alanna, and Jalonie Joseph. The winner this year was Tray Arts, who astonished the crowd during his feature week by painting a picture of Kahwi Leonard using clippers. Tray Arts honoured his commitment to the community by donating $100.00 to a charity that supplies books, and school necessities to children in Jamaica.
I congratulated Dave on a job well done and asked him what was next in his entrepreneurial journey. “We are going to keep it community and add to the art battle instalment with, “So You Think You Can Dance North York”, premiering on August 10th – August 31st. Contest dates are August 10th, 17th, 24th, and the grand finale is on August 31st. The Grand Prize is $1,000.00, so if you know someone out there who is set for dancing greatness, let them know about the competition.”
It is fantastic to see the work that is being done in the community and to think, it only takes a few good men.