The Band of Storytellers

OVERVIEW

The band of storytellers is an Afrofuturistic interpretation of the past.
It features seven fictitious blue characters dressed as musicians, each playing a different instrument in a hall.

The site, locally known as the Brunswick House building, was founded in 1876. The theme of the painting seeks to represent and honour the musical history of this heritage building, by laying focus on Albert’s Hall era.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the upstairs room, known as Albert's Hall after Albert Nightingale, became known as a venue for jazz and the blues in particular, and played host to musicians such as Blossom Dearie, Cab Calloway, Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson, Muddy Waters, Loretta Lynn, the Climax Jazz Band, Downchild, Blind John Davis, Dr. McJazz, Etta James, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy.

The juxtaposition of the cartoon looking characters, the musical elements and colours will draw onlookers to the piece and brighten their day

The "Chiki's" are a cross-pollination between African and African American Blues music. their archetype was inspired by the 16th century Benin sculptures, Nok art and Ife bronzes.

Funded by: Mural Routes and Bloor Annex BIA

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Exploring the notion of Afronauts coming from the future to the present to learn from history, these artworks captures the joy of discovery and wonder. This digital painting created by K.Mensah can be found in the Koerner Garden.

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Across the the EverGreen Brick Works site are seven West African symbols called Adinkras. Each one has special meaning and virtual attached to it and a proverb. Visitors are encouraged to find all seven symbols and activate them using a smart device to scan the QR codes not to the illustrations. From there folks will leave about how the adinkra symbols connect to different historical facts and information about the site as well as unscramble a secrete hidden message.

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In numerous location across the Evergreen site visitors can find vibrant illustrations made by Troydel Wallace. The works are depictions of Afronauts and their futursitic findings - such as technofossils of animals that once dominated the region such as the Giant prehistoric beavere and the Giant Salmon.

GALLERY

The band of storytellers is an Afrofuturistic interpretation of the past. It features seven fictitious blue characters dressed as