On the occasion of the inaugural Water/Fall Festival, The Bentway is excited to extend its ambitious public art programming to celebrate the creativity and connectivity of Lake Ontario.

A Lake Story, a new commission by artist Melissa McGill, takes the form of a large-scale canoe procession that will write Lake Ontario’s story through colour, across the sky and water. Featuring 400+ local canoers and paddlers joining us for this memorable performance, participants will paddle in a coordinated, slow-moving procession. An epic celebration of Lake Ontario along the Toronto Waterfront, Melissa McGill’s project maps Toronto’s harbour and waterfront biosphere with the lake’s own vocabulary expressed through its natural colour palette. By giving visual voice to the interconnected relationships above and below the waters, the project invites us to shift our perspective to participate in and learn from nature’s wisdom and creativity.

This coordinated action will be visible from a wide range of viewing areas, creating an epic shared experience with Lake Ontario across the waterfront. Following the performance a celebration of the community partners and creative process will be staged along the western waterfront, featuring a documentary film and a presentation of the colour field paintings.

A Lake Story celebrates the ongoing environmental commitment of Toronto’s Waterfront and the re–naturalization of the Don River, and is only possible thanks to the collaboration of many partners involved, including Waterfront Toronto, Waterfront BIA, Ports Toronto, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Redpath Sugar, Toronto Foundation, and community support from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

What to expect:

• A slow-moving procession of approximately 120 canoes with large, wind-activated colour field paintings will move through Biidaasige Park and the Eastern Waterfront towards Sugar Beach.  
  
• The entire experience will last approximately 2 hours from beginning to end. 
  
• Two performances will take place at 11am and 4pm on September 27/28
  
• The experience will be visible from many points along the Eastern Waterfront and Biidaasige Park in Oekwemin Minising.