Street Art special: Oh Canada!
Posted on 08. Nov, 2011 by Dany in Canada, Ontario, Photo Essay, Quebec
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We’ll be the first to admit that before spending so much time in Canada this summer, we pictured wide open spaces and wild life roaming, not urban centers wrapped in world-class street art. We certainly saw a lot of rural locales, but often this was as we city-hopped through Ontario and Quebec, spotting murals and graffiti popping off store fronts, taking over entire buildings and catching our eye around every corner. As huge fans of street art, we were excited to find many terrific pieces everywhere. So which Canadian city do we think has the best street art?
Street Art in Quebec City
On our short visit here, we spotted just a bit of street art in Quebec City, but may have missed a lot touring mainly the historic Old Town area. We’re guessing there is much more, considering the amount of creativity put into the free, nightly Cirque du Soleil show, which combines urban art with classic dance, set outside under an overpass just beyond the city walls.
Street Art in Ottawa
Ottawa had some street art, and while much of it wasn’t too spectacular, Ottawans were able to boast the giant Obey poster by Shepard Fairey, one of the most influential and worldwide known street artists, thanks to that iconic Hope poster of Barack Obama.
Street Art in Montreal
In Montreal we saw plenty of street art, especially in the Plateau neighborhood which has larger-scale murals.
This lady with her rooster was definitely one of our favorite pieces – check out her ‘gringo’ tattoo!
Montreal had really great street art, but there was no way it could keep up with what we considered the best city for street art in Canada that we have found so far:
Street Art in Toronto
Toronto was heaven for us street art fangirls, in particular the area around Queen Street. Here we found entire alleys that served as outdoor galleries, filled with innovative, clever work.
And there was so much more urban art than just graffiti in back alleys, like this great guerrilla gardening graffiti combo… 
…and loads of urban art in other forms. We loved seeing these neon bikes permanently affixed to stairwells and various sign poles throughout the city.
Toronto definitely has the most original and inspiring street artists! The best thing about this form of art is that it lives and breathes, and changes constantly, so we can’t wait to see something completely different on our next visit!
Check out this slideshow for a more complete collection of Canadian street art:
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Have you been to Canada? Where have you seen the best street art? Share in the comments below…
16 Responses to “Street Art special: Oh Canada!”
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18. Nov, 2011
[...] Toronto is quite well know within the graffiti world for housing a lot of talent and the post from @GlbetrotterGrls proves it - Street Art Special – Oh Canada [...]
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Stephanie - The Travel Chica
08. Nov, 2011
Really impressive and different from what I have seen elsewhere.
jess
09. Nov, 2011
Yes, we saw quite a few pieces that were nothing like the street art we’ve seen in other places!
Liz
08. Nov, 2011
Fantastic photo essay – who knew Canada had such incredible street art?! I think Toronto gets my vote for the best…
Liz recently posted..Marvellous Mexico: Valladolid
Dani
09. Nov, 2011
Thanks Liz! Toronto sure has some truly skilled street artists!
Christy
08. Nov, 2011
These are amazing works of art; there are just so many talented and budding artists on the streets of Canada! They are just so good, and most of these arts are much better than what I have seen in other parts of the world!
I can’t believe these are just street arts!:)
Christy recently posted..One-of-a-Kind Luxury Vacation on Pangkor Laut Resort
Dani
09. Nov, 2011
You are right, Christy, it’s unbelievable that they are ‘just’ street arts! A shame that most of them won’t last too long.. that’s why I wanted to capture them in photos.
Scott - Quirky Travel Guy
09. Nov, 2011
That is amazing street art… way better than I’ve seen in most cities, aside from a few immigrant neighborhoods in Chicago!
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..Quirky Food: Cheese-ology in St. Louis
jess
09. Nov, 2011
You have to take us on a tour through some neighborhoods with good street art the next time we’re in Chicago
We didn’t see much street art when we were there in September except for the big Shepard Fairey piece near Navy Pier.
Mika Castro
09. Nov, 2011
You have a great images of Canada and arts of course. But to think those designs are not allowed on my country.
Yvonne
11. Nov, 2011
awesome post! and great pics!
Yvonne recently posted..12 Best Travel Quotes – From the Movies
jess
12. Nov, 2011
Thanks Yvonne! We’d love you to show us the street art in Berlin on our next trip through Germany!
Jade Johnston - OurOyster.com
19. Nov, 2011
Wow! I love the vehicle reclamation! I want to do that when i get back to my home city of Winnipeg!
Jade Johnston – OurOyster.com recently posted..Milford Sound New Zealand
Dani
20. Nov, 2011
Thanks Jade! Isn’t the vehicle reclamation a great idea? We actually saw a similar project in a small town in France – an entire square in the town was filled with old vehicles that now served as flower & plant pots.
Octavia
20. Nov, 2011
That’s truly art. I love the car and the bike. Great ideas! They must bring such color on the streets. And also a smile on many faces.
Octavia recently posted..The Basarbovo Rock Monastery
Dani
21. Nov, 2011
Thanks Octavia. The bike was my personal favorite! Bright pink – loved it