So your parents want you to become a doctor, but secretly you’re a blossoming Dégas. When you applied for your Bachelor of Arts, you were hoping it might involve a course or two in photo collage. And at one point, you’ve considered burning all your calculus textbooks and transferring to OCAD.
For the U of T student deprived of visual arts, spare yourself that drastic journey down to Dundas and McCaul. Mere minutes from the hot dog carts and brutalist buildings of central campus awaits a veritable fortress.
The exterior alone is intriguing, yet most U of T students have never set foot inside. So, to all the uninitiated: welcome to the mystical, overlooked world of One Spadina Crescent
DID YOU KNOW? Amelia Earhart worked at One Spadina!
Located at the southwest corner of the St. George campus, Spadina Circle barely manages to make it onto the offi cial U of T map, along with the handful of university buildings to the west. Yet the edifi ce is on neither the east nor west side of the avenue: as a poster in the building attests, the castle is so impressive that it “splits Spadina in two.”
Built on one of the few circular plots in the city, it’s hard to miss One Spadina’s gargoyles, turrets, and 115-foot tower. These original elements date back to 1875 with the establishment of Presbyterian Knox College. Ten years later, Knox amalgamated with the University of Toronto, though by the turn of the century, One Spadina felt hopelessly far away from the rest of the campus. At the time, U of T barely extended to the west past King’s College Circle.
In 1914, Knox College moved to its present location on St. George Street. During the First World War, One Spadina Crescent became a military hospital, and in 1917, its wounded soldiers caught the attention of Amelia Earhart. In Toronto to visit her sister, Earhart worked here as a nurse’s aide until she contracted infl uenza. While recovering in Massachusetts, she took up banjo-playing and mechanics—proving that exiting One Spadina results in an immediate loss of artistic cred.
In 1944, the university repurchased One Spadina to house the booming insulin production of the Connaught Laboratories. In the mid-1950s, U of T’s Department of Ophthalmology began to take over the labs. Composites from the graduating class- es still hang along the hallways on the fi rst floor, juxtaposed brilliantly with riveting photo collage projects.
In its current incarnation, One Spadina is slowly becoming the centre for U of T’s Fine Art department. While the Visual Studies program is already well established, History of Art is on the move from Sid Smith. For now, the building is peppered with boggling facilities such as the Arctic Anthropology Lab, an offi ce for Hungarian Studies, and the Ontario division of the Eye Bank of Canada. This quirky tenant provides the name for Eyeball, the annual Visual Studies undergraduate art show. Moreover, shady cab drivers have been reported entering the Eye Bank, purportedly bringing donations. Could art students possibly ask for a better neighbour?
DID YOU KNOW? U of T offers visual art classes!
As an art school, U of T’s Department of Visual Studies is less well-known than OCAD. According to Sheila Hewlett, a third-year student and president of the Fine Arts Student Union (FASU), Visual Studies holds a different focus from the traditional art school. “Our work is more idea-based and conceptual,” explains Hewlett. One can easily combine a Visual Studies major with other programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Evidently, the philosophies of integrated studies infl uence one another.
At One Spadina, artistic culture exists in the hallways and on students’ easels. Years of additions have left the building with innumerable secret passageways, hidden staircases, and empty spaces screaming for installations. VIS student Cecilia Tiburzi loves the “Seesaw Relationships” project super-glued to the wall next to Room 330. Hewlett’s favourite piece resides outside of One Spadina: looking out the third-fl oor windows, there’s a fully clothed papier-mâché person lying in a shallow pit. When it rains, the water rises and the doll fl oats eerily along the surface.
The Visual Studies faculty are also fans of the wild exhibitions at One Spadina. VIS professor and associate chair Lisa Steele vividly recalls a particular installation from a few years back: “I pushed the button for the elevator” she recounts, “but when I tried to go inside, it was completely covered in sod! I was then told to look outside, and the same student had coated his car in sod as well.”
DID YOU KNOW? Any U of T student can get involved with Fine Arts!
So, how can Zoology and Commerce students get involved in this crazy community? First, grab those sketchbooks and charcoals— FASU hosts free life-drawing sessions every Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. for all T-Card holders. If you’re seeking more fame and recognition, FASU also facilitates The EEL, a student-run exhibition space at One Spadina. All VIS students and “the greater community” can use the gallery for one- to two-week exhibitions, with available resources for advertising and opening-night parties. Currently running is “The Poster Show,” featuring student-designed interpretations of imagery in the public realm.
Of course, trying to break into the artsy crowd can be intimidating. To encourage newcomers, FASU offers free tea and cookies at the UC Art Centre Lounge every Friday at 2 p.m. The organic goodies are rumoured to be even better than the fare at UC’s Union.
As One Spadina Crescent enters its 133rd year as a Toronto landmark, the castle has been granted some long-overdue renovations, including an Art History library, more exhibition space for students, and a new lobby. Also proposed is an innovative entryway into the campus built on the circle. Will One Spadina become U of T’s most impressive gateway? Given the illustrious history and current charms, it’s about time that this fortress got some more attention.
