My City My Six: home/place

home/place is an exhibition of twelve stories written by Scarborough residents presented alongside artwork from the University of Toronto Scarborough Collection, including work by Robert Burley, Robin Collyer, Eldon Garnet, Eric Glavin, Morris Lum, Allyson Mitchell, Meryl McMaster, Will Munro, and Tazeen Qayyum. The composition of stories presents diverse narratives of Canadians, whether Indigenous or immigrant, first, second, third generation and beyond. The artworks were selected as they have been created by artists who are Toronto born-or-based, some with subject matter that reflects Toronto specifically, others suggesting a more allusive connection. These pieces offer supplementary perspectives through which to read the short memoirs.

The stories presented in home/place were collected through workshops and events held by Scarborough Arts as part of My City My Six, a public art project revealing Toronto and its residents in acknowledgement of Canada 150, six words at a time. From January through May 2017, the My City My Six project asked Torontonians of all ages and backgrounds to share something essential about themselves in six words. My City My Six culminates in a citywide exhibition with stories appearing in exhibition sites throughout the city in transit shelters and interiors, billboards, and public spaces like the Instructional Centre Vitrines.

Six word stories have served as the basis for storytelling for years, beginning famously with Ernest Hemingway’s six-word tale, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” In only six words, this story includes a beginning, middle and end. Despite such restriction, narratives unfold in few words. My City My Six takes inspiration from the Six Word Memoir project made popular by Smith Magazine, which began in 2006 where to date over one million stories have been shared through publications, as a writing prompt in classrooms, and circulated through the project’s blog.

This project is led by Toronto Arts and Culture in collaboration with the city's six local arts service organizations (Arts Etobicoke, East End Arts, Lakeshore Arts, North York Arts, Scarborough Arts and UrbanArts). For more information and a listing of additional My City My Six exhibitions please visit Scarborough Arts Website.