Dear Councillor Di Giorgio,
Hope you are having a nice day.
It was recently brought to my attention that the wonderful Essencia mural, along the Lawrence West underpass, is at risk of, in part, being censored because it is too “scary” for some.
This is hardly any reason at all to do so. Aside from being an astonishing artwork, beautifying the neighborhood and of course the city as a whole, we cannot allow the sensibilities of a few determine its fate or character.
From the countless people with whom I’ve discussed the mural, many residents of Ward 12, I have only heard praises for how it is bringing life and vitality to the wall, as well as individually inspiring them. All of us light up when we talk about the mural, nothing short of the most spectacular public art I believe Ward 12 has ever seen.
I have passed the wall millions of times. I grew up beside it. I always wished for it to transform to something not nearly as grey, daunting. And Essencia—Bruno, Shalak, and Fiya—have achieved that in fantastic proportions. I am so much prouder to be a resident of the area because of the mural, from its aesthetic magnificence to the important message about environmental protection and respect I see in it.
I am calling on you to help ensure nothing about the mural is touched. It will lose its true integrity the moment you do and be a total disservice to the brilliance Essencia offers the city. It is a gift from them, in all its details, and I—along with an overwhelming majority of Ward 12 I am sure—am grateful for it in its pure and original form.
The city has entrusted Essencia to create art on the wall that can be appreciated by the city as a whole. And that is exactly what they have been doing—and more. The mural is redefining an otherwise anonymous urban space into something wholly unique and different: a dreamscape reminding us of our shared humanity and interconnectedness with nature.
I could ask for nothing more. I would want nothing less.
Sincerely,
Paul Salvatori
