The Bayview Art Tour (BAT) started in a living room of a house on Millwood Ave. in North Toronto. Artist, Frances Craig, invited a number of her neighbours, who were also artists, to discuss creating a street art exhibition and sale project. This happened in the late 1990s. By 2000, artists along Millwood Ave., including Frances, were inviting the community into their homes and studios to show their art each Fall. The group eventually expanded to include members of the Don Valley Art Club, as Frances was a member at the time. Frances ultimately handed over the organization of the now-established Bayview Art Tour to other community artists. In the mid-2000s guest artists from outside the original limited neighbourhood were invited to participate.
Frances passed in 2016, leaving an important legacy. Frances was a very creative person who worked in acrylics and mixed media. She also created Silk Screen Monoprints and Collagraphs. Commissioned portraits and liturgy were her specialties. She “was an Artist, Poet, Interior Designer, and Yoga Instructor. She was an inspiration and her spirit will live in all who knew her.”
In 2020, when the COVID pandemic and its restrictions arrived, The Bayview Art Tour and its artists adjusted to the times. The event converted to an outdoor art exhibition and sale at outdoor venues like artists’ home gardens and driveways. This pivot was so successful that the artists decided to add a Spring Art Tour in 2021-22.
The Bayview Art Tour continues to offer a showcase for veteran as well as emerging artists in the west Leaside and North Toronto community. Sponsoring organizational and business host venues offer guest artists spaces to exhibit and sell their work. BAT has grown and continues to develop outreach to artists and the community through social media, maintaining a decades-long tradition of local community involvement supporting the visual arts in Toronto.
