The art of history

The Artscape Wychwood Barns opened last year near St. Clair Avenue West in midtown. The former Toronto Transit Commission garage maintains its long, featureless sheds, complete with dates of construction from the 1920s etched over the wide barn doors. Only now the traffic is purely pedestrian with an off-leash dog park, a playground, and grassy fields that host al fresco cinema on summer nights.

Saturday mornings from 9 to 1, a year-round farmers market brings the area’s bounty to those eager to live by a 100-mile diet. Fresh and smoked lake fish from Georgian Bay, foraged edibles from the forest floor, Mennonite meats, artisanal cheese, and heritage vegetables are all available.

The market is run by The Stop, a sustainable food production and education center that also operates a greenhouse, bake oven, community kitchen, and classroom on site. The combination of meals, talks, and advocacy on food issues has quickly made the Barns one of the most popular foodie destinations in Toronto.

The other attraction here is the two dozen artist studios whose occupants not only live here but also mount exhibits, host tours, and keep the energy of the place buzzing beyond the busy weekends. Having an artist colony was part of the plan to put a cultural agenda into the mix of urban renewal, and it seems to be working.

St. Clair Avenue is undergoing a revival with new restaurants, galleries, and shops following the completion of a contentious right-of-way for streetcars, which no longer turn into Wychwood for repair.

“The barns have brought a focus to the neighborhood,’’ said resident artist John Coburn. “For 30 years, I’ve had studios in the backs of warehouses and never encountered anyone who might buy my art. Now when I paint I leave my door open, people stop by, and relationships are made.’’