Toronto is getting an eight-storey landmark Terry Fox mural this summer

Alexandar Bacon & Que Rock/City of Toronto

The City of Toronto has announced the chosen concept for a Terry Fox mural that will be painted this summer on University Avenue.

On Friday, the City, in partnership with the University of Toronto and The Legacy Art Project, shared the concept selected by an inter-generational panel and public feedback. The design by Alexandar Bacon and Que Rock was declared the winner.

The committee, which included Terry Fox’s brother Darrel Fox and niece Jessie Alder, chose Bacon and Rock’s design out of five finalists.

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The mural is expected to cover eight stories on the north side of U of T’s Rehabilitation Sciences Building. The mural will overlook University Avenue, which Terry Fox ran along on his route downtown Toronto on July 11, 1980.

“Alexander Bacon and Que Rock truly captured the euphoria and power of Terry running down University Avenue to Nathan Phillips Square on July 11, 1980. We will attempt to be patient as we await the unveiling this summer,” Fox and Alder said in a statement.

The mural will combine the two artists’ styles. The artists say that the design will feature Terry Fox waving to his spectators at the top of the mural and have a particular focus on his prosthetic leg. A ribbon of multiple colours will run through the artwork to represent the various cancers that the Terry Fox Foundation researches. The piece will feature other images of Terry Fox and highlight his courage.

Near to the bottom of the mural, Rock, and Indigenous artists, will tie in Terry Fox’s Indigenous roots with a bison and representation of his journey across Turtle Island.

“Terry Fox is an international hero, a timeless symbol of selflessness and resilience against all odds. We are so proud to celebrate this global icon through our mural,” Bacon and Que said in a statement.