BIO:
“My vision belongs to the public realm. The generosity of public spirit and chance to create something of value for community suddenly changed my whole view when I began to create community murals. …These murals were accessible and free to all. Even more exciting, was their purpose - to create public dialogue and sustainability in our communities and to foster a greater sense of belonging for all. "
Robin Hesse lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
By day, her practice focusses on community themed mural projects, which she executes in the summer months. Many of her brightly colored murals feature simple site-specific designs, commissioned by both public and private venues. In public spaces, often beside libraries, and other prominent public buildings. Robin has hand-painted traffic boxes, Bell Boxes, concrete barriers and other outdoor surfaces. These projects serve to help revitalize and beautify the many communities in and around Toronto. These projects are included both on the StART Murals Map streetart.to/ and the Bell Box Murals Map www.facebook.com/bellboxmuralsproject/ . When she is not painting murals in the community, she studies the night sky, which she draws with the use of a telescope, in Dark Sky designated areas throughout Canada.
Robin graduated from the Ontario College of Art . There, she received 3 major scholarships in the Department of Fine Arts. She then returned to OCAD to receive a diploma in Digital Media from OCAD in 2017, and then attended George Brown College, where she will soon graduate from the dept. of Graphic Design in the summer of 2022 (Con. Ed.). At GBC, she has learned to design large scale wall projects for outdoor spaces, and how to effectively navigate the Adobe Suite, gaining proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. She has exhibited her work in public and private galleries throughout Ontario, Quebec and the United States. Robin has been the recipient of many awards, and seven grants from the Ontario Arts council, including an OAC Emerging Artists Grant. Her work is held in public and private collections, including The Government of Ontario Art Collection of the Ontario Archives, and Imperial Oil. Robin has been represented by Circle Arts Gallery of Tobermory Ontario for the last ten years, (2010-2020.
Tied in with this work, is her association with Toronto Public Library, where she has spent 46 years in public services. She has led Mini-Makers, a STEM program for children for the library and conducted various children’s art programs through the years. Much of her community mural work builds on library public service initiatives that have inspired her creative projects. Robin’s rich public service opportunity has given her great insight and an understanding of community. She has watched communities evolve and grow and has developed a keen awareness of neighbourhood demographics. Robin attended the University of Guelph’s SART program, and the Ontario College of Art and Design where she received three major scholarships upon graduating in 1983. Seeking ways to combine her knowledge of public service with her art practice, she has found community mural making to be a great way to combine community engagement with art. The Henderson Bridge Mural (2013) followed by StreetARToronto projects: Outside the Box, (2015-2021) The TTC Coxwell Laneway Mosaic (2016), The Bell Box Mural (2017), Light up the Laneway (2018), and The Lakeshore Barrier Bike Lane Project (2019). Robin was awarded a Richmond Hill Community and Cultural Grant to create and manage her own Traffic box Program for Richmond Hill - The Richmond Hill Traffic Box Mural Project (2019). She then took part in a street beautification project for the Mount Pleasant BIA, in which street poles were hand-painted by artists on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Toronto. The same summer, a mural featuring “Henrietta the Hen” was painted across the road from the Hillcrest branch of Toronto Public Library (2021).
She has served on public art juries, including the Bell Box Murals Project and has facilitated workshops in public art making at Centennial College.
“My vision belongs to the public realm. The generosity of public spirit and chance to create something of value for community suddenly changed my whole view when I began to create community murals. …These murals were accessible and free to all. Even more exciting, was their purpose - to create public dialogue and sustainability in our communities and to foster a greater sense of belonging for all. "
Robin Hesse lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
By day, her practice focusses on community themed mural projects, which she executes in the summer months. Many of her brightly colored murals feature simple site-specific designs, commissioned by both public and private venues. In public spaces, often beside libraries, and other prominent public buildings. Robin has hand-painted traffic boxes, Bell Boxes, concrete barriers and other outdoor surfaces. These projects serve to help revitalize and beautify the many communities in and around Toronto. These projects are included both on the StART Murals Map streetart.to/ and the Bell Box Murals Map www.facebook.com/bellboxmuralsproject/ . When she is not painting murals in the community, she studies the night sky, which she draws with the use of a telescope, in Dark Sky designated areas throughout Canada.
Robin graduated from the Ontario College of Art . There, she received 3 major scholarships in the Department of Fine Arts. She then returned to OCAD to receive a diploma in Digital Media from OCAD in 2017, and then attended George Brown College, where she will soon graduate from the dept. of Graphic Design in the summer of 2022 (Con. Ed.). At GBC, she has learned to design large scale wall projects for outdoor spaces, and how to effectively navigate the Adobe Suite, gaining proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. She has exhibited her work in public and private galleries throughout Ontario, Quebec and the United States. Robin has been the recipient of many awards, and seven grants from the Ontario Arts council, including an OAC Emerging Artists Grant. Her work is held in public and private collections, including The Government of Ontario Art Collection of the Ontario Archives, and Imperial Oil. Robin has been represented by Circle Arts Gallery of Tobermory Ontario for the last ten years, (2010-2020.
Tied in with this work, is her association with Toronto Public Library, where she has spent 46 years in public services. She has led Mini-Makers, a STEM program for children for the library and conducted various children’s art programs through the years. Much of her community mural work builds on library public service initiatives that have inspired her creative projects. Robin’s rich public service opportunity has given her great insight and an understanding of community. She has watched communities evolve and grow and has developed a keen awareness of neighbourhood demographics. Robin attended the University of Guelph’s SART program, and the Ontario College of Art and Design where she received three major scholarships upon graduating in 1983. Seeking ways to combine her knowledge of public service with her art practice, she has found community mural making to be a great way to combine community engagement with art. The Henderson Bridge Mural (2013) followed by StreetARToronto projects: Outside the Box, (2015-2021) The TTC Coxwell Laneway Mosaic (2016), The Bell Box Mural (2017), Light up the Laneway (2018), and The Lakeshore Barrier Bike Lane Project (2019). Robin was awarded a Richmond Hill Community and Cultural Grant to create and manage her own Traffic box Program for Richmond Hill - The Richmond Hill Traffic Box Mural Project (2019). She then took part in a street beautification project for the Mount Pleasant BIA, in which street poles were hand-painted by artists on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Toronto. The same summer, a mural featuring “Henrietta the Hen” was painted across the road from the Hillcrest branch of Toronto Public Library (2021).
She has served on public art juries, including the Bell Box Murals Project and has facilitated workshops in public art making at Centennial College.