Some might say that an artist makes a statement by drawing in chalk; the impermanence is a reflection of the changing nature of society, like the plucked hairline of Mona Lisa or the walk of Philippe Petit on twin towers that no longer exist. So why did oil painter Andrea Baillargeon render the 240 feet of artwork in tunnel 1707 in chalk? “I didn’t want this to be graffiti,” she states, “I only wanted to do something nice for my kids.”
Andrea has done ‘something nice’ for a whole lot of kids, and adults too. In fact, our neighbour Allison, writes how the ‘Toon Tunnel’ changed her life forever:
“The art Andrea has created in our neighborhood tunnel has had a big impact on my family. My son Charlie has severe, non-verbal autism and I should say, is a big fan of Disney, Muppets, and all things cartoon. While a great walker, he has always resisted going through the tunnel into Nose Hill. In order to get him to go for a hike there, I would need to negotiate and encourage him through promises of a favorite children’s movie, for example, I would say, “First Nose Hill, then Cars movie!” Occasionally we would make it; More often he would resist, turn around at the tunnel, and go back home. This has been our experience throughout his entire life.
With COVID, Charlie’s world (already smaller than the average person’s) became even smaller. His program was shut down. For the past eight months, my role has been to keep him engaged and doing new activities. One of the things I’ve most wanted him to do is to enjoy walking on the hill, especially during our extended summer. Knowing about Andrea’s drawings, I was recently able to encourage him to visit the tunnel. For once he didn’t stop! He didn’t resist! Resistance was replaced sheer wonder. Charlie smiled as he went through and touched all the characters he knew. He was motivated for the first time! What followed was a beautiful hour long walk on Nose Hill with our dog on a beautiful day. The very next day, for the first time in his 20 years, Charlie made a choice he had never made before. He used his communication device to ask to go to Nose Hill. Just like that, what a difference Andrea has made. By sharing her talent, by wanting to make the tunnel a little less scary for her children, she has made the world bigger for my special needs son. Luckily, very luckily, I was able to meet her and tell her how her work has impacted Charlie and me. Not only was she gracious and lovely, but she also let me know how much it mattered to her. She promptly drew one of Charlie’s favorite characters on our sidewalk. So, every time we go out for a walk in our beautiful neighborhood, Charlie is able to see it and smile.
And he does.
Best,
Allison
Thanks for moving into our neighbourhood Andrea! Follow Andrea and her husband’s work with #toontunnelyyc. Google ‘Toon Tunnel YYC’ and you may discover the video her husband Colin put up, plus interviews with CTV and Global.
