Karin Eaton receives Diamond Jubilee medal from Scarborough Southwest MP Dan Harris
Birch Cliff resident Karin Eaton has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for “dedicated service to the Scarborough arts community”.
Widely known as “the mural lady”, Eaton is the founder of Mural Routes, the organization that has been beautifying public spaces in Scarborough since 1990.
Eaton said she received a letter “out of the blue” from MP Dan Harris and is “pretty chuffed” by the honour. She was nominated by long time Birch Cliff activisit Hedi Greenwood.
“I think what it is is that you feel honoured to be nominated by somebody who’s done so much for our community,” Eaton said. “To actually get recognition for many years of doing things in the community is gratifying. Honoured is the word.”
Murals in Birch Cliff and beyond
Eaton is the driving force behind the beautiful birch tree murals that started popping up on buildings throughout Birch Cliff last summer.
Her influence, however, can be seen all along Kingston Road through the Heritage Trail murals that document Scarborough’s rich history:
Scarborough Rifle Company. By John Hood. By The Scarborough Rifle Company marching to the Niagara Frontier to defend Canada against the Fenians on June 1, 1866.
“In The Way of Progress”. By Phil Richards. Passengers board a radial car at Stop 17 at Kingston Road and St. Clair Avenue while a gas-powered truck is impeded by a symbol of Scarborough’s rural heritage. In the background is Scarborough High School, now R.H. King Academy.
Eaton moved to Birch Cliff in August 1973. Her lifelong dedication to the arts began in 1977 when she started volunteering with the Scarborough Theatre Guild.
She then became a supporter of Arts Scarborough, which was the predecessor of the organization known today as Scarborough Arts. Mural Routes was launched in 1989 and incorporated as a separate entity in 1994.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Governor General David Johnston, and Canadian artist Phil Richards, unveils the original painting of The Queen by Canadian artist Phil Richards (Photo by Deborah Ransom, © Prime Minister’s Office, 2012).
True to form, when contacted for reaction to her Jubilee Medal, Eaton made a point of promoting the work of others.
She says she’s excited to receive the medal along with Phil Richards, the Scarborough artist who painted the portrait of Queen Elizabeth that the Canadian government gave to the Queen for her Jubilee.
“That’s the pinnacle of a portrait painter’s career to paint something of that stature,” Eaton said. “That’s why it’s so exciting for me.”
The National Film Board recently released a short documentary titled “The Portrait”. documenting Richard’s work on the painting.
Richards lives in Cliffcrest and attended R.H. King. At one point Eaton said he worked as the janitor at Cliffside Plaza in exchange for studio space.
Interestingly, Richards also painted the mural “In The Way of Progress”, depicting a cow blocking Kingston Road in front of R.H. King Academy.
