Several youngsters were all smiles as they spent part of their evening making art and a plethora of buttons at Tutela Park in Brantford on Monday, August 24, 2026.
Presented by SideWalk Joy Brantford and the Eagle Place Community Association (EPCA), Art in the Park has been running every Monday evening, from 5 to 6 p.m, since June.
While there, youngsters typically spend their time searching for the perfect supplies to express their imagination, creating art and engaging with familiar faces.
Tasha Buscombe, the face behind SideWalk Joy Brantford, said her bright purple mobile art cart is an extension of the free, community-focused initiatives she’s created in her own front yard.
“A few years ago, I saw someone who had a free little art gallery, which is similar to the free little libraries you see in different neighbourhoods, but for art,” she said. “Two years ago I decided to make one of my own outside of my house, and now that’s expanded to a free little greenhouse, a toy car trade, a rock garden and all these other things.”
After learning about Wilfrid Laurier University’s StartUp Lab and the City of Brantford’s Community Changemaker program last fall, Buscombe started thinking about what kind of positive change she could create in the community.
“Eventually I came up with the idea of having a mobile free little art gallery so I could take it around to different parks. People really enjoy the little art gallery at my house, but only people in my neighbourhood get to experience it,” she said. “This way, I can attach the art cart to my bike and take it around to other neighbourhoods and events in the city, and I ended up getting funding from that program to build it.”
The art cart now boasts its own free little art gallery, an interactive lego board along the top and back, a trinket trade box on the side, art supplies and even a book swap area on the bottom.
The idea concept is simple but effective in bringing joy: make art, take art and leave art.
Since its creation in the spring, Buscombe has brought the mobile art cart to various events including the Tulips and Maples Festival, Hike for Hospice, Wheels on the Pavement, Pride in the Park, Canada Day and other community happenings around town.
Buscombe said the art cart has received plenty of positive feedback from residents.
“It’s been overwhelmingly positive, I’m actually surprised at how many people wanted me to bring the cart to events this year. People are always telling me, ‘This is such a good idea, I never would have that!’ So that’s been amazing,” she said. “When I go to different events, people are usually seeing it for the first time, so there’s a lot of curiosity around what it’s about. People are usually surprised that they can just create or take art for free, but that’s the whole point. It’s free and it’s to give everybody the chance to be creative and have fun.”
While it’s been rewarding to bring the cart to different events around the city, Buscombe said having a regular sport at Tutela Park has allowed her to build connections within the local community.
“It’s nice because at the end of the night when I pack up to leave, the kids don’t want me to, but at least I can always say, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back next week,’” she said. “It’s cool because I actually see a lot of the same kids every week too. For example, I didn’t know Lily [Hickerson] before doing this, but she’s here at the park all the time, and now we’re celebrating her birthday. It really does feel like it’s building community. Even the parents know me when I come, and there’s just something special about it.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
