Terry Murray has been a medical journalist for more than 40 years. She has held staff positions on Canadian Family Physician and the Medical Post; been a consultant for the World Health Organization; and done freelance writing for medical and general interest publications around the world. She is currently editor of Murray's Review of Medical Journalism. Her books, however, deal with subjects far removed from medicine: • Faces on Places: A Grotesque Tour of Toronto (Anansi, 2006) - the stories behind the humanoid sculptures (gargoyles, grotesques, etc.) on more than 60 buildings in Toronto, with more than 200 photographs taken by the author. Murray is continuing the collection of identifications — from Toronto and elsewhere — on the Faces on Places website. • The Test of Time: The Long Life, Short Art and Shorter Afterlife of Merle Foster (in progress) - the biography of Toronto sculptor Merle Foster. More information on Foster can be found at terrymurray.org. • Red Squad (in progress): a memoir of Murray's parents' involvement in the U.S. Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, which brought them to the notice of the "Red Squad," an intelligence unit of the Chicago Police Department.
1. Presentation on gargoyles and other architectural sculpture (in Toronto, but I know about sculpture in other Canadian and U.S. cities as well)
A collection of guardians has been watching over us for more than a century, but most Torontonians are unaware of their existence. These are the stone creatures - generically referred to as gargoyles - who keep vigil from their perches on buildings across the city. Join us as veteran gargoyle hunter Terry Murray introduces us to some of Toronto's most intriguing and silent citizens.
2. Merle Foster and the Test of Time
A prolific sculptor who was fully engaged in Toronto's cultural, civic and social life for most of the 20th century, Merle Foster has been almost completely forgotten. Now, a 10-year search by journalist and author Terry Murray has yielded the life of a remarkable woman artist.
I can adapt my illustrated presentation on gargoyles and other architectural sculpture (see above) for middle school-aged (and younger) children. This would cover the functional and decorative aspects of this works, along eith encouragement to look up to spot these figures. This could be offered in the context of classes in art or history.
