Pictures of Sky: A Kite Flying Gathering

Markham Public Art

Kite-Making Workshop led by artist Annyen Lam. Photo by Louis Li.

Pictures of Sky: A Kite-Flying Gathering

September 21, 2025 | 3 – 6pm
Reservoir Field, Milliken Mills Park
4375 14th Avenue, Markham

Bring your kite and join us on top of the Reservoir Field at Milliken Mills Park in Markham for Pictures of Sky, a kite-flying gathering that marks the conclusion of Our Park 2025—a shared experience of discovery, exploration, and creation.

Everyone is encouraged to bring their own kites to take part in this collective flight. Participants from artists Jason Logan and Annyen Lam’s recent workshops will fly the kites they created in August, and on the day, Jason and Annyen will also lead drop-in ink-making and kite-making activities for anyone who wishes to build and fly something new. Nearby, in the same park, artist Xiaojing Yan’s living installation The Underground Sun will be on view in its full autumn blossom.

Under the theme Learning from Mushroom, Our Park 2025 is a city-wide public art initiative exploring what mycelial growth can teach us about community, resilience, and connection. Inspired by how mushrooms create rich ecosystems through decay and interdependence, this year’s program asks how material culture is made—through local ecologies, immigrant histories, and collective care.

Rooted in Markham’s complex ecological and infrastructural context—including its relationship to Lake Ontario, the Rouge Valley, and the shared water systems of the Greater Toronto Area—the 2025 program unfolds across multiple sites and events, each shaped by collaborative, cross-cultural making.

This is a free event, open to all ages, with free parking on site. A food truck will also be available with snacks and refreshments.

The Underground Sun by Xiaojing Yan in the process of being planted at Milliken Mills Park. Courtesy of the artist.

Our Park 2025 Program

The Underground Sun
A Living Installation by Xiaojing Yan
Currently on view at Milliken Mills Park

Woven into the landscape of Milliken Mills Park, The Underground Sun is a 2,500-square-foot living installation shaped by the branching patterns of mycelium. Composed of plants native to Ontario and designed in dialogue with the park’s existing mowing patterns, the piece functions as both a restorative ecology and a symbolic infrastructure.

Working with public art consultant Catherine Dean and local nursery EcoMan, artist Xiaojing Yan selected perennials that bloom in staggered waves across the seasons. From goldenrod and cup plant to coreopsis, all the flowers share a yellow palette—radiating shades of warmth and brightness to attract pollinators throughout spring, summer, and fall.

Rather than excavating or laying new ground, the planting process gently disturbed only small pockets of soil, placing each plant within unmown areas defined by existing turf. The result is a subtle, evolving pattern that shifts with weather and growth, held in balance between human care and natural process. As a whole, the work invites reflection on how slow transformation, unseen connection, and patient care shape both ecological and civic life. Read CBC feature on the project →

Ink-Making Workshop led by artist Jason Logan. Photo by Louis Li.

From Forest to Sky
Ink-Making Workshop with Jason Logan

Led by artist and Toronto Ink Company founder Jason Logan, this two-part workshop took place on August 23 and guided participants in gathering pigment-rich materials from the Rouge Valley Trail—such as black walnut, wild grape, and goldenrod—then transforming them into vibrant inks using simple, household methods.

A condensed version of this activity will be offered on-site at the kite flying gathering.

Paper and Wind
Kite-Making Workshop with Annyen Lam

Artist Annyen Lam led a hands-on workshop on August 24 in traditional and experimental kite-making. Participants constructed bamboo-and-washi kites using Japanese paper and environmentally conscious materials, then personalized them with pigment and pattern.

At the kite flying gathering, participants will have another chance to make and fly new kites in a shorter workshop format, alongside those created in the August session.

Our Park is conceived by the City of Markham Public Art Program. The 2025 edition is co-produced with the Varley Art Gallery of Markham through its Community Artist in Residence program.

For more information about the artists, installation, workshops, and kite-flying gathering, please visit: yourvoicemarkham.ca/ourpark

For questions and inquiries, please contact Karen Law at klaw@markham.ca.