Standing
in front of the historical ceramic murals he created for a Toronto City
Hall Exhibition, 1993, Américo Ribeiro, standing left, born, Lisbon,
Portugal, is one of Canada’s premier ceramista painters. At age 14, he
began painting ceramic tiles, eventually immigrating to Canada from Nazaré,
Portugal, settling, first, in Toronto’s Portuguese community, working at
odd jobs to raise the necessary monies needed to send for Estrela, his
wife, and daughter, Maria Helena, eventually residing in Mississauga, Ontario.
This view also depicts Portuguese-born Martinho Silva, centre, a former
member of Toronto City Council, and António Sousa, an immigrant
to Toronto from Portugal, 1953. The mural at left depicts Upper Canada’s
first Lt. Gov., John Graves Simcoe, landing at what is now Toronto Harbour,
1793; the mural, right, illustrates the first boat load of many hundreds
of Portuguese immigrants, including António Sousa who landed at
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1953. [Photo, courtesy Américo Ribeiro]