Every once in awhile something really amazing comes along that you just can’t believe you get to be part of. One week after receiving the International Sculpture Centre’s “Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award”, I was contacted by Pratt Homes to inquire as to whether or not I would be interested in participating in their upcoming Art Competition. 

I hesitantly said yes, never having had the experience of creating a proposal of this magnitude and still in the middle of finishing up some other projects. I knew I would be up against the heavy hitters: Ted Fullerton (a former professor of mine), Ron Baird (the creator of Barrie’s iconic Spirit Catcher) and John McEwen (whose work, both on a small and large scale, I’ve admired for years). I only had one month to come up with an idea, prepare maquette’s (small scale models), get quotes, prep imagery and write my submission proposal. After some (now) much appreciated encouragement from friends I decided to take it on knowing it would be, if anything, a great learning opportunity. Was it ever!

Always interested in putting forth meaningful work, I started with research about the Kempenfelt Bay and Simcoe County area with respect to First Nation’s and their history in the area. This is when H.I.O. Big Chiefs was born.

Artist Statement – H.I.O. Big Chiefs

Simcoe County and the City of Barrie hold Indigenous histories rarely acknowledged. Prior to the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in 1615, the area around Kempenfelt Bay was composed of Wendat villages filled with thousands of people who used the land and waterways for hunting, fishing and trade. They shared the land and waterways with the Anishnaabe and, at times, the Haudenosaunee. Symbolic to Indigenous modes of transportation, the canoe, certainly played an important part in the lives of all nations who inhabited the area. It was in response to the erasure of these histories, that the concept for H.I.O Big Chiefs was conceived. Standing proudly overlooking Kempenfelt Bay and much of Barrie, three “Big Chiefs” pay tribute to the First Nations that shaped the landscapes around so-called Simcoe County. They continue to do so today.

See the final piece and VOTE HERE!

Voting begins on July 31, 2015 and ends September 14, 2015. I am so very grateful to Pratt Homes in Barrie for providing me with this opportunity. It’s been a unique experience and I hope that this inspires other developers in the Simcoe County region to follow suit.

References:

Hunter, A. F. (n.d.). A Voice From the Past. Retrieved from The History of Simcoe County : http://www.waynecook.com/hunter2.shtml

Rudychyk, B. (n.d.). The History of the Nine-Mile Portage. Retrieved from The City of Barrie – Nine Mile Portage Heritage Trail : http://www.barrie.ca/Living/ParksTrails/Trails/Documents/Nine%20MilePortage%20-%20A%20Brief%20History.pdf