Free Walking Tour Sunday August 9th Celebrates Completion of the Stanley Park Environmental Art Project

August 6, 2009 (No. 45) - The public is invited to join in the celebration of four unique art works with a walking tour on Sunday, August 9 th from 1-3pm. Meet at the Lost Lagoon Nature House. Admission is free.

The Vancouver Park Board, the Stanley Park Ecology Society and the Community Arts Council of Vancouver are holding this event to mark the completion of the Stanley Park Environmental Art Project: Four artists/artist teams produced artworks that are now on display in various locations of Stanley Park. A map and self-guided walking tour are available on the project website.

Shirley Wiebe's piece, Cozy, is made from over 1,500 vine maple medallions engraved by hundreds of individuals. The pieces were joined together with hemp twine to form a protective covering for the remains of a Douglas fir. The work is a nurturing gesture that acknowledges the care and attention our environment needs in order to continue looking after us.

Listen, by John Hemsworth and Peter von Tiesenhausen is a 6-foot diameter orb carved from cedar remnants of the wind storm of 2006, nestled between two large sections of a fallen cedar. Intended as a place of reflection, Listen offers an opportunity to find a silence between ourselves and our environment.

With K'aycht'n! (We Hold Our Hands Up To You!, Davide Pan and T'Uy'Tanat Cease Wyss transplanted native species into the hollows of a several sculptures to accelerate the nurse log process. Plant names carved in Coast Salish recall the history of the First Nations in Stanley Park.

Entwined is a large cedar and red wool braid plaited by Secwepemc (Shuswap) artist Tania Willard. It explores the interconnectedness of Stanley Park 's ecology and how the different uses, experiences and perspectives of both indigenous and non-indigenous people, plants and materials are interwoven.

The art project was developed in reply to the overwhelming public response to the windstorms of 2006. For more information visit vancouver.ca/spea or contact Community Arts Programmer, Anna Nobile at 604-257-8479.

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For more information contact Carol DeFina, Communications Coordinator, at 604-257-8440.

Project Partners:

Project Funders:

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian Visual and Expressive Arts Program is made possible through a generous gift from The Ford Foundation

 

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 220 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.