The District of North Vancouver Mayor and Council have been busy over the past few months cutting ribbons at unveilings for three new public art works. Artist Marianne Nicolson's new work, The Land is a Person, located at the Cedar Springs Retirement Residence, is in the style of a Pacific Northwest Coast Northern hat. Last month during North Shore Culture Days, Mirare by artists Cheryl Hamilton and Michael Vandermeer was unveiled in Princess Park. And Moving Up by Karen Kazmer is the latest public art addition on the Spirit Trail.
The Land is a Person
Marianne Nicolson, Artist
The Land is a Person acts as a “hat on the land” recognizing the animation of the landscape as a person. It also pays homage to the timelessness of the land and the wisdom of the elderly. The hat is transformative from day to night. In the daytime its form is the dominant feature, while at night the incised image of a killer whale becomes apparent through illumination. The killer whale is symbolic of harmony and healing.
Mirare
Cheryl Hamilton & Michael Vandermeer, Artists
Mirare depicts the life cycle of the tree, reflecting nature’s ongoing organic transformation of matter into energy. The sculpture is placed as a sentinel at the forest’s edge, inviting us to venture into nature with respect and reverence. Mirare is the District of North Vancouver’s contribution to the Necklace Project, Illuminating Communities, an inter-municipal collaboration for public art involving ten municipalities throughout Metro Vancouver.
Moving Up
Karen Kazmer, Artist
Moving Up reflects on the ways that urban animals and people adapt to their environment. Having provided the gnawed branches for the cast elements within the sculpture, the beavers from nearby Mackay Pond can be seen as co-creators of this artwork that portrays the convergence between nature, local housing, and industry. Moving Up is one of several public artworks that can be found on the Spirit Trail.
Learn more about these and other works in North Vancouver's Public Art Collection at www.artsoffice.ca
